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

Chapter 10

Steele

The wound heals once I’m back to my human’s form but I suspect that the feeling of humiliation will stay until the day I die. One by one people leave me, except for Seth and Larry who come closer, grinning from ear to ear, asking for their heads to be chopped off their bodies.

“Okay,” Seth says, handing me my clothes. “Now that we see with our own eyes that the Alpha King beat you and Gamma Drake beat Larry with very little effort, what is the lesson learned here?”

“Well,” Larry grumbles. “I’d say nothing beats experience. Not even youth.”

Oh, how correct he is. Not even youth. My father knows that as a man twenty years younger than him, I have speed, power, and endurance. Within seconds he evened out the field by attacking one of my legs, crippling me. And just like that, I lost my speed. Also, being teared open I was bleeding heavily, that costed me my power. Not having speed and power, I had no need for endurance. His experienced trumped everything that I had.

My dad was humble too. That was interesting, I never knew that about him. He didn’t say it out loud and the other men couldn’t hear him, but he acknowledged that Alpha King Boone Wolfe of the Wolferaine Kingdom was ten times better than him. He also demanded me to give the Alpha King Boone Wolfe credit where the credit was due. He didn’t want me to underestimate the Wolferaine King, he thought I was stupid if I did so.

My father, damn. So much I could’ve learned from him had we lived together. It was not like my Uncle Jeremy didn’t teach me anything, but he was only a warrior. My uncle is a smart man, but he’ll never be as knowledgeable as the King, his Beta, and his Gamma.

I’m consumed with anger now. My father chose to teach only Damon but look at him now. Dead and buried somewhere we don’t even know. Now he had to teach his other son all over again. Every time we meet, there’s always something that I’m lacking, that my men are lacking. We would never be good enough to lead a kingdom as big as the Northernland. I blamed him for that, my father, I blamed him for that.

“Get ready, guys,” I say to my men, having enough of this s**t. “We’re going home now.”

My men nod and walk together with me to the mansion. We’re about to go to our own rooms when my mom calls us.

“Sweetheart,” my mom pleads. “Come sit by me. You too, boys.”

We don’t want to do that but we have no other choice. I don’t want to disrespect my mother; I can’t keep on making mistakes in my father’s eyes. So, we all walk and sit by her.

“The Alpha King will stay one more night,” my mom starts, getting straight to the point.

We look at each other, then inwardly groan. f**k, bad news. If the King stays that means we can’t leave. That’s just protocol. We’re still nobody but warriors to him. We can’t leave before him, we’re not that insolent.

“Why is he staying?” I ask. “We all should leave today as per usual; tomorrow is Monday. We have work.”

My mom laughs but the laugh sounds bitter. “Can you hold off for one more day, honey? He still misses me and Isabel.” She starts with a gentle note before becoming serious. “I think he’s still hoping to be able to talk some sense into your thick head. Look, your father is a proud man, but he loves you. Do you really think that he wants to lose another child over stupidity?”

I don’t answer, can’t answer. Over stupidity? What does that mean? Does that mean that my father never assigned Damon to join the war in the first place? That Damon was acting on his own behalf? That all this time even my father doesn’t know why Damon was there? Is that why his answer has been unsatisfactory whenever I asked?

My mom continues, “I love Damon so much, honey. He’s my first born. When he died, my heart broke to pieces. We didn’t know what he was doing inside Wolferaine, but he made a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. I beg of you, please don’t make the same mistake all over again. If not for yourself, do it for me, for Isabel. You love her, don’t you? If something happens to you, Isabel will die.”

My father said the same thing that my mom just did, a guilt trip has now been imposed on me. Twice. I’m not happy but they’re right. Damon has died, if I die, and Isabel follows soon after, then Northernland will have to start from the beginning all over again. This time, they might not be able to make it. I don’t know if my father will have the power to do so. Losing Damon was hard on him, imagine losing me and Isabel too.

“Okay, mom,” I say. “Look, I got what you’re saying, but I’m too angry to speak to father now. The boys and I are not going to eat here tonight, okay? I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

My mom nods. “I suppose I can understand that,” she says. “But please do clear this up with him tomorrow. You owe him that much; sulking is not a trait a future King should have.”

