Blood And Bonds

Alessia "Are you deaf? There's none more I can do for ya! It's either you take that, or push your luck with the winter." A broad shouldered man scolded, raising his tightly clenched fist over his head. His angry eyes levelled on the woman dressed in rags which barely covered above her thighs. The cold wind lifted her garment, exposing the frostbites splattered across her skin. The situation was indeed worse than behind the palace walls. Far much worse than I gave account for. "Please sir, my children are sick and can't even walk…" the woman who looked no older than fourty pleaded, her frail voice barely drowned out the sound of carts and wagons delivering the fresh portion of wheat and grains to the castle's interior. The hungry line of men, women and adolescent children were mesmerized, they kept their eyes glued to the heaps of rations allocated to the royal family. "Get over yourself, we're at war! Those dirty Lycans took it too far, they burnt down our farms in the north. There's only so much to go around." He harshly told her, bringing up the one word that made even children grit their teeth. Those bloody Lycans. For the past decade, they had been preying on us werewolves, in an attempt to overpower us and extend their borders. In this vigorous conquest, they had acquired a good number of our territories, making the resident Alphas surrender and pledge allegiance to them. There had been multiple incidents over the past two months of Lycans penetrating our land and setting fires. The most recent one, was the fire set to one of our largest commercial plantations, just last week. "But…surely you can spare just an extra loaf, if it's the money you want then.." The guard in charge of distribution scoffed, "Money's not the issue. It's a decree from his Majesty the king, to each household, three loaves of bread are allocated daily." He explained, his eyes searching behind the woman to the line which only got longer. "Hell knows if the rations will even be enough." He said under his breath, returning his gaze to the half empty baskets beside him. The woman's lower lip quivered, her fingers tightly clutched the stone cold loaves to her chest, as she turned to leave with a defeated look on her face. I huffed, and looked at the bread in my hand, it was still warm. Bethany had saved me a loaf from the royal kitchen last night, and I planned to eat it in solitude, on the castle's draw bridge. Little did I expect to witness this pitiful sight. Although I knew that even behind the castle my condition wasn't that much better than hers, I jumped off the bridge and skipped over to her. "Excuse me Miss, you can have this, it's still warm." I said, resting a hand on the woman's cold shoulder. She peered over her shoulder at me, I could see the confusion in her eyes as she blinked her snow tinted lashes at me. "Y-You are…" her eyes trailed from my extended arm, to my exposed collarbone. Swiftly, I rewrapped my blue shawl across my neck and flashed her a peachy smile. "That looks like it'll be too much to hold, do you live around here, I'll walk you home." I offered, she nodded positively and pointed behind me. "My house is just beyond that river, thank you." Taking a loaf off her hands, I felt my heart sink, it was stale and unfit for eating. Just how was she and children expected to eat this? *********** On the way, I couldn't help but notice the woman steal glances at me, especially my neck region. I tried to keep my eyes in front, but her penetrating gaze made me break a nervous sweat. Fortunately, I noticed some carriages approaching from the near distance. I turned to guide her away from the main path, but noticed her shrink back. "What's wrong-" my question flew to the wind when I saw the emblems flapping on the carriage flags. It was a bloody sword, which I learned represented their desire to conquer. "Let's run away, quickly before they catch sight of us!" Abandoning the loaves, the woman tugged on my dark green dress, pulling me into the bushes. I nodded and followed, making sure to clench the remaining two loaves in my hands tightly. We both crouched down and watched the fleet of carriages run through the path, their strong black horses crushed the miserable loaves, moulding them into the Earth. The woman painfully closed her eyes, and looked away, but I didn't, I couldn't bring myself to turn a blind eye to these devils. It was all their fault, if they had never shown up then maybe, just maybe… "Miss, we should both leave before they notice us…" the woman was saying, I turned to look at her, only to see her eyes glued to the moulded bread, a lingering sadness in her brown orbs. It ached my heart to see tons of innocent people starve just so those beasts could go on a rampage every now and then. "Those were Lycans, I can't be mistaken about that scent," I noted, watching their carriages drive off into the distance. Judging by the path they were taking, they might just be headed to the palace. "But what are Lycans doing here? And in broad daylight too…" I pinched my chin, this was a serious issue. Although the Lycans were our enemy, they had never done anything incriminating or taken responsibility for their actions. Which was why we could never wage a war against them. "If it's the palace, then the crown prince will save us. Although the king is vain, the chosen Alpha is kind and strong. If anyone can withstand those beasts, it's him." The woman told me, dragging me out of my thoughts. At the mention of the crown prince my stomach tied a nervous knot, I looked away, avoiding her gaze. "I'm sorry about the bread, if there's anything that I can do to help you, just tell me." Her lips curled into a smile, "You're a nice person," she said, taking the loaves off my hands, "not that many people in your condition would still lend a helping hand." She straightened her back, I followed her eyes to my collarbone and gasped. Could she have seen it? Just as I was about to ask what she meant, I heard the unmistakable sound of the sacred bells. "The bells!" I cried out, looking behind me in the direction where the sound came from. It was no mistake, those were certainly Lycans and what's more, they were headed to the castle! "I have to go now, I'll see you later! Take care!" I waved to her, already taking to my heels, rushing back to the castle. My wolf was just as agitated as I was, and almost made me shift, fortunately I was able to calm her down. The Lycans wouldn't do anything stupid, not after hearing about the emergence of the chosen Alpha. I just had to believe, that the incident of twelve years