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It was the bribing of September betrothed to slippery thunderstorms and unsettling skies that beckoned forward brimming tears outside of stratus clouds which hung so low, it reminded Vera Lee of fresh pillows she so desperately wanted to dive into.
Unmovingly, she peered outside of the nearest window observing all of the townspeople as they ran to get away from this dreaded weather, clutching their fury coats tighter to their skin. To which they probably felt was a bother, something about sickening downpour bestilled Vera's agitation.
Replacing it with something wild, itching with misdemeanor, but it was calmed. All because of this silly rain that collected just below her chin as she studied nature with means of curiosity.
Just inside of a talkative classroom sat a shy angst girl who slid to the edge of her seat ignoring all of the aroused chatter around the classroom, because typically it made her antsy. A chest filling with anxiety, her shoulders grew tenser by the second even as she taps the butt of her pen against her mouth from a defrosting bundle of nervousness.
Suddenly she feels the presence of someone hovering over the side of her desk. So beginning to look around with a gaze of soft inspection, instantly her irises entrap a shade of hazel and green. Alongside two other shades which swam with hints of vexation and disguised... regard.
The room was laced in hormonal testosterone and the scent of obnoxious primacy wrecked Vera's senses, meanwhile, the trio stood attentive to her annoyed expression while she attempted to ignore them like she always had done when they decided to bother her and ask for help with their assignments.
The closest to her side tapping a finger on her desk was Andy, her twin sister, who smirks viciously with these two jocks flaking her side but Vera still refrains from saying anything. In this action it causes light laughter to erupt from the three who peered seemingly from above her. "Such a nerd." Andy giggles louder while rolling her misty eyes.
"Take your seats. Now. The bell has rung." Mrs. Hart, the oval glasses-wearing teacher announces, melancholy, Vera couldn't help but feel relieved watching everyone sit down while also lessening their chattery banter.
It was finally silent.
"Okay class, today we don't have much of a lesson but let's get started reviewing for the pop quiz shall we?" Vera's attention is stolen from Ms. Hart to Andy who casually probed at her arm lightly with her chosen weapon of annoyance today, a wooden pencil.
Despite the death glare she received, Andy doesn't stop herself from pulling at Vera's hair this time, not until Vera snaps her head away from Andy's manicured nails with such attitude in her movement and eyes of steel fixated on her identical combatant, "What do you want?" Vera hisses. Andy chuckles once more. All Vera could think was,
She'd do anything to get this brat to leave her alone.
"Oh come on VeraLee help your sister out here." Andy coaxes wiggling her eyebrows up and down until finally, Vera gave in. Vera noticed Andy always did this during their test or daily assessments, she'd done it so many times that Vera learned not to say anything, but instead, she swapped papers with her simultaneously.
Skimming over the test, she noticed the questions varied from hers and they were much more difficult. It was the simplest things like werewolf history, transitions, and of course the most common topic; mates.
Most of the time though they were these easy questions that inheigtened her interest greatly where she became fascinated. There was nothing more she liked talking, thinking, or even learning about other than the Royal ménage.
To others they were pure blooded beings who are meant to be worshipped, truly a menace to society and the regular townspeople. But from what Vera could tell, they were celestial, passionate beings. Entities prayed upon- and to.
"After Beta Gregory and Queen Margaret fell in love, upon King Augustus discovering them out, he was furious... What had he done?" Ms. Hart chimes aloud for all the class to hear but her eyes steadied at the focused Vera after repeating the inquire.
Vera's eyebrows knitted together in thought as her mind began to linger on the question harder. She anticipated lightly while writing few notes on the side of the sheet of paper while Andy stared innocently with a sly smile.
"That's easy! He claimed her for all to see." Someone shouts at the easy plus one that she was assured she'd get the bonus. "That's right." Ms. Hart smiles encouragingly but this seems to only unease Vera's nerves. "But that's not the answer I was looking for, so not quite." Ms. Hart stated diligently.
Vera's cheeks heated up as the questions returned to the royal family, which were nameless. The town folk were only allowed to know the King's name and the leader after him, that being his heir, it didn't make any sense but Vera thought it was professional.
The current King was Augustus, who was rumored to have been married previously before he became a widower.
After the King's wife gave him an heir during her sixth child she allegedly died in labor, wait... so how exactly was Augustus still able to rule? It was common for wolves, especially alpha males, to die in suit after their mates perish. Making his most eligible son assume the title.
Unless it wasn't his true mate that had died.
Vera squints her eyes —growing unsure of herself at the question she was lingering on, it left her puzzled. It was a typo about this one: Who was the first heir to the throne after his father? Vera's instant thought was the third to the fourth child, Alexander, but she knew better to know it was the eldest, Achilles.
Achilles was the firstborn son of King Augustus and Queen Margaret. War hero and known Sargent belonging to the royal pack. Sadly, he also died as a juvenile, young. Easy mistake however Vera also didn't suppose to know that. Plus those were the only two brothers up to Vera's knowledge.
