Agnor, Sutcliffe, Beaumont, Ajax, Loughty, Braddock. These were the households ruling the six great kingdoms in Slora. Headed by some of the most muscular werewolves to walk the land, the clans lived in harmony, feared and revered by all.
When famine and a mysterious disease break out, everyone- be it a beastman, a unique or an ordinary person, is at risk of being taken by the icy hands of death.
The Braddocks, regarded as the weakest amongst the six great packs, rose above all and sailed through the crisis like it never took place. However, that success brought about unsavoury suspicions. Rumours about their leader using dark magic to grow his kingdom diffused into the air until it no longer became hearsay.
At the tiniest hint of proof, all but the house of Loughty schemed and attacked a family, accusing them of causing the deadly plague. Caeser Braddock stood his ground, but his wife did not survive the ordeal, leaving behind an eight-year-old yet to present.
Heartbroken, the widower exiles his only child to keep him safe until he is old enough to protect himself and the whole of Ingram.
Failure to subdue Ingram gave the other kingdoms sleepless nights. Everyone feared a retaliation may come when they least expected it. The impending darkness subsided over the years, but it was never forgotten.
Ten Years After...
Candor
It was another day to break the bounds and run around with a helpless servant on his tail.
Clear skies with thin clouds, a cooling climate, rustling noise of leaves giving in to the wind. Arlen soaked it all in. It was another form of meditation and a gentle reminder that he was an ordinary seventeen-year-old. Neither 'alpha' nor 'omega'.
"Master Arlen, watch out for that tree." A servant exclaimed. "The river does not have legs to run off, so SLOW down!" He adds, gasping for air as he chases after the young Master.
"Come on, it's more fun to embrace the excitement of a forbidden dip in the river- this way." Arlen swerves the said tree and goes left.
"The Madam will kill both of us if you return with a scratch." The servant's voice ramps like waves as he goes down a slope.
"Forget my Aunt; she'll never know if you don't freak out like the other day." Arlen set eyes on the river.
"You returned with a limp! I told you that tree was too high up. Sometimes I think you're just trying to die!"
"Pffft! Don't be silly. Here, catch these." Arlen removes his pants and flings them in the air.
"What! Don't go in naked; the water must be freezing. Prince Arlen!" Julius keeps his hands in the air to catch every garment as he calls out a name he is not allowed to say outside the castle walls.
"Stop whining. It's just water." Arlen jumped in from a huge rock along the riverbank. "Ohhh shit, it's cold." He cussed.
His servant found an excellent spot to sit and watch the young man act like a child. After swimming in various directions and techniques, Arlen can no longer take the silence. "Jules, get in the water." His hands slap at the surface childishly, resulting in a splash.
"Nope, staying here...and catch some fish while you're in there," Julius said. Folding his Master's clothes, he scoffs and mutters, "With your thing dangling in their view, the fish will probably think it's bait. I hope they succeed in biting it this time around."
"You know I can hear you loud and clear, right?" Arlen startled his friend with a surprise close-up.
"No! I don't know what you're talking about. Hurry and let's go back," Julius rants with his nose in the air.
Arlen always believed he had a lot in common with his aid. Abandoned by his father because he was a beta, Julius was taken in by Arlen's uncle.
Of all the servants that ever got to wait on the young Master, Julius survived his robust and cunning nature.
Truth is, Arlen took a liking to the young man. He drew Julius close and treated him as an equal. After all, if he were an alpha like his parents, he should have presented by now.
For someone who was a year older than Arlen, Julius was sensitive yet easy-going.
"If you're going to talk about my prick, why don't you strip and show me what you got? I know I'm bigger," Arlen scoffed.
"Whatever, Arlen, just get back in the water."
"Huh, why are you ignoring me? You usually love a challenge." The Master tilted his head.
"I'm hungry; snatch some fish. And stop swinging that thing in my direction." Julius shooed him away.
"Pffft! Sheesh, so prickly." Arlen shook his head as he returned to the river, shivering from the cold air blowing over his pale skin...
The day goes by faster with those two together, yet they don't take note of the time. After having more than enough adventures, they make it back home.
"The coast is clear," Julius hums. Arlen quickly runs past the second danger zone- his cousin, Rufus Loughty's quarters.
Knowing the youth's stubbornness, the Loughtys put guards everywhere to lock him in. At that, the rule-breakers never use the gates.
Given that Julius was shorter than his Master, the latter always gave him a boost over the wall before climbing up.
Julius: "I'm in. Um...Master Arlen."
Arlen: "Hold on for a second; I'll be right over."
"Master Arlennnnn," Julius stressed.
