A Devotion to Purity (The True Luna Series Book 2)

Chapter 9

Dawn on a Sunday is a good time to let the wolves run free. The Alpha King Harvey North leads his warriors, including his son, to explore the woods in the Upstate New York. It’s not just a regular weekend run for Steele and his men, it’s a competition which ends with one on one combat. A show of force for his father to see their strength and ability.

They are getting better. Their movement and fighting skills are impressive even for the Alpha King that is not easily impressed. They test their speed, power, endurance, and their ability to hunt, while at the same time their expertise in escaping pursuit. And when they meet their opponent, they test their fighting skills. Fight simulation is always crazy and thrilling, every move they make has to be calculated. Mistakes, in any kind, will not be tolerated.

Steele and his men talk big game but, in all honesty, it’s all just theory for them. They’ve never lived inside the palace, never been in a war: big or small. Everything they do is text book with the help of simulations here and there. But to know how it feels, to smell the actual victory or defeat, is foreign.

Gamma Drake helps a lot in making them understand their roles, more so when it comes to Larry as he is going to be the kingdom’s warlord replacing the Gamma. He will lead thousands of warriors, and simply looking scary will not be enough anymore. War comes with a lot of preparations, mentally as much as physically. While Gamma Drake is smaller than Larry, he’s 6’6, he’s loaded with experiences. He’s gone to war and led the kingdom’s warriors for over twenty-years now. He still has a few tricks up his sleeves that Larry needs to learn.

When the Alpha King puts the Gamma to fight against Larry in their wolves’ form, the Gamma is still able to defeat him. Even though he is smaller and no longer as fast as he used to be. His experience guides his every move, Larry is defeated by instinct and impeccable technique.

The fight between Larry and Gamma Drake became the last of their simulations that day. The Alpha King orders everybody to change to their human’s form and get dressed.

“What do you think, Drake?” the Alpha King asks his confidant about Steele and his men’s progress and performance.

Gamma Drake exhales. “Good,” he answers, looking at the men in question. “Still, could be better.”

Steele and his men wince. That’s pretty obvious. Larry laughs, still bummed out about being defeated by a man twenty-years older than him.

“Are they ready?” the Alpha King asks again.

Gamma Drake lowers his head, doesn’t quite know how to answer. “I think, Alpha King,” he starts. “Beta Alex should be able to voice his opinion as well.”

“Well, of course,” the Alpha King mutters. “But you know that he can’t leave when I do. The second in command should always stay behind to guard the kingdom. I need your opinion now; I will find out Beta Alex’s when I talk to him back at the kingdom.”

Gamma Drake nods. “In my opinion, sir, they’re not ready,” he says. “Hopefully they will be ready in a couple of more years, but at the moment, they are too playful.”

Steele and his men look at each other. What does that even mean? Too playful.

“With all due respect, Gamma Drake,” Steele says. He feels insulted a little, too playful? Like hell. “Could you please elaborate? What do you mean, we’re too playful?”

“I didn’t feel the urgency,” Gamma Drake answers, matter-of-factly. “In every move you three made: the need, the wanting, the necessity, the perseverance, the determination, the desperation, the fear of losing hope, of death, I don’t feel any of that. All of you did good, don’t give me wrong, but not good enough. In a real war, you all will be defeated in a matter of days. And that’s me being generous.”

That, shuts Steele and his men up. Every word that came out of the Gamma’s mouth rings true. They couldn’t help but being ashamed of themselves. During the whole simulations earlier, when they knew that they were being observed, they delivered, in style. But that’s the problem, they care more about delivering in style. They missed the essence of being true werewolves. They were not hungry enough. When they hunted, they were picky. They lost the true meaning of being predators.

Gamma Drake was right, in the actual war, they would lose in a matter of days.

“Six years ago, the Wolferaine Kingdom won their civil war after a year of fighting,” the Alpha King starts. He speaks in a soft voice, as if talking to himself instead of the other men there. “You know why? Because they had, still very much have, everything that Gamma Drake mentioned earlier: the need, the wanting, the necessity, the perseverance, the determination, the desperation, the fear of losing hope, of death, and much more. The complexity of our kind needs to be mastered, and you’re not there yet.”

Now Steele and his men lower their heads even more, enveloped with embarrassment.

