Under the Moonlight

Enemies meet

Allerick closed his eyes as he stood in front of his throne. The throne room was empty and dark. Yet it was filled with the cries of the people who had lost their close ones. It had been one of the most dreadful moments for him to witness his people being buried after being killed viciously and even more so when it was after his orders that they had reached such a state.

The cries and wails kept getting louder in his mind as he recalled how the people of his kingdom had broken down on seeing the twenty-seven men in such a pathetic and brutal state. It was a daunting scene, one that was bound to occupy everyone's nightmares for weeks.

Allerick's eyes fluttered open and his normal brown orbs were slowly turning a lighter shade of amber. He clenched his fists as he stared at the throne. The throne was magnificent, there was no doubt about that. But it was the two majestic wolves at the crest rail that gained his attention.

Every time he looked at the throne, it was the wolves engraved on the crest rail that mesmerized him. The two wolves were facing away from each other while they looked up with their mouths open as though they were roaring at the moon. Every time, the sight of the throne would calm the aggression in him and Allerick would return to normal immediately.

But not today. Today, he was too devastated beyond belief and it was becoming impossible to calm his nerves. And as time passed, his grief and irritation only increased. He could not forget the sanguinary scene in the jungle, nor could he obliterate the desolate looks he had seen on his people when the dead people had been brought back from the jungle.

Everyone in his kingdom, even the ones who were not related to the dead, had shed tears on seeing how atrociously the men had been killed. Some of the faint-hearted people even lost their consciousness on seeing such a gruesome sight, while others mourned the death of the warriors they had lost.

Fifty-six warriors. This was the count of the warriors he had lost in the last five years and each one of them had died in the same way, viciously murdered with their throats slit while blood splattered all around them. And all of them had been werewolves.

At first, he had deemed the assailant to be an enemy of his who was targeting his men as a provocation or a rogue wolf maybe who wanted to ascend his throne after killing him. However, as time passed and the number of dead warriors increased, he realized that it was not just his warriors but the werewolves in his army who were being targeted.

And the murderers were definitely not rogue wolves. Killing these many werewolves would not give them the upper hand against him. If they wanted to rule Avolire, they needed werewolves to help them.

Allerick gritted his teeth, the anger he had suppressed with much effort surging through him again. It was becoming difficult for him to control himself as time passed.

The two torches behind the throne burned brightly, the flames casting shadows on the walls. As the light fell on the two wolves on the throne, Allerick's eyes dimmed. 'Who is killing my men? Just who is he?' He thought in his mind. 'And why? Why is he targeting my warriors?'

He clenched his fists as he recalled the day when it first started. It was the day when he was coronated as the King and Alpha of Avolire. It had to be a day of happiness, of celebration, and delight. However, it had turned into a day of disaster when four werewolves in his army had been found dead just on the outskirts of the kingdom. From then onwards, a series of murders transpired and he had no idea who the assassin was.

A knock at the door broke his chain of thoughts and his eyelids fluttered. "What do you have for me, Elliott?" He inquired even before the man started speaking, startling Elliott for a moment. But he composed himself the next instant and stood still as he bowed in front of the man, even though his Alpha's back was facing him.

"Greetings, Alpha. Please forgive me for interrupting you at this time of the night." Elliott remained unfazed by the darkness in the throne room. Other than the flames from the torches, there was no other light in the room. Even the windows had been covered by drapes, prohibiting any light from the moon from entering the room.

But this lack of light and warmth did not bother Elliott. He had been used to this since his Alpha had ascended the throne. The man was an enigma and Elliott had no intentions of deciphering him, for he valued his life more than anything in the world.

Clutching his scabbard tight, Elliott took a few steps forward before he followed his Alpha's line of sight. He was not surprised to see him in the throne room. This was where he had found his Alpha previously when similar tragedies had occurred in the past.

"Alpha, we have got information from our spies that the Gamma of Yodel was seen meeting the Gamma of Shenad in secret."

Allerick turned to face Elliot immediately, his eyes widening in surprise. "Yodel and Shenad? Were they not enemies? Why would the Beta of Yodel meet their enemy and that too, in secret? Where did they meet? At Yodel or Shenad?"

Allerick was astonished by the information and his sorrow vanished momentarily as he apprehended the sudden matter that he had come across. The people of Yodel loathed the people of Shenad and there had been a feud between them for decades, even before he was born. To think that the two sworn enemies had met in secret, Allerick was suspicious of their intentions.

"Neither, Alpha. Our men saw them interacting in an inn on the way to the kingdom of Qila."

"Qila is in a completely different direction than Yodel and Shenad. Why did they meet at Qila?" Allerick's eyes narrowed and he tilted his head questioningly.

"That...." Elliott hesitated. But when he saw his Alpha's gaze darkening, he started speaking again. "Our spies are yet to find out the purpose of their meeting, Alpha."

"I see. Instruct our men to keep an eye on them. It had better be a coincidence. But if it is not...." Allerick stopped for a moment and Elliott understood immediately what he wanted to convey.

"I do not think they would target us, Alpha. They will only be on the losing end if they target us." Elliott attempted to ease the tension in the air when he noticed his Alpha's jaw ticking in anger.

"It is best they do not have any ill intentions towards Avolire. Otherwise, they will get what they deserve." The warning in his tone was impossible to ignore and Elliott nodded in agreement at once. "Do you have anything else to say?"

"No, Alpha."

"You may leave then." Allerick flicked his hand and Elliott bowed at him.

However, before he could leave the room, Allerick stopped him immediately.

"Elliott?"

"Yes, Alpha?" He waited for the man. But when he saw his Alpha hesitate, his brows shot up instantly in shock. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on the formidable man and he did not know what to make out of the situation. But he did not show his emotions and stood still, repressing his curiosity.

"Do you..." Allerick paused and glanced at the man who was trying hard to conceal his emotions. Yet, his eyes gave away his true state.

Taking a deep breath, he finally expressed the worry that had been troubling him for a long time. "Do you think I am a terrible Alpha?"