The Alpha King’s Last Regret

10

Pearl Gem

It was a beautiful day, bright sunlight glowing high above the city, when I stepped off the rattling public bus and walked the rest of the dusty road toward Shackles Keep, a place hidden from the loveliness of the Wolf Empire. A jail where my younger brother was locked away.

The first day I set foot inside those stone walls to check on Bright, my eyes were swollen from crying and my hope felt lost. Seeing the way he'd been treated had made me want to die, but the words my brother spoke that day not only made me stand tall, they made me vow to repay him with every breath I have left.

Bright is the biggest piece of my heart. After the tragedy, he and Father became my whole world, Royce too. No one else. Certainly not Kade King Majesty.

Earlier that same morning, after hearing the King's voice on the phone, my foolish heart had thudded with something I didn't dare name. But the moment I crossed Shackles Keep's threshold and smelled the stench of sweat, fear, and stale tears, that flutter in my chest hardened into rage against every Majesty alive.

I'm a regular visitor here. Royce sometimes comes, and once the guards even allowed Doctor Sarou inside when Bright was gravely ill. Usually the staff greet me kindly.

Approaching the Gateway Station, the barred entrance to the deep cell block where life‑sentenced prisoners are kept, I pasted on my usual smile, fingers tight around the leather strap of my shoulder bag.

“Good morning, Edwin. How are you today?” I greeted the gate guard brightly, expecting his familiar grin.

But Edwin's jaw locked. Without a word he swung the iron door open and let me pass. The chill in his eyes jarred me. After five years of daily visits, I'd grown friendly with most of them, even bringing homemade food or flowers to give their sweethearts while we all joke and talk about how it all went. Why was everyone suddenly distant? Was Bright all right?

My pulse began to banged against my ribs as I walked the narrow corridor toward the visitors' hall. I offered quiet hellos to a few guards. None answered. Each stared straight ahead, faces like stone. Something terrible had happened. No doubt.

I swallowed hard when I reached the small office where visitors sign in. Garcia, usually warm and chatty, sat behind the peeling counter.

“Yes? Who have you come to see?” He asked, voice colder than winter steel.

I forced a nervous smile.

“Garcia, it's me…”

“You who? An omega?” He barked. “How am I supposed to know who you are when you are not a Majesty?”

His contempt cut like broken glass. I hugged the bag strap tighter.

“Pearl Valley. I'm here for Bright Valley.” I replied, voice shaking.

Garcia glared, flipped through the record book as if he had never heard the name.

“Oh, you mean the thief who stole keys while trying to escape? That one?”

Ice rushed through my veins and I nearly slap him in the face for such accusations.

“You are mistaken,” I whispered sadly. “Bright Saint Valley. My brother isn't a thief… He would never steal. Please check again…”

His fist suddenly slammed the counter, making me jump.

“Your so‑called brother stole a guard's keys which he use in trying to escape the keeps! He's been sentenced to the Underground Shallows with a Silent Collar around his neck. He will be dead or suffer madness in less than an hour. Go home and start planning the funeral or his asylum journey.”

My knees buckled. Pain exploded in my chest, heavier than anything I'd known. The room spun; bile scorched my throat. But I couldn't collapse. I had to move. For Bright. For Bright.

Blindly, I fled the Gateway, stumbled into the dusty courtyard, and fumbled for my phone. Tears burning my eyes. I have to put a call to the Only one person who has the power to stop this.

I'd told myself the Majesties had nothing left to threaten me with. I was wrong. They still held everything I loved. My brother. My beloved baby brother.

Tears blurred my vision as I dialed Kade King Majesty. First ring and no answer. Second. Third. Fear clawed up my spine. By the fourth attempt my skin was clammy; and by the fifth I was shaking with fury fierce enough to scorch the sky.

At last the call connected. Silence breathed across the line before his voice came, low and startled.

“Yes?”

Tears spilled freely when his voice came through as I suddenly set my jaw hard.

“I want my brother out of the Underground Shallows, Kade King,” I said, each word trembling yet razor‑sharp. “If anything happens to Bright, I swear to the Moon Goddess and to my mother's grave that I will drag the name 'Majesty' through the mud or die trying.” My vow rang with a fury I barely recognized.

“I know you or your mother or the royals did it. I don’t care. All I wanted is my brother out of that place. If he dares dies or suffer any madness… Kade King I won’t rest until I take my own pound of flesh. You might think we Omegas are slaves and nothing more than a mat you can step on. Oh yeah, we are but not when my own brother is concern. You get him out of here right this seconds or… I swear to you… I will destroy you. I swear…”