"I will not allow a Maxwell to tell me what she thinks about the current state of our kingdom," Alpha Ryker snaps, rising to his feet as he clenches his fists, glaring at me as his eyes turn black. "You have not even been in power for a week yet you think you can command this room like the rest of us. You are as foolish as your mother."
A few agree with the Alpha, shouting with agreement as they turn their gazes towards me. Looking to Alpha Penelope, I try and see if she will offer any guidance, any aid as the alphas begin to team up on me, but I know she has already offered me guidance. She told me before we even left my pack for this meeting that these alphas would refuse to listen to me at first, not just because of who my parents were, but because of my gender and age. She told me I could either let them steamroll me or I could try and standup for myself while appearing as a bitch. She told me she has been labeled as a bitch ever since her first Alpha meeting. It makes me wonder if this world will ever come around to a woman alpha.
"Like it or not, Alpha Ryker, but my pack is one of the strongest in this kingdom," I reply, my voice a bit shaky as I try and find my footing.
"And power can transition in the blink of an eye. I was there when your mother destroyed this kingdom and I watched the most powerful packs fall and become nothing but a memory."
I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing the Alpha to be speaking truth, but I also know Crimson Lock was one of the most powerful packs and it has remained one of the most powerful packs still after everything.
"I-"
"I think we should move on from what this child has to say," Alpha Vaughn comments, scowling at me as he cuts me off before I can say another word. "Crimson Lock was attacked a month ago. A transition of power has occurred. We are not blind these are circumstances for a war. My pack has faced backlash from Silver Thorn-"
"It is not our fault you failed to uphold your end of a decade-long treaty," Alpha Ryker snaps, defending Silver Thorn, the pack of his late father. "You allowed your pack members to spread out into our territory."
"Evercrest Ridge has been busy making treaties with Eternal Shadows in the meantime," Alpha Penelope comments, drawing attention to my past alpha and River. "I thought Eternal Shadows did not need treaties, after all, you have not made a single one with anyone else here since you emerged out of the blue."
"We know who we want as our allies."
"If you were going for the crown then I would expect you to be making treaties with more than one pack," Ryker comments, crossing his arms as the attention is placed back on River. Ryker is right, for if River was smart, he would be trying to make treaties with every pack possible to get his throne. Yet something tells me River is right, his pack does not need every single treaty, which makes me wonder just exactly how believes his pack to be.
Alpha River looks over to me, the two youngest people in the room facing the most heat. "Eternal Shadows has alliances outside of this kingdom."
Alpha Ryker laughs, shaking his head as he pressed a finger against his lower lip. "Elves? You hold treaties with other elven realms? You really think the elves will come to your aid?"
"I do."
No one else here knows, for River has done well to keep it secret. Penelope and I know though, for Penelope knows River's parents are still alive. We know that River was raised in an elven realm. If River is speaking the truth, then we should all be concerned, for if elves are to fight us on a battlefield against who should be crowned king, I do not want to be fighting elves. These men and women have trained for ages in fighting tactics, many warriors between the ages of fifty to two hundred years old.
"You will not be my king," Vaughn spits, rising to his feet as the other few alphas who have remained silent begin to mutter to one another about who they would want. "A boy barely past his teen years. You think having elves as part of your pack will grant you a victory. How stupid."
"I would rather have Lily Maxwell as my queen," Ryker snaps, looking to the silent Alphas as he tries to get them to decide what they want. "She may have been a naïve bitch, but at least she-"
"Be cautious who you speak ill of," I growl, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as all eyes are back on me. "If you want Crimson Lock to support you in a war, then be cautious of who you disrespect."
"Are you threatening me?" Alpha Ryker mocks, scoffing as he rolls his eyes.
"I do not have to keep the treaty between our packs. Steward Cade was easy to get a treaty from and I have not yet cleaned out the unnecessary waste of certain packs."
That has gotten Alpha Ryker to shut his mouth. He needs the treaty with my pack, that is clear as day now, for he has settled down and does not retort me. "Anyone else have something to say about my mother or father? Alpha Finley, have you anything to comment? Alpha Emmett? Alpha Yusuf? I am sure those who have stayed silent have some opinion?"
My blood pumps fast through my veins as I try and remain calm, knowing my eyes have darkened. "I am sure Alpha Ryker has learned his place," Alpha Penelope comments, leaning back in her chair as she offers the alpha a smug look. "I would suggest that we move on from this."
"There is a war on the war, Penelope," Alpha Edward warns. "I would rather wish to discuss this here and now rather than having another Summit Meeting being called."
