Kapitel 18: The DireWolf Shall Take His Place

MOON

The time of the Arctic Wolf is nigh.

Since time immemorial, the white wolf had always protected the North. Once thought to be extinct, it had been a blessing when Alpha Xavier of the NorthSteed pack had come to possess the pureblooded supreme wolf— a feat not even his recent ancestors could come about as they only managed to possess the mixed blood arctic wolf.

But Alpha Xavier had done it, thus, reinforcing the flag of the Arctic Wolf that united the Packs in the North. Under that one flag, they successfully resisted enemies, made their lands prosperous, and became one of the mightiest regions in Vraga.

But in one night, the young Seer, Zina had all but declared that the position was one that would change course soon. That instead of the Arctic Wolf, the DireWolf would take his place.

The problem with that theory was the fact that no direwolf existed. The mighty Were that once swept through all the regions of Vraga had ceased to exist for centuries. Indeed, the late Luna Queen was a descendant of said line, but even her wolf and her father's, and her father's father's were ordinary.

Even her brother, the current Alpha Direwolf who paraded the name was no less a yellow stone pretending to be gold.

And yet, when the young seer spoke of the DireWolf, all eyes turned to Prince Daemon NorthSteed for they all knew the same thing that the Alpha King knew of… that Daemon was no ordinary shifter.

For when the Late Luna Queen had met her untimely strange demise twenty-two years ago, and everyone thought that the child in her womb would die naturally with her. A small claw had ripped open the Luna's belly, revealing a baby that neither cried or bawled… the child only stared with dark eyes, his small body cradled in a puddle of his mother's flesh and blood.

The shock was so bad that the Alpha King had roared his grief for losing his mate, refusing to acknowledge his son. And that night, when the former Theta was called upon to explain why such a horrible tragedy had befallen his true mate within the walls of his castles, the Theta had only left him six horrible words shrouded as a prophecy,

'For greatnesses birth, death must pay.'

That night, the Theta had died mysteriously, and the Alpha King never forgot the prophecy. Like a nightmare, it haunted him. Afterall, what kind of greatness could warrant the sacrifice of the one woman he truly loved.

"What Direwolf?" The Alpha king asked, staggering beneath the power of Zina WolfKnight's words. Young as she was, in that moment, her words held so much power over him… the power of the tongue.

The shrewd, wicked smile did not leave the young seer's lips. Then, every attention was now on her. The only seer who seemed to be finally uttering an answer to the Alpha King's query. For the fact that she had not yet staggered under the potency of the water of life, she had to be speaking the truth.

Her staff still pointing at the Alpha King, Zina continued, "You know him better than I do." She simply said leading him on by the very illusion he wanted to believe. And since he wanted to believe so much, Zina would let him have it.

The Alpha King stiffened, "Be clear!" He growled, his patience nonexistent.

Zina knew the time to properly perform her role had come. Tracing the heated stare that ghosted her skin, she blindly walked to where she believed Daemon NorthSteed sat, causing all in the room to splutter in surprise.

Even if she were not truly blind, there was no way she could have seen through her blindfolds. And yet, it would seem to all that she properly traced the one that she referred to as the DireWolf.

They all looked on until she was standing in front of the true blood prince of the Late Luna Queen. Her posture held no fear, and Daemon who once wore a look of amusement now looked serious… his dark eyes particularly intense as they rested on the woman before him.

The same strange staff was now pointed at him as the girl said in the same mysterious voice, "Prince Daemon NorthSteed, fourth legitimate son of the Alpha King, born in the year of the Direwolf, and twenty-two years old is the one who shall kill, and the one who shall usurp your throne!" Zina screamed at the end, tears burning at her eyes.

She hardly ever cried, and yet then, she was more than grateful for the blindfolds that covered her eyes and the shame that probably burned through it.

The room was silent for five seconds after her treacherous declaration before it erupted into a noise like no other.

"How dare you!" Yaren NorthSteed screamed from where he sat with the guests. As an illegitimate son he was not allowed to sit with the rest of the princes. "She spews lies! Nothing but lies!"

Zina no longer heard anything. In her head, she had receded at a place where no one would reach her. In a place where only her conscience flogged her. A horrible haven.

"Your majesty! You must execute the prince and protect the path of the Arctic Wolf!"

"Surely your majesty, you will not believe such lies spewed against Prince Daemon?!"

"Your majesty! Treachery must not be allowed to infest! Especially where the source is in the family no less!!"

"Do you purport to doubt the efficacy of the Water of Life?! This great seer has spoken! And such treachery must not be left!!"

"Enough!" The Alpha King roared as a splitting headache came over him. He had been growing weaker and weaker, but that night, the feeling of weakness was particularly daunting.

Facing his only son from his destined mate, he asked. "I shall make you a final offer. For your wolf to defeat mine since you purport to take my throne!"

The atmosphere grew even more stifling. The king might as well have asked Daemon to commit suicide as there was no way an ordinary grey wolf could go against the white Arctic Wolf.

Daemon merely appraised Zina whose face was even more ghostly than usual, "Since the great seer has spoken," he said with voice laced with sarcasm, "I shall of course, have no objections."

Yaren screamed, "Daemon! You must not admit to such falsehood!" To Zina, he said in a voice that dripped with all the hatred in the world, "I knew it from the first time I saw you that you were terrible news!"

"Someone should escort Yaren out." Moorim said coolly, "it would seem as though his overwhelming love for Prince Daemon confuses his thoughts!"

Yaren growled, half-shifting as the Epsilons approached him to take him away. They cowered back, knowing that he was a mad man, and his black wolf, an even crazier Were.

Everything was happening so fast, many chanting for Daemon's death, and many chanting that it should not be.

Daemon looked at his father, the man who had always hated him, and smiled bitterly. The girl before him was still so pale, and he had an idea that perhaps it was not her real complexion.

Lowly, he whispered to her, "Tell me Great Seer," he drawled with a voice that caused Zina, who thought she was far into her mind to hear anything, to stagger back, "are all you said true?"

There was sarcasm laced to his words, and they were almost daring Zina. Like the whisper of something that would bite her back terribly.

"It is what it is." Zina simply answered, greatly surprised at how firm her voice was.

In a voice loud enough for all in the room to hear her, Zina spoke, "his death is not for any of you to demand."

The commotion halted and all eyes turned to her. Zina supposed since they called her a Great Seer, she might as well take advantage of that fact. She was asked to tell a lie, and not to kill a person.

Pretending the role of the mysterious one. Zina willed a smug smile to tug on her lips. "The goddess does not yet demand his head to roll."

"Then what does the goddess demand?!" A voice screamed from the guest.

Zina thought about it hard, Daemon's supposed sins were mighty and she could not pretend to demean it. But then, she remembered the first blood that was spilled in that room.

"The moon goddess demands that his death be meaningful. Send him to quell the tension with the Arising Rogues...alone." Zina said coldly.

Alas, humanity was even farther from her

Yaren growled ferociously, attempting to reach her and perhaps, gouge her eyes out. This time, Moorim stepped in, subduing him.

"You might as well ask him to die now! The arising rogues are big enough to demand that the five regions quell it together! And yet you ask only one man to do it?!"

"It is what the goddess demands."

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