“I’m not sulking,” I mutter.

Seth and Larry laugh. “Yep,” Seth comments. “I suppose you’re not in denial either.”

***

The breakfast has been civil, my father and I manage to form some type of a conversation. He doesn’t broach the subject of me being stupid again, so I suppose I should be grateful. The one that I’m annoyed now is my mother. Before breakfast I came to Isabel’s room again, she was napping so I didn’t want to wake her up. I kissed her crown before grabbing the wilted flowers, intending to throw them to the garbage can before scolding the nurse for letting wilted flowers inside my sister’s room.

However, before I was able to leave Isabel’s room my mom was in front of me, hissing, demanding that I returned the stupid dying flowers back to the vase. I was almost fighting with her before giving up because I didn’t want our fight to wake Isabel up. My mom is being irrational and I don’t know why.

“Why can’t I throw the flowers?” I ask, focusing all my attention towards my mom now.

“What flowers?” my father asks then stops eating, bewildered.

“Dead flowers that mom insists I leave inside Isabel’s room,” I answer. “Mom, they’re dead.”

“Oh,” my father says, fast losing interest but decides to take my side, buttering me up, no doubt. “Yes, my love. Why can’t Steele throw those dead flowers?”

“No reason,” my mom answers, stunned that my father took my side. Now she’s pouting, she looks cute. “I’ll do it myself later. Flowers are a woman’s thing; I like to pick them myself.”

“I have no problem with that,” I say, trying to explain to her like I’m talking to a five-year-old. “I just want to throw the dead flowers; you can pick fresh ones later. One has got nothing to do with the other, mom. And by the way, flowers are not just a woman’s thing. Seth loves flowers, he knows a lot about them.”

Seth nods. “It’s true,” he says. “I know a lot about them, and for a good reason too.”

Everybody chuckles but stops when my father clears his throat.

My mom wants to argue again but somehow, she stops. Her face stares at someone by the door. We all follow her gaze. A handsome man is standing by the door, a bouquet of fresh flowers in both of his hands. The man smiles before nods towards my father, showing respect.

“Beta Roger,” Seth says, standing up. Almost every man is now standing up, except me and my father.

Beta Roger is still smiling. “Hello, Alpha King,” he addresses my father while lowering his head. “How are you, sir?”

It takes my father a while before he’s able to answer him. “I’m good, son,” he says, a smile on his face. He’s still bewildered, though, like everybody else. And somehow, sad as well. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Sir,” Beta Roger replies. “Thank you very much for asking.”

Beta Roger Adams is my brother’s Beta. His Gamma, Peter Cook died with him during the civil war inside the Wolferaine Kingdom. This is the first time in six years that we see Beta Roger again. Although, it doesn’t seem so for everybody in this house because both my mother and Uncle Jeremy look uncomfortable.

Now my father and I are staring at my mom, demanding explanation. My mom sighs before gesturing for Roger to join us. He nods and follows her direction, letting my mom doing the talking for him.

“The truth is Beta Roger has been coming here every Monday since Damon died six years go,” my mom starts. “He comes every Monday because Steele and the other boys are back to Manhattan on Sunday night.”

“But why?” Larry is the one who’s asking. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Because like you and Beta Seth, I had pledged my allegiance to Alpha Prince Damon and the Northernland Kingdom,” Roger answers this time. “I fully understand now that he passed, I will never become the Beta of the kingdom. However, I will still loyal to him.”

“I understand that,” Seth says. “Larry and I feel the same way about our Alpha Prince. But what’s that got to do with flowers you bring every Monday?”

“The flowers are for Princess Isabel,” Roger answers, as plain and as simple as he possible can. “Alpha Prince Damon loved Princess Isabel very much. She was all he thought about. Alpha Prince could often feel it when the pain that Princess Isabel experienced become too unbearable. He would call Ms. Wilder, even in the middle of the night, demanding she checked on her. He then asked Ms. Wilder to put the phone close to Princess Isabel’s ear so she could hear him trying his best to soothe her pain away.”