The Alpha King continues, “Leading a kingdom is not only about war. There will also be peace time, but you can only have that once you are respected by your opposition. When your enemies feel that defeating you will be beyond the bounds of possibility and therefore choose to make peace with you instead. When your enemies respect you so much, they’d rather be by your side then opposite you. When they have calculated and known as clear as day that they will never win against you they wouldn’t bother trying.”

“You can’t be in this position if you haven’t been tested,” Gamma Drake continues for the Alpha King. “When you can smell fear so strong that comes from your very own breath. When you can taste blood so fresh so red as the life slowly leaving the body, whether it’s yours or your enemy’s. When you give mercy or receive mercy or choose to disregard that. That’s what makes you a man that your friends and foes deem worthy.”

Steele and his men feel chills down their spines. What both the Alpha King and his Gamma say miniscule them. It’s true, but they don’t have to like it anyway.

“This position,” the Alpha King says again. “It’s unfortunately not given.”

“I’m taking it anyway,” Steele says, determination in his voice.

Everybody stares at his direction, confused.

“What are you talking about, son?” his father, the Alpha King asks. “You’re taking what, exactly? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“The glory,” Steele says. “I’m taking the glory from the Wolferaine Kingdom and that asshole they call Alpha King Boone Wolfe over there and bringing it to us, the Northernland Kingdom.”

Seth and Larry groan. Yeah, wrong. Apologize and shut up now.

“And how are you going to do that, son?” the Alpha King asks again, his voice is eerily calm. “Please do elaborate.”

“By making them go to war against us,” Steele answers.

Now everybody’s jaw is dropped. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, son,” the King says. His voice is loving. “But how are you going to do that?”

“By presenting him the reason to fight us,” Steele says. “I’m going to kill the person that he cares so much and bring the body to him myself. That’s how I’m going to start the war.”

The King is stunned. For a while he cannot move. When he can, he lunges into his son and attacks him fast, making Steele fall to the ground hard. The Alpha King shifts into his wolf’s form within seconds and growls at him.

“He wants you to fight him,” Gamma Drake says. “Shift now and fight him.”

“I can’t,” Steele answers, dumbfounded. “I can’t fight my own father.”

“Why?” Gamma Drake asks, his voice is full of urgency.

“I… I don’t want to hurt him,” Steele answers. He stutters, starting to lose it.

“Goddess, Alpha Prince,” Gamma Drake says, starting to lose it himself. “Haven’t you learned anything at all today? You want respect? Your father is trying to give you right now. What makes you think you can hurt him, huh? Remember what I just said, Alpha Prince: When you can smell fear so strong that comes from your very own breath. When you can taste blood so fresh so red as the life slowly leaving the body, whether it’s yours or your enemy’s. When you give mercy or receive mercy or choose to disregard that. That’s what makes you a man that your friends and foes deem worthy. This is your time, sir. Fight him, gain his respect.”

Steele stands up. He has a decision to make. The Gamma is right, now it’s the time for him to gain respect from his father at last. Within seconds he becomes his wolf.

The Alpha King growls his approval before springs into him fast, fangs out. Steele dodges at the last minute but his father’s fangs tears into his left foot. Blood oozes off him, crippling him. Good strategy of his father. Right away by crippling his leg, he takes away something that belongs to Steele that he doesn’t possess much anymore due to age: speed. Steele ignores the pain and strikes back. His fangs are out as well.

His father, though, has calculated his move. Steele now understands the meaning of the word experience because his father jumps at the same time as him, they collide up in the air, heads butting hard as they both fall with a loud bang. It takes him seconds to gather himself together while his father is back on his four feet ready to attack again.

He lunges into him in lightning speed, aiming for his neck. His father channels all his power into his front part and drops his full weight on top of Steele. His fangs out again, closing in on Steele’s neck. And just like that, he’s defeated.

His father is back in his human’s form again, making Steele shift as well. “Five minutes,” his father whispers in his ear. “You’re defeated in less than five minutes and I’m twenty years older than you. How do you think you can kill Alpha King Boone Wolfe of the Wolferaine Kingdom when he’s ten times better than me? He maybe our enemy but you need to give someone credit where credit is due.” With that, he stands up and walks away.

But then, he stops walking and starts talking again, without looking at Steele. “But if you want to die and kill your sister in the process, then go right ahead. I won’t stop you.”

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