The Broken Crown

Stripped

My mother justified her war by seeking revenge for the man she had lost. Those who fought beside her agreed with her cause, for Nixon was their alpha as well. But what am I fighting for? What do I stand for? If I stand for nothing, then why am I going to war?

My mother fought against the crown for revenge and to tear down the system which once was in place. While the events may have not gone the way she wanted, in the end she got her way. For two decades the werewolf world from the fallen kingdom has been one of chaos. Packs were built and packs became ash, alphas ran around claiming territory which was never theirs. My adoptive father was a gamma during that time, fighting to defend his pack as other alphas tried to take their territory and kill pack members. So many of our species fled to the human world without a trance of their pack left behind. I was a child when a neighboring pack tried to attack us, our house burnt down as my adoptive mother sheltered me in the pack house. I lost friends during that attack, their bodies strung across the territory without any respect. In high school, another attack occurred at my pack, many of my classmates called to defend the pack as a handful of them lost their lives in the attack.

Whispers have been circulating for the past two decades, whispers of another war on the way. I heard of packs of the past, those whose alphas wanted to go to war to win control and give order to this region, only to not have formed the proper alliances and lost their lives in the meantime. No rebellion lasted more than a year. Battles have been fought for the past two decades, but never before has each pack given their alliance to one of two sides. This time it feels as if this war will determine the new order of this region - an order which people have been longing for as alphas create their own rules, territories are torn down and replaced, laws are made up, and resources of other werewolf kingdoms have been lost.

Penelope and Yusuf pledged their loyalty to me without a second thought, the two of them always together as they have been valuable advisors. Mathis and Finch granted me their loyalty once their alphas were killed off. I have all of this power backing me up yet I still feel like I am lost. I feel lost in how to conduct a war meeting, how to build a government, and lost in what I believe in.

Oliver had a hold on me for so long, acting as my most trusted advisor, and yet he deceived me while providing me with what I still think could be reliable advice. Keva offered me advice I am not sure of taking, for she has tried to get be beside River ever since I met her. My grandmother and Penelope have given me similar advice as well, warning me about attachments as I have only forgotten about their warnings.

I jumped into bed with Finch just because of the charisma he carried, how he showed interest, and how he displayed loyalty. My mind has constantly been circling around River since we met, but I know I need to focus on what matters most to me now.

My life did not start when River came along. My story did not begin when River introduced himself to me. My story began when I learned who I was and what power I help...what I could do with that power. A crown does not give me power, but the people who back me up, respect me, and are willing to fight for what I believe in give me power. But what do I believe in exactly?

I have to eliminate what everyone has told me what to believe, I need to figure out what I am fighting for. I know the system was rigged with River's parents were in control, I know the region has been a mess without an order in place, and I see the need of the people. Do I believe in these reasons enough to begin today?

The woods are silent as I watch from afar, Yusuf by my side as we stand on the edge of Evercrest Ridge territory. Only an hour ago did we arrive, Brie and Cedric taking a group of my men with them as they headed off with the others on the front line. All I can see ahead are a row of houses from the neighborhood I once lived in, families beginning to turn on the lights. I can tell by the sudden commotion erupting from the houses that the men we sent out in the first wave have attacked. "How long until our second wave?" I ask, looking to Yusuf as my fingers shake at my side.