Hidden Among Wolves

Chapter 2

(Just over twenty years from the present)

The kingdom of Brenin stood as one of the most prosperous realms in the land. Its people were known for their generally peaceful ways, and an efficient military force resided within its borders to ensure their safety. Times could not have been better for both humans and werewolves who called Brenin home.

However, this era of peace was threatened when the greedy King Elias of Alryne set his sights on expanding his power. He harbored a sinister scheme to rid the nation of the benevolent King of Brenin, who had long been a beacon of hope and prosperity for his people. King Elias, though armed with a formidable military of his own, knew that attempting to take Brenin by force would not end in his favor.

"The era of the Alryne empire is upon us," King Elias declared with a manic laugh that echoed through his grand palace. His cadaverous visage was hidden behind the tyranny he imposed upon his subjects. Although no one in his domain was deceived by his royal appearance, none dared to challenge the will of the moon gods, for fear of divine retribution. For the Moon Gods had selected the royal lineage long ago.

King Elias maintained his rule through fear, perpetuating hunger and death throughout his land to keep his subjects subjugated. He reveled in his power, declaring with a twisted glee, "Even the gods themselves cannot thwart my ambitions now," his voice breaking into a piercing falsetto that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

******

"Kill them all," King Leopold's decree echoed through the grand halls of his castle, a sentence that sealed the fate of every human within his domain. Known for his reputation of being fair and just, tonight, reason had abandoned him. Evidence mattered little; all that weighed on his mind was the fact that the human staff had been responsible for the night's food preparations.

The agonizing realization struck King Leopold like a bolt of lightning, his heart heavy with grief. He clutched his heart, the weight of his own guilt unbearable. She had not been the intended victim, and it was her love for the poisoned delicacies on his plate that had led to her untimely demise. Had she not craved for the delicacies on his plate, she would still be alive now.

"My King," his first general attempted to reason with him, his voice filled with concern and loyalty. There was no concrete evidence that the servants had committed treason, and while the general also grieved the loss of the Queen, he couldn't ignore the ominous timing of her death.

"Do you dare defy me?" King Brenin's grief manifested as rage, and he sought solace in exacting vengeance upon anyone he believed to be responsible for his mate's murder. His judgment clouded by sorrow and fury, he was prepared to take drastic actions in the pursuit of justice, even if it meant unjustly accusing the innocent.

“Of course not, as you command,” With a heavy heart, Arthur Albright ordered his men to follow the King’s command. The staff cried with despair, knowing their fates had been sealed.

The moon cast an eerie glow upon the stone walls as the castle's guards, loyal to their king, carried out his grim command without question. Panic and terror filled the air as humans were rounded up, their pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears. King Leopold's decision, fueled by a frenzied paranoia, would forever mark this night as one of tragedy and darkness.

The castle echoed with the anguished cries of those who faced their imminent demise.

Desperation coursed through the veins of one of the cooks as she ran to Arthur, begging him with tearful eyes to spare her life. However, as this was his king's command, Arthur could do nothing to intervene. He watched in somber silence as one of his men attempted to pull her away from him, knowing that the tragic fate ordained by the King would soon befall her.

“Please keep her safe, she has no one else,” she whispered into his ear before she let him go. It had been that very morning when Arthur had encountered the maid and her newborn daughter. Before he could respond to her plea, a sinister and snake-like voice emerged from the background, interrupting their moment of desperation.

"My dearest apologies for your loss, but death is too light of a punishment," King Elias Alryne declared as he advanced to the front of the grand throne room. He was one of four royal guests who had been residing in the castle. The five nations were in the process of renewing the ancient peace treaty that had governed their kingdoms for centuries.

"I am listening," King Leopold whispered, his voice heavy with the pain he carried within.

"The coal mines would be a fitting punishment," King Alryne suggested. The kingdom of Alryne had long suffered under the oppressive rule of its monarch, who hoarded the nation's abundant resources for himself, plunging his people into poverty and misery. Among these valuable resources were the Mines of Cinis, a symbol of his greed and the source of much of his personal wealth.

