In a time when all three races lived together as one and the Lycans ruled the realm, there was a prince. He was Hekate, and he was heir to the throne.
It is said that Hekate was born on the night of the blood moon. Cursed, they called him. Strange, they said. A bad omen, they named him. The Moon Goddess’s priestess had taken one look at him and had told the King and Queen that he would bring destruction upon the realm. He would be better off dead as a child.But King Cassius and Queen Sylvi had tried to birth a child for centuries with no avail. They would not kill their child. Staring at his pale hair and moon kissed skin as she held him to her chest, Queen Sylvi had told the priestess fiercely, “He is but a child. You cannot damn him to death. I will raise him right. He will be a good, powerful king.”And so, she raised him, damning the consequences.As they say, the bad habits may begin as small shoots, but if left unchecked, they will begin to grow like vines, entangling the soul and rotting it from within. It began with the death of his pet hummingbird. The sight of the creature bleeding to death by an accidental stab wound by the prince had fascinated him so much.Prince Hekate wondered if a larger animal would die just as easily. He was only seven years of age when his mother gifted him a wildcat. The next day, the carcass of the animal was found rotting under the prince’s bed. It had been stabbed in several places. A horrendous sight to behold.Upon seeing what his son had done, the King summoned him, demanding an explanation for the death of the animal. Prince Hekate had retorted, claiming that the animal had been too weak. How could it die from a few stabs, he had asked.Needing to keep Prince Hekate’s blood lust under control, his father ordered that he be confined to his chambers, allowed only the visits of his tutors and the priestess who would teach him the ways. His mother had pleaded with the King to lessen the punishment, but he refused.Itching to get out of his room as soon as he could, Hekate kept on his best behaviour, managing to fool even his father into thinking he had improved with the priestess’s guidance. Soon, he was let out of his chambers, and that is when the true nature of the prince came to light.His human maid had been combing through his hair. A comb stick scraped his scalp once and he yelped, shooting up from his seat. “Do you not know how to handle a comb anymore, Ida?”She fell to the floor and grabbed his feet, trembling. “Forgive me, Sire. Punish me if you must. I have made a mistake.”“Surely, you must not need your hands anymore,” he cooed, staring at the smooth slender fingers that were wrapped around his small foot, and a choked sound escaped the maid as she began sobbing.A smile bloomed across his lips and he pulled out his dagger from its sheath. “Place your hand on the table, Ida.”The maid began sobbing in earnest, but with the revelry happening below, her cries were lost to the sound of joyful music and laughter. When the King and Queen found out what had been done, it was too late. He had chopped off all her fingers, deeming it a small mercy that he hadn’t cut off her arm instead.Horrified by what his son had done, the King exiled him to the Other Palace for a decade, where he would be surrounded only by the priestesses of the Goddess and be taught the compassion and wisdom of a king. He was assigned guards who would keep watch on him, and a knight who would anchor him through each shifting process.However, when Prince Hekate returned to the castle in ten years, he was covered in blood.The prince had murdered the priestesses of the Other Palace, as well as his guards and his personal knight.For a crime so despicable and utterly unacceptable to the people and the goddess, the King was forced to make a decision. The prince was to be executed. The Queen wept, pleading with the council and her King, but nothing could be done. Killing the Moon Goddess’s Priestesses were forbidden and punishable only by death.The prince was thrown into the dungeons, pending his execution.It never came. King Cassius died in his sleep that night. Some say Prince Hekate murdered his father to escape punishment. Some say King Cassius died of a heart ailment. Others say it was Queen Sylvi who strangled him in his sleep for damning their son.Till date, the circumstances surrounding the death of King Cassius remain mysterious. Having had no other heir or family to take up the throne, Prince Hekate’s execution order was rescinded by his mother and she named him king of the realm.The Council refused to acknowledge him as King. Standing as one before the newly named king, they made their stances known. They would rather die than accept a despicable killer and brute as their king.King Hekate made their wishes come true.It is said that it had happened in a blink of an eye. The moment they had spoken those words, Hekate had surged forward from his seat of power and attacked them. None stood a chance against him. He was the devil himself, moving in a red shrouded cloud that brought nothing but destruction in its wake. All that was left of the Council was a heaped pile of bones and torn flesh.The people rebelled; lycan, wolves and mortals alike. They rallied against him, expressing their anger, ,grief, and hate. They took up weapons, clamouring for the Hekate’s dethronement.King Hekate let the castle gates open to those who were bold enough to stand against him, deceiving them with a promise to listen to their complaints, and once they were all in, he shut the gates. People say the lands bled that day, and the skies cried. One by one, he killed them, relishing in their pleas and the smell of their fear, and once he was done, he let their heads sit on the spikes of the castle gates like trophies.None dared to speak an ill word about King Hekate after that, not even in the privacy of their homes, and those that did dare were found dead in the worst ways possible. The people learned to live in fear of him. He became the tale told to children that left them waking from nightmares with