The Twenty Virgins
867 Words
Chapter Four
The Twenty Virgins
Asher
I paced back and forth in my room, trying to make sense of what I did.
Why was I so smitten by her?
Desire! Lust! Love!
Love!?
My eyes grew double the size, and I nearly choked on my own breath. I felt my stomach churn badly like I would puke. No, I couldn't have fallen in love. Falling in love was my only weakness. Love killed my elder brother. My fists clenched tightly at the memory. My brother allowed himself to fall into the snare of love with a female from the Moon Crest pack. She took advantage of his naive obsession, seduced him into coming to her pack, laid an ambush for him, and killed him.
Ever since that night, love became a scornful word in my ears. It infuriated me and irked the s**t out of me that I could remember killing couples because I saw them drinking from the same cup. Not only did I despise the word that shall not be mentioned, but I also equally despised werewolves, no, hated them even, especially the Moon Crest Pack. I made a promise to my late brother, on the day his body was burnt, that I was going to avenge his death and wipe out werewolves from the face of this earth.
My first target was the Moon Crest Pack, and so far I have been living up to that promise by constantly masking my scent to spy on them so I can attack them when they least expect it.
A knock sounded on my door, breaking me out of my thoughts as I spun to face it.
"Greetings, Prince Asher. Your mother requests your presence in the council room". A guard's voice shuddered in, sounding fearful. I didn't blame him; my anger issues were beyond normal.
The council has never demanded my presence before. Ever since the day I made it clear that my only concern is revenge and not ruling the cavern, the councilmen avoided me like a plague. They knew better than to upset me and make me lose control.
Let's see what they have to say; I hope they don't waste my precious time. Sighing, I push the door open and strode out. Strolling through the dimly lit corridors and down to the second floor, where the council room was.
My mother occupied her black marble throne at the end of the table, while the seven elders occupied their regular seats around the table. Without saying a word, I strode to the lower throne beside my mother and sat gently, causing the elders to swallow and tremble.
"Why am I summoned?" I growled.
"The council has matters to discuss with you concerning the growth of the cavern." Grey, the lead elder, mumbled, and I struck him a questioning glare.
"Go straight to the point, Grey; I don't have all the time in the world.".
"The time has come for you to choose a mate from the caver so that you may be crowned king.".
A muffled laugh slipped off my lips as I stood to leave.
"Sit, Asher. We are not done yet". My mother growled in her commanding voice, compelling me to obey as I quickly sat back.
"The council has selected twenty of the most beautiful and eligible virgin females from the Cavern. You will be expected to meet each of them and form a connection over the next thirty days. At the end of that period, you will select the female you fall in love with... I don't wait for Grey to complete his sentence when I slam him across the table and grab him harshly by his neck, strangling the life out of him.
How dare he utter that stupid word. The word that irks the s**t out of me and cost my beloved brother his life. Grey gulped and pushed my hand slightly, struggling to break free from my tight grip, but that only infuriated me more as I tightened my grip on his neck.
"What has gotten into you, Asher?".
"Stop! You will kill him.".
"Rebecca, scold your boy; we won't tolerate this disrespect.".
Murmurs and comments echoed loudly from the other elders, but I ignored them all, focused on my target. Gradually, Grey skin began to turn pale, and his breathing became hitched. One more minute and he will be dead.
"Asher, stop. Don't do it." My mother growled, running towards me as she placed a hand on my shoulder. In an instant I felt the gentle press of her magic stir through me, calming me down. With gritted teeth, I slowly released my hold on Grey, causing him to fall weakly to the ground. His entire body limp and pale.
"You almost killed him." My mother shuddered, racing towards Grey, who was now surrounded by all the elders.
"Now listen, all of you. You have twenty-four hours to cancel every plan concerning the selection of a chosen mate. My interest is in revenge and not wedding bells." I growled, my voice thundering through the walls of the room. Then just as quickly as I strode in, I strode out, leaving the elders and my mother mute.
- Writer
