The Forgotten Heir

The sound of tiny footsteps shuffled across the floor. Pitter patter, pitter patter. Alpha King Kaiden watched with a smirk playing on his lips as the young Princess Nienna snuck through a large brown door. This door led to a storage room, where many royal artifacts were kept. To get through the door, you had to be of royal blood. So it needed no guards. That was the intent anyway. Their Wolf ancestors did not foresee Nienna.  The father followed the curious princess through the door, and silently watched as his daughter stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the crown that was to be hers. She stretched and stretched, but the crown was just out of her reach. Finally, Kaiden made his way over to his daughter and knelt by her side.  "And what is it you think you're doing, fair princess?" He asked her, looking into her bright silver eyes.  "Daddy!" The dark-haired princess exclaimed as she was caught red-handed. She crossed her arms in defiance. "I demand my crown, my king." She said trying so hard not to giggle.  "Oh, really?" The King asked as his grin only got wider. "Well, don't you know a crown without a coronation is just a fancy hat." "A coronation?" The princess asked, curiosity written all over her face.  "Yes, m'lady," he smirked at the little girl. "A coronation is where the princess is crowned in front of the entire kingdom," he explained to her as he brushed a piece of ebony hair behind her pointed ear.  "But I'm already a princess, why do I need a carnation?"  Nienna asked.  The King laughed at his daughter. "Coronation," he corrected her. "And because it shows the entire kingdom that you are truly their princess. And it's a celebration of you," Kaiden explained as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Your coronation is just in a few months, princess. On your fifth birthday you will have your crown." He promised her.  The princess stared up at the beautiful tiara on the pedestal. She smiled and nodded to her father. "I can wait," she said. "It sure is pretty though," the little princess said in admiration.  "It's said that the diamonds used to make that crown were once the tears of the Moon Goddess herself," he said as he pulled his daughter into his arms as they looked to the delicate tiara.   "Really?" Nienna asked, her silver eyes growing wide at these words. She never knew her tiara was so important.  "Yes," her father chuckled. "Lycaon was the Moon Goddess's most faithful companion. A wolf, loyal to only the goddess. When Lycaon passed she let his spirit run free. And Lycaon found a new companion in man." Kaiden explained.  "That created the first werewolf. He found a man worthy of his spirit and wished to be bound to him forever," Nienna recalled as she looked up to meet her father's golden eyes.  "Very good," he smiled down at her. "But when Lycaon passed, the goddess mourned her companion. Her tears fell from the moon and froze as they fell from the sky. When the first Alpha King found these jewels, he believed them to be the Goddess's fallen tears for Lycaon." The King explained.  "Wow," Nienna breathed as she stared back up at her crown. "I hope I don't drop it," she said nervously.  Her father laughed and scooped his young pup into his arms. "I'm sure you won't," he said, placing a kiss on her head. "But it's passed your bedtime, little princess." He said as he carried her out of the room.  Twenty years later  "Nienna, you're out of your mind," my mother exclaimed as I readied myself for the wolf princess's coronation.  "I must agree with your mother, princess," Captain Cyra said as I saw her reflection move behind me in the mirror. Cyra was a dear friend, and most of the time I valued her opinion. But today was not one of those times. "At least let me go with you,” she added, and a small smile grew on my face as I turned to face her.  “Cyra, I appreciate the thought, but they would sniff you out in a second,” I said shaking my head. “Plus bringing the Captain of my guard with me doesn’t exactly say ‘peace’,” I added as I shrugged my shoulders. After word got out about the Alpha Prince's bride's coronation, and that every wolf was invited to the happy event, I saw this as my opportunity. My opportunity to extend the olive branch and start the beginning of the end of a hundred year feud.  "And they won't smell the elf on you?" Cyra asked, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her chest.  "Oh no, they will," I agreed. "But they also can't deny that I'm a wolf," I said as I pulled my ebony hair down over my pointed ears.  "Yes, you'll be a wolf that smells like a Moon Elf. You'll be marked a traitor, dear," my mother said worryingly.  "Mom," I said as I stood and took her hands in my own. "I promise you I am going to be careful. I can take care of myself. I can get answers this way," I promised her. Her silver eyes stared back into mine, tears puddled in them. My father wasn't always the man who banished us. Who accused my mother of such bullshit and dumped me without even a glance in my direction. I remember crying, begging my father to take us back. Screaming for him to look at me. But mother had to drag me away, and father never even turned to say goodbye.  He flipped like a switch. And we've spent the last twenty years wanting to know why.  "If you think for a second, you might not be able to handle something, you turn back. You come home," she said firmly, and a smile crept on my face.  "Yes, m'am," I nodded and Cyra sighed. The Captain turned and left the room. She knew she'd lost once again.  "What dress are you wearing?" My mother asked, changing the subject. For the fierce Queen of the Moon Elves, she loved her royal gatherings.  "I was between the red gown and the blue one," I admitted. She frowned, thinking it over for a moment.  "The red one. Blue is gorgeous on you, but the blue will accent your eyes too much," she said, gently touching my chin, and looking at my pale silver eyes. She had a point. Silver eyes were rare amongst other races. It was a sign of Elven heritage. More specifically, Moon Elven heritage.  "The red one it is," I nodded and made my way over to my closet. My fingers shuffled through my ball gowns. "Here you are," I muttered as my eyes finally landed on the scarlet gown. I gently lifted it from the rack and quickly changed into the dress. I then selected a pair of gold shoes. Adding another warm color to the mix might help draw less attention to my eyes. Although I doubted many people would look at my feet. After I was dressed I stepped back out of my closet, and my mother held a black cloak in her hands.  "Just in case," she shrugged kindly, and I rolled my eyes at her as I took the cloak and pulled it over my shoulders. "It can help hide your appearance and keep you warm," the Queen added. She had a point. "Now how did you plan on getting there?" Mother asked out of curiosity.  "I paid a Wood Elf to be my driver," I explained with a shrug, and mother nodded.  "Clever girl," she smiled. "No, you better get going. You don't want to be late and draw more attention to yourself."  I nodded, kissed my mother on the cheek and vanished down the corridor.  -   August's P.O.V I hated these sorts of things. Balls. Coronations. Friday nights when the Prince has a party for no reason at all. As the Captain of the Alpha King's guard, I was constantly on alert during these events. Watching for any threat, or drunken bastard that was taking things too far. My wolf was always restless. Car after car the people flooded the palace. Honestly, this night was one of the more boring nights out of all the events.  That was until I smelled it.  My back stiffened.  Moon Elf.  The black car in front of us came to a halt, and the driver stepped out. I was down the patio stairs in an instant. But the driver wasn't a Moon Elf. An Elf, but not a Moon Elf. His hair was a fiery red shade, and his skin was the color of tree bark.  A wood elf.  "Hey back up, buddy," he said as he almost bumped into me.  "Who are you driving for?" I asked him and he shrugged.  "Some rich, Rogue," he replied. He opened the door and there was a clicking sound as the woman's shoe touched the pavement.  A rogue that smells a hell of a lot like a Moon Elf.  The woman stood up, and my heart stopped as soon as I saw her face. For a moment we both stood there. Completely frozen.  We both knew what just happened.  We found each other.  This Moon Elf smelling rouge was my mate.  - Nienna's P.O.V This was not supposed to happen. I was not supposed to meet my mate tonight. When my heart finally started beating again, it was pounding. His dark brown hair hung messily into his blue eyes and I could not stop staring. Instantly my body was drawn to his. I could feel my wolf's desire for him. She was very hard to control.  I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, is there something wrong?" I forced myself to finally say. He studied me. It made me even more nervous. His striking blue eyes trailed my body, and I felt my knees grow weak. After a moment of silence, he stepped out of my way.  "Enjoy the party, Ms," he said, gesturing to the door. I almost didn't believe he was letting me go. I nodded to him and picked up my ball gown and hurried inside. As soon as I entered all eyes at some point we're on me.  They smelled me.  I felt very exposed.  The hall was just as beautiful as I remembered. Dazzling, lined with white and gold. I ignored the many insults that came my way as I moved through the sea of people. They were along the lines of: Take a bath  You smell like s**t  Go back to your elf pack.  Very kind words. But I wasn't focused on them. My eyes watched my father. King Kaiden. He stood in the front beside his throne. He was talking to a young man beside him, a crown on his head. My brother. Prince Marcus. He looked much like my father. The same dark hair that we shared, his golden eyes, and he was only a couple inches shorter than the king. And by his side was a young woman who wore my crown. His new found mate. The future queen and Luna. Princess Abigail. She had light blonde hair, and she was rather short. She was either human, or a hybrid. She looked like your stereotypical dainty little princess with golden blonde hair. But you couldn't judge a book by its cover.  I tried to fit in. Which didn't work. I felt so many eyes on me. They smelled the elf on me. I even tried making conversation with a few groups of people. Each of them turned me away. Not just because of my elfish smell. But because I was a rogue. It appeared I was the only rouge here. And I saw why. The wolves were cruel even to their own kind. This had to end.  I stood by the buffet table and picked a drink. Suddenly my skin felt on fire. And I knew he was the man who took his place beside me. My mate. The Captain. God, this complicated things! My mate just had to be here. And he had to be the captain of my father's royal guard.  "What are you doing?" He asked me.  I smirked.  "I think most people call this, drinking, Captain." I said before taking another sip of the champagne.  "I mean what are you doing here?" He clarified. And I sighed as I set my drink down on the table to turn to him. God, it was hard to look at him. I swear my heart was melting just at the sight of his face.  "I have some business that needs taken care of. And I have an invitation for the Royal family," I explained. He didn't look impressed.  "You come here, smelling like a Moon Elf and expect an audience with the King?" He practically laughed.  "What do you know about the King's former wife?" I asked and his smile immediately faded. He grabbed me by the wrists and dragged me out of the party hall.  "What the hell do you know about the King's former wife?!" He demanded once we were in the empty palace corridor. "And how?"  My eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "What do you mean 'how'? Queen Tòra was a huge part of Wolf history! King Kaiden and Queen Tòra nearly ended the hundred year feud!" I insisted. He stared at me like I was insane. Gently he brushed my hair behind my ears and took a step back. My heart was pounding.  "That's not possible," he muttered, his eyes wide in shock. I quickly covered my ears. I couldn't afford to have anyone else see. "You're dead!" He insisted.  "Dead?" I chuckled.  That's the lie my father made up about me? Funny.  "The Queen told everyone you died before your coronation," he continued, shaking his head in confusion. The Queen? My stepmother had a hand in whatever happened. That was always my thought, anyway.  "Well, I'm not dead," I pointed out the obvious. "Why is knowing about my mother a big deal?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.  "The King made a pact with a coven of witches. They erased the kingdom's memory of your mother," he explained and I shook my head. This was wrong. Meddling with people's memories? He had no right meddling in people's heads!  "Then how do you remember?" I asked. It didn't make sense.  "Those closest to the royal family got to keep their memories. The King wanted us to remember the betrayal of your mother," the captain explained.  I scoffed. My wolf grew angry. "My mother did nothing to him," I hissed. "You honestly think after everything she did to try to repair the relationship of our races, she'd throw it all away? She loves him! To this day she weeps every time our armies are forced to fight! Elves mate for life. There's no rejection. You choose your mate and that bond can never be broken. There's no moving on. My mother chose my father as her mate. And she's stuck loving him forever while he cast her aside like she was nothing."  "Hey hey," he breathed and gripped my shoulders gently. His touch sent shivers down my spine. "I already see just by you standing here in front of me, there's some fishy s**t going on. I'm not sure who to trust anymore," the captain shook his head. "I always remembered your mother being kind. I couldn't see her trying to hurt your father. But that's what I was raised to believe. I understand now what business you need taken care of. You need answers."  I nodded. "The first answer I would like is an answer to a question I should have asked sooner."  "What's that?"  "What's your name?" I chuckled. "At first I didn't want to know, but now that I know I can trust you, I would like to know the name of my handsome mate."  He smirked at me. "August. My name is August."  August.  The name was like honey to my ears.  "It's nice to have finally found you, August," I said with a smile.  "It's nice to have finally found you, Princess," he smiled back at me, and my knees felt like butter as he called me princess. A single word has never affected me so much in my life. Especially a word I heard so frequently.   "I don't suppose there's any way you could get me a meeting with my family?" I asked.  "I can see what I can do," he smiled. "Come here," August said as he led me into the Alpha’s council chamber. It was dark, and he reached over to flip on the lights. The room lit up and the color red filled the room. The red upholstered chairs and the dark mahogany table. Then there was the gold lining to match the rest of the palace. “I can pull them in here,” he said with a shrug.  I slowly traced my fingers along the beautiful hardwood table. My heart sank. I used to hide in here when my father and I would play hide and seek. I was never very good at hiding. But he always pretended that he couldn’t find me.  “Hey,” August said as he appeared behind me, sliding his hand to my back. “What’s wrong?” he asked as his blue eyes searched my face.  I shook my head. “Nothing. Just memories in this room,” I assured him as I shook the thoughts from my head. “Can you get my brother and Princess Abigail first?” I asked. “I don’t know what lies they’ve filled them with, but I think it’d be easier to talk to them.”  August nodded. “I’ll be right back,” he promised with a small smile, and vanished out the door. My nerves felt like they were trying to crawl up my body as I waited in silence. Just a few moments later the door swung open, and my brother stepped in the room, Abigail at his heels.  His eyes met mine.  I felt like I was going to puke.