I had fully intended on killing him, taking my life and his in a single moment with the small dragons I had brought forth from the water. It seemed like such a simple task, considering his crimes.

But I must have seen some sort of sincerity in him or maybe I do value my own life in some way, a strange revelation considering how ready I was to end this existence while I was in school.

I have a hard time justifying my actions to myself, my willingness to offer myself as tribute when I'd been so ready to take my own life. I envision Alpha before me, my face gripped in his palm. His scarred body left much to be desired as far as appearance.

I vaguely allow myself to imagine what it must have been like for him to endure such an injury but I stop myself before any sympathy can form. Sorting through the closet, I find a few robes in it's furthest depths. Most likely set aside by my mother in case I returned, ever the optimist about my abilities. She was the only one who had written to me, not that I'd been allowed to read her letters.

I don't allow myself to feel her presence as I pull on the white long sleeve and intricately detailed vest. The variety of colored squares line the trim and the front. Sliding into the pale pants, I feel a little more like myself. Royalty, a Solomonari Prince, it was my comfortable default since returning.

As I open the door, I jump back as I am certain that I am face to face with Alpha only to discover the man who is before me is not him. He is tall and gray-haired but he is young, much younger. Maybe only in his early 20's, close to my own age.

His body is lanky, like that of a young man who hasn't quite come into his own yet. His dark eyes are peering at me shyly through his tangle of hair, he is afraid of me and I'm pleased by that.

He reaches up to brush his hair back out of his face, a long thin scar cuts through his eyebrow and goes straight down his cheek but the eye is undamaged. It only distorts his features, giving him a rather fierce look that his kind eyes can't carry.

"I'm here to bring you to dinner." His voice is low and deep but timid. He avoids eye contact, staring towards my hip instead of meeting my gaze. It would seem Alpha does not trust that I wouldn't allow my people to be slaughtered?

Perhaps he was checking to see if I was still alive or if I had conjured up more dragons. Rolling my eyes, I push past the tall man.

"I am perfectly capable of bringing myself. I wish for my people to not meet their demise at the hands of your leader." My voice is harsh. It's as if he wants to be shorter than me, which is difficult considering I'm not very tall and he's over 6 feet.

Is it part of the standard of the Lycan army to be gigantic?

"What?" I demand. The tension is putting me on edge, he flinches away from my cutting tone.

"I'm sorry for what happened here." He is cautious, the look on his face suggests he isn't happy with our situation either. His tone and sympathy remind me of Gena, briefly, I wonder where she is and if she's safe.

A frown is my only response as I try to play the diplomat. We walk wordlessly down the hallway into the dining hall and I pause as I realize the place is overrun with Lycans. We must pass through the throne room and in it; there is a stack of paintings and books.

My heart tears in half as I take in the scene. My books; history books, family journals, stories, and spellbooks. Why? Why destroy it? I look accusingly at the man beside me, "What the hell is this? " I demand and he looks ashamed.

Maybe this is what he was apologizing for?

"A cleansing." He watches the pile as it is set ablaze and I ball my fists. Was it a cleansing or a punishment?

"Where is he?" I demand, the man pulls the corner of his mouth down in a grim expression. "Don't play stupid. Alpha. Where he is?"

"At dinner." He sounds as though this should be obvious. "At least he should be, sometimes he doesn't show up-"

I storm past him, charging into the dining hall to greet the vast expanse of lycan presence filling the great tables. The smell of the woods and cooking meat combined with the heat makes my head spin. The young man leads me towards a table off to the side where I see my target. He gestures and I sit down roughly, chin elevated as I glower at my captor.

"A cleansing? Explain yourself!" My tone is not calm, I shame my breeding with my lack of control.

His expression is what I was expecting, frustrated with my arrogance but amused at my willingness to speak against him. "It's exactly what it sounds like. The paintings are a reminder of the slavery we have endured. You've been conquered remember? You don't get to make demands and I must explain nothing to you."

I glare at the table, trying to comprehend what I've been told and run a hand through my hair to rein in my anger. I can't do anything about it right now, not if I want to keep my head and those I'm responsible for.

