The Banished Queen of Moonspire

Truth & Bitter

AMELERA

Before I enter the room, the stench of uneasiness makes me drowsy. Somehow, I hold my head high and stand at the spot Caelus puts me in.

We are in what looks like a study room—his study room, no doubt. There are three men with us here, and they are so big I know they'd crush me with only a hit from the side.

"Please, begin, General Alaric and Commander Kirigan." Caelus points to the bald-headed man and the shaved brown-haired man. The last man in woolen clothes like Caelus gives off the vibe of an advisor. His sitting close to Caelus confirms that.

"I'm sorry, Alpha, but what is she doing here?"

"I brought her here. That's what she's doing here." Caelus's response holds authority and allows no further questioning.

But General Alaric doesn't agree. "I… that's not what I mean, Alpha Caelus. This is a court meeting being held. The lady has no reason to listen to such critical information."

"Do not question me further, Alaric. I am your Alpha for a reason, and if I ever need your opinion on how I function in my role, I'll appoint you as an advisor. You, being the second. But no—you're my General, so begin, please." The indirect shade puts a small smile on my face.

Caelus's eyes meet mine in a glance. I'm satiated with his response because it's what I'd have loved to say just to rip off these men's ego, but Caelus did that for me without effort.

"The Wolf Beast was last spotted at the southern part of the forest, far stretched from the Clippers, once again putting them in line for suspicion." He exhales sharply before he continues. "It was the spot where Princess Amelera Lysandriel was found."

My stomach churns just as the cold comes back again, this time harder and harder.

"But that's not all, sire. Seven of my men were killed by the Wolf Beast."

"The Wolf Beast killed ours?"

General Alaric nods as Commander Kirigan takes over. "If there's something we've always known about the Wolf Beast, it's that he never attacks Hunters. He's always evaded us, and that's why we've had a tough time catching him. And secondly, he's only known to bite and drink wolves' blood, not Hunters'."

"We were never his target. Well, not until last night. So, what's changed?" Commander Kirigan finishes.

"Now, you'd understand why I don't trust Princess Amelera to be here with us. I don't mean to dismiss your kindness for the lady, but it is until her encounter with the Wolf Beast that things changed—that he killed not one but seven… in a merciless manner."

I see tension in Caelus's expression even when he tries to mask it. I stand there, looking at the men talk. Even if I'm asked to say something, I wouldn't know the right thing to utter.

"Do we think this leads back to the Clippers?" Caelus asks, and General Alaric gives an affirming nod.

"Then, has their Alpha spoken? Has Kairon spoken?"

General Alaric exhales sharply again. "No, he hasn't. And we know he won't. Our clans hate one another."

Maybe that's an exaggeration, but I do know that Moonwatchers pack and Shadowfell pack don't like each other, not since a long time ago. Years ago, they were partners and worked to stop aberrations caused by magic, but now they are heavily divided by a grudge that feeds back decades… if not even centuries.

The division of the werewolf world began with them. Now, we've got three divisions, so far as the books I read in the library claimed: the political world, the magic world, and the hunters' world.

I come from the political world, reason why packs in my region focus heavily on rulership and territorial claims, and we are called Diplomatic wolves.

Moonwatchers are focused on stopping aberrations caused by magic or anything that isn't supposed to be, but is. Anything that disrupts the balance of the world as a whole.

They are non-shifters but not ordinary. Made from some kind of magic that really isn't considered an abberation, they are strong and heavily charmed.

They say their ancestors were even crafted by some particular Wolf-Mages who are known as the four corners, and that's why even without being able to shift into wolves, they are stronger than some Alphas.

I don't know much about Shadowfell pack as they keep to themselves and live after HellWood, and no one goes into HellWood except when banished. Called the Clippers, their job is to keep the Wolf-Mages at bay.

Wolf-Mages are wolves who are born with magic, a rare ability to control and bend the earth to one's will. Although I've never seen one as they are rare, they say the Clippers—members of Shadowfell pack—are tasked to make sure they never disrupt the balance of the world in the first place.

I snap back to life when Caelus slaps the table and stands up. "He knows of our suspicion of him, and we know the rogues never attack his own kingdom. That is no coincidence, but we must tread carefully or we may have other territories turn their backs against us."

"I am only saying perhaps we should start making moves instead of merely plotting. Or we may lose more men," General Alaric clarifies.

