Heiress on the loose

The manor stood gloriously in the middle of rolling fields. It’s bricked walls stood the test of time. It survived a lot including the attack of it’s vile enemies. Rustic and magnificent in size and in splendor, it is one of the many medieval infrastructures that didn’t crumble because it is still occupied by it’s original owners.

Eccentric and powerful, they come from old money. One of the oldest and noblest families in the Britain.

The Red’s.

The whole place was gloomy. The head of the family, Henry Red was nestled in his colossal bed, surrounded by a flock of people all donned in black ensembles except for the doctor who was in white. The doctor came from the nearby city hospital. Doctor Francis Somber had been Henry’s doctor since he had his license. He came from a long line of physicians and his predecessors had been trusted and reliable Red doctors since.

“How is he?” A bony man asked.

“He is getting weaker. But I am giving him the necessary medications that will make the pain bearable.” Francis said with a heavy voice. He and Henry were great friends.

“You should tell him to talk to his lawyers now.” The same bony man suggested, oblivious of the fact that they were standing in the man’s bedside. “And to the pack council.”

Francis threw the man an angry snarl. Henry was not just a friend to him. He was like a brother from a different set of parents. Wherever he is in life now and whatever fortune his parents and great grandparents had given him and his siblings, they all owe to the Reds.

The Red family had always been a prominent part of the British Monarchy. Their land surpasses most of the Royals but would rather have remain humble and out of the the public’s scrutiny and assessments. They were incredibly rich and the Manor is a living proof to that.

Though they were elites, the Reds and their loyal subjects were knit-tight and they all look at Henry as their leader for a good reason. He is the Alpha of the Red Manor, one of the five strongest packs that existed in the country and Henry’s condition was still a mystery both to Francis and the rest. He woke up one day feeling so ill and it spiraled downhill from there.

Henry is a strong man and he had never been ill for a day in his life, at his age of 50, he still looked young. The wolf diet has helped him and the rest maintain their agility, vitality and hindered aging most people their age. As his friend and trusted liege, Francis did not like the underlying message that Alexis was implying.

Alexis Red is Henry’s cousin.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Come on. You are a doctor. You can tell if a person is a goner or not. Do not tell me you still see hope at the end of the tunnel for him?”

“How dare you speak of Henry like there is no hope?”

“I am just telling you, as his friend and adviser to tell him to settle his business.” Alexis looked at his fingernails. “ He might not wake up and that will leave the manor and the pack leaderless.”

“He will be cured.” Francis snapped.

"I am just offering a suggestion."

It was then when Henry’s eyes opened and he looked menacingly at his cousin with blazing eyes. Henry is a just man and a righteous leader but he was ruthless and merciless when the enemy deserves it. Those traits had made him a very effective and loved Alpha and Duke of the Red Manor. He had a deadly combination and he was never afraid to use it.

Alexis was startled. He had not expected Henry to stir up. The Alpha had been sleeping for a couple of days now.

“I will have my affairs in order. Don’t worry Alexis.” He mumbled slowly.

Francis, on the other hand and the others who were present sighed in relief knowing that their beloved Alpha was holding on. The majority did not like Alexis Red because he was arrogant, had a gambling problem and he was a womanizer. Though Henry was known to have his fair share of escapades with women--he was a far cry from his cousin. Alexis is the exact opposite of the leader that they have now.

The truth was, they all fear for the future of the pack and the manor if Alexis assumes the position of both the Alpha and the Duke.

Henry motioned Francis to come closer and whispered something to his ear. “Henry wants his privacy. Please, leave.”

“What? As his Beta, I am entitled to my presence if he decides on something that will affect the pack and the manor.”

“To the pack, yes. But to the manor and to the title? No. Please leave.” Francis was firm with his words and Alexis knew that the doctor was not bluffing. With a growl of disapproval, he was the last to leave Henry’s room.

One of the council members, who was very fond of Alexis---Brutus Gail, waited for him in the hallway. Alexis was very annoyed after being kicked off to a conversation he so wanted to be a part with. Brutus, who was massive in size, but not the sharpest tool in the shed was leaning on the stone wall. Arms crossed and his breathing was low.

“Eliminated again by your cuzzy and his peer, huh?”

“Not tonight, Brutus. I am in no mood to tolerate your taunts.”

“Next time, use a stronger poison.” Brutus grinned as he joined him.

“Shush your mouth! The walls have ears!”

“Do not deny to your old friend.”

“Fine. Fine. There will be no next time. " There was a sinister grin on his bony face.

Inside Henry’s room was a listening device that Henry had installed all over the manor. It was directly connected to his room via a his laptop secretly concealed behind the wall painting mounted on the wall and he and Francis had heard every single word that came from his cousin and the council member Brutus.

“And you always tell me that the manor is old fashioned and that I fear technology.” Henry smiled weakly to his dearest friend.

“You already knew..”

“Yes.”

“What do you want me to do, then? I will talk to the other council members and have him banished--” Francis stood to leave.

“No. I need you for something else. I am too weak and I am keeping the last of my strength to face my daughter...”

“Excuse me? I think I misheard you the first time.”

“Do you think I am impotent? I have a daughter and Mister Douglas will take her here as we speak.”

Francis laughed nervously thinking that this was all a joke. A hallucination brought by his medications and long sleep. But it was not a joke. The man requested to phone Douglas to prove that he was not making stories up. Mister Douglas, is his butler, serving a long time now in the family, who stood to be like Henry’s second father. He is efficient and very reliable and Henry trusts both of them like family. But upon seeing the seriousness in Henry’s face and the gravity of the situation---as Alexis was after the title and the pack and he will stop at nothing to get what he wanted---he understood and respected his decisions though as his best friend since their childhood, he was a little offended that he did not know of a child. Furthermore, it was a she.

Douglas confirmed of the existence of such a child and she is almost the same age as Francis' son. Which, to the doctor meant that she will be also hard-headed and stubborn, a trait very common to teens. He sighed.

That girl will be in danger and her life will change drastically. Francis hopes that she was ready and built for it. Otherwise, may the wolf God Fenrir have mercy on them all.