Ryan and Aislinn both looked from the guards to Rei in confusion.
"You're the Captain of the Royal Guard?" Ryan asked in an amused tone.
Rei ignored her son entirely, frowning at the guards. "I believe you're mistaken, sirs. I am a lone wolf, so a far cry from your Captain" she explained calmly.
The guards stared at her for a moment longer, frozen in their salute. While Rei had recognized it was meant to be a gesture of respect, she found the pose to be unusual. The two guards had their arms above their heads, with their forearms crossed. When her words finally sunk in, they dropped their arms and brought Rei's attention back to the odd situation.
"You're a lone wolf?" The guard on the right demanded while running a hand back through his brown hair.
"I am, along with my sons" Rei answered smoothly, gesturing towards Ryan and Aislinn who stood behind her with confusion plain on their faces.
Shifting their attention to Ryan, the second guard sucked in air at Rei's lookalike. "I'd have thought he was your twin!" He exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, he does take after me. May we enter?" Rei demanded, trying to hide her impatience and escape the uncomfortable situation.
"Just a minute. Do you have any brothers? Or cousins? I swear you have to be related to the Captain. You're identical!" The brunette guard continued on, either ignoring or not noticing Rei's desire to move on.
"No family but my sons" Rei answered with a sigh, beginning to accept that short of making a scene to get through, she'd have to put up with the questioning.
"You don't think it's Reinhold, do you?" Thaila suddenly asked her human.
"What in the name of the Moon Goddess makes you think he'd be here? We did always look a fair bit alike, it's true; but, he hated the Royal territory more than most. I can't imagine him wanting to live here, let alone be the Captain of the King's guard" Rei reasoned.
"I know...It just seems like it would make more sense than a random stranger being so similar to us that we're being mistaken for them" Thaila answered gently, knowing that both scenarios seemed extremely unlikely. Additionally, while Rei didn't say it, Thaila knew that the idea of Reinhold living in the Royal territory would be heartbreaking to them.
"I bet this was just a game for Gwen. She knew what this guy looked like, made us look similar so we'd get stopped and embarrassed. I'm sure these two guards barely see him up close and are just mistaken" Rei reasoned, wanting to ignore the tightness in her chest at the thought of her brother being the Captain of the King's guard.
Rei was brought back to the conversation at hand when the two guards, who'd been discussing the looks of Rei and the captain, returned their attention to her.
"We are certain you must be related to the Captain somehow. We can let him know to come see you" the brunette guard stated, not so much as an offer; but, as a non-negotiable statement.
"I imagine he'll be annoyed that you're wasting his valuable time" Rei shot back with a frown. "Not to mention yours and ours" she added.
"How do you know you weren't born to his parents and then somehow lost? Maybe you're his long-lost-brother!" The second guard reasoned, trying to hide his excitement.
"I was raised by my parents, no abandonment or anything" Rei answered flatly.
"Not that you know of" the second guard retorted, his eyes practically sparkling with the idea of reuniting two siblings. Not to mention how indebted the Captain would likely feel to him!
"Um...Sorry for cutting in; but, I believe the people behind us are getting agitated" Aislinn said, speaking up in an effort to help Rei out of a clearly uncomfortable situation.
"Shit, she's right!" The brunette spoke up. "Fine, we'll deal with this later" he conceded.
"Names then" the brunette ordered, practically pouting now that his plans were ruined.
"Ray Storm" was the name that Rei stated simply.
"Ryan Storm" came Ryan's response from behind her.
"Ash Storm" was Aislinn's quieter answer.
"Storm...Huh, not a name I'm familiar with. What pack is that from?" The brunette guard asked curiously.
Rei felt the need to grab her eyeballs to stop them from rolling at the insistence of this guard. Fortunately, she was able to resist the urge to be disrespectful and answered politely. "My parents were lone wolves as well. It's the family name they gave us...I don't know their original packs."
The two guards exchanged glances, and the second one began to grin again. "So you could have been taken at birth..."
"Would you please stop!" Rei practically shouted, unable to contain her anxiety, frustration and impatience any longer.
The guards stared at her with wide eyes, surprised at her outburst and disrespect.
"Excuse me, sir! We are Royal Guards and demand respect! How dare you speak to us that way?" The brunette demanded, his embarrassment causing his anger to rise.
"How dare I?! Why not how dare you?! How dare you insinuate that my dead parents were kidnappers?!" She demanded, her own emotions causing her anger to rise at pace with the guard's.
"Mo—" Ryan began; but, before he could blow their cover in a thoughtless attempt to calm his mother, Aislinn stepped in. She elbowed Ryan in the gut to shut him up before he could finish calling out to his mom, then slipped in between Rei and the guard.
"I'm sorry, sir. Our father is very touchy on the subject of our grandparents! Please forgive his outburst" she pleaded, wanting to avoid a bigger scene than was already happening.
"If what I'm told is true" came an angry voice from behind the guards. "Then these two fools are the ones who owe an apology. To your family, and the entirety of the line of people whom they've been delaying" the man continued. By this time, the guards had paled and were stepping aside to make way for the very Captain they had been comparing Rei to.
Seeing him in person, Aislinn understood the insistence that these guards were presenting. She turned to look at Rei in complete shock.
Similarly, Rei's face was also reflecting a look of complete shock. There before her, clad in the Royal colours, stood her elder brother, Reinhold.
YOU ARE READING
Veritas
WerewolfBook 1 of 2 Aislinn Jones has had a unique problem for as long as she can remember: her dreams. They are vivid and haunting, and plague her whenever she tries to rest. Her father's solution was to train her to a point of exhaustion where she was pas...
