The Alpha's Shield

Starting everyday with the fact that he was now the Alpha of Nocturnal Pride was still a hard truth Leon had to swallow. After the death of his father, Alpha William Cromwell, as the first son, he succeeded his father and became Alpha. His mother had died at childbirth and his father grieved deeply. Two years passed and Alpha William got married to a strikingly beautiful woman now known as Luna Ulrika and after a year, she gave him a son called Saxon. However, twenty-eight years later, Alpha William died of unknown causes and Leon became the Alpha. Throughout the twenty-eight years of Alpha William’s presence in Leon and Saxon lives, they lived in complete peace and harmony and never fought or quarrelled. Leon was known as a very kind and easy going person while Saxon had a bad temper. He never let an offense slide and was ruthless in dealing with peers that offended him, but not once did he ever pick fault with Leon. The bond between them grew so strong that people forgot they were stepbrothers. After the death of Alpha William, Leon was bestowed the role of Alpha by the Elders. The Elders comprises nine elderly werewolves with vast experience and knowledge. They have lived through three generations of Alphas. It would not be far-fetched to say they ruled with the Alpha. In making and passing laws, they were consulted and in making battle strategies, they were also consulted. They are the eyes and ears of an Alpha and although the Alpha has the supreme power to do as he pleases whereas the Elders are only advisors, an Alpha without the favour of the Elders is as good as lost. Alpha William took the throne from his elder brother, Thorton by gaining favour with the council and inciting a rebellion. Thorton had a wild lifestyle. Drinking and excessive s****l indulgence was no problem for him and when he became the Alpha, it was no less than bestowing powers in the hand of a madman. Using his position as Alpha, he had every lady he wanted and changed them like clothing. His actions resulted in grief and bitterness of his subjects, especially the females. It was during this time that William sought help from the Elders, declaring his intentions to overthrow his brother. Seeing Alpha Thorton’s disgraceful behaviour, the Elders assured William he had their full support. Not too long after, William challenged and defeated Thorton. He became the new Alpha, ruled for thirty-six years and died at sixty-one. Now, attacking an Alpha is punishable by death. Furthermore, defeating or murdering an Alpha except in a duel with his agreement does not guarantee a spot as the next Alpha in Nocturnal Pride. The Elders can reject the results and use military force to oppose the victor, but the results will come down to the strength of the victor. The Elders were set up to contain the excesses of power crazed Alphas and to support his leadership. William had the Elders’ back when he defeated his brother and thus, he was accepted as Alpha. Finally, an Alpha might lose favour with his Elders but he cannot be overthrown if he is not defeated. Simply, if no one is strong enough to defeat or kill the Alpha, then he will remain Alpha no matter how unfavourable his reign might be. It’s been one week since Alpha William’s death and all through that time, Alpha Leon has been completely busy trying to fit into his new position. Nocturnal Pride holds a council every month except in times of emergencies. It’s attended primarily by the Alpha and the Elders and one of them was approaching. However, the night before the meeting, Alpha Leon’s dinner was laced with multiple doses of sedative, causing him over sleep far into midday. He only woke up because of his brother, Saxon. At the council, Saxon arrived earlier that even the nine elders and when they had waited quite a while without seeing Alpha Leon, they sent a guard to check on him. The guard returned and informed then that the Alpha had not been seen that morning and was still in bed. Many times they did call out to him but their attempts to wake him up was futile and neither of them dared to shake him out of sleep. When the Elders heard that the Alpha was still in bed, they were overwhelmed with shock and anger at the same time. Dissatisfaction written clearly on their faces, they began murmuring amongst themselves. Saxon seeing this, calmed them by telling them how Leon had been doing so much since he became Alpha, adding that anyone in his shoes would suffer fatigue too, the factor he suggested was behind him oversleeping. “Let’s wait a little longer I’m sure he will show up,” Saxon said reasoning with them. He succeeded in convincing them and managed to keep them calm for another hour, but by this time it was noon. At this point Saxon stood up, assuring the elders that he would come back with his brother and left. He got to Alpha Leon’s room and knocked but didn’t get a response, so he opened the door, walked in and shut it behind him. Once inside, he walked over to Leon’s bedside, sat down and began to shake him. “Leon! Leon!” he called as he shook him. His call was met with response of muffled yawns and endless stretching. “Saxon? It’s morning already?” Leon yawned. “No, it’s noon. All nine elders have been waiting for your appearance at the council since morn.” Before Saxon completed his words, Leon jumped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. He washed his face, rinsed his mouth and walked out almost immediately he got in. Once he got out, he took off his clothes and replaced them with a white shirt and a fitting pair of dark blue pants. Leon would certainly have looked a lot more regal if he wasn’t in a hurry and his face wasn’t distorted from sleep. “C’mon Saxon, let’s go,” Leon mumbled, barely able to speak from tension. Saxon got up and followed Leon out of the room. Once they got to the room used for the council, known as the Plague, Leon took a deep breath and opened the door. Then, he walked inside as majestically as he could, even though his muscles were completely tense. Upon seeing the Alpha, all nine elders were caught surprised but quickly stood up to pay their respects Without wasting any time, Leon took a bow and apologized, “I realized what has happened here today is negligent on my side and I won’t waste your time giving excuses. However, I sincerely apologize for all the troubles I’ve caused and hope that you can all put it behind you so that we can move the Nocturnal Pride to greater heights. I’ll do my very best to avoid such mistakes and many more in the future.” As the Alpha spoke with his head bowed, he easily shook the hearts of all nine elders and though, he presented himself in a humble and inferior manner, no one looked more superior. A humble leader who speaks on equal terms with his subordinates will gently tug at their hearts inspiring loyalty, obedience, love and most importantly, kill fear, for while we submit to what we fear, we equally seek to destroy