A plate is sat in front of me and the other giant sits down- Alpha's mini-me. I mutter a thank you, confused because I thought I was supposed to be the slave. "Tonic is going to watch you until you can be trusted to do your job. Next time, the girl won't get off so easily."

"Who?" But then I realize it's 'mini-me' who he's talking about. What kind of name is Tonic? "If you did anything to hurt Gena- !" My voice raises and the overbearing weight of dozens of eyes fall on me, I force myself to rein it in, pulling the burning magic back from my fingertips.

He shrugs, indifferent.

I take a few bites of my food, instantly relieved because I know who made it. The staff must have been spared, the food tastes great and I'm grateful as my stomach pleads for more. I eat quietly as I listen to them talk, refusing to let the relief show.

It would appear Alpha runs a tight ship and some have been slacking with a temporary place to call home. There are talks of a rebellion and it piques my interest. A tall man sits beside me, even taller than Alpha. His long white hair goes down to his hips and it's pulled back into a loose ponytail. He looks older, middle-aged, but he is muscular and fit under his shabby clothes.

His eyes are a startling yellow, much like the moon on a hazy night. I'm astonished that he only has one arm, the sleeve is carefully folded in his vest.

"The formations have been able to move pretty freely through the city, we have been met with little resistance. We have taken out over twenty magic users, they swore their allegiance to Lord Darrius and we have taken care of them. Any other magic users are now in hiding, I would assume, I don't think they will reveal themselves with so many of us in the city.

The people have been cooperative, it won't be long before we figure out where the rebellion is hiding. We have left the houses intact, raided some of the libraries, and burned any magical books or art pertaining to the royal family." His voice is low, deeper, and tired sounding.

"Tell the Twins and Delta to go towards Ziduri and search there. We don't want to be spotted by any elves just yet but I would not be surprised if we find the rebellion close to their borders. It would be easy to cross and reveal our position if they feel threatened. They did not make a move when Dezna fell, I'm imaging they are biding their time. We need to ensure that formations stay tight and that patrols are not missed. This young stock is useless, they need more training."

Alpha looks frustrated as he rolls his knuckles in his fist, the whole thing sounds barbaric to me. I'm still reeling at the fact the libraries I grew up in as a child are now empty.

How many of my friends were dead?

The white-haired man nods. "We have not seen any elves, I have instructed the men to not allow any witnesses. We cannot afford a leak. I will give Beta the order to double down on the training of the younger groups; they are not useful to us in battle if they cannot control the change. Besides, they can't cause trouble if they are exhausted." I realize that the yellow-eyed giant is looking at me now.

"So who is this and why are you playing with your food?" He sounds annoyed at my existence. "I had agreed the young son would be kept as a servant."

Alpha shrugs. "I have no idea what his name is. I didn't ask."

I don't like the look Ol' One Arm is giving me. "Nicolas." I offer nothing more.

"He's rude." One Arm doesn't approve. "Spoiled. Wealth wasted on the ungrateful."

I hear a chuckle, Alpha is amused but the glare from One Arm silences him; he looks unapologetic. "He is going to be useful when we find the spellbook; he is going to help us reverse the curse. Besides, it will raise morale in the city if they see that he is alive, we don't want to kill this entire city. We need something for the world to focus on when we finish. If there is nothing to rebuild, they will come searching for us."

I'm appalled at this, I can't hold it in any longer. "They will search for you anyway! I will command it!" I snap. "You killed the Lord Darrius! He ruled the entire magic community; you don't understand what you have done. What you have started!"

One Arm stiffens but Alpha raises his hand and the man settles back into his chair.

"Patience Sota. He will learn. The magic community is grateful that your father is dead; we have done what nobody has dared to do in over one hundred years. Trust me; there is no remorse in the community for the death of the dictator."

My appetite is all but gone, despite my previously famished state. "I'm going back to my room."

Tonic stands with me and he follows me though I hear the tail end of the angry conversation behind us. I sigh and slow my pace as I leave the throne room. The smell of burning wood and the smoke billowing off the burning books causes my eyes to water.

