Ten

CHAPTER TEN: THE LION AND THE ALPHA

The wolf that was almost killed by Fauna, his name was Forest. A name he was teased for because how unoriginal was his mother? Before he joined the Beta and ventured into the bear caves, he was with his little pup who was just seven.

He was telling the young boy a story about humans when the hair at the back of his neck rose and adrenaline rushed through him. His son who still had weaker senses was oblivious to the danger he was in and Forest didn't want to scare his son.

"How about this? You run along and go meet your mom. I'm sure she misses you already," he suggested and his son whined.

"But I want to hear all about their technology, dad," he persisted.

"And I promise to tell you that. Just go and meet your mom."

The boy shrugged and ran along. When he was safely gone, the man rose from his position. He was one of the Soldiers who guarded the border and he could smell an intruder and not just any intruder, one of the worst they could have.

He quickly morphed into wolf form and let out a loud howl, alerting the others. All was silent for a while and he was about to howl again when he got choruses of howls from the others. Soon enough, he smelt his fellow Soldiers approach him and together, they waited.

Anticipation was in the air as they stared into the thick forest, waiting. The intruder was silent and if Forest's nose wasn't burning with the scent, he would have thought he was mistaken. But how was this intruder to quiet that he didn't even disrupt the birds?

The tall fair boy soon emerged from the darkness, a smile on his face as though he was about to encounter a good friend. He had a smooth youthful face on broad shoulders. If Forest didn't know what he was, he would have thought he was completely harmless. He had a delicate jaw and a disarming smile with soulful red eyes and short wavy brown hair.

Upon seeing the army of werewolves, the boy shook his head and clicked his tongue as though disappointed. His smile dropped and instead, he jutted his lower lip in a small pout.

"This is rather saddening." His voice was playful, but Forest could tell he was extremely confident and comfortable. The boy was a head taller than Forest and was dressed in a loose silky garment that flowed about in the wind. It made him look like a malicious angel.

"I hear werewolves are the friendliest of all werefolks and while I didn't expect a feast, I at least thought you'd offer me shelter from the brute force of nature." He sighed deeply as he dramatically placed a palm against his chest. "I'm hurt that instead; you organized an army to murder me. That's barbaric, don't you think?"

Forest eyed the boy down. He didn't think the werecat was older than twenty-two. He had this youthful arrogance, but he sounded cunning and Forest didn't want to make the mistake of underestimating him.

Unable to communicate with the boy while in animal form, Forest morphed. His bones creaked and cracked and soon, he was a man, standing in a loose cotton gown that allowed him to change form without losing modesty.

"You know the consequences of trespassing," he told the boy who grinned at him. Forest noticed that though he was in human form, he had really sharp canines.

"But I haven't trespassed, have I? No! I came here, and I came alone, and I am asking permission to meet with your Alpha. This was my intention all along. I simply want an audience, and I won't leave until I get what I want.

"What's all the commotion about?" Forest heard his Beta's voice in his head and he drew in a shaky head.

"There's a lion here. He says he won't leave until he has an audience with our Alpha."

He listened to his Beta for a while, then he returned his full focus to the lion who was now seated on the ground, his legs tugged beneath him. He didn't seem to care that he was vulnerable and could be killed. Instead, he was confident. Way too confident.

"Do you know that the humans regard the lions as the king of the wild? It's rather fascinating, don't you think so?" The lion chuckled as he shook his head. "It's flattering."

"Why do you wish to see my Alpha?" Forest questioned. He refused to be deterred by the lion.

"Well, if you must know, I've done a lot to find him... Including kidnapping a merchild. Did you know mermaids and magic exists? I didn't, not until I met his man who seemed rather fascinated by us. He kept calling us mythical creatures." The lion chuckled as though he found something amusing.

"She's useless to me anyway. I tried to get her to teach me magic, but merfolks can't teach other creatures magic. How pathetic. Just before I clawed her pretty face off and turned her perfect teeth to jewellery," he gestured to his necklace which Forest was only just noticing, and indeed, it was made with teeth, "she told me that the Shapeshifter is the daughter of Ivailo of Alarick woods."

Forest was stunned by his words. He didn't know what a Shapeshifter was, but he had heard rumours. It was impossible though. The Alpha's child died at childbirth along with their Luna, right?

