THE ALPHA KING examined the scrolls that the Queen Mother had given him.

The continuous and frequent rogue conflicts during Alpha King Anton's tenure as the fifth Werewolf King made it far from a tranquil one. Rogues were in uprising at that time because they had not been given a share of the werewolf land.

If the King continued to refuse the Rogue Alpha's terms, then they threatened to steal what he considered most important, but despite this threat, Alpha Anton steadfastly stood by his choice.

However, that choice backfired when the Rogue Alpha's renegade wolves kidnapped his beloved, Luna Queen.

King Anton attempted every method imaginable to locate his mate but was unable since the Rogue Alpha had already been working alongside the Faes. Their magic enabled both him and his wolves to remain undetected.

With no alternative choices, King Anton sought the advice of a witch who informed him of an old ritual that their forefathers had forgotten.

It was known as the sacred bond. As a werewolf approached his physical peak and had not yet found his mate, it was a prehistoric method of doing so.

King Anton utilized the ancient directory that the witch had given him to find his wife and finally put an end to the conflict.

The writings and all texts recorded about the ancient bond were obliterated, and the practice was outlawed centuries later, but no one knew for what reason.

The voice of his mother roused the Alpha King from his reading.

"Some have tried, years later, to bring back the knowledge, but even then the fewer passages, that they wrote in several books were removed.

"Even though it was said that all the books were burnt during King Anton's reign, the final book, with most of its scriptures, somehow was retained by King Anton's second son.

"It was rumored that he handed it to his girlfriend, a Wolf of mixed ancestry. The castle has the only information on her last location, which appears in the outdated werewolf directories stowed away in the library," Queen Mother Alice stated while keeping a watchful eye on him.

The information was slowly ingrained in the Alpha King's consciousness until just one thought - hope - was buzzing about in his head. Darius felt optimistic for perhaps the first time in years.

His optimism was short-lived, however, when he realizes where his hope resided in: the library, a place which Darius swore he would never do.

The Queen Mother intervened after observing the distraught expression upon her son's face and said, "I understand that you cannot carry on as usual, and completely moving on with your life is difficult to do since I myself can't.

"But Darius, when will you be able to accept the loss. Five decades have come and gone since-"

"No! Never dredge that day up again, Mother. After all, you never bore witness to what I saw."

Darius lost his cool and stormed out, slamming the door in his wake. He strode to his chambers, enraged. The level three Omegas, the wolves that served as their King's servants, scampered away as they sensed the waves of rage emanating from him.

"Send the Butler my way!"
Darius yelled out to the Omega that was further way, and with a nod, the Omega swiftly scurried off to carry out the King's instructions.

Darius then turned and entered his chamber. With a few rapid, imposing steps, he reached his expansive king-sized bed, and after he heaved a heavy sigh, he slumped down on its edge. His current state of mind was in stark contrast to the vivid royal red covers.

He had exerted a great deal of time and effort to either forget about the tragic event or simply ignore it. Just so he could get through each day, he took steps to ensure that it was never mentioned and that everything that was connected to it was destroyed.

He thought it was working, at least he believed it was. Then, however, his mother felt compelled to broach the subject.

Darius grumbled in answer to the knock just then, and a moment later a man entered through the door after it had been pushed open.

"Alpha," the man greeted as he bowed.

He was motioned to sit down by Darius, but he declined, choosing to stand instead, which made Darius scowl.

"How many times am I going to have to remind you not to treat me so formally?"

The man's face was creased with thin lines that pressed together as he laughed.

"The Alpha King is deserving of respect from everyone, regardless of identity."

"Not this again, Ben. Since you have been a cherished member of my pack after so many decades, you have essentially raised me.

"I find it offensive that you regard and approach me in the same manner as everyone else." Darius grumbled in annoyance, "In the short span after your arrival, you have sort of become a father figure to me."

In search of shelter when his pack was violently slaughtered by a rogue pack, Benjamin Lincaster, an older wolf, fled to the imperial family wolf pack.

His appointment as the Royal Butler followed his quick rise to favor with Alpha King Edward. He also became the sole person Darius could converse with besides Noriel.

Darius shook his head in disapproval as Benjamin replied, "I recognize and I am grateful for the opportunity that your family offered to me, but I don't deem myself deserving of anything near to the royal line, let alone the Alpha King's father.

"Have you recently spoken with my mother?" Looking up at the man he regarded as his second father, Darius remarked, "I know she informs you of just about anything."

The Royal Butler, as usual, clasped his hands behind him and said, "I presume the Queen Mother has just informed you about the scrolls."

The brown mahogany headboard served as support as the Alpha King leaned back and sighed. Behind his eyes, he could feel the beginnings of a headache forming.

He suppressed the urge to give himself a head massage since the last thing he wished for was for Benjamin to bring Baron Zeta Julien, one of the Head Healers who served as the royal pack's family physician, to examine him.

It was already horrible enough that his loved ones, and the majority of the wolves in his pack, outside of his family, were aware of his impending death.

However, if the Alpha King's opponents learned that he was frail, they would turn that information against him, and Darius wouldn't allow that to happen.

"And what are your thoughts about them?" Darius asked while gripping his fists tightly.

The Royal Butler looked down at the hands of the Alpha King before turning to face Darius once more.

Darius despised Benjamin's keen observational skills in situations like this. Fortunately, Benjamin made no comment regarding his tightened fists.

"The concern, Alpha, isn't so much about what I perceive of them but what you perceive of them. My thoughts on the matter have no weight as long as you have your own," Benjamin responded in kind, and Darius nodded in agreement.

As the Alpha King had anticipated, the question was redirected back to him by his Royal Butler as he knew he would.

Benjamin fully understood that a direct response from him would cause Darius to change his mind, and so he never responded in that way.

"Why now? Why did the scrolls emerge at this precise moment? For years, nobody, not even my mother, had looked through my father's belongings that had been kept in his room.

"Therefore, why had she chosen to search through them and uncover the supposed scrolls at such a moment? I just..."

In a bid to unwind, Darius paused mid-sentence and took a deep breath.

"I feel as if someone is pulling a dirty social experiment on me, and I find it offensive," he continued.

For only a brief second, the Alpha King's demeanor held the Royal Butler in silence as he stared.

After some time, he said, "Perhaps the placement that holds the final piece is what worries you, Alpha, as opposed to the scrolls' unexpected emergence."

{•}

Thank you for reading.