He looks afraid when I finally meet his face. "What's with the look? Somebody has to stand up to that asshole. I can see it on your face; you're trapped here just like I am." I don't know what gives me the right to speak to this man like this, maybe it's because he looks like a kicked puppy. He's easy prey to my anger.

I hear him sigh and he looks like he might not answer but finally, he speaks. "Nobody speaks to Alpha that way, it is... unnerving... to see." I roll my eyes.

"Someone needs to." I feel childish though; my inner self is sticking out his tongue and pouting.

"Speaking to him in that way puts him at risk; others might try and threaten his position due to your outburst. When we fight for rank, we fight to the death. If Beta had been there, you would have probably been killed." He looks haunted; maybe he has had a run-in with this 'Beta'.

"Is that why they call him 'Alpha'? It's a rank?" That seems a little ridiculous, I couldn't imagine going by anything but my given name.

"Somewhat. It prevents attachment since most do not hold the rank for long. Before the curse it was easier, we weren't forced to live in a pack but since the change, it's been hard to get used to the wolf side of things." He looks guarded; as if maybe he's saying too much. I find it interesting, so there is a chink in the armor.

"What is your rank?" I can't help but pry. He frowns and glances at the ground with his dark eyes.

"I'm an Omega. It's the lowest rank, the punching bag of the pack. My mother was a very lowly woman, practically a prostitute. My father was very prestigious but it didn't carry over. I've never wanted to fight, never been good at it." He shrugs and I realize that I'm frowning. What a miserable life, this delusional man seems fine with it.

"I'm sorry to hear that." A slave who is 'free' to be a slave to his own people. A small smile comes onto his face.

"Really, it's ok. Alpha takes care of me; I've known him for a long time; since I was really little. He keeps me close by so I live comfortably. "

I decide that Tonic has a mental disorder if he is content with being the lowest of the low.

Offering a small smile, I bid him goodnight, rushing to my bedroom to flop on my bed.

__________

Unaware of the time, the sun pouring in rousts me into stretching out over the plush down bed only to realize I'm not alone. Jumping awake, I find Alpha sitting in my window sill. He looks clean; his vest clinging to his body over his pale shirt looks in better repair than the ones from yesterday.

Was that yesterday? I clear my throat and he glances toward me. Annoyed; there is no amusement this morning. I realize that his lower lip is split towards the corner and wonder if Tonic's suspicions were true.

"Well, you look pleasant. To what do I owe the visit?" My voice drips with sarcasm.

"You aren't holding up your end of the deal." He sounds restrained, as if being in my presence were uncomfortable. "Your backchat is not needed."

"Well, your plan is ridiculous!" I retort and he stands abruptly.

Rage rushes into his eyes, his jaw set. "I did not ask for your opinion! Your job is to be a peacekeeper for your people and to serve me. Need I remind you what is at stake? Do you need a demonstration to show you how serious I am?"

My throat tightens and I glare towards the ground, my chest heavy. "No. That won't be necessary." I manage, before I can look up, I feel that he is before me. The radiating heat overwhelms my senses. Shutting my eyes, I grit my teeth, leaning away.

"What was that?" He presses.

"I understand Alpha." I snap and he seems to accept that's the best I can do without cutting out my own tongue. I'm sick with myself, I'm betraying my own people.

"Good. Now get dressed. You will be going to the city with Tonic." It's hard for me to hide my surprise. So soon? I can only assume he wants to test to see if I will run. While the thought is tempting, I desperately want to see the city, my people, and check in on my friends.

Oh, that's right. I have a keeper.

"I'm not going to get dressed with you in here." I can't allow him to get close to me again, not after what almost happened. Rolling his eyes, he makes his way towards the door.

"Meet Tonic at the castle entrance promptly. He is waiting for you."

The ashes threaten to stain the bottom of my pants as I rush through the throne room and I lift them to keep them free of debris. Scorned by the chuckles, if they had gone through what I had gone through to obtain these clothes they would lift them as well. I see Tonic and make my way over.

As we exit the door and leave the courtyard, I glance around, there's no carriage or means of transport. We are walking, I sigh in despair.