The pack members of Lycan castle heard the shocking news of the departure of the greatest Alpha that had ever ruled their pack. The painful aspect of the news was that his son allegedly killed him.
No one could understand why Bruce would be so heartless as to kill his father few days after taking over from him as Alpha. The bitter silence that befell the castle hovered all over for a long time.
"It is surely a pity that my brother died in the hands of his own son. This is unforgivable!" Darius said addressing the elders. He face feigned ignorance and sincere agony. By his side sat Ramon displaying the same countenance of pain and sympathy.
"The council has declared him a rogue and has demanded for him to be brought to them whether dead or alive." Darius said with a face that seemed to be having a difficult time saying the words that came out of his mouth.
He looked at the five elders gathered at the table and being certain that they were really believing what he was saying, he cleared his throat and continued.
"We mustn't let our dearest Alpha die for nothing. We must avenge him! Bruce must pay for his crimes!" Darius gradually was winning over the elders with his utterances, they were all eager to see Bruce pay for his atrocity, everyone of them paid great attention.
"That is why I have called for this gathering. With me as your new Alpha, I promise to bring Bruce to justice and lead Lycan Pack to a greater future. We shall regain our place as the most powerful Pack in the Werewolf world!" Darius said with full confidence, Ramon smiled in anticipation of the reply the elders were going to give.
For a moment, the elders found no words to respond to what Darius had proposed but at that point, they had no choice. The park has lingered for a while without an Alpha and this was not suitable for a Pack. Darius had been fighting alongside his brother for a while displaying great valor and confidence even in his recklessness. They considered his proposal for a while and after mumbling few words amongst themselves, they nodded in agreement to what he had said.
"Thank you for this great opportunity, I promise not to fail you." Darius said smiling in satisfaction. Ramon seemed to be more excited than Darius, finally he would be able to lay his hands on the stacks of gold Darius promised him.
Immediately, on the grounds of urgency Darius was declared the new Alpha of Lycan Pack pending till whenever it was fully decided and a proper ceremony was fixed to crown him. With a smirk on his face he sat on the throne in the Hall smiling in satisfaction.
"A new beginning awaits us! For Lycan!"
"For Lycan!" Every other person in the hall responded in unison in a loud roar.
News of the emergence of a new Alpha spread across the whole of the Werewolf world. Alphas of other packs started sending in gifts to congratulate Darius on his new position. One of the greatest Packs in history had just gotten a new Alpha and every other person wanted to be in their good book.
Lycan pack was known for its valor and wealth. As the oldest and original Pack, it stood firm for centuries unraveled putting terror into the minds of every other Pack. No one dared to cross roads with them. Their warriors were trained under strict conditions and codes and each one of the members of the pack possessed special abilities and strength which no other werewolf possessed except in rare cases.
Darius had never been comfortable that his brother decided to grow soft and end the countless takeover of castles and packs they had enjoyed for years. He saw that as a weakness and something that would create room for other Packs to rise to power and long to defeat them, but his brother had only gone to war when necessary and this turned Darius red.
"This would be a great time for us to strike Willow Pack and finish what we started!"
Ramon looked at Darius not able to follow what he just said. He stopped for a while looking sideways to be certain that no one was around.
"But we have no need to go to war. At least not now." He said calmly to Darius still wondering why he decided to engage in battle with Willow Pack without any justification.
"No one needs to have a reason to go to war! The mighty continue to take their place while the weak continue to tremble at their feet." Darius responded with a sneer. The eagerness to go back to the days when they engaged in countless defeats unaroused was written clearly all over his face.
"But your brother made a peaceful pact with them." Ramon cut in again with a low voice trying to much not to annoy Darius. He stared into his eyes with uncertainty of how he was going to react to him mentioning his brother.
"My brother grew weak! He made us lose our glory under the disguise of diplomacy." Darius responded. He was so angry that Ramon spoke about his brother even though he had warned him never to bring him up in their conversations.
"I am sure you have other things to attend to now Ramon. Carry one! Don't bore me with talks about my weakling of a brother." He said tapping Ramon on his shoulder. Ramon fidgeted thinking that Darius was about to sink his claws into his neck. He shivered as Darius' hands came in contact with his shoulders. His fists were clutched together as he bent his shoulders in shock. Darius noticed his fright and smiled satisfied that Ramon still had some dread for him.
Ramon hurriedly walked away from Darius' side walking through the gardens without turning back. For a moment he tried to regret the side he had taken but then his greed wouldn't let him sustain the guilt he felt. The thought of being rich and the new Beta of Lycan Pack kept him still loyal to Darius.
Darius stood at a spot admiring the flowers planted in the garden. He was so eager to start carrying out his plans.
"You have to tell the Council that Bruce is innocent! He would never lay a finger on his father. I know my son!" Tala said with a shaky voice. She seemed really worried and feared for her son.
"But he was caught right next to his body, holding a silver stake plunged into his chest. He killed my brother!" Darius responded feigning anger and disappointment.
"He couldn't have!"
"Then who did? Who killed my brother?" Darius replied stating Tala right into her eyes without blinking.
She found no words to respond to the question Darius threw at her. Tears slowing down her cheeks, she held Darius' hand and pleaded.
"Please don't let them kill him at least. Let me ask him why he did it."
Darius was tired of hearing the things Tala was saying. He wanted so much to get away from her. Gently, he held her two hands and drew her a bit closer.
"I will speak to the Council, I don't know what they will decide. I hope hope they listen to me." Darius finally said with a fake assurance written in his face. Beneath the smile in his face was a desire to make sure that Bruce never returned to the palace and that he would be killed.
Tala felt a little relief in her from the moment she heard the words of assurance from Darius. Whoever became the Alpha of Lycan Pack automatically became the head of the council giving him the power over every other Alpha who was part of the Council. Darius' emergence as Alpha gave him upper hand in the council and Tala was hopeful that he kept his promise and that the council members listened to him.
She took one last look at him and then slowly walked away wiping the tears in her eyes.
"No one still knows how he was able to escape?" Darius asked the guard standing close to him when he was sure that Tala was out of sight. The guard shook his head to indicate that he knew nothing about how Bruce escaped from the castle.
"Whoever aided his escape would face the same fate as him!" Darius barked and stepped into his chamber infuriated.