He is right, we cannot just ignore the fact that certain alphas here are wishing to go after the crown. "I will serve no king unless River is sitting on the throne. We have formed a strong bond between our packs," Edward begins, causing tensions in the room to become higher than ever as the other alphas look around, wondering who will stand up next.
"I wish for my pack to remain neutral for the time being. I do not want some cursed throne to sit on, but I will not declare allies at this moment," Penelope calls out, making her position known as she briefly looks to me. Keva told me to go for the throne, to ignore what others will see of my age and gender, but I know myself better than the elf.
"My pack and I are ready to go to war to see my bloodline rule the kingdom," Alpha Ryker announces. I am not surprised. "I have Alpha Vaughn's support as well as Alpha Finley."
"I stand beside Alpha River," Emmett announces, the two sides of the war beginning to form as I think of what my parents fought for. My mother and father wanted to see no king on a throne to rule. They died for their cause, though I know much of what they died for was also for vengeance.
Alpha Yusuf remains silent as he looks out to the different packs and sides beginning to form. Eyes are on him and me now, wondering what we will say. I have never heard of Alpha Yusuf, though I am certain his pack is Ridgewood Pack, located in the Northeast, and one of the few which have survived throughout the centuries with ties to deep tradition. I expect him to side with Ryker rather than River.
Penelope looks to me, nudging me to take a stand as I know what I will do. I do not want a crown nor do I want war, but I know that war is not avoidable.
"I will support Alpha Leala."
I'm shocked, the room falling silent as we all look to Alpha Yusuf.
"Her mother and father were right that the system of government was rigged when Zion was in control. I will stand beside her with any decision she makes."
I'm speechless, wondering how I acquired such an ally without making a footprint in this world of wolves. River on the other hand does not look happy with this, his jaw clenched as he waits for my words. He wants me to stand beside him but I am not sure if I can.
"I will support Alpha Leala as well. I have made my ally," Penelope announces, taking back her previous statement as I cannot believe what is going on.
"I-I do not want to fight for a crown on my head," I comment, my voice soft at first.
"Don't support this little twa-"
"If you are smart, Ryker, you will not insult the woman Yusuf and I have just pledged our loyalty to." Penelope looks back to me. "You do not have to fight for a crown, Leala, you can simple fight for a system which you believe in."
I get to my feet, grabbing my coat from the chair and my shoes from beside the floor. "I-I..." I do not know what to say. What would my mother have said? What would my father have said? Yet my parents are in the past, there is a new system underway. Do I fight for what they died for when I have no experience nor do I know what I want to fight for?
"Crimson Lock will fight beside Eternal Shadow."
"Then let us all go to war."
<><>
I tune out Beta William and Gamma Erik, having listened to much of their complaints already for the past hour as I sit behind my desk, looking to the clock on the wall as the seconds go by. How did my mother ever get these two men to shut up and follow her?
"Do you understand?" Beta William asks, eyes looking sporadically at me as I can tell just how stressed he is in this moment.
"I made my decision."
"You decide to swear some form of allegiance to an Alpha the world barely knows anything about!?" William snaps. "You have caused our pack to be tied to the control of another alpha and fight his war rather than your own."
"I do not know which war to fight!" I exclaim, rising to my feet. "I do not know which side-"
"Yet you swore allegiance to an Alpha after the throne."
"They are both after the throne, I picked the lesser of the two evils."
"You know little of Eternal Shadows. No one knows much about them...yet you think they are the lesser of the evils," Erik comments in disapproval, shaking his head as he looks over to me. "Your mother would have decided her own journey and made her own side."
I bite my cheek, once more compared to my mother. Once more compared to someone I could never became. I am my own person, not the clone of someone else, they need to stop comparing me to someone else who took the extreme route around things.
"My mother knew what she wanted and she believed in it. I do not know what I want really...all I know is that I need to learn how to be a strong Alpha. I did not state my own claim to that throne because I do not yet know who I am as a leader."
The two men back away from an argument, sitting in their chairs across from me as they take in my words. "I will never be my mother or my father. But I hope to make a name for myself rather than living in their shadow."
<><>
Two weeks following the Summit Meeting and no word has occurred yet of a battle occurring, but word from Alpha Yusuf informs me that tensions are higher than ever. Alpha Yusuf and Alpha Penelope have met my Beta and Gamma to discuss battle tactics as I sat in the audience, watching them bicker back and forth as I was just beginning to learn how to make a formation in battle. Alpha Edward visits and keeps up through emails, updating me on what he has been going over with his pack. The constant stress keeps my headaches persistent and my time laying awake in bed an increasing value.