"Yes, my dependable Jules." Arlen puts on a flirty voice when he finds the right footing.
A dilemma hits as soon as he sees what's on the other side of the wall; should he return to where he ran off to or surrender to his cousin, who was glaring at him?
"Are you coming down from that wall, or must I get you myself?" Rufus folded his arms with a frown on his sharp face.
"Ahh...haha. Cousin, I was...I was just coming from your quarters." Arlen could not perfect the laugh as his cousin's face got darker.
A few moments later...
"Ah! Huff! Brother, this is too much." Arlen blinked nonstop when beads of sweat invaded his eyes.
"Shut up and squat properly! Always know to call me brother when you get in trouble. Keep your arms straight ahead of you... Arlen, you better not spill a single drop of water." Rufus flips a book page on the table.
Born a dominant alpha and the only son of the Loughtys, Rufus had to always appear tough. Although his father often gave him a hard time, he was considered the youngest until Arlen arrived.
It took time to get used to Arlen, but once he did, the alpha could not control his urge to protect the new baby of the house.
Julius shrugs when he notices Arlen spying on him from the corner of his eye. Although the servant is responsible for his Master, he hardly receives a harsher punishment. Julius often got exempted. While Arlen had to balance a water bowl on his head as he squats, Julius was only told to hold another water bowl.
"I told you not to go swimming," Julius whispered. Unfortunately, that came out louder than he thought. "You went swimming?! Lift your heels higher!" Rufus slammed the table.
"No, no, brother, I didn't go swimming!" Arlen scrunched his face, ready to cry.
Alphas were terrifying when angry or in distress. Restraining himself from yelling, Rufus walks to the window to cool off.
"Brother... Argh!... Brother." Arlen's body wobbled as sleep-inducing air repeatedly blew over his eyes, and his mind immediately thought of his bed. It made him realise how worn out he was.
"Ahh!" Arlen experienced a hard fall on his glutes. The small basin on his head judiciously goes down with him, drenching him and the floor with water.
"Julius, give him your bowl of water and clean this mess... And you!" The alpha turned his gaze to a sulking young Master. "I told you not to spill a drop. Get up and resume squatting before I break those legs!" Rufus buries his head in the book before being swayed by an innocent face. There, in the young man's room, he ensured the punishment was carried out.
"Arlen." Ari's voice echoes through the room until her figure comes into view. Setting the basket on the table, she approaches the person lying on his belly, stripped of his upper garment. Julius placed another hot towel on Arlen's back and stepped aside. Ari was the elder of the Loughty siblings. Her calm and loving nature was compared to no other. As an omega, Ari loved caring for the people around her, especially Arlen. She was his biggest weapon against Rufus. "Sister." Arlen conjures an ugly cry when Ari feels his forehead. "Arlen, you shouldn't have snuck out...and swimming? You could have gotten hurt," she said. Ari removes the towel and dips it back into warm water. After a couple of squeezes, she lays it on Arlen's waistline. "Auch! Rufus punished me for nearly two hours," Arlen said. "Rufus does so because he cares. You should have seen how distraught he was when he discovered you were not home." "Hmph!" Arlen grunts. It's not that he was oblivious; he was only playing
"That was close!" Julius fell beside his master. Stealing two bottles of wine from the cellar was the easy part. Nearly bumping into Rufus was their reason for running. " How come you're not out of breath?" Jules consoled his heaving chest with deep gusts. " I am a Braddock; I never get tired," Arlen smirked. His profound boasting nearly earned him a knock on the head. This was his doing. "Whatever, let me quench my thirst. Here, have this." Julius drowns that urge with mercy. He handed the first bottle to Arlen and rushed the second down his throat. Arlen wiped the excess booze trickling down the corner of his mouth. A silent grin perched on his face when he tried to determine why that alpha looked so stiff. 'Luca Beaumont, I bet you would look scarier with a smile on that face. Who else can survive such a miracle if not me?' He sent the bottle to his lips, keeping to his thoughts. *** Claude Loughty was a quiet man, kind and understanding. Many say his lack of a strong personal
Three days later... Arlen woke up way past his usual time. Julius saw him wince in response to the painful throb in his head. "Finally awake? Have some camomile tea. You look like you pulled an all-nighter, yet you slept early last night," Julius said. As the Master sipped on the hot contents in his cup, Julius went for a basin and a towel. 'I should take it easy on myself.' Arlen hissed, overthinking it worsened the pain. "You seem unwell. I'll send for the doctor." Julius wiped the other's cheeks. " Auch! There's no need for that." Arlen flinched when the towel ran over his face. "Sorry." Julius slowed down and dabbed gently. Arlen was not sick at all. He suffered the consequences of using another strategy to see the Widower of Beaumont Castle at night. Shapeshifting into rodents and insects gave him the privilege of spying on Luca. Such methods came with high risks. Although Arlen could regenerate, whatever happened to him in that state would reflect on his original body. Not
