Taming the Rogue King

Remus, the Lycan Alpha

Ira

Ira blinked a few times, trying to get her head around what she had just heard from Diana. Did she hear it right?

“Remus and Romulus? Sons of the priestess Rhea Silvia and the God of Mars?” she asked with a hint of hesitation.

“Yes.” Diana nodded. Her golden crown glinted as the sunlight bounced off it. Her blue eyes softened. She looked like a picture of divinity, sitting on the chair next to the porthole.

The warm morning rays of the sun danced on her golden robe as the smooth fabric fell like waves across her ample bosom and shapely figure. Her ornaments looked simple but regal. The long danglings in her ears enhanced her slender neck and Ira noticed the two pale dots of bite marks that came from mating with a wolf. She had seen those cute marks on James as well.

Diana took a sip of tea that Ophelia had poured for her, too. “Mmm. This is a delicious drink!”

“Thank you. It is healthy too.” This time Ira smiled.

Diana had an air of regality around her, but she also had a way of making you feel comfortable. “I had read that Remus was killed by Romulus. All books on ancient history say the same. There is no mention of their wives when Romulus set up Rome. So… How?” She let the question hang there.

“It is partially true. So you know about their infancy?” Diana's eyes twinkled.

“Yes." Ira said. "At least the part that is mentioned in the books."

"History is written by the winners of the war. So you won't get the entire information there. They were condemned to die by Amulius, but they survived. Lupa, the wolf, saved them. She nursed them, and they could regain their health. They grew stronger. Few know that Lupa’s mate was a Lycan. He trained the twins to survive in the harshest of situations, " Diana stated flatly.

Ira nodded her head. “They were able to defeat the ruthless tyrant Amulius.”

“Yes, they were. Remus always had righteous arrogance. While founding Rome, Romulus cheated in their sacred contest to choose the right location to establish the country. It angered Remus, and he vowed to bring Romulus down. When he got his chance, Romulus axed Remus and threw him into the woods to die. Luckily for Remus, Lupa’s mate, Apollo found him. Apollo used his own venom and my magic to change Remus into a wolf and saved him. A few weeks later, Remus recovered completely. For many years, he was angry and lost as he tried to fight against his Lycan. He believed that he had turned into a monster. His brother's betrayal had left him broken and hurt.” Diana stopped and sipped her tea again.

She gulped a couple of times and continued. “Sorry, thinking of Remus’ death petrifies me. It was a tough time for us. I knew he was my soulmate, but he rejected his mate bond. These men can be such… dumbasses!”

Ira spat, bursting into a peal of laughter. “Dumb ass?” Tears filled her eyes as she tried to control her laughter. The Queen had truly done her homework!

Diana winked. “Yes. And I know you are facing one such ass in your world, too. So when Romulus killed my people and captured our women, that's when Remus saved me. That is the first time he allowed his mate's bond to guide him." Diana's eyes went misty.

"Your people?" Ira questioned.

"Yes. I am a Sabine," Diana said and Ira gasped. Romulus had kidn*pped Sabine women and presented them to his men.

Ira shuddered at the thought of what they must have been through.

Diana peered at Ira and continued, "to cut the long story short, once Remus’ anger subsided we moved to Carthage. Remus can command any werewolf Alpha and thus we set up our own clan in the woods around Phoenicia. Everything was going well for us. Remus had good political connections in the Emperor’s court, but we know that the war is coming. It was going to be terrible for the followers of the Moon. Remus wanted to stay and fight, but he had to choose in favour of preserving his clan. And here we are, on our way to the New World. I have been using portals to propel us ahead, but my portals are not always accurate or strong.” She looked intently at Ira as if she was contemplating sharing the next information.

Diana’s expressions changed as she squared her shoulders. A look of determination took over, and Diana began talking again. “I did the ritual of prying into the coming age to know what could be done and the Moon God directed me to you. But you had blocked your witch powers. I had to use my own spells to break those barriers. I am so glad that it finally happened!” She exhaled as if waiting for Ira to berate her.

“So, you are the one who brought me here?” Ira asked, wondering where this was going.

“No. The portal was still created by you. I summoned you. Let me put it in a simpler manner. I requested your presence, and you agreed by creating a portal.”

“I did not get any summons or request. The portal was an accident.” Ira narrated her side of the events to inform Diana of how the portal was made.

Diana listened carefully, continuing to have her tea. She had not taken a single bite of the breakfast. When Ira finished telling her about the whirling words of the book, Diana said, “so you were able to create the portal because the rejection from Liam made you weak. It lowered your defences. What are you defending yourself from, Ira? You are hurting yourself by creating these walls!”

“I don’t know. I always thought that I was just a human!” Ira mumbled. She had kept her silver cup on the table. She did not feel like eating or drinking anything anymore. Unwilling to share more about herself, Ira spoke. “So, what did you summon me for?”

“We are losing time. We are running out of food. Feeding a clan with four Alphas and their wolves is taking its toll. Wolves have a very high metabolism and the requirement for food is phenomenal. We need to reach the New land ASAP.” Diana stressed. “You are the only one who is powerful enough to make a portal that will carry the entire ship to the shores of the New Land.”

“Oh! Really?” Ira exclaimed. She felt as if her heart was trying to race out of her chest. Walls started closing in and breathing became difficult.

Diana nodded, and Ira’s face fell. How was she supposed to do magic without knowing how it was done?

“I don’t know any magic! I have never done magic! How will I...?” Ira fiddled with the silver cup trying to slow down her heart and get a grip on her breathing.

“You don’t need to know magic. You have to let go and let your instinct take over. Magic is inside you!” Diana rested her hand on Ira’s hand stopping her from fidgeting. “Look at me, Ira! Breathe!” Ira looked into Diana's blue eyes, which looked like a reflection of her own eyes.

“You got this! I know you will be able to do this. You have already met Liam. He is the heir to our lineage. We must have survived this voyage for Liam to be born. Please trust yourself!” Diana urged.

Her beautiful blue eyes became a shade deeper, inspiring confidence. Ira took a few deep breaths, gaining control over herself. She gulped to moisten her dry throat and nodded.

*****