ago, wasn't about to manifest itself before my eyes. *Castle* "Isn't that a Lycan flag?" "Oh my days! Are they really planning to seize the throne?" "The children! Someone protect the children!" Just as I suspected, the castle gates were teeming with citizens, mostly comprised of men, who came to see first hand what was happening. "See that carriage in the middle, the black one, I hear it belongs to the Lycan king." Someone said, pointing at the carriage placed in the middle of the procession. I struggled against the crowd squeezing myself through, until I got to the front. Fortunately, I spotted Bethany holding a laundry basket, with the same confused look as the rest of us. Thankfully, she was able to single me out from the crowd and had the guards open the small gate, allowing me come inside. "What in tarnation is going on here? Why are they here?" I asked, as we took the servant's entrance into the palace, through the royal garden. She shook her head, "There's commotion all over the palace, the king suddenly ordered for the sacred bells to be rung. Following immediately, some messengers announced the arrival of the Lycans. Everything is a mess." Bethany explained, stress folding the laundry to cope with the situation. "And what about the prince?" Bethany gave me a blank stare, "Are you still thinking about your silly crush at this dying hour? We are on the brink of almost having a national crisis!" My chest tightened when she referred to the prince as 'my crush', I felt blood rush up to my cheeks, a sentiment, both me and my wolf shared. Interrupting our conversation, three other maids I recognized from the king's court rushed up to us. "What are you two doing folding laundry?! Get off your arse and go to the main hall now!" The tallest one amongst them ordered, slapping away the basket in Bethany's hand. I noticed the angry look in Bethany's eyes but swiftly stood in front of her, preventing a fight from breaking out. "The main hall? Why? What's happening in the main hall?" I asked with arms spread apart, since Bethany and I were lower class Omegas, we were often preyed on by those who worked for the king and queen directly. But still, we were never sent into the main hall, so why now? "Didn't you hear? The Lycans are in the palace and have demanded for a hundred slaves!" ********** I didn't believe what I heard until we reached the main hall and saw about a hundred or more maids, sitting on the floor with solemn faces. What was going on? Surely the king wasn't going to humour those devil's request, right? "Are we really going to be taken away by them? What do you think they'll do to us?" A young girl beside me asked, she had raven black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. The poor thing looked no older than fifteen. "We haven't shifted and can't protect ourselves!" Another one within the same age said. "I hear that they want s*x slaves because their women can't breed." The girls said, bringing to my notice, an important observation, rhat we were all females. And what's worse, we were lower Omegas. "This is all father's fault!" The black haired girl beside me cursed, "I hope he dies on a hunt." She went on to say, biting so hard on her lower lip it bled. The others followed suit, cursing their fathers for the situation they were in. As lower Omegas, they were the children of Omega men who couldn't pay off their taxes, and were made to serve the royal family for half of their lifespan. Many people would say that the castle was cruel to make these girls work, but I never thought of it that way. Most of their fathers were all irresponsible gamblers who blew off paying taxes to drink and sleep around. Some came from abusive packs, where they were treated worse than this. My thoughts were invaded abruptly, by the sound of the main hall doors part open, followed by heavy footsteps. The hall fell silent as we all watched with rapt attention, as one of them mounted the Dias. Just by taking one look, I knew him to be the one we all loathed…The Fearsome Lycan King. He stood at an imposing height, with a head of thick, jet-black hair that seemed to absorb the light around him. His eyes were dark and intense, radiating a sense of gravity and focus that commanded attention. I felt my body give way to his authority, and although I hated the intoxicating scent he gave off, I closed my eyes, ready to hear my fate decided. "From now on, I am your master, and my first order is for all of you to pack your things. We leave tonight." His voice was a force to be reckoned with, a deep rumble that seemed to emanate from the very core of his being. When he spoke, the room fell silent, as if in deference to the power and authority that he commanded. It was a voice that could shake the ground and make the most stubborn of hearts and minds tremble with fear. But not all. As though on cue, the main hall doors were burst open and a pair of rushed feet flooded into the room. 'He's here…' my wolf bellowed, raging with excitement as the familiar scent of Cedarwood and Citrus filled my nose. "Our women are not commodities, so I'm afraid King Aurelius, that's not going to happen." In sharp contrast to that of the Lycan king, there was a sense of quiet strength and confidence that emanated from his every word, as if he were born to lead and inspire others. With each syllable, a strong sense of nobility and grace seemed to seep out of his tone, enveloping those around him in a sense of awe and admiration. "He's here!" "Alas we're saved!" "It's the crown prince!" His hair was a radiant cascade of golden locks, shining like the sun on a clear day. His eyes were a striking shade of blue, sparkling like the clear waters of a mountain stream. His features were soft and gentle, with a refined elegance that was accentuated by his long, delicate lashes. As he moved, he seemed to glide with a graceful fluidity, like the moon dancing across the night sky. His entire being exuded a magnetic charm and allure that left us all mesmerized. The Lycan king sat on the throne behind him with legs spread apart, he narrowed his eyes at the prince. "Who the hell are you?" King Aurelius asked in a nonchalant tone, sizing up the prince from head to toe. My heart started to beat at an uncontrolled pace, as he parted his lips and made his introduction. "I am Prince William, the future king and chosen Alpha." He announced in a firm tone, with pride in his eyes. But that wasn't all… 'MATE!!!' My wolf screamed at the back of my mind, unable to cage the excitement that was our mate, the chosen Alpha and crowned prince of the kingdom. Prince William.