THE ALPHA KING'S BASTARD SON

🌒 LADY GLADICE ATIENA

The news of the King’s sudden return, and the whispers of a security breach, had already spread through the noble quarters like wildfire. Lords and ladies in fine silks whispered in the corridors, their eyes darting nervously toward the grand staircase that led to the High Council Chamber.

Darius didn't stop to greet his court. He strode through the massive oak doors of the palace, his heavy steps echoing like thunderclaps through the vaulted halls. He didn't even pause to remove his battle armor, the dried blood of the rogues still staining his chest plate.

"Garrick, bring the boy to my chamber. Keep him hidden until I call for him. Let no one see him, especially anyone wearing the Atiena crest." Darius commanded as they reached the grand rotunda.

"Understood, Sire," Garrick nodded, gently guiding Danriv toward a side corridor.

Darius turned toward the double doors of the private royal solar, where he knew his betrothed would be waiting. He pushed the doors open with enough force to make the heavy brass handles rattle against the wood.

Inside, the room was bathed in the warm, golden glow of a roaring fireplace. Sitting on a velvet chaise lounge was Lady Gladice Atiena. She was undeniably beautiful, with cascading silver-blonde hair that fell past her shoulders and piercing blue eyes that looked like cracked ice. She wore a gown of deep crimson silk, the color of royal blood.

At the sound of the door crashing open, she jumped to her feet, her hands flying to her chest in a gesture of elegant surprise.

"Darius! Thank the Goddess you're safe! I've been sick with worry since you left for Sandoval Village. The rumors... they say the casualties were horrific. Is it true?" Gladice rushing toward him, her silk skirts rustling against the stone floor.

She reached out to touch his armored arm, her fingers delicate and manicured. But before her hand could make contact, Darius stepped back, his expression cold enough to freeze water.

"The casualties were twenty-four pack members, Gladice. Twelve of them were children and elders who couldn't defend themselves. They were slaughtered in their sleep." Darius said.

Gladice flinched, her eyes widening with what looked like genuine horror. "O-Oh, how dreadful... Those vile rogues must be hunted down and destroyed, every last one of them! My father has already offered to mobilize our family's northern vanguard to help secure the borders!"

"Your father's vanguard is exactly why I'm here,"

Darius interrupted, stepping forward. His massive frame cast a heavy shadow over her, imposing enough to terrify her own.

Gladice froze, her breath catching in her throat.

"What... what do you mean, my love?"

"The northern ward pillar at Sandoval Village wasn't destroyed by rogue magic, Gladice," Darius growled, his golden eyes locking onto hers with predatory intensity.

"It was deactivated from the inside. By someone using a royal bypass key. A key linked to your blood-signature." Darius finally says.

The silence in the room became absolute. The only sound was the crackle of the wood in the fireplace.

Gladice’s face went entirely rigid. The soft, sorrowful expression she had worn just a moment ago dissolved, replaced by a cold, calculating stillness that betrayed her true nature. She didn't deny it immediately. Instead, she slowly walked back toward the fireplace.

"A royal bypass key?" she murmured, turning her back to him as she stared into the flames.

"Darius, anyone could have stolen that key. I am new to the palace. My quarters have been open to servants, guards, even your own councilors. Are you accusing me of treason based on a magical signature that could have been forged or stolen?"

"I am accusing you based on an eyewitness," Darius stated plainly.

Gladice turned around, a small patronizing smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"An eyewitness? Who? One of those filthy, traumatized border-dwellers who can barely tell the difference between a wolf and a shadow? Their word against mine, the daughter of the High House of Atiena? The Elders will laugh you out of the council chamber, Darius."

"The eyewitness is a ten-year-old boy named Danriv," Darius said, his voice rising in volume, the sheer force of his Alpha command beginning to shake the room.

"He watched from beneath the watchtower as a man wearing your personal family crest, the Daggered Moon. He used your key to lower the wards and welcome the rogues into the village. He watched your men murder his parents." Darius explained.

For the first time, a flicker of genuine panic passed through Gladice’s blue eyes. She hadn't expected a survivor from the watchtower. Her instructions to the rogue leader had been absolute, "Leave no one alive".

"He is a child!" Gladice hissed, her composure finally cracking.

"He was terrified! He saw a silver armor and assumed it was mine! You cannot break our betrothal and disgrace my family over the delusions of an orphan!" she added.

"We will let the High Council decide. The Elders have been summoned. The blood-testing crystals are being prepared in the grand chamber as we speak. If your key was stolen, the crystal will show a broken aura. If you gave it to them willingly... your blood will turn the crystal black." Darius said, turning toward the door.

He looked back over his shoulder once more, his eyes burning with a promise of absolute destruction.

"Pray to the Goddess that your hands are clean, Gladice. Because if they are not, there is no corner of this earth where your father can hide you from me."

Then the Alpha left her chamber.

The High Council Chamber of Oakhaven was a massive, amphitheater-like room made of polished black marble. Twelve stone thrones sat in a semi-circle atop a raised dais, occupied by the ancient Elders of the werewolf kingdom, venerable wolves whose wisdom and power had guided the realm for generations.

In the center of the room stood a single, massive pillar of pure white quartz, the Aethel-Stone, an ancient artifact capable of reading the genetic and magical signatures of anyone who touched it. The gallery was packed with high-ranking nobles, lords, and ladies, their murmurs creating a deafening hum that filled the vaulted ceiling.

When Alpha King Darius entered, clad in his full war regalia, the room fell into a dead silence. He took his place on the massive obsidian throne at the center of the dais, his expressions unreadable.

Moments later, Lady Gladice entered, flanked by her father, Lord Borin Atiena.

Lorn Borin Ariana is a powerful, gray-haired alpha with a face lined with arrogance and cruelty. Gladice held her head high, her crimson dress sweeping across the black marble floor, looking every bit the proud queen she aspired to be.

"Alpha King Darius!" Lord Borin’s voice boomed through the chamber, filled with righteous indignation.

"What is the meaning of this insult? You summon my daughter before the council like a common criminal on the eve of her coronation? We demand an explanation!"

Darius did not rise from his throne. He simply leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled fingers.

"The explanation resides in my chamber, Lord Borin."

"What kind of explanation is that?" Lord Borin whispered.

"Bring in the boy." Darius ordered.

The heavy iron doors at the back of the chamber creaked open, right after.

Every eye in the room turned to look as Beta Garrick walked in, his massive hand resting gently on the shoulder of ten-year-old Danriv.