If onlookers were to look upon the crowd that stood swarmed around Hades Henderson, they would have thought the image before them resembled a blue-hued painting of bees surrounding their queen. Everyone's attention was directed at the Alpha.
The sight looked magnificent, the engraved dark wooden throne contrasted against the blue-themed stage. The details engraved onto the stone spoke of the many stories that had been rooted from each Alpha that sat on the throne for the last twenty decades.
However, as mystical and sentimentally valuable as the throne sounded, it was there for another very important purpose.
To bring 'it' out.
Coronations aren't just a time to celebrate an Alpha's ascendance to power. It's also a ceremony that puts an Alpha's self control to test.
When sitting on that innocent and extravagant-looking throne, the Alpha seated would be inflicted with a force that would gradually loosen his control over his wolf, making the beast the dominant party at hand.
Hades Henderson today, was to go through the same ritual.
The chanting done by the elders speeded the process, however, it had more of a culturally ritualistic significance.
The elders were finally done with the chanting.
Hades held his head down hiding it away from the public's view. Shoulders shaking he panted, gasping in breaths the cold air of the night.
Slowly he lifted his head, brows scrunching and uncrunching with concentration to different degrees as he reigned in the beast. Drops of perspiration traced his smooth pale skin with each passing minute and Hades Henderson still had his eyes shut. A low growl left him occasionally as he battled with the beast within, they were mentally trying to dominate each other.
The crowd had been quiet for several minutes and was finally getting back to conversation, their attention span giving up on focusing on the figure on the stage. They didn't have to be too worried, after all, not a single of the thirteen Alphas before him had ever lost a battle to their beast. Human logic surpassed and overpowered a wolf's feral drive. However, just as this started happening their mouths closed shut and their eyes snapped to the said figure as a thunderous growl leaped out from the depths of his chest.
Electric blue eyes stared back at them.
Bright blue eyes filled with utter confusion and blinding rage, that almost the entirety of the population of werewolves felt the hairs on the back of their necks prick indicating an instinctual feeling of being under threat.
"Son?"
Alpha Hesiod was the first to snap out of his confusion. The growl had been too guttural and full of power to only be partially affected by the beast.
"Hades? Is everything okay son?"
he tried again, which resulted in the younger Alpha snapping his head towards his father as he swiftly stood up.
In less than three seconds his body moved to be standing five inches apart from Hesiod.
"That brat is no longer here."
Hades smirked.
"What?"
everyone started muttering, whispers traveled in tidal waves.
Had Hades Henderson lost to his wolf?
Was his self-control not enough?
"You're son is not here right now."
The imposter who spoke through Hades spoke as he faced the crowd with a satisfactory smirk. He had his hands behind his back, posture straight, exuding the aura of a true Alpha.
"Oh but don't worry pops. I'll let him come back. That's the good news. Buuuut, on the contrary, I'll be saying Hi to all of you very often. So I hope you'll be good old hosts and do what I say."
He swayed his hands around in dramatization.
"Oh no, you won't. I think it's about time you leave right now. Let your master take over now, or else there will be harsh consequences wolf!"
Aeson Solar climbed up the wooden planks and made his way across the stage to the 'wolf'.
"Master? MASTER?!"
The 'wolf' started cracking up as if he had just heard a successful dad joke, the resonant of his laughter bounced off the walls of the buildings close by dominating the pin-drop silence that had come over by the nonverbal atmosphere evoked by the crowd.
"That little brat is NOT my master. HA! How bold of you to assume."
He spat the last bit out.
"I've been waiting for a whole twenty-five years for this moment. That fucker has been pushing me around holding me back from living a normal life. But heh not anymore."
The wolf sounded carefree, yet his voice had a deadly undertone of anger to it.
Beta Aeson Solar stood behind the wolf-possessed Hades, gathering a few of his most able warriors to gear themselves to take down the unsuspecting target. They moved to form a crescent-shaped battle formation, an attempt to partially cover the targets routes of escape.
"You lot seem to be very bold when it comes to assuming things. You the Beta behind me."
The warriors were shocked at having their cover blown away. The wolf wasn't even facing them, and furthermore, they had made sure to use the best scent blockers they had in stock, which they paid a fortune for when buying the from the witches.
"What do you think you're doing"
He quirked a brow with a bored face, completely unbothered at being surrounded.
Aeson stepped forward, shoulders squared, straight face, overall he looked intimidating.
"This is your last warning wolf. Go back and give control to Hades. Trust me, it's all of us against you."
The wolf was still unfazed.
"Oh, how rude of me. I guess I forgot to introduce myself."
He sighed. Turning to face Aeson he looked him in the eye.
"A mere Beta like you can't even dream of challenging me."
Aeson Solar had a reputation for upholding his pride. He is a man of reputation, and what the beast said definitely did not seize to snap at his strings of control. An insult to his title as Beta was the worse thing anyone could ever think of doing when dealing with a hot-headed man like him.
Within the span of a few seconds, the powerful Beta had shifted into his brilliant blonde wolf. Right when he was mid-air, aiming at his pounce to pin hades' wolf down, the wolf dropped a sentence that made the air around the audience chill.
"Don't think you could outmatch the great Lycaon."