Chapter 2: Kieran Anubis

The Present

~~~~~~~

Gwendolyn snapped out of her thoughts the moment she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She shut her eyes for a moment to rein in her emotions. When she opened them again, the anguish was gone. All that was left was a cold look, devoid of warmth.

She lifted her head and stared at the maid who tapped her.

"Yes, Jenny?" She murmured, arching a brow.

"Princess, the council of shifters await your presence." Jenny said softly, keeping her head bowed and her eyes averted.

"What do they want?" Gwendolyn snapped angrily. She was fed up with the council. All they wanted was for her to pick a chosen mate and wed him, so the Earth Realm Pack would have an Alpha, and a future heir.

"I have no idea, Princess." Jenny answered. "But they said it is important."

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and massaged her temple with her fingers. She was stressed. Her dreams kept her awake all night, and during the day, the council was on her neck.

She needed a break, but that was a luxury she couldn't afford.

"Thank you, Jenny." She sighed finally. "Let them know I will join them soon."

"As you wish, Princess." Jenny bowed and quietly left the room.

Gwendolyn moved away from the desk where she had been all night and for half of the morning, signing important parchments from the neighboring packs.

She stifled a yawn and walked over to the terrace attached to her bedroom.

There she looked over her home, the Earth Realm Pack, a pack which had once flourished immensely.

Now it was a shadow of itself.

She still remembered that night vividly. The night everything fell apart.

It had been ten years. Ten good years since that fateful night she turned eighteen. Yet it felt like it was yesterday.

A lot happened within that ten years. Everything changed after the Wildings escaped with Luna Naomi, leaving the pack in shambles and bloodshed.

As the princess of the pack and the sole heir to the throne, Gwendolyn had taken on the burden of building the Earth Realm Pack back to its former glory.

A memorial was held for Alpha Thane and all the souls they lost. The council insisted on holding a separate memorial for Luna Naomi, but Gwendolyn blatantly refused.

Her mother wasn't dead. She could feel it, and she would find her.

The earth realm pack was rebuilt, but it was no longer the bustling kingdom it once was. It was now covered beneath a cloud of pain, uncertainty and anguish.

Gwendolyn who was twenty-eight now didn't find her mate. She spent countless nights in the forest under each full moon, praying to the heavens and the moon goddess to send her mate her way, someone who would help her lift the burden on her shoulders.

But ten long years went past and she didn't find him. Gradually, she lost hope. The once loving and sweet princess became a cold hearted woman, with one thing burning deep in her heart.

Vengeance.

She swore to avenge her father's death. She would find her mother and put an end to the Wildings, even if it was the last thing she did.

She turned and walked back into her room, preparing to meet the council.

Splashing cold water on her face, she stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection.

She had her father's brown eyes and dark hair, yet her great beauty and pale skin came from her mother.

She looked worn out. Exhausted. Her eyes had dark circles, and a vein kept pulsing in her temple, making her head ache. She needed proper sleep and rest.

But as long as the demons were still out there, she would never find rest.

She dried her face with a towel, threw on a cloak over her gown and walked briskly out of the room.

...

The council of shifters was a group of four lycans, two men and two women, in their late fifties. They helped Gwendolyn in overseeing the matters of the pack.

Now they sat around a round table, whispering among themselves. When Gwendolyn stepped in, they rose to their feet.

"Princess Gwen..." Owen, the leader of the council began, but Gwendolyn's hard glare shut him up.

"Let this be the last time you address me as 'Gwen'." She muttered coldly. "Is that clear, Sir Owen?"

"Crystal clear, Princess. Forgive me." Owen bowed in apology.

Gwendolyn proceeded further into the hall and lowered into the seat meant for her. She didn't mean to snap, but 'Gwen' was the nickname her father had given to her. Hearing another person address her with that same name was too hurtful.

She leaned back on her seat and pinned the council under her cold gaze.

"Well?" She prompted. "I was told you sent for me."

"We did, Princess." Owen continued. He was a bald man with a scar on his face, a scar he got fighting against the Wildings.

"If this is about me choosing a mate, you might as well forget about it." Gwendolyn interrupted before he could continue.

"Princess Gwendolyn, please." Sage, the other male council member cut in. "We understand why you don't want to take a chosen mate. But it has been years. The pack needs an Alpha. We need to secure Alpha Thane's bloodline. You need an heir."

"My decision remains the same." Gwendolyn maintained stubbornly. "I will not take a chosen mate. As for the pack needing an Alpha, I see no reason why you can't crown me."

"It has never been done, Princess." Freya, one of the female council members spoke out. "The Earth Realm Pack has laws. A female lycan can't be an Alpha."

"Laws are meant to be changed." Gwendolyn challenged. "It has been years. I think it's time we put an end to these old-fashioned laws."

She rose to her feet and stepped away from the round table.

"Let this be the last time you summon me for this same issue." She said curtly. "If you can't crown me Alpha of the pack, wait until the moon goddess sends me my mate."

Before any of the council could protest, she turned and stormed out of the hall.

Every meeting with them always ended that way. Those old fools were hellbent on forcing her to take a chosen mate. They could wait till eternity because she would never.

Halfway back to the castle, she spotted a large brown wolf racing towards her.

Her eyes softened a bit when she realized who it was. Julian Knight, son of Orion Knight, her father's beta.

Her best friend.

He shifted into his human form when he got closer to her and immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Hello, Julian." She smiled as she embraced him.

Julian pulled back and held her at arms length. He looked older and more handsome.

"You've grown more beautiful since the last time I saw you." He teased.

"Oh stop it." She brushed his compliment aside with a laugh. "It's been months. How was your travel?"

"I thought about you everyday." Julian replied, taking her hand in his as they walked into the castle. "I've seen enough of the world. I'm finally home. For good this time."

Gwendolyn smiled sweetly at him. Julian had been her pillar since everything happened. Despite also losing Orion, his father, he had stayed strong for both of them.

The only issue was the fact that she didn't return his feelings. Julian had been in love with her for years. He hadn't found his mate too, and she knew he wanted to take her as his chosen mate.

But she didn't want that. A chosen mate was the last thing she needed.

They just stepped into her room when a loud roar echoed through the pack.

Gwendolyn's demeanor changed immediately she heard the sound. Without waiting for Julian, she turned and raced out of her room.

The roar came again, from the direction of the pack's entrance. She hurried there, Julian close behind her.

A crowd had already gathered at the pack's entrance. The council pushed the shifters backwards, paving a way for her to pass.

When she finally pushed through the crowd, she stood frozen on the spot.

Chained before her was the man from her nightmares. The same man who murdered her father that night and abducted her mother.

He raised his head and their eyes met, brown eyes clashing with blood red eyes. She remembered his face perfectly. It was one she would never forget.

It was him. Kieran Anubis.