Chapter 4

“…Kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” – Frank D. Roosevelt

It had been three years since she had been here.

She remembered when she first woke up in the dungeon.

The dimly lit cell and the strong smell of animal fur made her stomach churn bitterly. She felt like throwing up.

The wet walls and ceiling-high strong metallic gate that had vervain on them, a plant lethal to vampires, scared her shitless.

She was so hungry, angry, and sad.

Those first few days had been so tough but she had been very strong.

They had decided to ignore and treat her like a monster, even though she was very young and didn’t understand a thing.

She would just fold at a corner day in, day out, and cry.

She cried because she missed her parents, she cried because she didn’t know what was going on, she cried because this kingdom felt so strange to her, she cried because the hunger and strong urge for blood were tearing up her insides, and she cried because no one would talk to her.

After one year of being ignored, she met her first companion and friend.

That day, after the warriors in the pack, were back from war, there was immense rejoicing and excitement as they celebrated their victory against the Draven Vampire Clan.

They had long been ruthlessly and cruelly killed by their rival king, Emmett Whitlock for years and it felt great to at least finally taste what victory felt like. This attack had been carefully planned and they were happy that their plan worked.

“This is a memorable day for us! As we celebrate the success of today’s conquest, against the vampires, who have tortured and treated us with so much hatred for many years. Brutally killing our kind and as we all know, my very own father and mother. Your past Alpha and Luna were murdered by these pale-skinned bloodsuckers.”

The crowd became solemn.

“Today though is not a day to be sad, but a day to be grateful to the Moon Goddess, who saw it fit to grant us victory. We not only gained victory but brought back a souvenir, the head of our enemy and the princess of the Draven Vampire clan.” He cheered raising his head. “As we have their heir, we can rest assured that there will be no uprising against us, in the nearest future. Cheers to that!” Alpha Aragorn Kingstone shouted, shapeshifted into his black-coated great wolf, and howled.

The different species of wolves in the pack began howling and growling and jeering and shouting their cheers.

Meanwhile, one of the maids, Naomi Cobalt, watched this excitement but was not the least bit excited. She had once had a daughter, who passed away as a result of an illness, and was not happy that this little girl, wherever she was being kept was to be tortured for her parents’ wrongs. At that moment, she resolved to be of help to her in, any way that she could. But unfortunately, she was temporarily suspended from her duties at the palace, due to a misunderstanding with some other maid.

While on suspension, she wondered how the little girl was fairing and asked some guards about her, anytime she came across them. She was to resume duties after a year and she could only think of helping the girl when she returned.

Looking back, she was grateful Naomi met her when she did. She knew she couldn’t die as she was immortal but it would have been better if there was a way she could have.

After a year of surviving on barely anything, Naomi Cobalt came as her saving grace. The woman knowing that Arayah needed blood, would slit her arm and let the blood flow into a cup and feed the little girl. Back then, Arayah was so starved and had very chapped lips and her skin had become paler than was normal for a vampire. If that was even possible. She was very weak also and Naomi took pity on her. All around her in her abode, the dungeon, were plates of food that hadn’t been touched and had gotten worse.

Naomi had first struggled to earn Arayah’s trust as she too was a wolf. She wanted the girl to know that she was not like the rest of them. Her actions and her words showed that she cared for the girl and before long, Arayah accepted her. Daily, she visited with food and blood and kept Arayah company.

Arayah had so many big thoughts running through her mind for a nine-year-old. She barely had anything to do. So all she did all day, was to remember the past and think, as she lay down on the foldable mat that Naomi had brought her. She had had to lay down on the cold hard floor for a year and this mat was a luxury to her.

Arayah spent her days looking up at the ceiling, wishing, just wishing she could escape.

The ceiling had a drawing on it a large circle, that seemed to have been drawn with claws as it looked like a circle inside another circle. Four circles in each other.

Over the years, this drawing served as different things to her; when she fell, the circle seemed to be a hole she was stuck in and she would feel it talking to her and telling her that she would forever be inside this hole, till eternity. Other times, when she was in a good mood, the circle seemed like the world that she was going to explore after she got out of there. Sometimes, she imagined the artist was drawing maybe onions. Whatever it was, it meant a different thing to her, every day.

This day, as she looked at it, she attached no meaning to it, but rather thought of her Mum and Dad and her whole clan. Then she began thinking of Naomi Cobalt and how good she had been to her. She then smiled gleefully, thinking of how Naomi had promised to bring her chicken wings with two blood bags.

She didn’t ask how Naomi would get it, but she was happy nonetheless.

Then she thought of the meal she ate yesterday and compared it to that of today. She began to think again if she preferred rice to the soup.

Her fangs were beginning to come out and she wasn’t ten yet, so she worried about that too. She started thinking of how she would maintain her canine teeth and what she would do with them.

Sometimes, when she got tired of lying down, she got up and did some exercises. She was used to them, because of her dad. Her dad had trained her to attack and tackle since she could walk. So she did those.