"He says the Alpha has a daughter and she's a Shapeshifter," he relayed to the Beta. The other wolves were behind him and they were equally confused. They wanted to kill the intruder. They could as that was the penalty for trespassing, but they couldn't. Not until they were given the command to.

The young man continued to stare at Forest. He was too comfortable, the werewolf found it unnerving. He was outnumbered, but he didn't seem to care. Were all lions as arrogant?

"Let him in," came Harou's command in his head and the other werewolves growled. How could he? Why would he? It made no sense.

The young lion didn't need to hear Harou's command. He could tell from Forest's expression that he had been allowed into their territory. He grinned widely and jumped to his feet and approached the werewolves who regarded him in contempt. He wasn't fazed though. He knew they were wary because they were afraid of him. As they should.

With clenched jaw and gritted teeth, Forest led the lion into their pack and towards the Alpha's room.

The room was spacious, and Ivailo was seated on the huge bed that sat in the middle of the room. Harou stood beside him, a stoic expression on his face as he regarded the visitors. The room in itself was beautifully decorated with objects stolen from the human world. Ari liked it. They had similar tastes.

When Ivailo nodded at Forest, he bowed before he walked out of the room, leaving his Alpha and his Beta alone with the wild creature he didn't trust.

He paced the entrance of the room as he wondered what the lion was going on about. It couldn't be possible. He recalled the day his Luna put to birth. It was an early full moon. Something he had never heard of, and after that, their Luna was buried with her cub. Right?

While he questioned everything, the lion made himself comfortable on the bed of the Alpha who regarded him warily. He wanted him off his bed, but he didn't want to provoke the lion, so he swallowed his anger.

"You have quite a marvellous taste, though I must say that your cotton apparel is rather revolting. Why does everyone here wear white? You never hear of dye?" Ari shook his head as he lay on his stomach, using his arms to support himself. "That aside, you must be a rather horrible father to toss your daughter out."

"I didn't toss my child out. I don't know what you speak of," Ivailo snapped at Ari. His green eyes briefly changed to a fiery red, then back to green again. It made Ari hum.

"She was still a pup, barely a day old and you tossed her out of the pack because your Luna died. The bears took her in and tried to return her, but you rejected her because you're a selfish and horrible father. Somehow, she got lost and ended up in my care... Until I lost her again."

"If you know so much about her, what do you need me for? I didn't even know she was still alive," Ivailo decided to stop the pretence. The lion already knew everything, so why lie?

Ari grinned widely as he reached out to pat Ivailo on the shoulder.

"Her name is Fauna and she's very emotional. She's hiding behind the tigers who have refused to give her up. They would rather die than give me the girl."

"Why do you want her?"

"You haven't heard? She's the most powerful creature in the forest. Almost as powerful as the great dragons themselves. She and the goddess Selene are made of the same essence, so, she's practically a goddess. She just hasn't figured herself yet, and I plan on breaking her and making her mine."

Harou shivered at the way the lion said it with a smile on his face. He was a monster!

"However, I cannot fight the tigers by myself, and the cheetahs refuse to fight with me. They're runners, not fighters. I looked for the leopards, but no one has seen them in ages. Perhaps they're extinct, who knows?" Ari shrugged.

"So, you want me to send my Soldiers into war with the tigers just so you can get your hands on my daughter?" Ivailo couldn't believe the audacity of the young lion.

"That's an easy way to put it. I knew you weren't as stupid as people say." Ari sat up and clapped enthusiastically. "You don't necessarily need to fight. She's your daughter and she's very emotional. She will come to you, then you can talk her into surrendering herself, or risk the death of everyone she knows and love and in return, she gets a hug from you. A win for everyone."

Ivailo raised his brows in wonder. There was no way someone could be so incredibly arrogant. Who was this lion?

"You think you are so powerful, yet you cannot lure her out by yourself?" Harou shot at the lion who shrugged again.

"What can I say? My lionesses are too precious to me. I cannot risk a war. It's either that or, I kill you both and take over your pack!"

At his threat, Harou charged at him, but Ari who had fast reflexes simply danced out of the way with a laugh. "I'm just kidding! Why so serious?"

Ivailo was considering it though. If his daughter was as powerful, perhaps he could have her to himself. He just needed an audience with her, and he was her father. Who wouldn't want to know their birth parent? Perhaps with the girl by his side, he could kill the lion and rule the forest.

