Chapter 205
Drake was tired of all of it. For years he’d heard of reports of what was happening to his sister and then one day, he’d seen it happen. It wasn’t long before they had gone looking for Katie in Brigadia. The girl had been bullied by the rest of them simply because she couldn’t do anything about it. She was different, but that didn’t have to make her a target.
It was cruel and he hated himself for doing nothing. Before he’d thought of doing something about it, someone had come through with a simple solution that didn’t make the rules into account. Katie wouldn’t take this discrimination sitting down and it had lit a fire within the royals in the capital of Sirius including Drake.
“Is that so...?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
The room had gone completely silent. Alpha Lionel stepped forward and got a deadly stare from the prince, sealing off any more hopes he had to stop the royal from carrying out his own form of justice. “Yes, it is. Werewolves are powerful and strong. We are the apex predators that prey on the weak. A runt like that one has no right getting respect from the rest of us.”
“I see and is that because she was born that way or because she was too lazy to work for the power that you seem to have been born with or should I speak slower so that you might get my point clearly?” the royal was now walking back to the man who faced him defiantly.
“Oh, I get it... You’re angry because that one reminds you of her. So that’s why you’re taking a liking to her. How the royals have fallen?” Victor replied with a smirk on his face. Lionel rubbed his temples... He didn’t want to watch anymore what was going to happen before him.
“You’re born with all this power and all of a sudden you feel like you’re above everyone else in the world that’s weaker than you, is that it?” the prince asked him.
“That’s the law of nature... Always has been...” he replied.
.....
“On this day, you will know why the royals were made without the urge to kill every living thing that walked the earth that was weaker than them,” Drake replied, placing his hand on the man’s chest. The man backed away from the royal, sensing the malice in his voice, however, he was already too late.
Drake had got a hold of his shirt and in one forced pull, lifted the man into the air. He made look effortless as he slammed his back into the nearest table and held him there struggling... “You were given the power of a mere delta and that was enough to make you forget how weak you once were. Maybe you’d like to take a mile in that girl’s shoes. This is the punishment I was meant to give you the moment you’re alpha failed to please me with his... However, you’ve earned it all on your own. You will never be able to shift again in your life until you’ve been forgiven by the Seeker’s daughter and yours truly... Additionally, you will regress to the power of an average werewolf...” the royal let go of the man and watched him shiver on the table vigorously.
“Is it wise to do something of the sort?” Alpha Lionel asked the prince.
“He should be grateful... I didn’t cut off his access to the mind link. This was me being lenient...”
“Hold on, prince Drake. This goes against the rules against using your powers to compel the wolves...” Lionel argued.
“It goes against the law to compel werewolves against the humans. This matter isn’t between the hunters and the werewolves. We turned away from oppressing the humans. I will not stand by and watch my own kind oppress themselves. We are not savages,” Drake argued, “Now are you coming or what... Throw that disgrace into the dungeons for a week so that he learns his lesson.”
The orders were relayed to the frightened deltas and betas that stood frozen before their shivering comrade. When Victor had the power to open his eyes, he looked cold and hugged himself. The colour of his eyes was bright amber and it shook every delta to the core... “Are we really that insignificant to the royals?”
“Is that what you got out of all this?” Claire wondered, touching the fallen delta’s forehead when the alpha and royal were out of the room, “He undermined someone weaker than him. My father has spent his life trying to show all of you that we can all be strong in a different way that’s not just your physical strength. My brother finally learnt that and that’s when he was granted the right to take his father’s place.
That girl has the potential to find the Origin. Now many of you don’t know what that means and it is useless information to you, but to someone that can use that information, it is dangerous. That’s why we protect the Seeker. Oh, Victor, your world hasn’t yet ended... There is a way to get back to the way you were before, but it won’t be easy.”
“I don’t...c-care about that... I will make that royal rue the day he crossed me,” the werewolf cursed, turning to look at the door that the royal had gone through.
“You don’t want to take that route. I can guess the reason the Royals have become more active. If what I’m guessing is true, they are more dangerous now than they have ever been before. You don’t want to against them lest you risk your death,” Claire tried.
“I don’t care if they think they are gods... I will bring him down from his high horse...” the man replied. The woman sighed heavily, “Take him to the dungeon.”
The betas lifted him from the ground and began the journey to the dungeons... Rage boiled within the man’s mind and filled him with hate. ‘I’ll make you pay and one day I’ll put you down... Mark my words, prince of Sirius...’
