My Alpha Mate

Chapter 21: Kings and Pawns

        Long ago there were the Ancients. A group of powerful god-fearing wizards. They could heal people, vanquish demons and fight against the powers of darkness. They were powerful, and life was good. But all good things must eventually come to an end. Ezra was one of the Ancients, unlike the others she had a dark heart and spiteful desires because the other ancients killed her son due to him being a traitor to the clan. It was a stormy day when it happened. The rain pounded against the stone marble tower, as the Ancients were crowded around in a single living room. They suddenly heard a cry at the door.

        "What is it?" Rebekah the leader of the Ancients demanded.

        "There was a cry at the door." One of them replied.

        Another cry rang out. The Ancients stood up quickly, and went to the door. Rebekah summoned a flame and lightning in case it was an intruder. "Ezra open the door, now." Rebekah commanded, Ezra complied knowing full well that if she didn't, Rebekah had the means to make her comply. Ezra slowly opened the old door, cherishing it's familiar creak. It reminded her of her son. How he would always slowly open the door. The thought of her dead son sent a familiar wave of grief in her heart, and she could feel the urge to stop what she was doing and start sobbing right then and there. The rain, also brought a painful memory. It was raining when he died. Ezra opened the door, keeping her sobs in, but letting a single tear fall down her face. None of the other Ancients gave her any comfort, but she was lucky that they did not punish her for her sadness. A traitor should never be mourned. The Ancients gasped as they saw who was crying. A baby boy wrapped in a soft blue blanket. The blanket was new, of the finest material, so it wouldn't explain why he was dropped here. Ezra thought. The Ancients stared at each other, unsure of how to proceed. Ezra sighed and glanced at the baby boy, who looked barely a week old. He started to cry, with soft cries and large tears falling down his face. He was a silent crier, just like her son. Ezra thought again. She quietly, without permission, grabbed the baby boy and cradled him in her arms. He fell silent immediately and a smile lit up his face. Suddenly, almost instinctively Ezra smiled too. She realized that was the first time she had smiled in a while.

        "You may keep him, he is of no other value to another. I sense powerful magic in this one. Maybe he will help you get over your wretched grief for your traitorous son." She said spitefully. Ezra did not reply because she was mesmerized by the child's eyes. One was bright gold the other a magnificent dark blue, like something she had never seen before. Quickly, before her very own eyes the child's eye became a mundane green. Still beautiful, but not as strange as before. She looked around subtly to see if anyone else had seen what she had seen, she rapidly realized that everyone had their backs turned to her and were alreadly heading back. Even though I did not betray them, they act as if I did. She thought bitterly, crading the child a bit tighter.  

        "I will name you Barron." She said to him softly loud enough for only him to hear. "Meaning warrior. I will teach you everything I know. Even the forbidden arts that the Ancients do not know about. You will kill the Ancients because I can swear to you Barron, my son was innocent. He was ten. You will be my avenger. My warrior. You will walk the streets and cleanse the world of its unrighteousness. You will carry the world in the palm of your hand with the magic I will give to you. You will be a man and a monster all for my cause. We should get started dear Barron, because the process may kill you." She kissed his forehead, in her mad way of saying goodbye and thank you.

        Ezra the next day, requested a six month vacation and was given it. She had handed Barron to the Ancients and they took care of him. And over the six months they all grew to love him as their own. Even Rebecca, who had a hardened heart found herself loving the little boy who had looked at her indifferently like all babies do. He did not fear her as everyone else did or give her a look of mad zealous love like some delusional people did. He did not consider her a god or anything else. He looked at her, as an equal even though he was a baby. She liked that. No, she loved that. After the six months Ezra returned with a feverish look of happiness in her eyes. She looked overjoyed, excited even.

        And no one knew why.

        That day Ezra took Barron back, to sleep in her room, and she smiled at him, with mad delight.

        "I found it, Barron. My old spell book that I was forced to hide away years ago." Rebekah feed him a bottle of tiger's blood mixed with an ancient spell that had been forbidden, but Rebekah started to chant, her blood began to boil, her heart feeling on fire. She knew it, that this spell would be her undoing, but she didn't care. She didn't want to. She wanted her revenge. True tears of joy and sadness mingled into her heart.

"Barron," She said a smile on her face. "I am so sorry. I know these Ancients love you. That's why I must do this. In sixteen years you will become a beast, and you will be not be in control the first time, but I have to do this. For Mikael. My son. You will kill them all. Cleanse the world, Barron. My warrior." She kissed his head and then disintegrated into dust.

        Barron was the first werecat.

        Rebekah later turned herself the first werewolf in an attempt to stop Barron from killing everything the world. She didn't understand that Barron wasn't in control the first time. Barron loved Rebekah the way a son loves his mother and was so scared of his inner beast that he hid from the world and found a wife and taking her to live on a remote island. He began to repopulate and make a community of werecats.

        Rebekah, torn, broken but determined to do what she thought was right for the sake of the world, created an army of two thousand werewolves to find a single man. They found him thirty years later where old but still strong Rebekah was given the honor of killing him. She found no honor in it. She hated herself for it. She thought he was the only one, she didn't know about his twelve children and their childrens' children. She slaughtered him with tears streaking her dirty face. She loved him, but she knew her duty. To protect the world from beasts, demons. She hated the fact that she had to create some in order to defeat and find one man. That was the first time Rebekah ever cried, and it was also the last. Soon after that Rebekah disappeared never to be seen again.

        The damage had alreadly been done, werecats and werewolves roamed the Earth keeping their existence a secret because that was the thing that Rebecca had always wished for. Secrecy. They, at first, dedicated themselves in service to the world, being the mysterious heroes in fictional stories that were stronger, faster, and better. The fairytales and legends we hear as children all had some level of truth to them. The Fairy Godmother was a werewolf with super speed and a knack for being dramatic. In the boy who cried wolf, who do you think the wolf was? Or who was the wolf in little red riding hood? The werecats were there too. In the legends and fairytales but they were always more subtle. Who do you think the huntsman is? A mundane human who just by luck happens to kill a beast? I can assure you the Brothers Grimm always knew more that they were letting on.

        The greatest lies come from a place of truth. Dear reader, you must always remember that.

The Forbidden Articles, Section I