[NOUR]
"Damn, this place is beautiful," Nour said as he walked around. He had used the common entrance for all the regular wolves who came to the palace, that way no one would suspect him.
He had already showered and had let his long hair loose. He had cut some of his hair to make the perfect bangs, making his apparent disguise easier.
He was also dressed in servant clothes, more specifically, like a female servant, something that Ferhat had prepared for him, just in case he didn't want to mingle a lot.
The young prince could only hope that he wasn't harassed by anyone because that would be weird on so many levels.
"Did you hear the enforcer was relieved of his duty for six months?" one of the servants who was walking around aid and Nour paused.
He wasn't sure what he had expected when his father had given the suggestion, but six months was certainly not it. Careful not to be noticed by the servants, he kept walking a few feet away from them. He needed to hear what had happened.
"Not six months. He was punished for four months. They said it was something to do with him being messy last night at the mating ceremony."
"Well, that's a little harsh don't you think? Besides, it's not like he had a mate from last night anyway."
"He was drunk, and went after some Lycan who had made a run to the human lands. And then came back drunk."
"Some say that he had a run-in with the Ruby wolf and he's the reason the ruby wolf is out there."
"I heard that he was punished because he disrespected the crown when he went to cause chaos at the mouthy omega's home last night."
"The King is wise; he wouldn't choose an omega over his best enforcer."
"I don't know what happened but I know just like you said, the King is wise. He wouldn't suspend his enforcer over petty things/. Let's get to work."
'They still think of me as the mouthy omega, damn,' Nour thought to himself as he stopped following the servants.
Going to the servants' quarters didn't exactly seem like the best idea for him at the moment, so he walked back to the throne room, the one room that was his and at the same time, he wasn't sure he was ever going to be ready for.
It was a huge room and with Ferhat growling outside like a madman, it was hard for him to hear anything, but did he even want to communicate with anyone?
Nour wondered if his life would have been better if he hadn't left the palace to live a lowly life as an omega. He wondered if the world would have been a better place if he hadn't tried to run away from his reality.
It was one that he had forced himself to live and believe in for years.
However, as he stood there in the middle of the throne room, with warriors of the King's guard watching him respectfully, he wasn't sure if he had made an admirable decision or if he had been a coward through and through.
Sure, his father hadn't ever complained, but what if this was his cruelest fate?
"Farah," Nour called one of the King's guards.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
"Brief me on the happenings in the kingdom for the past year," Nour said and the warrior looked at him like he had gone insane.
A lot had truly happened in the kingdom, but shouldn't she have been glad that Nour didn't ask for debriefs of the last twenty or so years, yeah?
"All of it?" Farah asked like she wanted to be certain.
Over the years they had been trained to learn who the prince was and how they would be of service to him, but one thing Ferhat had never told them was the possibility that the prince was somewhat unhinged.
Or maybe Ferhat had wanted them to figure it out when they interacted with the prince on their own, right?
"Farah?"
"Sire."
"Do you not know what has been happening in the kingdom for the past year?" Nour asked, this time, walking towards Farah who was standing at attention near the crown prince's seat.
Her loyalty was always going to be with the crown and everyone the crown cared for.
"I do, sire. I shall begin my brief," Farah said before the prince reached him. Well, it was a little pointless because her station was near Nour's seat and the prince was most probably going to take his seat, right?
"Be precise," Nour said as he stood before his seat. It looked so beautiful and fit for a crown prince. It was the envy of so many, as many thought the king was without an heir.
As he looked at the two seats, side by side, not to mention his mother's seat, Nour couldn't help but wonder what would happen if ever his father died suddenly. Sure, he knew he wouldn't have a hard time taking over the throne, but was that what he wanted?
Did he really want to be seated at the high table and make decisions while others risked their lives for him and their people? Was that what he had been training himself for the past twenty-three years? Was that really it for him?
"Won't you take your seat, sire?" Farah asked, worried that the prince would probably faint if he didn't take a seat.
A year's worth of recollection and brief wouldn't exactly be as easy on any of them. They could risk it, but the price going through that would probably mean they would be next on the King' hit list.
"Sit with me," Nour said as he tapped the ground and the King's guards looked at Farah as if to ask her if they could really do that. But then it wasn't like they had a way of making the crown prince change his mind anytime soon, right?
"Yes, sire," Farah said, before her warriors followed suit. They were high on alert and Farah had made sure all the entrances and exits to the throne room had been locked before they sat with the crown prince, ready to debrief him.
And so, for hours on hours, Farah briefed the prince, as her warriors also chipped in when she was tired.
They introduced him to so many things and at the same time, they got to know that despite them being seated on the floor with Nour, the crown prince wasn't as bad as they had imagined.
While the son was getting debriefed, the father was watching as his warriors fought Ferhat, who was parading as the ruby wolf.
It was quite strange how Ferhat had managed to be that strong, but then Delbert had shielded him with magic, in secret, because he knew that the Ruby wolf narrative was supposed to scare Delbert.
"I will come back for you, Acrod. And if you don't want me to come back, tell your King to give me your enforcer.
"He owes me a great debt for sending me dumb warriors to fight me," Ferhat said before he threw a warrior to the wall and disappeared into the night, while the King smirked at the sight.
Ferhat had done more than the King had expected and he had been at his best. That was worth something, At least he chose the right people to be on his son's side.
"You all did great today. That wolf won't be coming back for some time. He will want to redesign his strategies. Good job, warrior Delbert," the King said as he patted Delbert's back roughly.
"Farah, tell Cass to come join me for late dinner," the werewolf King said to his lead guard when he walked into the palace.
He knew his son had to have been waiting for him to hear about what had happened and the King wanted to explain that they had somehow managed to convince the kingdom that the Ruby wolf was gone, at least for now.
It was something that would be hard for a while then with the Ruby wolf out and anyway, they would be able to live a better life, right?
"Your Grace—" Farah began.
"He left, didn't he?" the King asked.
"I'm sorry, sire."
"Did he tell you where?"
"The Omega quarters. He also asked for a debrief of the past year."
"I should have expected that."
"Sire?"
"Dismissed, Farah. Meanwhile, find a torture chamber for Grant. I need him beaten and bruised. For a month, without rest. Everyone should also hear of that."
"Noted, sire."