A man threw his coat in frustration on the armchair next to the fire. His plan failed, not only did the little omega get caught, his return was thwarted by the guardians of the Princess. He knew that power anywhere, and his scowl deepened. He was sure that those brats were killed, or at least lost somewhere. He had no idea that they survived and somehow were reunited with their charge. Now he has to deal with the new heir, a threat to his rule. His fury grew as he thought of how his men swore that they had killed everyone except the girl. He knew since he was the one who followed her until her powers activated and let his prey escape. It took him many years to track her down. He rang his bell, calling for his second in command. When the man appeared, he demanded that he call for the witch. His second bowed and hurried off, sensing that his commander was in a foul mood and had no intention of being caught in the crossfire.
The witch entered, her leg heavy and her face swollen from the fist he had bestowed on her for daring to offer her help. He was insulted, believing that she doubted his ability to kill one pregnant female. Obviously, by his anger, he failed. She kept her face neutral, bowing her head in submission, but inside, she was glad that the princess was alive. Many of the people here grew tired of his tyranny and wished for salvation. If what the stars and the prophecy of old say is true, then the child is their only hope of ridding the world of his evil, restoring the balance. He had been so blinded by his desire for revenge and his hatred of anything that resembles joy or happiness that he snuffes it out. That is the reason why the fields struggle, bringing in less and less harvest every year. Flowers ceased to grow, and even the water needs to be treated before drinking. The sun rarely breaks through the clouds and everything is dark and gloomy. This is not what he promised when he rallied everyone behind him all those years ago, convincing people that the previous ruler cared only for his family and his house, denying the people what they wanted. He painted a picture of freedom, where everyone could do as they pleased and have who and what they wanted, but now the only person benefiting is him.
"Tell me what the stars say, now that the child is born". He asked through gritted teeth. The witch held back her smile. "I have not checked my Lord, believing that you have succeeded. I was busy preparing your feast to celebrate your triumph." His jaw tightened, his appetite gone. He struck his fist on the table. "I believed that her guardians were dead, but they were not. I was able to lure her out, blocking her bond from her mates. It was good timing as well for she was in labour, but those brats found out and sensing their charge in danger, protected her. Their magic was not at full strength, but it still kept her from my magic. Now the child is born, and we need to strike before their powers activate."
The wtich blinked, for if what he said was true, there was no need to consult the stars for it was clear that with the birth, his rule is coming to its end. She needed to take advantage of this, and with the others behind her, this tyrannical rule could finally be done. "Oh, my Lord, forgive this foolish servant for not ensuring your success. Give me a day to consult with the stars and seek your path forward." She bowed, turning away, but his harsh voice behind her made her pause. "See to it that you do, for I will not give up what I have so easily." The witch didn't look back, simply nodding and with an small curtesty, she left him to brood in the dark, a familar sight.
The man threw himself down into his favourite chair next to the fire. He reached for the faithful decanter and poured himself a drink, taking it in one swallow. It burned, but not like before. He scowled. He has been noticing that the quality of food and drink is declining, and he couldn't understand why. He poured another one, nursing it as he let his mind drift while staring at the flames. He finally had what he wanted, yet there was always something keeping him from achieving total success. His hand absentmindley caressed the old leather he sat on, the chair his so-called father always relaxed in after dinner. He leaned his head, closing his eyes. The memories came unbidden: his father laughing as as sat, his wife on his lap, his other son drawing some random thing, its scribbles unrecongnizable, yet the man would laugh and smile, thanking the stupid child for his stupid drawing, while he held his test in his hands, yet the man never looked at him even once.
His eyes flew open, the gloom of the room chasing away the hated scene. He felt his anger renewed, and his determination to take away everything that reminded him of those times, strengthening his resolve. His mind began to churn, new plans being formed and rejected or shelved for further development, based on what the witch said. When he felt like his mind was cleared, his plans formed, he rang his bell. His second in command came, sensing the difference, yet he was still uneasy, for he knew what this feeling was. "Bring a female to my room." The second in command clenched his jaw even as his head bowed in fake submission. This evil man had attacked his sister, who then took her own life, filled with the shame of her ruin. He would never forgive him for that, yet the "Lord" had no idea, nor did he care, simply calling her weak for giving up, thus unfit to bear his heir anyway. His sister was one of the fairest in the land, her beauty making her fit to be a queen, yet the scars she received for her refusal added to her feelings of unworthiness. She took her life when he was away fighting, and with their parents gone, she felt alone and unloved, convinced that no one would want her as was the unspoken custom.
The second, swallowed, asking in a voice filled with concealed hatred, "Do you have a preference, my Lord?" He thought about it, his mind filling with the vision of the little omega. If he could have brought her back, it would have pleased him, but that was not the case. "Hmm... someone small, like an omega. Brown hair, curls, nice body, not flat but not too busty. Not a virgin, someone who knows how to please a man." The second, exhaled, thankful that at least the few virgins remaining would be spared tonight, at least he hoped so. "Understood, my Lord. I will see to it immediately." With that, he left, his mind whirling as he thought of whom to take to the bedchambers, even as his stomach roiled. Despite the years, this always made him sick, yet he couldn't hand the job over to others, for no one knew how he cared for the women after they spent the night with that devil. He saw his sister in every face and offered what comfort he could.