It was rare to see his Master turn down food in the morning or at any time. Julius could not stand the constant eye roll and pouts directed at a silver metal Arlen stole. 'Where from this look? Is he still unwell?' he wondered. Within a split second, he sees the pout transform into a smile, then a sigh. "Surely, he must be losing his mind," the servant said. "What?" Arlen flashed him a look after that unintended gesture. Julius dragged one of the heavy wooden chairs in the room toward the bed. "Master Arlen, if you're like this because of that alpha, I suggest you don't waste your time." Arlen has a moody look on his face when he lies down, interlocking his fingers on his chest to ascertain that he will no longer touch the food. Julius steps away and returns briefly. "Oh! I overheard an angry bird say that the Beaumont brothers are leaving today. To chase after water spirits." A smile crawled up Arlen's face when he saw Julius holding up a commoner's outfit. His body rolled off t
"Why do we have to put him on this boat!" Julius flipped. "Because I can't let my cousin see me, you know this." Arlen climbed on. "Throw him back in the water and let him float to his own." Julius folded his arms in opposition. "Don't be mean; we're closer to land. Just paddle." "No, I say we throw him overboard before...Arlen, he's waking up!" Julius pointed at the alpha's sluggish movements. Luca's hand slowly came up in search of something. His eyes were heavy, but his lips whispered distinctly, "Axel." Arlen did not fret. He stood behind the alpha to whistle a short tune, watching Luca grab his ears in suffering till he keeled over again. "He hates noise." The young man shrugged. Julius swiped a hand over his face, reanalyzing why he had to babysit a crazy Master. What else could he do but row closer to the forestry? "Help me carry him." "Arlen, his kind is heavy." "Right." Arlen fixed two fingers in his mouth and whistled for assistance, summoning two corpses- male and
Nobles and servants alike bowed to the hellhound of Candor, Basma Loughty. Her stature, poised and dignified with femininity, was not for show. She was ruthlessly strong and held much power from the tip of her fingers to the ends of her teeth. Basma was out with her daughter at night to feed the youngest in the house some medicine. The guards quickly gave way when she reached the quarters and stepped inside. She could hear the dispute between Master and Servant right outside Arlen's door. "Nephew, open up." Her voice was graceful yet firm. The chatting ceased instantly. "Your Eminence." Julius bowed and stepped aside after getting the door open. Her right foot went in first, then the left. Basma usually wore black, but she appeared in a stunning green midi dress with a touch of grey tonight. She smiled broadly and played with the metallic ring on her finger as he strode in. Arlen stood and saluted properly, his upper body stiff like a pole. His unwrapped locks slid over his shoul
Claude darted to the guest room when he heard that Luca was awake. He would not wait for the young man to come to him. "Your Majesty." Axel drew close on sight. " We were heading to your place," he said after saluting. "It's good that I came sooner, then. How is your brother?" " He woke up this dawn. So far, he seems perfectly fine. Please, come in." Axel stepped aside. Luca stood immediately after Claude walked into his room. "There's no need, child, sit. I'm glad to see you up and running," Claude said. Luca moved from the spot to let the man sit at the head of the small table, then found a place next to Axel. Claude: "You were planning to see me this morning?" "Yes, my brother has been having some stalking issues." Axel glanced at Luca. "Stalking?" A stern look flashed on Claude's face. "Someone has been spying on me for days. I have not seen that person's face, but I am certain it is a male with no secondary distinction," Luca said. Claude: "A beta? You are not a stranger
Claude saw no need to keep the Beaumonts around. He could not wait to send them away for Arlen's sake. He only had to point out that the brothers had learned enough and could try the hunt some other time. On the night before their departure, a special dinner was held in honour of the guests. Basma went all out to leave the impression that their doors would always be opened to the Beaumonts, but Rufus was ready to spit them outside the front gates. "Where's that kid when you need him to blot out the moon? He might encourage the sun to rise early if I spook him enough," Rufus muttered to Ari while their parents made small talk with the Beaumonts. "Careful brother, Father might hear you." "Tch! Whatever," Rufus hushed down. Luca returned to his room briefly after dinner. Bound to set off in a few hours, it was his last chance to make sure he left nothing important behind. The trip to Candor was a partial disaster. He did learn a lot, and the virgin lands reminded him of his childho