~AthenaThe day for Sabrina's burial ceremony finally arrived. The mansion bustled with activity. She would be buried at the cemetery, the same cemetery where I heard Micheal was buried a few days after he died. My heart still felt a bit sore whenever I thought of him, what happened to him had indirectly been my fault too. If only I could go back to that night, if only… Richard and James had left early in the morning to get things in order ahead of their late best friend's burial.I was in my bathroom, having a long shower. For some reason, I couldn't shake off the weird dreadful feeling curled up at the pit of my stomach, nor could I ignore the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, all signs that something bad was going to happen. What could it be? I pondered.When I was done bathing, I pulled a towel from the rack, wrapped it around my chest, and got out of the shower.Once inside the room, I could see Tracy looming over the bed with her hands on her hips, staring at two bl
~AthenaTracy raised her brows like a woman about to give the juiciest gossip, "It is said that about a quarter of the pack will be in attendance," she continued."They all are coming for different reasons, while some are coming to gloat at the demise of the woman who indirectly caused the king's brother's death, others are coming to see you."I furrowed my brows in confusion, "others are coming to see me?""Yes, my queen," she nodded. "You have only left the mansion once ever since you returned which was when you visited only the resettlement area. The news spread like wildfire. You know the king banned any visits to the palace by people of all classes after Ms. Sabrina's death, so this will be the first official time the people of the higher class and middle class will get to see you after what happened to you."I sighed, "Is that all?"She looked a bit surprised at my question and speculated in an unsure tone, "Were you expecting to hear something in particular?"I smiled, and lied
~RichardI narrowed my eyes in confusion at the man who had just spoken. They killed everyone?. I needed clarification on who had been killed and who had carried out the killings.But before I could ask him the questions plaguing my mind, James's voice rang out as he questioned him, "Speak in clear terms! Who were killed? Who is coming?"The man, still visibly shaken, looked at James and then at me. "All the men at the borders are dead, t..they are all dead," he stuttered.I could feel the fear that erupted in the crowd at his words. The atmosphere became very tense with anxiety as people's eyes darted around them, as though those the man was referring to were ready to launch an attack on everyone.The man's widened eyes gazed at me in fear as he explained further, "About 15 men came and they shot at us with silver bullets through the heart. We stood no chance; we had no fighting chance."My blood stilled at his words. James and I exchanged glances. If what this man just said is true
~RichardWe returned to the mansion from the Cemetery, but that was after I gave a short speech to the people on their need to be alert in this challenging time. I also let them know that they would hear from me on the next line of action we would take regarding the news that had reached us.At the mansion, everyone was still in a state of shock due to the news. It seemed though to have affected Athena more than everyone else.I immediately called all four of them to my office upon our return. My reason for doing that, was to try to advise the ladies, especially Athena and her mom, on the need to be strong now, more than ever, and not to fret so much about the situation we were currently in because if we give in to fear even before the war starts, we would have already lost the battle.I watched Athena and her mom, who were sitting beside each other on the arm couch in my office, staring into space as though they were dazed.James and Jessica, on the other hand, had pulled out the two
~AthenaI gulped at his question, feeling a bit blank regarding what answer to give. I had only spoken because I feared the idea of having to go to war, saying we could do things differently, even though I had no clue how we could go about it."We are waiting, Athena. Tell us what you propose we do?" Richard's voice reached me, reminding me of the herculean task I had been handed. I was about to shake my head from left to right when Jessica spoke, coming to my rescue and drawing everyone's attention."Your Majesty, we can extend a hand of peace. Let's reach out to this Alpha Frederick and try to settle things amicably," she explained.Why hadn't I thought of that? I guess I was still a bit shocked and confused with all that was happening. Sabastain had killed my unborn child, my stepfather, and even Ms. Seline, a woman who had taken care of me like her child and even stood up to him severally because of me. I guess he was tired of having to put up with her challenging attitude. It st
~RichardTwo days have passed already since James sent a message to Alpha Frederick through a contact he was able to establish, but we are yet to get any feedback from him, and that has become very concerning.There have not been any new attacks from him or his people, so we are clearly in the dark as to what their next move would be. James and I visited the team in charge of producing machinery and kept them abreast of the new development and also informed them of the need to manufacture new weaponry made with wolfbanes. Even though it was impromptu and we might not be able to produce as much as we needed to before the war breaks out, that is if there would be any war, we still needed to make as much as we can with the limited time we had.Everyone in the pack has been asked to stay indoors for security purposes except the head of each house who fends for the family and would need to go out in search of daily bread. If they notice anything out of the ordinary from their homes, they
~RichardI believed every word she said. I have heard myths about white unicorns too. They are magical creatures, and their deaths are symbolic. I tried not to be afraid. It wouldn't be nice if she felt my fear. I decided to tone down hers and make it seem as though she was worried over nothing serious."Athena, you fear too much. We shouldn't read meaning into every single thing that happens. Let's try to stay positive sometimes," I kissed her forehead and watched her avert her gaze to the lifeless animal as though she hadn't just heard what I said."Come, let's go in. I am tired and hungry; I could really use some food right now," I grumbled as I tried to turn her around, but she hesitated a bit, still looking lost in thought."Athena, let's go," I reiterated wearily, dragging her. She finally concedes and follows me without a word. James follows behind us. He was one other person who understands the consequence of what happened.We got inside, and I first headed to my secretary's o
~RichardAt his words, everyone's gaze was keenly fixed on him.I cleared my throat, hiding the slight fear in my voice as I asked, "What news?""Alpha Frederick finally replied. He sent a recorded video of himself speaking…" his voice trailed off, and I knew he must have watched a part if not all of the video. That was probably why he was looking scared."What does it say?" Athena asked, and he swallowed, his pleading eyes darting quickly over to me from her. He didn't want to say what the video entails. In fact, it was wrong for him to have snooped into the content of a message delivered to his king, and he knew that damn well, but considering the situation of things right now, I would let that slide."Let's go see for ourselves," I replied Athena as I rose abruptly to my feet, abandoning my food. Everyone at the dining table did the same, strolling behind me.Upon getting to the secretary's office, we all went behind his desk. I pushed his chair aside so there would be enough room