The beginning
The war raged around them, and in just a matter of hours, the fortress had fallen.
Rain handed his brother Ash a box; it lay innocently in his arms; that little box was the reason for the war and the countless deaths that had happened today.
Ash shook his head as he looked at his brother.
"Why are you giving me this? It has always been in your care." he tried to return it, but Rain refused to take it.
"You have to go now; go with the children, women, and the elderly; keep the box safe; I will try to stop them from coming after you."
Ash clung to his brother fiercely, "No Rain, we promised we would always stick to each other, we promised."
Rain smiled as he held his brother's face in his hands.
"And we will always stick by each other, I promise. But right now, you need to go and I will come meet you." he tried to assure his younger brother.
"Promise?"
"I promise." his brother assured him.
"Okay, l will go," Ash replied.
Rain opened the tunnel; this was their best-kept secret.
The people entered the tunnel one by one. Ash was the last person to enter.
After Ash entered, he turned around for the last time to hold his brother's hand.
"I will see you soon, rain," he said, in confidence.
"I promise," Rain told him.
Ash nodded and then he crawled through.
Rain waited until he was no longer in sight before he sealed it forever; it was a simple ritual. All he had to do was put his blood on the lock in front of the tunnel, and then it was locked forever.
Rain knew there was a very high probability that he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to his little brother.
His second in command, Steele came up to him,
"Have they gone?" he asked.
"yes," Rain replied.
"and Ash went willingly?" Steele asked, surprised; he knew how attached Ash was to Rain, hence his surprise.
"Well, I promised him I would be joining him soon." Rain replied.
"You know that is a lie right?" Steele asked him.
"I know, but what was I supposed to do? Tell him there was a very high chance I would die today. I needed him to leave and have a chance"
Steele looked at the war, an angry look on his face.
"These hypocritical bastards, they call us rogues but look at what they have done here today because of greed."
"Well, greed is common to everyone, rogue werewolves and pack werewolves alike." Rain said with a shrug.
Steele held out his hand to Rain in a fist bump.
"last fight?" he asked, a wicked grin on his face.
"To death brother." Rain replied, bumping their fists together.
To the duo's consternation, it wasn't to be their last fight or death as they thought.
Soon after, their attackers asked for them to surrender, promising to spare whoever surrendered.
The men were already weary and tired, they all surrendered.
Rain and Steele couldn't even blame them.
Their weapons were seized and they were made to kneel with their heads to the ground.
It was the most humiliating thing for a werewolf to do, especially for rogue werewolves.
Rain cursed them in his heart, the council of Alphas. More like the council of greedy fuckers.
"Where is the diary?" he heard one of them ask. Rain's heart dropped to his stomach.
Of course! This was why they had told them to surrender. They wanted to ask about the diary.
"I don't know." the werewolf replied.
All Rain heard was a soft cry and then the smell of blood filled the air.
Rain balled his hands into fists. They were killing them.
He knew every single one of them would die because they knew nothing about the diary. All they knew was the werewolves wanted something from the fortress.
One by one, they all dropped dead until it was just Rain and Steele.
Rain felt his chin being lifted up and then he was looking into the eyes of the head alpha of the council, Alpha Drew.
"Where is the diary?" Alpha Drew asked.
"I don't know." Rain answered, he would rather die than tell them.
He waited bravely for his death.
Alpha drew and chuckled, "I know you, Rain the Alpha of the fortress"
"I am not an Alpha." Rain muttered.
"Oh yes, I remember now, the fortress has no alpha, you believe Alphas are soulless dictators."
Rain kept quiet and didn't give him the satisfaction of a response.
"Where is your younger brother, Ash, I believe."
"I don't know where he is."
"Oh! But I think you do. I think he has run away with the diary. Where is he? If you tell me the truth, It will save your life and his."
"I don't know where he is." Rain answered stubbornly.
Alpha drew, smiled, and went to Steele.
"And who are you?" he asked.
"Nobody," Steele replied.
"That is a lie, you are his second in command, Steele. Where is the diary?" he asked Steele.
"I don't know," Steele muttered.
"Call Darius for me." Alpha Drew and instructed his second in command.
Rain and Steele exchanged glances. Darius? It couldn't be.
Darius came; Rain was shocked; Darius was his cousin. He had grown up with Rain and Ash.
"Darius, what did you tell me earlier?" Alpha Drew asked.
"Rain is in charge of the diary and Steele and Ash have access to it."
Rain gasped, "You bastard Darius, how could you?"
"I choose the winning side, the fortress was fighting a losing battle. You should have surrendered the diary in the first place and none of this would have happened." Darius replied, an arrogant smirk on his face.
"Rain, where is the diary?" Alpha Drew asked again.
"I have no idea." Rain replied.
"Where is your brother?"
"I don't know."
"I think some days with my men will loosen that tongue of yours." Alpha Drew told him.
Alpha drew and motioned his guards to take Rain and Steele away.