I feel like a student following their teacher around everyday, taking note of how to complete diplomatic roles, talk of war strategies, and how to set up a political system for if the war is successful on our end. Cedric offers me council and advice when it comes to battle tactics, but I lack so much of what makes up an Alpha.
By the third week after the Summit Meeting, I stand outside the door of my grandmother's house. My grandfather passed away a few years ago of colon cancer, someone I could have met if only Quinn and Terrance told me who I was earlier in life.
"Come on inside, Leala," she greets, pulling me in for a warm hug as I offer my grandmother a bottle of chardonnay. The two of us gravitate towards the living room as the coffee finishes, my eyes scanning the pictures placed on the fireplace as I see moments of my mother's life as she grew up. Her first piano recital, first spelling bee, thirteenth birthday, sixteenth birthday, and then her graduation photo. Each age shows her progress, but her high school graduation photo forms a bitter taste in my mouth as I see just how much her smile had changed. She had met my father by that point, their love affair something of scandal, but she moved forward with it. There is one last photo on the wall, when my mother's hair was changed and colored blond, as she wears a wedding ring, and she carries a pumpkin in her hands to carve.
I know my mom did not interact much with her parents as she moved out, for her parents hated my father. They came around to him in the end, but I know there is still an anger which has not been released yet. They blame my father for my mother's death and her inevitable downfall.
I would blame him too if I were them. He was older than my mother, married her, and all along the way was someone who evoked fear into everyone who opposed him. My parents had a twisted fairytale relationship, but they loved one another in the end, so much such they would die for one another. I can only hope that they are happy together in whatever form of an afterlife there is.
"How is it being an alpha?"
"Strange," I reply, looking back to my grandmother as she notices the pictures I was looking to. "I expected the amount of work, but I did not expect to be treated like a child by so many people."
Nodding, she offers me a cup of coffee and takes a seat across from me.
"You are young, regardless of species. Having the Maxwell name does not mean you will not have to work hard for respect." She's right, for my father was feared by many of his pack members almost until the end of his life, for my mom had helped to change him and allow him to see the effects of kindness. My mother gained respect right away as Alpha, for she had been Luna first, but then her kindness and happiness began to melt away the harder life became without her lover.
We talk a bit longer about what has been going on, expect I keep from her the fact that my pack will be going to war soon enough.
"I want to offer you guidance, but I am afraid that sort of experience is not gained by being a human," she responds. "But I can tell you that those men who interrupt and disrespect you...interrupt them back. If they cannot change their behavior, then talk to them in private. You are in charge of all of those men, so make your place known."
"And if they do not want to change?"
"Put someone else in their place."
She's right, I have that authority, I just have not used an ounce of it yet. Penelope told me I could either be someone who gets pushed around or someone who speaks up for herself regardless of how these men would perceive me. "I know Lily did not put up with that crap when she was in charge. I watched my daughter change so much in the time I had left with her, and I watched her order around men. They knew they were replaceable and they needed her to see how valuable they were to her inner circle." Offering me a warm smile, my grandmother looks back to the pictures of my mom. "If you are Lily's daughter, then do not be afraid to control a room like she did."
<><>
"Whiskey sour," I order, leaning against the stone top of the bar, looking down the row of people sipping their drinks as they enjoy the live music and drinks. Life has changed so much since I found out who I was, yet I feel like I still have to catch up with all of that change myself. Thanking the bartender, I take my drink and walk through the sea of people gathering together for conversation as the gentle harp music and angelic voice which sounds in the background seems to put me in some trance.
With one hand holding my drink and the other shoved into the pocket of my black and tailored pants, I hold the glass to my lips, meeting Penelope's gaze as I walk over to her. "Nice to see your relaxing," I comment, noticing the empty glass of wine Penelope hands off to a server as she orders another one. Her red hair pushed behind her shoulder in voluminous curls, her black dress rings more business than party. Yet I cannot judge, as I still wear my pants and tailored jacket, only changing my blouse to a burgundy satin bustier top. The entire day here we spent talking with the Gammas and Betas of other packs, a few individuals making time out of their day to show the visiting alphas around the palace as all of them were impressed.
"We are here for business after all," Yusuf comments, his dark brown eyes meeting mine as I greet the alpha. The two of these pledged their loyalty to me and they watched me declare my loyalty to Alpha River. I doubt they expected me to do that, but here they are, still following me as they now fight beside Alpha River. "Anyone seen Alpha River since this morning?"