While still thinking, she blinked her eyes shut and had a short nap.

Amareux wasn’t at peace with himself today.

Or ever.

His wolf side was more “adventurous” than his human side and he wasn’t having any of that.

If truth be told, Amareux preferred being human.

He hated not being able to control his wolf side when the full moon was up. He hated that he could smell poop from a mile away, he hated that he could hear conversations that were not meant for his young innocent ears from his mum’s bedroom.

But for his pack, he had to be able to live and understand this part of himself. He was to be the next Alpha. A wolf was to be unforgiving, especially to other rival packs but his human side was more forgiving. He made excuses for them. What if they just want something back that we took from them? What if we are the ones who need to simply apologize? He didn’t understand the need for wars and rivalry against other wolf packs. Although, there were times when he wished he was like his dad.

His dad loved being a wolf and would sometimes shapeshift and stay like that for days, just for the fun of it. Sometimes he felt like his dad was extreme, but he sort of understood him.

His dad had told him the story of how the vampires had killed his parents, one too many times. He had to learn to be strong and ruthless at a very young age. And had explained that that was the reason he was hard-hearted and remote.

A light breeze swept across Amareux’s face, as he watched from the window as a spat was issued between two Beta wolves.

“My little wolf…” Amareux’s mum, Luna Maia called out.

He turned to look at her momentarily, and turn his gaze back outside.

“Lost in thought again?”

She sighed, “You are only eleven. I don’t know why you act like you’re older than me. I don’t bother as much as you do.”

Amareux felt his mum come close, and immediately turned to face one of the tall glass windows and acted as though he was admiring his reflection. She was going to rub his hair as she did when he was much younger and he didn’t want to be patted. He looked at himself. He was positively tall for his age, with hazel-colored eyes and chestnut brown hair. He had a mole by the side of his nose and high cheekbones, with very lush pink lips. He was incredibly handsome he had been told. He then focused on the last time this glass was replaced. He knew his mum Luna Maia loved décor, but he didn’t seem to understand why she had to keep replacing this tall glass window, no matter how many times someone lost control and destroyed it.

He nit-picked at everything, and his mum said it was because he was approaching puberty.

“Maybe because you are not in line to be the next Alpha.” Amareux shot back at Maia.

“I don’t appreciate your tone.” She replied with firmness in her voice.

“I’m sorry Mum. I just have a lot on my mind, it’s all.”

“You’re afraid. You don’t want to disappoint your Father and the pack. You want to be a good Alpha.”

“Mum, get out of my head. Stop reading my mind.”

“I can’t help it! Your thoughts were screaming at me.” Luna Maia said.

“What do I do? Can I … Can I…?” he stuttered.

“Don’t be absurd, my child! This is a blessing and a gift. You can’t run away. You can’t become a Rogue!” She had started to yell, but she soon darted her eyes back and forth and reduced her voice to a harsh whisper, as if remembering she could be heard from afar off.

“Don’t worry you’ll be able to cope with this pressure and see it as nothing soon enough.” By this time, she hugged him and massaged his shoulders.

He felt a little bit reassured.

It was long past time for his training and his dad would be mad but he didn’t care.

He left then to go down for his training and met many servants that stopped to greet him along the way. He hated the unnecessary attention and sometimes when he spoke about it, they looked at him as though he had horns on his head, and simply went back to their reverence and adoration of him.

He didn’t have a friend, not because he didn’t have people his age, but because he felt they were out for what they could get from him. They were not real friends.

His only closest confidante and friend was his butler, Dallas Wilder. He was a gamma werewolf and had been with his family since he was born. And just right on cue, Dallas hurriedly walked down the hallway, with very funny hasty movements. Anytime he walked in a hurry, his hips always subconsciously swings. This always seemed so hilarious to Amareux that he always laughed and now was the best time to have a good laugh.

Dallas finally got to him with sweat creasing his brows and the top of his mouth, breathing heavily said, “You’d be the death of me one day! I’m sure of it!” he panted

Amareux still chuckling, asked, “What’d I do this time?”

“Do you not know or do you just intend to play dumb with me? Huh? Child? ... Oh! Wow! Now he thinks it’s funny.” Dallas called him a child when he laughed at him, to somehow remind him he shouldn’t laugh at elders, but it never did work.

“I nearly shit my pants when your dad asked why you weren’t on the training field. I’m very well sure he would have snapped my neck if Ferdinand didn’t step in, saying you were on your way.”

He laughed even harder this time.

Dallas scowled.

“I’m sorry. I am.” This time he feigned some level of seriousness.

“Go change. You are not going to wear vintage to train! I won’t allow it.”

“Okay. Fine I will. But if I waste any more time, I’ll tell dad I was hurrying over when you told me to go change. It would be your fault then.”

After saying this, he scurried off, as fast as he would if he was in his wolf coat.

“Amareux Kingstone! You wouldn’t dare!”

He was already upstairs in his bedroom but could hear it loud and clear.

He smiled at this and replied, “Oh! But I most certainly would.”