"Very well," King Leopold agreed without a second thought. He placed his hand over his forehead, covering his eyes for a brief moment, as if to shield them from the harsh reality of the decision he had just made. “They are to mine or die,” he said without looking up.

"Of course, I will not delay my departure. Our business here has concluded," King Elias announced, his tone concealing a hint of mischief that had gone unnoticed by all except Arthur. The five nations had earlier agreed to renew the peace treaty, an event that King Elias had surprisingly endorsed with ease. This raised suspicions in Arthur's mind. He had never held any fondness for King Elias, who had repeatedly proposed that all nations should disband their military forces, claiming they were unnecessary if true peace prevailed. The timing of the assassination attempt on King Leopold, occurring shortly after the treaty's renewal, was too convenient to ignore.

"General," King Leopold ordered, directing Arthur to accompany King Elias. Although Arthur hesitated for a brief moment, he ultimately obeyed his king's command and followed King Elias.

Arthur harbored suspicions about King Elias, but he knew that making baseless accusations against a king from another nation could lead to a diplomatic disaster. The accusation could easily be seen as an act of war. King Elias might not have been well-liked among the other kingdoms, but the political landscape could change swiftly in such a situation.

The distraught King, lost in his pain and grief, was unable to see clearly or raise any suspicions as King Elias left without arousing any eyebrows from the other nations.

“Bring me, my son,” In his agony, King Leopold called for the only piece left of his Queen.

************************************************

That night, Arthur and his wife Miranda took charge of the search inside the rooms of the castle's staff. They found nothing to prove the innocence or the guilt of any of them. However, what they discovered was far beyond their expectations. In a corner, hidden away, an old and weathered bassinet rocked gently back and forth. It had likely been passed from one child to the next, holding secrets of generations past.

There, sleeping peacefully, was a bundle of joy. It was as if she had sensed their presence, her eyes twitched several times before the world became visible to her. A pair of vibrant ivory eyes stared back in curiosity. Her eyes were rather strange for a human, or anyone for that matter. But there was no questioning her human scent. Arthur easily identified the infant as the cook's daughter.

"Arty, all the humans have been removed from the castle." Miranda, Arthur's wife, spoke in a worried tone. She had been informed of the evening's events and was now deeply concerned about the child's safety.

"I know," he replied solemnly. They both understood that the child's future looked grim in this situation. It was unlikely that anyone would return to care for her.

“We can’t just leave her here,” Miranda did not waste a moment before wrapping herself around the child. She was a formidable warrior, but the presence of this infant awakened a flood of emotions within her. They had been attempting to conceive for years, yet the gods had not bestowed their blessing upon them. Holding this baby in her arms stirred a potent mix of emotions.

“We shall return her to her people,” Arthur was determined to follow his king's orders, but the words of the cook rang in his ears, making him unable to follow his orders.

Please keep her safe, she has no one else.

Miranda’s eyes dropped as the words rolled off his tongue. She didn’t have to say anything because Arthur knew what was in her heart.

“Mira, you know we can't keep her.” Arthur had been longing for a child just as much as his beloved wife. They both knew what was to come, it would be impossible to keep her in Brenin.

“But we can’t send her to Alryne,” it did not matter how hard he tried, Arthur could never say no to his wife.

“How about we make sure we find her a decent home?" Arthur tried to convince himself that he could say goodbye to those rosy cheeks before him.

That same night, all humans within the Kingdom of Brenin were banished to the outskirts of the kingdom. Those who were mated with humans faced a difficult choice: either follow their human mates to a desolate land or stay behind. Those who were found guilty of poisoning the Queen were sentenced to the Mines. Neither fate was considered merciful, and it marked a dark chapter in the kingdom's history.

Arthur and Miranda concealed the child in a cabin near the human settlement, hoping to keep her scent hidden from prying eyes. Miranda, as the general's wife, was able to take a leave of absence from all her military duties, allowing her to care for the child without arousing suspicion.