She picks the textbook from under her desk after eyeing Ms. Hart and goes to the section about the royal ancestry. She momentarily scanned the book until she was interrupted yet again by the same nuisance, "Almost done?" Andy whispered poking again at Vera's hip but receives a death glare in response.
"Does it look like I'm finished?!" Vera scolds but this only makes Andy stick her tongue at. "Whatever." She replies sharply turning away.
"Ms. Hart, it says here that Gregory ruled by Augustus's side and aided him through many wars, Correct?" A student just opposite Vera asks and Ms. Hart rises from her seat to stand in front of the board. She grabbed a book of her own and wrote something down until she turned to look at the boy who spoke.
"Yes. I suppose that is correct." Mrs. Hart says.
"Then why did Gregory, his prized Beta, his said to have been loyal subject, leave his side after 99'. He isn't seen or mentioned further after the climax of the Malediction nor during the King's second correlation." The student sounds aggressive but more concentrated as Ms. Hart sways slightly from side to side.
She was fidgeting and no one had noticed.
Except the frail girl who eyed her suspiciously, in attempt to quietly copy her answers onto her sister's work sheet.
Mrs. Hart stutters before speaking trying to collect the right words, an articulate sentence. "He died then, Matthew. It's only right to assume he fell during the great battle," Her answer is short-lived as she brushes her hand down her jeans, sighing.
But Mathew wasn't satisfied with her answer. "What battle?" He asks further, pushing his glasses back closer towards his eyes. He was eager to recite a passage from the textbook if needed. "The Golden Malediction between packs. Between father and son. King Augustus, and his father, Nathaniel for the throne." Mathew brings his head into his palms in denial.
"I don't believe that." Andy intervenes and finally for the first time, Vera turns her attention towards her —fully interested in the current debate. "I think King Augustus killed him," Andy persisted at gaining Ms. Hart's recognition all the while Matthew applauds her at his point being made. They both turned to Ms. Hart seeking clarity, or confirmation even.
Ms. Hart looks taken aback but shifts from one leg to the other as she stood cognitively behind her podium. Vera slides Andy her paper from underneath the desk and once Andy snatches it, Vera bites back a snarl, succumbing it under her lips. "That doesn't make sense," Both the guy Mathew and Andy snap their heads towards the usually quiet Vera as she spoke with negate.
She always imposed and thought highly of the royal parentage and she wouldn't stop now. Not ever. In her opinion, she felt blessed to even be born during their reign. She had all to be grateful for.
"That doesn't make sense, why would the King kill his own best friend; his delegated Beta. Gregory supported the king in everything he's done for years, they were said to have been like brothers bonded by blood and grew up with each other. It doesn't add up." Vera insists shaking her head dejectedly.
Maybe because it was her infatuation with the King and his family, his son Alexander especially, who dictated this world and her opinion. All together though she refused to believe his father would do such a thing.
"I think he would." Mathew argues, "Come on... We wolves were made to kill and fight to the death. If easily provoked, given reason, such as a mate perhaps— anyone is willing to do anything." Vera erases harder on the answers Andy had wrote on her paper and replaced them with what was correct.
So consumed with her work she hadn't even noticed Mathew closely leaning into her space, adding a wink once she finally looks up at him, to catch him staring. He smirks. "What are you suggesting?" Raising an eyebrow at the brown-haired boy with blue eyes, Vera inquires as he deliberately pursued her.
Mathew shrugs but the smirk on his lips had yet to disappear. "Hey, I'm not much of a theorist you can even ask that lady over there," He shrugs pointing over towards Ms. Hart who only listened. "But... I think the woman that stole Beta Gregory's heart — all those years ago, was the King's mate." He proposes but Vera shrugs this off.
From respectable men who found the courtesy in their military tactics, whom never encountered a probable wife. These men flourished in the expectancies of induced ranking by the shed of a life's ceasing puddle. Hardly were these royals keen on destroying familiar ties.
"So that gives him the motive to kill?" Vera chuckles harder this time but Mathew was far from joking. He narrows his eyes into slits at the girl who giggled with fluttery eyelids until she notices the shift in atmosphere. Her giggling soon ceases while she looks around at all the people who watched the transaction between the two.
"Like I said. If easily provoked, given reason, such as a mate involved— anyone is willing to do anything."
Vera shakes her head in disbelief, she refused to think anything other than highly of the royal family, because they were her saviors. They gave them privileges and always protected them, Andy rolls her eyes at her sister's negligence.
Andy couldn't stand how dumb Vera was and it sickened her. It was more sinister to be naive than to question everything around you.
Andy saw herself as a realist while Vera believed in myths, fairytales, and happy endings when the world held entirely the opposite. "Talking sense into her is futile when she's blinded by stupidity, Matt. Don't even try she's obsessed with the royals." Andy scoffs but Mathew keeps his attention on Vera who sulks into her chair. "Especially that Alpha Prince guy..." Andy trails off and Matt snaps his fingers in front of Vera's face with intentions of stealing her attention again.