We all shake our heads as I wonder where the young alpha could have gone. He greeted everyone briefly, introduced his Gamma and Beta - though their title names were different - and then left after an hour into our first session.
"Probably more royal-matters," Penelope comments sarcastically, grabbing her next glass of wine as she locks her arm in mine, bidding Yusuf a brief goodbye as she takes me from the main hall. A few elves look our way, their pupil-less eyes locked on me as I have no doubt they heard of the very informal proposal their alpha gave me last time I was here.
Penelope leads me out of the main room and down one of the long hallways, stopping every now and then to look at a tapestry. She leads me to a familiar tapestry from before, one where a king offers his child to the elves. I know now that was River, a child given to the elves by his parents. "I cannot imagine how lonely that man must be," she comments, pondering the thought as she looks closer to the tapestry. "For your parents to have to give you to the elves, that is something no parent wishes to do. No wonder why all the kings are so bitter in life."
"You pity him?"
"In a way I do. He was given all of this wealth as an alpha and intended-future king. He was given a palace of wealth, an army, advisors, and so much more...yet he never truly got to know his parents. They would visit, but not for long. Covering your tracks for your entire life is not a desired path."
I was lucky to be raised by another family, to have someone to call my mother and father, but River never got that. His parents seemed rather as some distant relative as he was raised by the people training him. I cannot himself his childhood was filled with what a childhood should be. His desperate need for me to say yes to an alliance between us, for him to offer me his hand in marriage, and for him to almost beg me to be in his life...I can see now how having no real family or friends could cause someone to try so hard to hang onto something hardly there.
Penelope and I spent some more time before the tapestry, examining the details before moving on down to a sitting area which overlooks the palace garden. "Is Alpha Yusuf someone you trust?"
"I have known him long enough to know he does not betray others like Ryker," she replies, looking out to the night sky. "I take it you met the elf."
"The elf?"
"Keva."
I nod, recalling the meeting I held with the elf far older than me. "She raised Alpha River, though I am sure you knew that. She was the first ally Queen Sybil met and Sybil was forming a new and strong bond between the werewolf world and the elves, though those plans died with the queen when your father shot her." I do not need to be reminded about those events. "River, to these elves, is a sign of hope. The elves are part of this pack for the sole purpose of getting him on the throne to complete his mother's plans. It would mean safety for elves once more, to have their own realms in the Western Werewolf Kingdom, and to be treated as equals and allies."
We sit for another hour and talk about the elves realms which once resided within the Western Werewolf Kingdom before they were driven out. Soon enough Penelope leaves me behind as she grabs another drink, the silence surrounding me as I look up to the silver moon. Running my fingers over the light scar on the palm of my hand, I think about to what River said about us, about that pull he seems to feel.
Is it a mate bond? I do not think so, for your wolf would react instantly. You would be able to recognize the mate bond as a mate bond. To River and I, it seems like some pull, a rush which occurs when he touches me or looks my way. Perhaps it is a way of fate trying to bring us together. Whatever it is, I wonder if I truly want to figure out exactly what it is.
"You know why Penelope and I declared the loyalty of our packs to you, right?" Yusuf asks, coming to sit next to me just as Penelope did moments ago.
"In all honesty, I do not. Penelope fought against my mother decades ago. Why have an alliance with me?"
Alpha Yusuf shifts in his seat, taking a few minutes to pounder his response. "The system which existed before, it was flawed. I agreed with your mother, but not with her actions."
"And Penelope?"
"Be cautious of such an Alpha," Yusuf comments, looking off to the ocean in the distance, only to look back to me quickly. "Be cautious of any Alpha. Trust no one when the crown is up for the taking."
Yusuf is off after that, leaving me alone to pounder why Penelope would be an ally of mine and how exactly I can place my trust in others when Yusuf tells me to trust no one. Can I trust my own pack members? I believe so, though William and Erik seem hard to control. Can I trust River? Can he trust me? I wonder if River even trusts me knowing our family backgrounds, just like Romeo and Juliet. Could River believe I may betray him like my parents did his? Sitting alone in the silence for another hour, I take a good amount of time to think over everything.
"Why all alone?"
I do not look around, keeping my eyes trained forward as I already know who it is. As he takes a seat, River leans back in the chair and gazes towards me. "I did not think you would be back after that exchange in the palace ruins."