.............
Drake calmed down during their walk to the house they were looking for... It was the Seeker’s abode. His mind was easily cleared when he realised who it was that he was going to be meeting. Memories of the sadness his sister held haunted him in his dreams. Ever since Katie had begun breaking rules in the palace, he got the urge to do a variety of things that he believed would be better for the pack. It wasn’t just him. His parents were feeling it as well. A lot had to change if the wolves were to live in harmony after... after the rogue king was defeated.
“Is it her...? Katie, I mean... Is she the one that brought this streak of rebelliousness out of you?” Lionel asked the royal, slowing down so that they walked at a slower pace and take a longer time to reach the house.
Drake sighed at the question, “You could say that... Katie had a lot to do with it.”
“You do realise there are consequences to being reckless. The rest of the alphas won’t take it lightly if they hear that the royals are just misusing the power they promised to keep away,” Lionel spoke up, “And neither will the hunters.”
“I know what you’re saying, Lionel,” Drake sighed, “There will be consequences and I will face them when it comes to it.”
“Huh, you sound like her. You do what’s right first and face the consequences later,” Lionel replied with a smile on his face, “Here we are.”
The cottage they stopped right in front of was small and beautiful, made from strong hardwood. Drake walked up the stairs, allowing the alpha to lead the way to the cottage. The scent of cinnamon wafted out an open window before they had got to the door, bringing the feeling of home to the royal and alpha. “You’re lucky she’s friendly. Seekers aren’t known to be friendly. I say that from experience with the Seeker before her and the one before that. Well, it was my father that had experience with that one and his father told him of the one that was even before that and the..”
“I get the point, Lionel, the prince stopped him from saying more...”
“Oh, right. Well, it’s rude to idly stand by someone’s door as though we’re planning a robbery or kidnapping of sorts,” the alpha mentioned before reaching forward.
The door swung open before the alpha could do anything to reach it, “That was an interesting conversation about my predecessors, alpha Lionel. I would have liked to think that I’ve atoned for their misunderstandings.”
“I’m sorry, Selene, but the past remains the past. Despite how it may sound, I’ll still stand by my description of the Seekers before you. You are far more approachable and warm in comparison to all of them,” the alpha defended.
“Now I’m trying to figure out whether I should be proud or try to emulate them. Perhaps I’ve strayed off the path that the Seekers are supposed to take,” the woman replied.
“No, you’re perfect just the way you are,” Lionel panicked. The woman before him was shorter than him and her face was only starting to age. The remnants of her youthful beauty were only starting to fade and her face took on one of wisdom that far exceeded her years. She had a warm smile and an attitude to match. Her voice was equally warm, banishing all nerves that plagued the prince’s mind. He felt hope that she would be able to help him.
“What brings you here, alpha Lionel? And who is the guest that you bring with you? I don’t think I’ve seen him around these parts,” the woman shrugged, taking in the prince’s appearance, “Is he some sort of noble?”
Drake’s lower jaw dropped in shock at the woman’s oblivious act. He wondered whether something was covering his eyes since he was sure she would at least be able to tell from his eyes that he was a royal, “Sometimes I forget how much time you spend inside this cottage of yours...” Lionel sighed.
“Well, are you wearing contacts? I’m sure those eyes aren’t supposed to be that colour. You would get arrested for impersonation if anyone from the royal family got to know what you’re doing walking around with blue contacts,” the woman advised. This got the royal to laugh instead.
“I’ll be on the lookout for anyone that uses contacts to impersonate me then,” he replied with a chuckle. Silence took over the three as the woman took her time to decipher what the man had just said. Her eyes darted from her alpha to the bring until they widened in the realisation of the person she was in the presence of...
“And I was talking in the presence of an actual royal...”
“I sometimes wonder how such details slip your mind. I was sure to inform the entire pack that the man was coming today,” Lionel replied.
“Oh yeah... You did, didn’t you?” the woman chuckled... “It’s like half the pack listens to those announcements. You’ve got to make them a lot shorter. One speech during the pack meeting is long enough, you don’t have to make others in the pack link as well,” the woman huffed and left the door open a little wider, letting them in. Inside the cottage, a teenage girl walked by with a plate of breakfast foods in her hand... she froze at the visitors that had stepped into her house.
“Hey, Madeline...” the Seeker yelled at her.
The girl was quick to respond, but the prince had already seen what he needed to see. Her eyes had been grey and without a hint of the amber that appeared in every average wolf.