"The Wolf Beast has created more rogues than we can count, yet they only appear during the full moon. And during the full moon, Kairon Ashborne of Shadowfell is known to always close his gates. That is enough to conduct a thorough search."

Caelus sits back and stares at me. Why am I here? I really don't get it because there's no input I can give to this matter.

Plus, I can't contain the uneasiness inside me anymore. Not after the mention of rogues, who are the same beasts that killed my parents.

"I shall like to leave, Alpha Caelus." His orbs give the impression he doesn't plan to let me go, so I press. "Please. I need a break."

"Fine. Do what you must." He sounds disapproving.

I'm not offended as I hurry out, hands tight on my stomach. I steady myself, then proceed to my room.

My head is filled with horrors of the night when my parents were killed. I open the windows to allow more ventilation and slam myself onto the bed, curling into a ball and covering my face with my hair.

My vision immediately blurs right before I shut my ears as though it'll shut out the cries from the maids when they brought the news to me.

I saw them—those rogues. Suddenly, it begins to make sense, and it begins to come back to me. Memories from last night. Just like the Wolf Beast, they were monstrous. A completely uncultured beast.

Now I know who I must take revenge from. The Wolf Beast, for he created those rogues in the first place. He's an aberration. He must have been created by magic. No wonder Father never let me see any Wolf-Mage. Magic is evil too.

The world is evil, in my opinion.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I wake up, I feel much better. At least, my thoughts have been cleansed by weary eyes that needed more sleep. But I am distracted by the sight of a shadow at the balcony.

I carefully stroll towards it and see Caelus come into the opening.

"I do not mean to project myself as a stalker, but the stars here are much brighter and clearer than they are in my room." He mentions as he steals a glance towards the sky.

I squint my eyes, something telling me he's not telling me the whole truth. He came here for a different motive; that excuse sounds too convenient.

"I'm sorry." I perk a brow involuntarily as he explains himself. "About earlier. I didn't mean to dump all that information on you. My General and Commander are tough men."

"It's no doubt they do diligent work. They challenge you. No wonder you're a fine king."

"You think so?" He asks, and I nod.

I proceed to the rail. Made of bricks, I press my hands tightly on it, feeling the coarseness against my skin.

"Can I ask a personal question?"

I turn to face him, my back against the rail.

"Your husband? What did he do that made me find you in HellWood? That forest, last I heard, was meant for banished wolves from Moonspire."

I scoff. I cannot meet his eyes, so I fiddle with my fingers.

He gasps like something heavy drops on him. "Don't tell me that he… that is impossible! Unreal!"

"He did. Now that I have a son to take over the throne when he becomes a man, Malrik can banish me as he's made the acting Alpha King."

"You have a son?" Caelus is all shades of bewilderment.

He wraps a hand over his forehead. Time ticks past before he says something else. This time, he takes one bold step over the other as he tells his truth.

"I was humbled to have your father match you with me. I curse myself for being so scared that I delayed my arrival a week further. Had it been that you had met me first, maybe…"

"Yes, maybe." I cut in, and he quickly looks up with a smile on his face.

He grabs my hand to stop my fiddling. That's when I realize how really close he is. Too close.

My heart quickens, increasing my blood pressure. I haven't felt this kind of rush in years. It makes me feel young, safe, and in good hands.

But for some reason, I step away. "I should head back to bed."

He snaps out of his intentions and gives me space. "Yes. Uh, I should rest too. In two days, I leave for HellWood, then a visit to Moonspire."

"To question Alpha Kairon?" I ask. I've never seen Shadowfell nor its Alpha before, but this is a chance.

"Affirmatively. We must stop these rogues before they do more damage."

Caelus doesn't know that's one of the reasons why I'm in this mess, and if I can't tell him, then I must get myself involved.

"I'd like to follow you. Please."

"Bringing you to the meeting today already caused conflict between me and my knights. I shan't want that again."

"What if I can be of help?" That seems to capture his attention, so I add. "I know his voice. I heard it. The man behind the Wolf Beast."

"That is impossible. The Wolf Beast cannot shift into his human form during the full moon. He is cursed."

"But I tell you the truth. Take me with you, and maybe I can recognize him for you."

This is a lot I'm putting on myself, but it's worth it if I want to understand this world. Only then can I rule over Moonspire once again and reclaim everything that's been taken from me.