Ari cast him a glance and spared him a wicked grin. Unbeknownst to Ivailo, Ari was counting on him to get greedy. Now, all he had to do was sit back, enjoy food he didn't need to hunt for, let the wolves do all the work, then he can snatch the girl and be on his merry way.

He was so smart, he surprised himself every time. He had gotten the loyalty of a tigress, abducted and killed a mermaid who werefolks consider a myth... He was a force!

"Yes. The only problem is she's missing. She isn't with the tigers, and sources tell me she has left the human world." He suddenly turned to Harou and walked purposefully towards him, a sly smile on his face. "However, you have seen her recently."

Ivailo turned to his Beta. It was impossible. Harou never hid anything from him.

"That's a lie. My Beta knows better than to keep things from his Alpha. He's my best friend also."

"Aww!" Ari cooed and placed his hand on his chest. "That is so bloody stupid!" He rolled his eyes at the Alpha. "You do not make your subjects your friend, lest they defy you." He quickly moved and grabbed Harou by the neck. He lifted the wolf off the floor and forced him to make eye-contact.

Ivailo was about to call for his guards, but the look the lion gave him made him swallow his words. He had underestimated the young boy. He wasn't just an arrogant child. He was strong, he was fast and he was cunning. He knew then that the lion could kill them both if he wanted to, and walk out of the pack without a scratch on him.

"Where is the child?" He demanded. Harou choked and spluttered. He remembered walking up to her knowing fully well he could have been wrong and he would have been killed by the tiger, but a part of him knew.

He remembered trying to talk his friend out of tossing her aside. He recalled how happy she was with the bears as a pup, and how the tiger protected her. He didn't tell his Alpha because he didn't want him to forcefully take her from her family. But what choice did he have now?

"She and two tigers were on their way to the bear caves. It's suicide chasing after them. The bears are ruthless."

Ari let go of him, then gently stroke his face as though they were long time friends or lovers. He cooed silently as he stared right into his eyes.

"See? You didn't have to make me hurt you, did you?" The lion sounded sad and Harou didn't know whether it was an act or not, but he was afraid of the clearly deranged lion. "Well, you're all healed now, thank the dragons." He pinched his cheek lightly before turning to Ivailo.

"You have to get me the child before the full moon, or –"

"Why don't you just kill the tiger protecting her?" Ivailo suggested and Harou was surprised at the words of his Alpha, but he said nothing for fear of provoking the lion. "Sounds like all you've been making are threats. Kill the tiger protecting her and she'll do whatever you want so you don't annihilate all of her loved ones."

"Stupid!" Ari screamed as he pulled at his hair before he rushed to the Alpha and grabbed his shirt, lifting him up. "How stupid do you think I am? This man has himself surrounded by tigers. Yes! The tigers formed a clan. There's hundreds of them and my mole there just got executed."

Ivailo could feel the lion's claws digging into his skin, but he refused to wince or show weakness. Instinct took over Harou and he rushed the lion who without looking in his direction simply step-sided, allowing Harou to run past him, and with his free hand, he grabbed the Beta by the shoulder.

"Weak and stupid! You're both-"

"Exactly! We're small and not considered a threat. The tiger would agree to meet with me, especially if he knows I'm her real father. Then, you can ambush him and finish him off, right?"

Ari grinned. It made his canines glisten and his red eyes come to life. He let go of the duo and stroked his chin. He wasn't hating the idea. With Bruce dead, the clan would plunge into chaos and would probably kill themselves. Also, the girl would willingly return to him to spare the cubs from harm.

"Look at who's thinking. It's settled then. We leave tomorrow."

Ivailo nodded at the lion, but Harou was quick to come between them. He couldn't let his Alpha mindlessly execute someone just for power? They were better than the cynical lion.

"I'll try to get an audience. If I fail, then you can go on with your plan," he promised. Ari turned to him and hummed in thoughts, then shrugged. It didn't matter to him what they did. What he wanted most was the child.

"You have two days. We need to get her before the full moon, whatever means necessary." Harou nodded to show he understood Ari who smiled, then turned to Ivailo. "So, I'm Ari. Do you have some meat? I prefer zebras."

~~~

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