The Curse

•CHAPTER 3

13 months ago

Draco cautiously surveyed the narrow street, ensuring that no one was following him. This mission was to remain a secret, at least till he decides to make it open.

He pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he made his way down an alleyway overgrown with algae. He watched children playfully throwing snowball-like balls and wrestling in their wolf forms. He observed a woman tending to an apple tree outside her house. Suddenly, he was seized and pulled off the alleyway, finding himself in a dark room with his supposed captor shutting the door behind him.

"Atrocious?" Draco called out uncertainly. Two claps later, and the room was bathed in glowing yellow lights. A man of Draco's age entered the room, walking towards Draco.

Draco chuckled, "It still smells of bougainvillea, I see," he motioned to the room. Atrocious was not only the seer of the clan but also a wizard. Behind the clan's all-seeing eyes, Atrocious was Draco's childhood friend.

"I got rid of them, just as you suggested," Atrocious replied, rolling his eyes dramatically. He gestured for Draco to take a seat.

"What was so important that you couldn't have come to the palace or sent one of your magic birds to deliver a message?" Draco asked, his curious eyes glinting in the dimly lit room.

"It's something I need to discuss with you first before revealing," Atrocious replied, rubbing an orb on the armrest of his chair.

"Reveal? What do you have to reveal?" Draco raised an eyebrow, realizing that it must be serious if Atrocious was acting this way. Atrocious was never one to think or worry so much about anything and when he does, it meant it was something to be taken very seriously.

Atrocious sighed heavily, picked up the orb, and muttered a spell. The orb became surrounded by a mist of emerald color, and an obscure figure appeared within it.

"It's a curse. Your brother, the Alpha King, is cursed."

Draco gazed at the orb in horror, wondering what more Atrocious had to tell him about the curse.

Back to the present

•weeks later•

The Alpha King observed his advisors as they argued on the Golden Table. He had invited them to discuss the increasing thefts from the clan's food reserve. He didn't care about the rising prices of bread and wine or how it affected the people of his clan. Sympathy was not an emotion he possessed. Reports of a rebellious group attacking guards had been surfacing, and although it was bothersome to the Alpha King, he knew he needed to intervene.

"They must be punished,"

"I propose bringing them to the palace before executing them. We need to understand their motives and whether there are more of them."

The Alpha King leaned forward, showing interest in the speaking advisor.

"We need to know what they want. It could be a cause we haven't addressed by..."

The sound of metal scraping interrupted the conversation, causing everyone to fall silent. The Alpha King stood and approached the advisor who had been speaking, a devilish grin on his face. With slow strides, he motioned for the advisor to continue.

Trembling, the advisor hesitated for a moment.

"What were you saying?" The Alpha King's voice made the advisor fall to his knees.

"Spare me, my Alpha. I spoke out of turn. I apologize—"

"You did nothing wrong. You were making a valid point. Please, get up," the Alpha King crouched down, his robe sweeping the floor. He helped the advisor back to his feet and gestured for him to continue.

"I was saying that—"

The sound of metal slicing through flesh followed, and the advisor lost his head. Blood spewed uncontrollably from his severed neck. No one had seen the Alpha King signal to the guard nearby. No one had heard the sound of the guard unsheathing his sword. Tension filled the room, and everyone knew better than to make a sound. One would hear a needle of it were to drop.

Their silence was exchanged for their lives.

"Does anyone here…" the Alpha King picked up the advisor's head from the floor, the shocked expression frozen in place, "agree with what my friend here was saying?"

No one spoke. Who would dare to after what just happened. They all valued their lives.

"Does anyone here agree that we, the royals, are not capable of handling this?!" The Alpha King thundered, crushing what was left of the head.

The other advisors remained silent, their heads hung low. The devilish grin returned to the Alpha King's face as he returned to his seat.

"I thought so too," he said, wiping his hands clean with a tablecloth. "Dismissed," He said with a growl and in less that ten seconds, the hall was empty save for the guards.

"Bunch of nincompoops."

* * *

"He needs to know the truth!" Atrocious exclaimed, collapsing onto his bed. Draco peeked out the window, catching a glimpse of life beyond the palace walls.

"I know," he muttered. Grabbing his cloak, Draco headed toward the door. Atrocious stopped him and stared at Draco with a questioning look, "What is it?"

"You were in the wrong."

"How was I wrong?!" Draco shouted. "He never cared about her. Not even once. I was always there for her. He refused to allow her family to visit her at the palace, and her family didn't make an effort either, according to her. I... I was talking to her. What else could I have done?"

"She was carrying the King's child, Draco. Are you insane?" Atrocious asked in disbelief.

"Yes,"Draco retorted, stepping out and slamming the door behind him.

Memories of Victoria slapping him flooded his mind like a wave of molten lava. If he couldn't have her, he could at least have what he had always desired. Before she came.

Atrocious's voice echoed in his mind, "He needs to know. How can you become the next Alpha King if this doesn't happen?"