"Nor did I," I comment, briefly looking to River as he seems stressed, his shoulders tense and bags forming under his eyes. "Will you be meeting with us Alphas tomorrow?"
"I hope to."
"You are who we pledged loyalty to, we would rather have you there than your King's Hand taking on your role."
"I had more pressing matters to attend to."
"More pressing than war?" I ask, curious and a bit pissed off that River would ditch the alphas who offered him their support. "We came to your pack to meet with you, not someone who speaks for you."
"Don't lecture me, Leala," River snaps, my name rolling off of his tongue as he looks at me with those glowing golden orbs.
"Show some respect to the alphas who pledged their loyalty to you," I exclaim, keeping my voice at the same level as I know I cannot just leave it be. River seems to listen to me for the most part.
Getting to his feet, River looks as if he is ready to storm off, only to come to a stop and offer me words which do not encourage me. "Do not think that just because you may know me more than most of these alphas and the fact that I tried to propose to you suddenly entitles you to-"
"Entitles me to speak my mind?!" I rise to my feet, shaking my head as I look up to the alpha. "I say this because I pledged my loyalty to you. I said at that Summit Meeting that I would offer your pack man power in the event of a war. Penelope and Yusuf then gave their loyalty to you because they said they would follow in my steps."
"There are ways which this pack runs which I do not need you or anyone to try and fix."
"If this is who I pledged my allegiance to for Crimson Lock, then I want no part in it."
"Excuse me?" River asks, those eyes pitch black as he glares at me.
"I expect the Alpha I make an alliance with to try and have some diplomatic backbone and not just leave it all up to others. Hell, you are trying to go after that damned crown, so show some political backbone." My chest rises and falls heavily as I stare back at the alpha. "You proposed to me, something which means you would have wanted my council. So hear my council now, River."
I push past the alpha, my shoulder brushing his as I head back to the main room where the drinks are. As River allows me to leave peacefully, I soon find myself back at the bar ordering a second whiskey and enjoying the calming music.
Before long, I have downed enough drinks to cause my vision to become distorted and my legs wobbly as I make my way back to my room. My head seems to split in two as it becomes dizzy, my stomach feeling the effects as I want to reach my bathroom fast. Pulling out the old key to my room, I slide it into the first hole of a wooden door, fiddling with the lock as I soon come to the conclusion this is not the door to my room. Stumbling down the hall a bit more, I come to a set of double doors, pressing the brass key to the hole of the lock as I try and force the key in.
My clumsy hands drop the key and I bend over to pick it up, muttering to myself in frustration as I want to rush to a toilet to puke my guts out. Grabbing the key, the moment I stand back up, the doors of the room pull open and I stumble into the room, falling to the cold floor as I groan in pain.
"Leala?"
"Sorry, I thought this was my room," I mumble, getting to my feet as I head for the door to the side, knowing I cannot wait longer. I stumble to the door, his arms wrapping around my torso as he helps me into the bathroom. Excusing myself, I have him shut the door as I throw open the toilet lid and begin to puke, one hand holding my hair back as the other reaches for something to wipe my mouth with.
As I sit on the marble floor of the bathroom, I lean my back against the glass shower door and wipe my mouth with a soft towel, tossing it into the laundry bin as I finish. Trying to forget what I just did in someone's bathroom, I open the door and look to the man sitting on the grand bed placed flush against the center of the backwall, two grand windows on either side as moonlight floods the room. Those golden eyes follow my every step as I take off my shoes and head for the main door quite a ways away and past a crackling fireplace and sitting area.
"Just rest for a little," River comments, rushing over to me as he helps me take a seat before the fire and store my shoes under the couch. "How much did you drink."
"Enough."
"Need anything? Water? Advil?" Concern is present in his voice, making me wonder about the last conversation we had.
I reply, but my words are gibberish and River decides to grab me a glass of water. I take a sip, only for him to insist I finish the glass. As I finish the glass of cold water, I lay my head down on a pillow and close my eyes, groaning as my head continues to spin out of control. "Want me to walk you back to your room? It's two floors below this one."
How did I make that much of a mistake?
Shaking my head, I ask for River to just let me relax for a few minutes before I head back to my room.
I feel fingers run through my hair, helping to calm my headache as I fall deeper into the comfort of the couch. Soon enough, the warmth of a blanket is placed over me and I gladly accept it, grabbing the edges as I pull it closer against my body and lie on my side, facing away from the fireplace.
A pair of lips meet my forehead as River seems to say something, but I am unable to make out the words, only falling deep into a slumber.