screams and tears.One day, however, King Hekate fell.Riding through the lands with his entourage of guards, the King had stumbled upon the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on. A werewolf. Lorna was her name. She had hair like crackling embers, eyes of sapphire jewels and smooth pale skin. She made him stumble in his steps. He had never felt such a thing in his entire life.Every day, the king would take the same path, just to see the red haired wolf while she plucked plums from the trees.He decided he wanted her and would take her as his queen.The woman did not share the same sentiments. Lorna turned him down. She had a chosen human mate and she loved him.Her rejection baffled and enraged Hekate. How could she reject him, ruler of the realm, for a puny human? It didn’t bode well with him. Unused to not having what he wanted, he sought to find the reason behind her rejections.One night, he trailed Lorna home. The sight of seeing her smile at the human had him in a rage. He dashed for their cottage, killed her mate and took her with him forcefully to his castle. She cursed him the entire way, crying to the goddess to punish him for what he had done. He locked the devastated woman in room, allowing only his mother the permission to tend to her. Queen Sylvi was to oversee Lorna’s needs and prepare her for their wedding.But a few days to her forced wedding, Lorna took ill. Upon examination, it was found that Lorna was with child.Knowing what her fate would be once Hekate heard the news when he returned from his journey, she fell to her knees before Hekate’s mother, pleading for help to escape. A chance to let her children live. Perhaps, it was those words that appealed to the Queen’s heart, having been in the same place before.In the early hours of the morning, Queen Sylvi had Lorna hidden in the supply wagon and she was carted off to the borders where the humans favoured.Upon returning, King Hekate found his bride missing and his mother guilty. He had his mother tossed in the dungeons, depriving her of food and water, after which he gathered his men and marched into the lands in search of Lorna. When he couldn’t find her, his wrath became a sentient thing, overwhelming his thoughts in the most unthinkable way.After days of fruitless searching, he became convinced that the people had hidden Lorna from him and word began to spread of the mad king who had lost his heart and mind to a woman. He became a laughing stock in his lands. Upon returning to the castle in weeks, he was greeted with the news of his mother’s death.She had ripped out her own heart, unable to stomach anymore of her son’s cruelty.King Hekate paid no tribute to his late mother, more interested in finding his runaway bride.And he did. After two years of searching, he found her in the outskirts of the decrepit human towns, caring for her twin children with another man. Enraged by her betrayal, he went on a killing rampage, beginning with the male he had found her with, then her children. He made sure to let her watch them die, and after that, he killed her.But King Hekate didn’t stop there. He decimated the entire village and continued well into the neighboring villages, hacking into the helpless humans and werewolves with his men.The cries of the people soon stirred the Moon Goddess from her eternal slumber and when she looked upon the world and her children, she was enraged.She cursed King Hekate and his minions, casting them into a realm where there was nothing but cold and darkness, never to see the light of the sky again.To ensure that her children never went through the same ordeal again, she divided all three races, separating them into three realms to be ruled by their kind only.But the Moon Goddess saw into the future. She saw that King Hekate and his men would adapt to the cold and the darkness, becoming one with it. She saw that he would return to destroy them all.So she left them with the prophecy of the future.On the day of the blood moon, when The Veil between all realms are at their thinnest, the Hekate will break free of his curse. His power will know no bounds, and his wrath will be felt throughout the realms. Where he threads, blood will flow and the lands will wither.In order to win against the Hekate and his dark army, they must all be prepared.The crowd pushes past me, rushing out of the hallway in which I'm standing, dazed and freaking out.This can't be happening to me.This can't be real.I can't be in Lycan School.Did the Grand Mistress make a mistake? I've never heard of such a mistake being made in all of my history lessons on the portal. It takes you where the Goddess wills you to be.I...I can't be here right now. I need to be at the Academy with Aria, Trinity, and Thorne.I spin in a circle. The hallways are awfully lit with electronic devices from the human world. There are thin lockers lining the walls and I see a few people pulling out scrolls and books from them.I need to find the Grand Master of Lycan School. Surely, he can help me reach my father and mother, and procure a way back to the right school.Straightening, I follow the crowd to this assembly they speak of, looking around as I do. The vast white corridors seem to stretch on forever, with doors (too many doors) that possibly lead to classrooms and o
After the assembly, the men drag me across the hallways, stopping in front of an iron door that is at least ten foot tall.The door suddenly swings open, even if there is no one behind it.I am thrown in by the men, and the door shuts the moment I'm inside the office.I whirl around in the space that looks to be an office. I am immediately struck by the sheer size of the room. The high ceilings seem to stretch up into infinity, while the walls are lined with tall bookcases filled with ancient-looking tomes. The scent of old leather and paper fills my nose, and it reminds me of the library in the castle.In the center of the room, a large oak desk dominates the space, with a high-backed chair behind it. The desk is cluttered with papers and stacks of books, but everything seems to be in perfect order, as if each item has been placed with utmost care.Behind the desk, a tall window offers a view of the sprawling grounds outside. The sunlight streams through the glass, casting a warm glo
