Affliction - Book One - Man x Man

Chapter 37

He had intended to give my kingdom back to me? This hits me with an amount of surprise that floors me. I can't allow my face to crack, not here, not infront of these people who wish to end us if it saw them fit. 

Me?

It was never supposed to be me. My father must be rolling in grave at the thought that I would replace them as the King of Dezna, the standing king of one of the most powerful communities in all of Romania. 

My throat goes dry, I blink away the shock and offer a polite smile and nod. While I sit here, overwhelmed by the proposal, all I can think is that my time is slowly running out. Not my life, not my moments to freedom, but my moments with this strange, irritating, infuriating, incredible man. 

I feel myself sag. 

3 weeks.

 In 3 weeks he will be gone, out of my life. There was a time I would of rejoiced and say it couldn't come soon enough but now I'm at a crossroads. Nobody had ever believed me capable of much of anything.

 In my training with my siblings, I had never stood out as exemplary in any one task. Fencing, art, music, any of the gifts my siblings were blessed with had fallen short of my skill set. I sang much like a wild animal in a trap, I played instruments on par with the hearing impared street beggars. 

When it came to the arts and politics, I tended to fall quite short in creative nature and influential pieces. I was apathetic, coasting through this life as if I had known all along that it wasn't meant for me. A part of me had even been understanding when they sent me away to a school I could never return from. Their medicore son who couldn't even be married off would no longer be their problem. 

Yet, here, I had begun to thrive. 

I had sprouted into something more than I'd ever thought capable. I was beginning to grow and develop, I had friends even if they were few and far between. I was finally becoming someone who didn't look like a stranger when I looked in the mirror. In this moment, thinking of the end, all I could think of was how desperate I was to never give this up. 

The euphoria of the damned living amoung the sinners. The captive clinging to the captor. I was intoxicated with the thought of living this life.

"Alpha." Haryek starts, using a patient voice. "You will all be killed if you take on the kingdoms of man." He emphasizes the multiple kingdoms, as if Alpha might not understand this. Part of me wondered his intent for the warning, I could only assume it was to prevent his protection from offing itself. There would be no returning from that battle, so few could not stand against so many. 

"There is no glory to be won there. You could go on in peace here." He gestures with his hand to our nation's, trying to show him the ample space he would have. "Live out your days in your home land, humans are not a bother to us, human's are not going to come after us." The collective laugh between him and Loan makes me pause.

 I didn't believe that for a moment and I could see that Alpha didn't, either.

There is no great look of malicious intent. There is only certainty, he had picked his path and he would not deviate from it. "Not whilest the biggest portion of my people remain slaves in their kingdoms. Their wolves are locked away, there is no one to show them how to free it and control it. 

Until the curse it broken, every untrained Lycan is a ticking time bomb and it won't be long before they are calling for our heads more than ever. Man is weak but they are smart, they will come for us if we don't come for them. You're all fools if you believe they aren't waiting to see if we all kill eachother before they make their move."