A King, A Captain, A Mess

07 Watch and Secrets

Ethan POV

It takes at least half an hour for everyone to fall asleep. I watch the sparks from the fire dance skyward before they disappear. It's peaceful when they are all asleep.

"Why did your father lie to the clan?" I hear Killian's voice as he sits beside me. Well, it was peaceful.

"I never told him." I answer, and he sighs.

"You need to talk about it... to greve... am I the only one who knows?" He asks, and I sigh.

"Yeah," I pause for a moment before adding. "I wouldn't have even told you if you hadn't found me right after."

"She was your mate, E. You have the right to be upset about it. Be mad. Going on this hunt will only anger your beast. To him, it disrespects her memory. You can't pretend like you never met her. Your beast will go nuts, and of all the beasts in the world, yours is the most frightening I've ever seen." He tells me, and I chuckle.

"That's because I'm the only Lycan you've ever seen... crap, I'm the only one I've ever seen... at least the only male." I whisper back.

That is my great secret. That is why I don't run with other wolves. I am a Lycan wolf... which is basically a werewolf on steroids. I'm bigger, stronger, and more volatile.

"So just your mom? You never met your grandparents?" He asks, and I shrug.

"Died before I was even thought of... I might be the last Lycan alive." I answer.

"You gonna tell the pup?" He asks, making me sigh.

"I don't particularly want anyone knowing. Outside of my father and you guys, no one knows... people will either fear me or try and use me. I don't want that. Trevor will see me as a threat to his position, and he's not wrong. I am more powerful than him, and there are many who would prefer I rule. I'm hoping to make him into a worthy king, so the clan will forget about me again."

"You are on edge, Captain. Your beast will take over at some point on this trip. I'm sure of that... it may be better to tell the boy than for him to think you are hiding it. Especially if you want him to believe you have no desire to take his place. Secrets don't make things better."

"Perhaps... but the truth doesn't always make things better either." I say, and he sighs.

"You should go for a run. You need to control your beast... especially if you intend to uphold your father's plan for you to search for your mate." At his words, I growl before I can stop myself.

"Sorry." I say as soon as I am able to control myself.

"This won't end well, and you know it, Ethan. Go for a run. Hopefully, your beast will calm enough to not want to eat us all."

With a nod, I head for the woods. I won't be sleeping tonight.

*'*'*'*'*

"Where have you been?" Trevor asks as I return to camp during the last watch of the night.

"Hunting." I growl, trying to shake off the wolf instinct now that I am a man again. He needed to be let out, but reigning him in again takes a bit of effort.

"Yeah." He chuckles. "Still got the blood on your face. You should wash up big brother."

I take a breath to remain calm. It's too soon after the shift for me to take joking around. I'm not used to being around someone who doesn't know to leave me alone for at least 15 minutes after shifting. Once I'm calm, I look to my little brother.

"I'll do that... how was your watch?" I ask, knowing he's never had any responsibility before this.

"Boring... and I'm tired. Had to get up way too early." He complains, and I roll my eyes.

"You got the easiest shift. Just be happy you had uninterrupted sleep. Wake the men while I get cleaned up. We're heading out soon." I order, and he nods. At least the pup didn't argue this time.

*'*'*'*'*'*'*

"Our first stop." I tell my men as we approach the pack. "The waning moon beam pack." Trevor scoffs.

"I may prefer wolves, but they are obsessed with moon names." He laughs, and I smack the back of his head.

"Respect, baby brother." I tell him. "These wolves are our allies. They have invited us to their pack. You will show them the respect they are due. If I have to put you on the ground in front of every wolf here to remind you of that, I will."

"Yes, sir." He mumbles with a lowered head, surprising me. I place a hand on the back of his neck.

"Head up, brother. Just remember we are guests and act accordingly." I tell him, and he nods.

"I've never been a guest... I've never been anywhere." He whispers, trying not to let the men overhear. I know they did, but there's no need to embarras him when he's actually listening and trying to be a better man.

"Don't insult people. Treat and speak to people in the same way you would expect them to address you. It's not that hard, Trevor." I explain, and he looks away, turning pink in embarrassment. Sometimes, I forget just how much of a kid he is. "Come on, pup. You got this."

At this point, we are at the border, and I stop putting my arm out to keep Trevor from crossing.

"Ethan, my boy!" I hear a male voice cheer and look to its source. Alpha Richard runs up to me, grabbing my forearm in a hand shake while he pats my shoulder. "You'll be happy to know our training regiment is going strong! You're more than welcome to lead a session or two to see how well your pupils have done."

"I'd love to. Rhett and Darren are capable warriors. I'm sure they are leading well." I smile at the Alpha. He sent his top two warriors to train with me in order to improve overall performance in his men. I'm actually somewhat excited to see what they've done. "This is my brother, Trevor, and my men Wilbur, Killian, Gabriel, and Timothy."

"Nice to meet you all." The Alpha smiles at them before wrapping an arm around my shoulders with a grin. "Now, your father says you are looking for your mate."