Throne of Nightmares

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Shadow Pack
Gabriel's office

Gabriel Lyal, Alpha of the Shadow Pack, is known for his ruthless nature. If he is disrespected, he will not hesitate to behead you: male or female. Respect and power are the main foundations on which the pack was created. Therefore, if anyone steps out of line, he must dictate. If he doesn’t, he will be seen as weak and incapable to be Alpha. He can’t have that: he has worked and fought too hard to let the progress crumble.

There are very few things that angers Gabriel but having a pack member question his authority is something he does not tolerate. No Alpha does, but the difference between him and the other Alphas is the way they manage the situation. Other Alphas either gives out warnings or banishes them, but Gabriel does not believe in such weak methods. In his pack, disrespect is punishable by death- not warning or banishing them, just death. If you simply warn them, there is no confirmation that they will not repeat whatever they were accused of. Banish them and they will presumably return with a pack of rogues to get revenge. Death assures that the members that witness the execution, are aware of their punishment. It strikes fear and respect into their minds. It shows them that violating the regulations have consequences. Many people see it as ruthless or condescending, because he has higher and greater power, so he uses that to his advantage. That is not the case. What many people do not understand is that when the Alpha does not set rules or boundaries in place, the members of that pack will do as they please. It is common for members within such a pack to turn against each other, due to the lack of authority and dominance. However, if there are rules and regulations set out and illustrated, along with the presence of a higher power, the pack can flourish. They do not have to worry about making decisions on their own or protecting themselves, they have a fully functional system. The Shadow pack is well-known for the loyalty and strength within its walls. That is why they are currently one of the most powerful packs in the entire Xipphias, ranking even higher than the King’s pack. He is not implying that the King’s armies are weak, it is simply that he, as king, is not nearly as strict as he ought to be.

Alexander Mayhem, the Wolfen king. Rumors say that he is a vicious killing machine, but he has worked with the king; and he is not all that frightening. His beta, contrarywise, is one of the most fearsome warriors he has ever met. He moves with such grace on the battlefield, like he imagines himself dancing with women, as he has quite the reputation with the ladies. He has fought alongside the beta, and he was gravely honored for such an opportunity. He grew close to him in mere weeks. It wasn’t a bond people would assume them to have- being best friends and sharing their backstories. No; it was different. Their relationship was professional. The king, conversely, he wasn’t very fond of. He acts like a four-year-old. In the last Alpha meeting, the thought of murdering him had crossed his mind multiple times. But even though Gabriel is annoyed by Alexander and his childish behavior, the man is a good king. He may not be as good at combat as his beta, Maverick, but his battle strategy is top notch. Many people do not call Alexander the Wolven king, they call him the Chess king. His strategies are so sophisticated; it’s like he is playing a chess game. All his moves are so ethically displayed; pros and cons weighed. After he carefully examines his opponents and their weaknesses, he initiates the design. And that is what makes Alexander a good and dangerous leader: no one knows what he will do next. He, honestly, has sympathy and empathy for whoever decides to make him their enemy.

Sitting behind his large oak desk, Gabriel rubs his temples in frustration. Days like these he resents, days where he is cooped up in his office with management. He understands the necessity of it, being a part of the pack’s growth and maturity, but why can’t he hire an assistant to manage the affairs he doesn’t want to perform. Besides this headache, there have been a series of attacks throughout the East. As Alpha, it is his duty to protect his people from threats such as these. He understands how critical this situation is, but recently, his life has been feeling like a big drama movie. A week ago, they had been attacked by a group of rogues, trying to get revenge for their Alpha. That is the thing about rogue wolves that he just doesn’t understand: they don’t like to be ordered around nor follow the rules, but then they create something called a pack. It might be a rogue pack, but it is still a pack. They go by rules and regulations, exactly like any pack. It confuses him, honestly. He has racked his brain trying to understand their futile rationality. He doesn’t understand how somebody wouldn’t want to be in a pack, he, for one, loves being in a pack. That might just be because he is Alpha and doesn’t have to take orders from anyone.