LucasThey have returned. My father and his army, from the sound of it, had been victorious. Our father was constantly bent on expanding our territory and increasing our military power as well. He was power-hungry and, thus, garnered more enemies than friends. He was wary of everyone, including me, and it had led to him murdering my mother, Luna, in a fit of rage. I had not forgiven him, but I had learnt to move on regardless of the stigma his bad reputation hung over my head. I was his son, after all, his only heir. Although I was capable of holding my own, he had forbidden me from fighting in the recent war. He was ‘protecting his heritage', according to him.I left the privacy of my room to welcome them, and the villagers had assembled too, singing the praises of our warriors. The outcries of exultation filled the air, and soon the courtyard was full of people. Suddenly, a horn blared shrilly, announcing the arrival of my father, the Lycan King. He was also an Alpha, but he preferr
The young woman sitting by me stopped her game and watched me rant in astonishment. When I ran out of angry words, she clapped her hands in succession, and it echoed in the silence."Well said, Princess, but I think someone lied to you, just like they lied to some of them over there," she said, pointing to a point in the room's corner. "Over there in the blue dress is Princess Kit of the Blue Brook Pack. She was given away as an alliance gift to the Lycan King and found herself as a slave here the very next day. Following her is Princess Yvette from the distant pack region of the werecats. She was told that she was to be matched with the Lycan Prince. She has not gotten over the deceit that led to her being here, but she is infatuated with the prince. You will do well to avoid her mostly. "I rubbed my arms, soothing the rough spots from the previous itching, and pondered on all she had said. I was not a gift, but a slave. Then who was she and how did she know all that she did? She mu
The screaming continued, drawing my attention. My wolf, a grey-furred affair, was alert, nipping at me to discover who this incessant screamer was. I strolled to the open window and looked out only to see a young woman tied to a pole. Two warriors stood on both sides, whipping her maliciously. She dodged some of the whippings but suffered the brunt of their cruelty. Her clothing was in shambles, threads loose and hems in disarray.I summoned my right-hand man, and he raced to my side promptly."Yes, my Lord," he replied adequately, his head slightly bowed. I turned my back on him and watched the torture session out in the fields."Do you know who that is, Ryker?" I tapped my fingers on the sill, unconsciously counting the number of whips falling on her back."Yes, my Lord," he repeated, bowing again. "That is Princess Miatta of the Black Fur Pack, and she is being punished for speaking against your father, the Alpha.""On whose orders?""Beta Logan, my Lord," he bowed finally, and I d
I had not told her the cause of my wounds, and neither had the guard who had come with me, but I didn't bother asking her how she had found out. I had learnt not to expect answers to questions like that from living with my mother for so long. Athena handed me a woolen dress. She explained that she had ripped my old clothes off of me in order to get to every wound.Some of the fabric was glued to the sores and I screamed as she tried to pry them as carefully as possible. The new dress was soft and cool to the touch, like the ones my mother used to make. Nostalgia brought tears to my eyes, and Athena wiped them on my behalf."Save your tears, young one. Your journey has just begun. Crying will not change your destiny. Do not stray from your path again; the next time will be fatal.May the Goddess be with you. " She blessed me and touched my forehead delicately. The lycan waiting outside grunted to express his impatience, and she clicked her tongue at him."Do you mean to hurry me, Kareem?
MiattaAfter the meal, the slaves dispersed, leaving the newcomers behind. Addy wished me luck and left for her duty post. It turned out that Yvette was the head of all the slaves, and this was because the Lycan Prince had an affinity for her. We were eleven in number, and she made us file out before her. Her group waited at a corner, obviously not leaving without her."I don't want to say welcome to you all because I'm not glad you are here, but nevertheless, the Lycan King needs more slaves at his disposal. I will give a brief introduction for your benefit."Thank you, Prefect Yvette," the slaves chorused in union like brainwashed animals. I bit on my lower lip to hold back a laugh, and she went on, pleased with herself."There are five groups of workers here represented by colors, and they are as follows: Group Blue, Group Red, Group Brown, Group Black, and Group White. Each group has a leader in charge who makes reports and brings complaints to me on behalf of the group. No group
"Hey, I'm Miatta," I introduced myself, making an attempt to be polite."I know," she replied, smiling. "Everyone knows you. I'm Ryan. After your scrabble with Sigma Desdemona, the others wanted to know who you were, and now with Yvette. "You are kind of famous actually."My group's task for the week was to work on the garden, and I was elated. I had prayed to the Moon Goddess earlier, requesting that she spare me from dish duty just yet, and she must have listened to my unusual petition. My group had fifteen members, which meant our jobs would be easier and faster.I was disappointed a little to notice that neither Addy nor Ramona, the only two people I could recognize from a crowd, were in my group. Elena was our leader, and she was like Addy; funny and patient, so I felt better afterwards. She gave each of us tools and allocated us to different parts of the garden.I got a blunt pair of shears, and when I complained about the inefficiency, she dropped a rock into my palms. I did no
MiattaIt was already sundown after our gardening task. Elena led us back to the dark room, our hands on our shoulders on a straight file. I caught myself occasionally looking out for the helpful stranger, but he had indeed vanished. I thought of asking someone if they had seen him too, to confirm that he hadn't been a ghost or a trick of the light, but remembering how they had laughed instead of coming to my aid earlier, I kept my question to myself. In the dark room, I was reunited with Addy, and she welcomed me warmly."So...how was your first day in the garden?" She shuffled to the left, creating a seat for me beside her. She was in Group White and they had been assigned to room sanitation. Ramona was in the same group as Addy, and she sat close to us too, humming a tune lightly."It was a new experience but not as unpleasant as I had thought," I admitted, leaning against the wall. It had taken me some time to get used to the pair of scissors, but in the end, I had gotten the hang
Miatta When I returned to the dark room, I was royally miffed and didn't want to speak to anyone. Addy's group members surrounded her in silence and my guilt pinched me severely. Addy, innocent Addy was in the state she was because of me and there was nothing I could do about it. Ramona was teary and she indulged in her tears, tugging on Addy’s still hands. Her long golden locks were scattered around her face, framing it like a halo. I approached the group tentatively, the other slaves watching me curiously. “May I?” I asked no one in particular but they adjusted to create some room for me to huddle around their fallen leader. No one said a word to me and I was oddly pleased with their silence. At least they were not pointing accusing fingers at me even if their hearts were against me. I took Addy's hand and pressed on the knuckles, focusing all my concentration on her face. There was a technique my mother used to bring some of her agitated patients out of unconsciousness. She woul