In Mathew's perspective — despite them being twins, it was something in Vera that stood out to him that was invisible when it came to Andy. Undeniably also, he preferred shy girls any day over the mean she-wolves who carried a used reputation as if it were chapstick.
"Listen Vera. I'm not saying the Royals are bad people overall. I've never met one to say the least, but that's exactly it." Matthew pulls away to look around at all the people who listened to his authoritive voice. Fists clenched with clarity, "We aren't meant to know them or even get within a fifty feet radius of them. Their feral fucking gods on our human land."
Matthew scoffs more to himself again this time with a vague base being added into his tone, "That's factual knowledge. If that heir is anything like his father, We're meant To Fear Him."
~|~
Vera wakes up in a cold drowsy sweat, feeling two thick arms wrapped around her. Subconsciously she sinks closer into them before she realized it to be her damned mate.
Hurriedly she tries to escape his grip but fails.
Her heartbeat quickens seeing his hair fallen over his face, and his olive skin that was bare for her eyes to lavish. She was milking the sight of him with her gaze and she hadn't dared to look away. "Like what you see." His rugged voice interrupts her staring — his naked glory gone blurry.
She feels her hand skidding down his arm only to feel he wore no pants neither. "No, in fact, I hate it." Vera lies turning away from him but simultaneously he pulls her down back onto himself, locking his arms around her waist. "Liar." He declares while sniffing her hair only to descend his nose down her narrow throat.
Almost giving in, Vera easily snapped back into reality before she began to pound hard against his chest. "Stop! You can't keep treating me like this! I'm sick and tired of your bipolar ass wanting me now and tossing me aside later!" She yells attempting to push herself off of him.
But Alexander wasn't having it. It was as if he compelled her as she softens, relaxing. "Vera, I think I'm ready to talk." His voice comes out smooth like his tone puts the icing on the cake.
"No Alexander, I think your actions have proven to be louder than words. You don't have to tell me anything." The prince curtly nods. "Well, I think you should know-" Vera rudely interrupts him by placing a smooth finger over his lips, hushing him.
"No. I don't wanna hear it." Vera snaps but before she could proceed further Alexander crashes his lips against her. Igniting a warmth feeling similar to a coat, wrapping around her body.
Electricity takes hold of Vera, shocking her from the tip of her fingers to the bottom of her foot. "Just listen for a moment. Soon I'm going to be King, and take the throne from my father." He brushes his fingers through Vera's hair taking out the knots. "As you know he refuses to give it to me willing... You know what this means right?" His ask is delicate and quiet but this doesn't keep Vera from shivering.
Well of course she knew what would come after. A war. "If he wins..."
Alexander chuckles, his voice resembles a symphony of golden notes on a piano. "He won't." He answers, but he frowns right after at the idea his mate had the littlest of faith in him. "If he doesn't?" Vera questions. Even she is debating on reality, she felt to be losing and her mate was given her the short end of the stick.
That means if Augustus wouldn't give her mate the throne deliberately well... let's just simply say blood would be spilled. A fight between families if no one cared to bargain or reason.
"Then they'll paint me as a villain. Something they've always done." Alexander Bane states but with this, he pushes his dark hair back with the threading of his fingers, "Long Live their righteous King."
A sense of worry washes over Vera as she snaps her head back to her mate who doesn't bother looking at her. His wine-colored eyes are glazed over, indicating he was having a private conversation through the mind link. "Wait, you're not going to..." Vera trails off. She couldn't help but feel saddened at this.
Her mate was youthful in appearance but calloused on the inside beyond repair.
The bags under his eyes reveal how the night must've gone in the forest before he joined alongside her slumber. Although Alexander was the typical pain in the arse to her, her heart swelled at her mate fighting his father.
Alexander had the strength of two armies and the power of five generations behind him but there's a story — reason behind Augustus being considered, the most cunning Alpha King to have ruled. He was a merciless tyrant. Unfit.
He was unruly and couldn't be fixed or persuaded to negotiate.
Alexander moved with a burning passion that coursed throughout his veins, being an alpha outweighed the want to love in his bones. He moved angelic and graceful during combat, however — the only thing that kept him going is, not having anything to live for.
He fought carelessly and repetitively without breaking a sweat. Vera has seen him move, he hit and pounces almost immediately without trimmer.
Almost like he wasn't afraid of dying.
He wouldn't admit it but Vera gave him an excuse to be tactical. Instead of fighting like any moment would be his last, he kept his eyes open. For her sake.
Then there's Augustus who would kill all his sons if it meant he'd stay in reigns for a century longer. That's why nobody else dared to take from him. Except for Bane.
"You're not going to fight him," Vera shakes Alexander out of the depths of his anticipation, "I can't let you." She says.
He only stands up —outreaching his hand towards her and Vera sends him a look of confusion. "Come on, I have to show you something." He declares.
"I think you're going to want to see this."
•••