“That’s true,” my mom chimes in. Tears are welling up her beautiful face now. “Damon would do anything to be able to see Isabel. After he died, we thought she was going to die as well. But she didn’t, and all thanks to Roger. You see, Damon made a habit of picking up fresh flowers for Isabel. He would then spend hours talking to her. Roger here, simply just follows the tradition, for six years now. Without him, Isabel might have been dead a long time ago.”

Oh, Moon Goddess, I can’t believe what I just heard. Nobody can’t. My family owes this man so much, but he looks so humble. He cares about my sister more than I do, now I feel like such an impostor. I claim that I love my sister, but I never put her needs above me while this man goes above and beyond for her.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice is hoarse. I choke a little, can’t say anything more.

Roger nods to me. “Of course, Alpha Prince,” he says. “But if I can be so bold, is it okay if I come to Princess Isabel’s room? She must’ve been waiting for her flowers now.”

“Well, son,” my father roars. “What are you still doing here? If Isabel is waiting for you then go now. Please, please go see her now.”

Roger stands up fast and bows towards my father. “Yes, Alpha King. Thank you,” he says before rushing towards Isabel’s room.

Now everybody lowers their heads. My father, the Alpha King, never begs to anybody. No Kings should beg. Ever. But he just begged a Beta in front of a lot of other people and he didn’t even care. He cries now, both he and my mother are crying now. They don’t care that the whole room witnesses it. I too, cry. I can’t bother to care anymore.

I steal a glance at my father. He seems torn, he keeps on looking outside. I know that he’s restless. His wolf must be going crazy now because mine is. I know that he longs to go outside, to set his wolf run like crazy in the woods, I want to do the same thing.

But at the same time, my father also longs to be a good father for Isabel. I know he loves Isabel and that it breaks his heart that Roger, a stranger, has been caring for her more than he (her father) and I (her brother) have ever been. In the end, his fatherly instinct wins. He climbs the stairs towards Isabel’s room three steps at a time. I follow him close.

Isabel’s door is closed when we reach it. But we’re werewolves, our aural faculty is impeccable. We can hear the conversation that they’re now having. So, we listen.

They’re laughing, although softly. Roger is telling a funny story about Damon and Isabel sounds like she’s taking it all in. From time to time, she asks questions and Roger answers with animated voice.

My dad and I listen with an involuntarily smile on our faces, engrossed with his story as well. We don’t even bother that we’re now eavesdropping. Until we hear:

“Why was he there?” Isabel asks in a sad voice. “Roger, please tell me the truth. What was Damon doing inside the Wolferaine Kingdom?”

Roger takes time to answer. My father and I wait with bated breath. Does he know? Roger, does he know? He was after all, his Beta. Damon must have trusted him with his life.”

“Please Roger.” We hear Isabel beg. “Please.”

Several more seconds before Roger talks. “Alpha Prince Damon found his fated mate, Princess Isabel.” We hear him answer her. “She belonged to the Wolferaine Kingdom. That’s all I know, Princess Isabel. Please, believe me.”

My father and I look at each other, stunned with the recent discovery. Damon’s fated mate was a resident of Wolferaine. How come we never knew this? How come Damon never said anything? Why was it a secret? It didn’t have to be a secret, though. He could’ve just courted the woman. Having a fated mate coming from a different kingdom is not forbidden at all. Unless, was she a married woman?

Oh, Moon Goddess. Could it be, could it be that all this time he never involved in their civil war after all? Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Could it be that Alpha Boone of the Wolferaine Kingdom killed my brother for nothing? Could it be that my brother, the future King of the Northernland Kingdom, died in vain?

If it is true, then Alpha King Boone Wolfe deserves to die himself. And I, Alpha Prince Steele North, the future King of the Northernland Kingdom swear on my brother’s grave that I will kill that fuckin Alpha King myself with my own two bare hands.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Oh, and Alpha King Boone Wolfe of the Wolferaine Kingdom, a life is for a life. Yours in exchange of my brother’s.

***