Chapter 3 – Tales of Old

Alex believes he’s not gullible enough to trust every word he’s hearing. But he must admit, his experience must be unique and unheard of.

“Father.” He immediately greeted his parents when they arrived.

Sab inhaled sharply upon seeing the wolves. It’s their first time seeing such wolves.

“They’re glowing, aren’t they?” Their silvery aura is truly mesmerizing.

“Hmm…”

Clyde carefully scrutinized the wolves.

“You’ve been talking to them. What did they say?”

“Not exactly. Just this one wolf.” Alex gestured to the wolf next to him and related the conversation he had with her.

“Your mate?” Sab was thrilled by the information, but also worried. Why must his mate be so mysterious?

“She can only speak to you?” The alpha wanted to confirm while staring at the wolf.

“That’s what she said.”

“She said you need to rescue her? From where?” His mother asked, somewhat concerned.

“She didn’t say. She said the wolves will guide me there.”

“That’s highly suspicious.” His father commented and he grunted his agreement.

“Exactly my thoughts.”

“What do we know about silver wolves? They can’t be ordinary, can they?” Sab brought it up.

“Speaking to a woman through a male wolf… that’s not usual, is it?” Alex also raised.

“Certainly a first. We can consult the elders tomorrow and discuss this with them. Silver wolves… I can’t remember what exactly I read about them. They’re related to the moon goddess or something.” Clyde frowned, not liking not knowing anything about the situation.

Alex glanced at the wolf, who kept its gaze on him.

“We’ll resume discussion tomorrow, then?”

“Yes.”

But through the link, Clyde still reminded his son to be ready at any time. Thankfully, nothing occurred during the night. Alex still had a somewhat restless sleep.

When morning came and he woke up, he was startled to see the wolf in his bedroom. He almost cursed aloud and the beating of his heart was erratic. Who knew he would be surprised like this? He had enough practice growing up to never be startled.

“How did you get here?” He angrily asked but the wolf remained very calm. Slowly, its head turned towards the open window.

Alex isn’t sure what to feel. It’s vexing and it made him feel as if his privacy has been invaded.

“Why did you come here? I did not allow you to.”

The wolf’s reaction isn’t what he expected, though. It lowly whimpered before laying down on the carpeted portion of the floor.

Alex sighed. He had to wonder. Was it the wolf’s own decision or did his master told him to?

In the dining hall, he found the other wolves are positioned around the place. It makes him feel vulnerable, as if they’re being surrounded. Pack members are all talking about them, fascinated and amazed. When they tried to touch them, the wolves would growl, though, warning them away. They easily got the message.

He got food from the counter and was about to sit down when a shrill voice exclaimed surprise from the entryway.

“Oh, goddess! It’s real! There are actually silver wolves here? Oh, wow. I couldn’t believe it when I heard. I thought they were joking, pulling a prank on me.” It was Isabel, someone who’s the same age as his parents. She’s from another pack and she looked very excited.

She approached the nearest one and just as she was about to extend her hand, a lot of people quickly shouted to stop her.

“No! Don’t! They’re not friendly.”

“They’ll bite you!”

Well, Isabel isn’t stupid. She did hear the low growl coming from the wolf and she kept a respectable distance.

“Do you know anything about silver wolves?” Alex asked as he finally took a seat.

“Of course! They’re the stuff of legends! They’re extremely rare. I can’t believe I’m seeing them in my lifetime! Oh, not just one! How many are there?”

“There are seven of them.” Someone else replied.

Alex squinted at her. “What kind of legends?”

In front of everyone, the wolf who has been leading the others approached Isabel and gently nudged his head on her hand.

Her excitement went through the roof and she was tempted to hug him. She lightly squealed to contain her emotions.

“According to legends, they’re of the royals. They’re the only ones who can command them. They haven’t been seen since the last royal died and the throne sat empty. Others say they’re from the moon goddess herself.”

Someone snorted, “Hasn’t it been almost a century since the last werewolf king died?”

“Yes, it’s been that long. It wasn’t clear how the royal bloodline died out. Some rumors say they’ve been cursed for disobeying the goddess.” Isabel explained as the wolf turned and walked towards Alex instead. He sat near his feet.

“Oh, are they here for you?” The woman directly asked and sat on a vacant chair.

“It would seem so. He’s the only one who can talk to it.” Another answered.

Alex can only roll his eyes and shake his head. Why must they answer on his behalf?

“Really? What did the wolf say?”

“It’s not clear yet. I’m going to discuss the matter with my father later.”

“I see.” Isabel kept her gaze on the wolf, whose eyes are trained on Alex.

“What’s his name?” She was curious.

Alex raised an eyebrow as he faced the wolf. He hasn’t asked yet.

“What’s your name?”

The wolf tilted its head before Alex heard the female voice again.

“I call him Akira. I said it yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Akira, huh?” He ignored her last statement.

“Hmm…”

Alex looked at Isabel, “What else do you know about them? Tell me.”

The woman squinted at him. Oh, well. He’s the next alpha after all. It’s almost second-nature for him to be authoritative.

“Well, what I already said is the gist of it. These were stories told from generation to generation. I’m not sure how much of it remained as truth. There are also different versions of the stories. Some say the goddess blessed a werewolf to rule all others, making him the first king, Alpha of all alphas. He was given authority over the silver wolves, which are gifts from the goddess. They do his bidding. They have powers unique to them. His descendants continued to rule after him, but after a few generations, they became ruthless and uncaring towards the people. All they cared about was being powerful and getting what they want. They turned selfish. The silver wolves stopped obeying them and disappeared. After a while, someone came and claimed to be blessed by the goddess. He’s to be the next king, but they didn’t believe him. They sought to kill him instead. The silver wolves reappeared and aided this guy, defeating the royal bloodline and reigning as new king. It was a new era for the werewolves. Just like the first king, he was also a good king. But again, generations after generations, the leadership deteriorated. History repeated itself. A new one appeared. That’s how the cycle was. The last king was the worst. He treated other wolves badly and waged war on other species. He was killed in battle. The palace was ransacked. After him, no one else appeared to claim the throne. The palace now lays in ruin and no one has lived there for decades. This version of the story was the most accepted. Others are… what do you call it? More violent? Certain details don’t make sense? In some versions, the silver wolves were considered myth and unreal. But damn, look at them now. How can they not be real? If they’re here for you, could it mean you’ll be the next king?”

Alex snorted, quickly denying her speculation. “How could that be? What does a werewolf king even do? We didn’t have one in the last century and we lived alright. Why would we need one now?”

“Who knows? But the silver wolves are here… that must mean something.”

He grunted and asked Akira, “Your kind has disappeared for decades, why are you back?”

The wolf remained quiet, though.

“Are you there?”

Still, no one replied. Alex sighed.

“What you told us just now, my father would want to hear the details as well.”

Isabel smiled, “I already told you. You can tell him. I still have something to do this morning. I just came to see how true it is that silver wolves have appeared in our territory. It’s fascinating, really. I’ll bring Lucas later to see them, can I?”

His lip twitched before looking at the wolf. “Maybe. They’re probably not leaving yet.”

He went to his father’s office afterwards. All the wolves followed him and positioned themselves on strategic spots. He realized now that their actions seem to be of security. They seem to guard him.

His parents are there, along with a few elders. Clyde has already spoken to them and they managed to tell him tales about silver wolves.

Alex told them what Isabel has said.

His father nodded, “It’s similar to what our elders know.”

“Why are they here, then?” It was Sab who asked the question they’re all curious about.