The man with the scars turned back to the flames, his spirits lifted now that he had a plan and entertainment for this evening. He walked to the door, yelling for a servant. When they appeared, he ordered some wine and refreshments to be sent to his room. A lusty night with a wench always made him feel better. He smiled as he thought of the things he would like to try. Maybe if his plans go well, he just might keep that little omega from Bloodmoon and give her what he'd promised, scratching that itch like no one else could.
Candice sat in the cell, she was oh so graciouly tossed into by her packmates. As she sat there, rubbing her bruised wrist, she felt a shiver roll down her spine.She wasn't sure how many days had passed, but whatever that was, she wanted no part in it. She prowled around looking for a way to escape, surprised that Bloodmoon even had a place like this, but it was clearly meant to hold prisoners, not a bed and breakfast. She looked at the thin slat, allowing what little light it could, a few cracks providing her with some fresh air, but not much. All she could smell was rotting leaves, the dampness of the room, dust and mold from its unuse. She was sure not many knew of this place, her mind drifting back to the rumours she'd heard of the previous Alpha. He was not kind, but no one ever really knew why, as sharing his feelings was never on his agenda.
She felt a tingle at the base of her neck; this time, it was not unpleasant, a sense of awareness. She turned to see the large man who helped capture her in the woods. Her eyes moved over him, taking in the strong column of his neck, his chest showing in the shirt that was a bit small for him, or maybe he was a bit too large for it. His arms were crossed, the tattoos interesting to her. She'd never been into guys with a lot of tattoos, thinking them wrong, for some reason, but these looked great on him. It made her mind wander to thoughts of seeing just how many he had. She licked her lips as her eyes made their way down his body, appreciating what she saw. He was not a shifter, she knew that, but with his build, he looked like he could be.
Her eyes zeroed in on the most important part of a man, and he shifted. Was that movement behind that certain piece of fabric? He cleared his throat, the sound bringing her gaze to his. He only held it for a second, before looking away, his jaw clenched as if he was angry, but why was his ears getting red? She walked over to the iron bars, not wanting to touch them and get some disease. "Why are you here?" she asked, anger and curiosity in the question. The swallowed, "I am Bruno. My sister is the new Beta female." Candice nodded. She was the one who followed her. "Okay Bruno, but why are you here?" She made a gesture that encompassed her current location. "Why are you down here? As far as I could tell, you're not part of this pack or the other, so this has nothing to do with you." His eyes flashed with something that looked like hurt, but it was gone too fast for her to confirm. "I was worried that you were not being treated well, so I came to check." Candice shrugged at that, turning to walk back to the built-in bed and sat. At least the mattress was new.
Bruno stepped closer, his eyes scanning the room. It was not impressive, it wasn't meant to be. He frowned, but said nothing, knowing that his concern for her would be looked at with suspicion, hell, he was suspicious. He felt like she was important to him, yet the feeling was tempered in some way. Nothing like what his sister described when she met her mate, but he couldn't stop thinking about her.
An awkard silence followed, Bruno clearing his throat to dispell it. "Did you have something to do with the attack?" God, his flirting skills sucked. He knew that, but was it really this bad? Candice lifted one shoulder. "Like I kept telling Alpha Bradley and James," he winced when he said that name, the name of the man she constantly threw herself at, "I met a guy and he just asked me to keep an eye out. Report back any changes. I told him about the gathering, but I didn't really know what it was about." Bruno nodded. "Do you remember what he looked like?" Candice rolled her eyes, praying to a deity that she doesn't know for patience. "It was dark, and he wore a cap and a hood. I just thought he was one of those guys trying to act tough, besides, I wasn't all that interested in remembering faces as much."
She looked over to the man standing on the other side of the cell, wondering why he looked so crestfallen. This had nothing to do with him, right? Maybe he was concerned for his sister, but she looked like she knew how to kick ass, plus she was now the mate of one of the strongerst Betas. She did her reaserach, her plan being to ditch Bloodmoon and go for Bradley, or the Beta if that failed, but Trash got to him first and this man sister, got to the beta second. She frowned again, wondering when she had gotten so unlucky. "I had no idea that he had these intentions. I should have found it strange when he paid me so much for a simple gig that any three year old could have done, but I just though he was one of those rich kids, burning throught his parents' money, sulking at his privliaged life and wanting to do something on his own." She shook her head, "I was a fool. I should have taken that money and left this god-forsakne pack weeks ago. Instead, here I was holding on to a man that wouldn't even look at me." Tears formed in her eyes as she revealed the real reason why she did it, all for attention from Alpha James. Did it mean she was in love with him? That question struck Bruno in his chest like aphysical blow and he grabbed the bars to keep himself from doubling over.
"Hey man, are you okay? You know I can't help you if you pass out, and the guards have been ignoring me for hours, so my shouts of help would be ignored, even if they heard me." She got up, striding over to where he stood, his face lowered to the floor as he inhaled like someone trying to fight pain. She hesitated, before lighly touching his hand that curled around the bars. A shiver of pleasure radiated up her arm. Bruno felt something similar as her touch soothed his racing mind. He lifted his eyes to hers, their gaze holding for long moments. He swallowed, "How old are you?" He asked, his voice quiet in the damp air. Candice blinked, her mind racing along with her heart. His eyes were so gray in the dim light, but she could tell that there may be hints of blue. She felt like her body or her mind was falling into those warm yet turbulant waters of a raging see, yet she knew he would not harm her. "I'm seventeen." She whisphered before licking her lips. Why was her mouth so dry?