"Have you heard from our daughter?" Grego walked towards their room, spotting his wife sitting in front of the vanity mirror.
His eyes watched her hands glided up and down the strands of her hair, making it shine against the light coming from the light on the other side.
He still could not believe that he had married the girl of his dreams. Although he only recognized it after years of them being together. Still, he was thankful he had realized it before it was too late and made up for those lost times.
However, he feared that it might not be the same fate for her daughter if the union continued. He was glad that his wife had the foresight to end it and the courage to defy his wishes.
"Not yet." She responded with a longing look on her face, probably also thinking of their daughter at the moment. She quickly dropped the brush she was holding on the table, placing her hands on her lap as she stared at him through the mirror.
Afterward, she stood up from her seat and walked toward him, planting her hands on his chest, just above his heart, as she stared directly into his eyes. "In my heart, I could feel that she is just fine."
He nodded his head at her, believing what she told him. Through all the years of their married life, her instinct had never failed her before. It was one of the gifts that she might have inherited from her ancestors, guiding her throughout these years.
He held her tighter in his arms, letting her head rest on his chest, allowing her to draw strength from him. His hands stroked her hair, loving how his fingers glided smoothly on its tresses.
"Shall we go and receive our guests?" He offered his hand to her, guiding her out of the room and into the hallway. Then, they proceeded down the stairs into the private room where their visitors were already waiting.
Once inside, he immediately greeted the people present in the room, so thus, his wife. But not everyone in the room was thrilled to see him.
As the conversation suddenly ceased and all eyes shifted in his direction. Their guests stood from their seats and also acknowledged their presence.
He could not blame any of them since not all of them had agreed with his decision to end the union. Many of them feared the consequence of his defiance of the prophecy. And, of course, the threat that the King of Vitalis had declared publicly.
Only a fool would not be frightened by King Charles. After all, he already had proven his cruelty against their kind. He also had an army of his kind that was far superior to theirs and the other species existing in this world.
"Welcome my friends and allies to this meeting. I am sure you are wondering why I called for your presence." Grego began, standing in front of everyone present in the room, consisting of leaders from the different packs and some representatives of the two covenants.
"Please take a seat." He gestured for everyone to return to their position as he and his wife took the other available seat in the room.
He could see the questions in their eyes as they all focused their gaze on him, but he was ready to answer them without fear or hesitation as they sat upright, ready to condemn his action.
"I think we have an idea of why you ask us to come here." Marcia, one of the leaders of the Crystal Veil Covenant, responded, raising her voice by an octave with a bit of sarcasm too.
She turned to her colleagues and the other guests, seeking their affirmation. A few of them nodded their heads, but more than half of the twelve people in the room remained impassive.
"We believed it has something to do with your daughter running away from her obligation to the pack." Bronko of the Devil Eyes Pack seconded the witch's statement.
His demeanor was slightly agitated, but he could sense that his comrade still believed in his leadership. As their Supreme Alpha, all the other Alphas had followed his lead, including these two covenants of witches.
However, after this stunt that he pulled, he wondered if it was still the same. He hoped some of them would remain loyal and understand his justifications. He would need all the help he could find to put his plan into motion.
"I know some of you think that it is a foolish decision on my part, but if you are in my position, would you give your child to your enemy." Grego looked them each in the eyes, knowing that most of these men and women also had a child or children.
He could not blame them for their negative sentiment, but he hoped they could relate to his plight. He would still try to appeal to their humanity. However, he would not back down from his decision if they went the other way.
"But the prophecy..." Another witch was about to proclaim the prophecy as the key to their eternal peace, standing up from her seat to make her claim, trying to convince the others.
"The prophecy will kill my daughter once she has set foot on that castle." Grego disproved her declaration before she could continue any further. "You are condemning her to death."
They had no right to use his daughter like she was a puppet they could use to manipulate the King. He firmly believed that their enemies would not grant mercy on her or any of his kind.
Avana was his daughter, and he would protect her with his life. If he had to go to war for her, just like what his ancestors did, he would. He was not afraid to die for his family and his pack.
He stood from his chair, looking down at his wife before staring at each face in that room. "I will not stand by and watch that monster put his hands on my daughter. I will never trust that King." His tone was firm and loud but never threatening.
Then, he heard the commotion coming from the hallway, already expecting another problem to arrive his way. But nothing would distract him from what he already had set to do.
"If King Charles wanted war, I will give him war." He declared with the hope that the others would join him. He would not sit down and wait for those monsters to slaughter them all, let alone hurt his daughters.
He would fight till his last breath to defend the oath he had given to his family and the pack when he accepted his role as their Alpha of the Orsha Pack.