Days turned into weeks, and they were no closer to agreeing on a new home for the child. The new lands designated for the humans were barren and plagued with disease, making life there a constant struggle for those who had been banished. As time passed, weeks turned into months, and though they never voiced it, Arthur and Miranda cherished every moment they spent with the child. They felt like they were on cloud nine, but their happiness was short-lived as the child fell ill.

"The fever hasn't subsided," Miranda fretfully paced around the cabin. "It just keeps rising," she added, her worry growing by the minute.

"We have no choice," Arthur decided and pulled out his phone to make a call. "Luke, we need your help."

***************************************************

“Where did you find this child?” Luke asked, his confusion evident in his tone as he examined the baby before him. "Her scent, that's strange," he added, his expression growing even more puzzled.

“Her scent,” Both Arthur and Miranda exchanged baffled glances, uncertain about the implications of Luke's words.

“I know for a fact this child is not of your blood, so where did this child come from?” Luke continued to press for answers.

Miranda joined in, confirming Luke's observations with a sense of realization. "Oh, by the Gods. Arty, he is right," she said after taking several sniffs, finding that the child's scent mirrored their own. The implications of this discovery weighed heavily on them.

“How is this possible?” Arthur inhaled several times, still struggling to comprehend the implications of the child's scent.

"What is going on?" Luke questioned the confused couple, eager to understand the situation better.

“Luke, can you please examine her, her fever will not go down,” Miranda implored, her worry for the child now the most pressing concern.

"Alright, but don’t think I won’t need answers about this," Luke said firmly before placing a stethoscope over his ears and beginning the examination. It didn't take long before he finished his assessment.

“Well,” Arthur asked anxiously as Luke finished his exam.

“Is this child a werewolf?” Luke inquired, his gaze unwavering as he awaited a response. However, neither Arthur nor Miranda dared to answer.

“Alright then,” Luke continued, “she might smell like one, but her vitals are far from that. Her heart rate, respiration, and temperature are all consistent with a human child. Medically speaking, I need to know in order to treat her accordingly.”

Luke was perplexed by the lack of a human scent but remained resolute in his medical assessment. The room hung heavy with uncertainty as he grappled with the mystery surrounding the child.

“No,” Arthur finally broke the silence with his reply, a hint of sorrow behind his words.

“I see, I will treat her, but I am not sure where we should go from here,” Luke replied.

“Arty, I was…” Miranda whispered as Luke began treatment on the infant.

“Stop, we cannot do this,” Arthur interjected, his voice firm and resolute. He knew his wife better than she knew herself, recognizing the unspoken proposal that hung in the air. It was a weak attempt to dissuade her, for he understood that his love for Miranda had expanded to encompass this child as well. Arthur was willing to do whatever it took to protect them both.

“We don’t have a name for her,” Miranda ignored his words, knowing well that Arthur wanted this to work just as much as she did.

Luke's frown deepened as he continued, cautioning them about the implications of their actions. “Have you considered how you would explain this situation to anyone? Let’s say you managed to keep it a secret now, but in eighteen years' time, another problem will arise.” Luke emphasized his point with a series of flashes from his vibrant green eyes, highlighting the fact that despite the child's wolf-like scent, she would never be able to shift.

Miranda blurted out, "We could turn her," but her words hung heavy in the air, laden with the realization of the grim consequences. Attempting to turn a human into a werewolf was a perilous endeavor, with death being a more likely outcome than success. The situation was further complicated by the fact that the subject in question was a baby, making the odds of a successful transformation close to impossible.

“I have an idea,” Luke hesitated as he spoke. It was not his best idea, but he couldn’t imagine not having his son in his life. If he were in their position, he would have done the same thing. His compassion and friendship lead them to scheme for the love of one child. It might have been a harmless love, but one that betrayed the law of his King.

“Amari,” Miranda's voice was filled with excitement as she said her name. Even if Arthur had not agreed, he knew better than to oppose his wife’s wishes.

“Amari it is."