[NOUR]
"Sire…" Ferhat trailed off when he made it to the royal chamber after leaving the unconscious prince in his royal chambers. He knew the werewolf king was not ready for this news, but he also knew that she had to come clean to the king.
This was not just about the welfare of the people of Acrod but the welfare of the werewolf prince himself. Ferhat was fighting every ounce of his sanity as he stared at the royal council that had come to meet with the king.
Among the people who were here was Grant Hindley, the man Ferhat wanted to strangle with his bare hands but couldn't because it would raise more questions.
"Oh, Ferhat, you're here. I thought you would come at a later time?" the king asked as he looked at his old friend who was shaking.
Ferhat was the most composed man he had ever met and not seeing the man shaking like this meant that something was wrong. And it wasn't just about the kingdom, but his son.
His little boy – the kid he hadn't seen in literal months and the kid who had forced him to keep the distance. The king's breath hitched in his throat as he kept staring at Ferhat before he turned to look at Grant Hindley.
Granted, the king may not have known what the fuck was going on here at the moment, but he more than anyone knew that the signs were there, even if he so desperately hoped that this was just all in his head.
"It is a matter of urgency, my king. I apologize for interrupting the session like this," Ferhat said and the king paled. He hated that term. He despised it because it was Ferhat's code for Nour being in danger and oh it was breaking his heart in so many ways.
"Grant," the king spoke, his voice so cold as he stared at his enforcer. He was looking at the man like the world was about to fall apart. It was something so insane, something that got the man wondering what he had done this time but perhaps he had to wait, right?
"As you can see, it looks like I have other commitments to attend to, but I need to warn you of what is headed our way. The Midlands is in grave danger," the king said as he stared icily at the council, making Grant look at him worriedly.
"There is a new group of vigilantes in the midlands, and they are dangerous. They cannot die, no matter what is done to them. They are impervious to magic in every sense and are as ruthless as they come.
"These vigilantes have made it their mission to terrorize the midlands. They take wherever they want and whenever they want," King Cassius began, his words making the council members in the room even more curious.
Hell, Ferhat was on the side of the king and even he didn't know what the fuck was happening at the moment. This was not what he had thought of and he could already see where the king was going with this madness.
Ferhat wanted to stop him, but then he knew the king could either do this or burn down the enforcer before him, and that was something that wouldn't sit well with the people of Acrod, not that the king cared one bit about that right now.
He was an angry king, one who wanted the head of his enforcer, and while the king couldn't do much about it at the moment, he couldn't go after Grant directly and he would try a different approach, one that would have the man right where the king wanted him.
"Vigilantes? Does that mean the beast is not coming to save us anymore?"
"Will they come for the poor too?"
"What are we even supposed to do?"
"How are we even going to get over this?"
There were murmurs in the throne room as the wolves who had come to listen to the council meetings, as usual, expressed their worry about what was happening around them and in their home.
They had every right to be scared shitless of that truth, however, that was all they could do, because, at the end of the day, they needed to save themselves, and if they couldn't even do that, then what was there for them?
These vigilantes were terrible.
They were inhuman and it was impossible to defeat them.
The midlands could as well give in to the death sentence anyway.
"Be careful, my people. While the beast did save the lives of the kids, the vigilantes have one goal. Destruction, everywhere they go. They are wild rogues from different factions and happen to have more power than any rogues we have encountered before.
"Assemble the warriors and tell our people that the curfew will take effect. Everyone must be in their houses by sundown or we won't be responsible for any attacks by the vigilantes on them.
"Tell them the vigilantes are from all the factions, which means, they probably know the ins and outs of every aspect of our homes. Make sure they all are aware of that before they do anything stupid," the king said to Grant who nodded in understanding.
When he had come back home Grant had learned that the Midlands was still in danger despite the cleansing that Alanor had done in the past few months. It was a reality that Grant had expected to deal with sooner or later and here it was with them.
"Your majesty," Ferhat spoke, in a bid to stop the king from making that particular announcement at the moment. It wasn't right for anyone, but the king had long wanted to be a father. He had wanted to be there for his son and right now, he would.
"Is the Ruby wolf part of the vigilantes too?" one of the wolves asked and the king stared at them sadly. Oh, how he wished that his son was one of the vigilantes, that way it would be easier for Nour to get his revenge on Grant.
But then it was not that and it hurt more than the king would ever afford to tell anyone. He was holding on by straws and his lifeline was making him wonder what part of reality they were in at the moment.
Perhaps it was time for the king to step up and protect his son. Sure, he hadn't seen the state of his dear son, but the fact that Ferhat was shaking was more than enough.
"No, he isn't. But we defeated the Ruby wolf so that shouldn't worry you," the king said.
Grant looked at the king, his desire to never fail the king so clear as day, but the words the king spoke next shut him up, and sent him into shock for a few seconds. Maybe because he wasn't expecting that as soon as power was handed to him, he would already be having competition.
"Anyway, we all know I'm growing old, and I can't always appear in front of the council. Besides, we will need someone to keep the kingdom the same. I won't put it to a vote, because I already chose the perfect man for the job.
"As for the moment, Grant, you will be running the kingdom… until my dear son comes of age to take over from you," the king said with conviction, and once again the throne room fell dead silent.