The Dining Hall is noisy and filled with people holding trays and speaking into their gadgets. My stomach growls as the smell of chicken teases my nostrils.I pass by a group of people and they laugh at me. I know. I look like crap.I skipped dinner last night, crying and punching the stupid mattress. Then I'd slept rather roughly.I couldn't find anything to comb my red hair with this morning and I have terrible bed hair. I lost my cosmetic bag at some point in the portal so my skin is dry like desert sand. My eyes are dark and haunted and my uniform doesn't fit.Worst first school day ever. Can it get any worse?I follow the crowd and get in the line where I see the chicken being served. More funny looks are tossed in my direction, but I'm in a piss poor mood, and I don't wish to speak to anyone. Not that they even want to speak to me either. Good.I soon reach the head of the line and I extend my food tray to the lunch lady. Her face, while undeniably beautiful, is twisted into a
I stare back at my reflection. Somehow, I have gone from being special to being scum. My icy blue eyes are red rimmed and tired. I clutch the sink and spit into the ceramic bowl before turning off the faucet. I'm gonna survive the shit hole and return where I am meant to be. Fuck Rune and the rest of the stupid students here. I am Astrid, and no one, absolutely no one can trample on me. I'll fight every one of them if I have to, and it doesn't matter if they are Lycans are naturally stronger than me. I'll win. Why? Because I am Astrid Blackwood, daughter of the Alpha King. I'll thrive in the godsdamned school. ******* I'm late. I know this because I can hear the sounds coming from the halls. It was hard locating my classroom. I have walked through three different halls, trying to figure out where Lycan History is holding. My fingers squeeze around the only note in my hands as I try to take in deep calming breaths. I'm ner
Master Kaelan has a couple of Star Students demonstrate what we ought to have learned by the end of this session before the hall. Picking weapons begin in the second year. By then, I'll be gone from here. It doesn't stop me from watching in pure fascination as Darian and Raven go at each other, swiping and slashing. They move like the wind and I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. Raven dodges Darian's powerful blow with such ease that it seems like she is dancing. Darian follows up with barrages of kicks and blows that are easily deflected-- from what I can see, because their movements are too fast fast to follow and it's like watching a blur of motion. They seem to move in perfect synchronization, each move countering the other in a never-ending dance. Their feet barely touch the ground as they glide around each other, exchanging blows that seem to come from nowhere. Not even the best sentinels in Wolvendom move like that. They don't eve
A body was found in school this morning.Mangled. Mishapen. Broken beyond recognition. But somehow, someone had placed a face to the body.Alaric Grimshaw. A first year student, and Rune's distant cousin.I didn't see the body when it was brought in, but a couple of students did and it's all they have been talking about since. They seem pretty shaken up. There is fear in their eyes as well.The schools are fortified and happen to be safest places in all realms, guarded by the Goddess's magic herself.How could this happen?Some say Alaric was seen in the cameras trying to escape the premises and he fell in the void beyond. Some say the darkness took him. Some say there was a man covered in the darkness. Regardless of what truth it is, none of them are great.The school has been in a tizzy since the body was brought in and unorthodox communications have been made to the realms beyond, reaching out to the King and Queen of the Realm of Lycans.Everyone's in a fix and agitated, and Run
"Just a couple of bruises. She's already healing. It might take a while since she's a wolf but she should be fine by tomorrow," the nurse says to Darian.She's nice, which is plenty weird for her race. She shifts her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and squints down at the bruise on my neck. "Does this hurt?" She asks and I wince when she prods the column of my throat."Yeah," I whisper. My throat still feels sore. Her warm brown eyes flick swiftly over my form and she pulls a note out of her white coat, turning away from me as she scribbles something on it. Darian shoots me an apologetic look, and I avoid his gaze, looking out the window instead. He is leaning lazily against the wall, watching my every move. He has been doing that for the past hour, scanning me as the nurse treated me, offering me water and speaking softly like...like I'm something to him.I'm not sure how lycans woo their women, but that isn't how it is done in Wolvendom.Admittedly, Darian is the hottest guy
Three years ago:I clocked eighteen today. Everyone's dancing. I am too, and Goddess knows I have never been this drunk in my life."Astrid, careful," Thorne says, hands circling my waist when I keel over, nearly falling into my huge birthday cake.I giggle, though nothing is particularly funny. I lean into him and lick his neck that is slick with sweat from dancing so hard. He groans and I giggle at the sound of it."I'll take you to your room," Thorne mutters, grip around me tightening."Don't wanna..." My voice trails off into an unintelligible slur and I inch out of his arms when I see another untouched glass of alcohol in the hands of a passing woman. "Give that here," I tell her.Thorne swivels, muttering an apology to the woman and he throws me over his shoulder, taking the stairwell that leads to my room.It is safe to do so. Father and mother have retired to their chambers and the people left in the hall are too drunk to notice Thorne Nightshade kidnapping their princess.I