1- The Queen's secret

"She's lovely, isn't she?" Alethea crooned as she caressed the baby's cheek with her knuckles.

King Adolph nodded trying to mask his wariness. Not that he was not pleased that he finally had a child and an heir to his empire, but he was just not really pleased that it had to be a girl. The kingdom was cruel and would eat her alive. He doubted that a female ruler would command as much respect as a male would and he was worried for the future of his daughter.

As he stared down at the girl with bright brown eyes flecked with gold and features that had a promising beauty in the near future, he sighed and assured himself that he would be here to stand by her side and show her the ropes. He would even teach her how to use a sword and defend herself. He would make a beautiful warrior queen out of her.

Alethea, his concubine nymph, placed a hand on his knee. "What worries you so?" She asked in concern, her lovely eyes searching his face. He always felt relief wash over him, anytime he looked at her beautiful face but the feeling eluded him tonight.

"Time is not on my side anymore, Alethea. I feel it slipping through my fingers," he told her.

Alethea placed her head on the king's knee, trying to comfort him. "We have a child now, the least you could do us both now is to smile more and be happy."

"You do not understand, do you, Alethea?" The king said wearily. "The kingdom will perish. I have been noticing some strange signs these days, signs too dark that I dare not utter from my mouth."

Alethea took his hand and placed a kiss on his knuckles. "You worry too much. How about you try to stay alive for me and our daughter; she needs you more than ever now."

"I know, and I will never let her be devoured by the people even though she is illegitimate. We will tie the knot as soon as I return and you will be a queen, my dear, but I have to ride for Pragoth tonight for the annual conference. I assure you that I'll not fail to return in a fortnight." He endearingly stared down at her, planted a kiss on her forehead then caressed the cheek of his sleeping daughter with his thumb.

After a moment of silence and lovingly gazing down at their sleeping daughter, Alethea asked, "What shall you call her?"

"Theresa," he muttered, "and I know she'll grow up to be as beautiful as her mother, if not even more," he smiled at Alethea.

"Hmmm...Theresa…" She cooed, rolling the word over in her mouth. "I like it," she smiled proudly, "and I hope she grows up to combine our gifts. She will be a such spectacle for the entire kingdom."

"I hope so too," he said and sighed again, "send a maid to inform the queen."

Alethea’s smile wavered a bit. She and everyone else in the castle knew just how much the queen despised her simply because the king had brought her from the forest to lay with her as a concubine in order to give him an heir. "Is that a good idea? Cant this wait until your return?"

Adolph hesitated then nodded, "It is important that she is informed, my dear. Ursula will find out one way or the other. Send a message to her at once."

Alethea forced a smile. "No... I shall tell her myself. I hope she comes to like me someday and realise that I am in no competition with her. I would rather like us to live in harmony as one big family. She will always remain the First Queen."

The king smiled weakly. "Ursula might be many things, but love is definitely not one of her traits. I know that I married the wrong woman and the regret eats me till this very minute." He caressed her cheek and glanced at the full moon through the window. "If I wish to arrive at Pragoth early, I have to leave now, my dear."

He rose and so did she and he pulled her into an embrace. He hated that he had to leave on the very night his first seed was brought into the world, but anyway, he would only be gone for two weeks.

Alethea snuggled into his arms. "Come back for me, sire. Theresa and I will be eagerly awaiting your return."

The king nodded, kissed her on the lips, lingered for a moment before he finally turned and left. She walked to the window overlooking the courtyard and saw him stride out moments later, mounted his horse, and as if sensing that she was at the window, he looked up and smiled up at her, the wrinkles on his tired face still evident from the high distance.

She smiled back, raised her hand and waved at him slowly. He acknowledged her with a nod and rode out with most of his trusted men and soldiers.

Alethea turned away from the window, dreading her meeting with the queen, let alone, giving her the news of the birth of her daughter who was apparently now the heiress to the throne much to the distaste of the queen. She gently carried the baby in her arms to avoid waking her up and walked out of her room heading to the queen's quarters.

She went up and down several stairwells, through corridors lighted by torches in a bid to reach the queen's quarters. She tried to wear a smile of bravery to mask her fear as she pulled nearer and nearer to her dreaded destination. She acknowledged the single guard at the door with a smile and went past him through the double doors.

Inside the first chamber which was the lounge, she found a good place of fur bed and placed the sleeping baby on it. Then she smoothed the fur she had wrapped her in, smiled at the baby whose pink lips twitched into a subtle smile as her also folded-chubby hands clenched and unclenched before slipping back into a peaceful sleep. Alethea sighed heavily, mustering enough courage as she walked into the inner chamber which was the bedroom of the Queen.

As she turned down the short corridor that led to the queen's room, she heard moaning and grunting. She slowed down, puzzled, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from, then she frowned when she noticed that they were coming from the queen's chambers.

She approached carefully and the moaning got louder accompanied by the slapping sound of flesh against flesh. The door of the Queen's room was slightly ajar. She slowly pushed it inward, opening it and gasped in shock at what she saw.

Within the transparent curtains covering the royal four-poster bed was the Queen on her hands and knees, naked in the scattered sheets and fur of the bed. Behind her, knelt a man, his hands clutching her waist as he moved behind her, driving his manhood in and out of her. The Queen kept moaning, running her hand through her thick black hair which partly obscured her face as she craned her neck behind her to urge her lover on.

Alethea stood right there, dumbfounded. This was the most abominable crime in the whole of the Lycans realm, a mated woman, mating with another man while her husband yet lives.

What stunned her more and rendered her speechless was the fact that the man who was having carnal knowledge of the queen was no one else but King Adolph's immediate cousin, Lucas, who had lived in the castle as royal blood almost all his life and was one of the trusted advisors of the king.

The two continued the copulation, oblivious to her speechless presence until Lucas lifted his eyes and saw her. He immediately froze, his eyes fixed on her frightened and shocked ones. Bothered by why Lucas had suddenly stopped, the Queen lifted her head and saw her too.

Her face immediately contorted in anger to show her displeasure and she stepped down from the bed, not the slightest bit ashamed to flaunt her seductive nakedness. She pushed the transparent curtain aside and slowly walked towards Alethea who kept moving backward slowly away from her.

"Don’t you know how to knock?! Or you don’t have doors where you came from?!” she spat in annoyance.

Alethea stuttered but she was yet to recover from her shock to get a reasonable word out.