Chapter 3 - Werewolves

Alexa spoke without thinking, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth a conviction seized her. She knew she could not let anyone else run the risk of accompanying a vampire. She did not know if any member of her pack would have enough willpower to not attack the vampire. It was also not known how long this journey would take. If caught out under a full moon, none of the others could maintain human form, especially with a vampire at their side.

Edwin looked at her, disbelieving as if he thought the woman in front of him would not be up to the challenge. He thought she was crazy to leave her kingdom without a queen and go on a journey with no end. His lips formed a thin line as he tried to unravel what was in Alexa's head.

He looked away, with a smug smile, "Your Highness, not to disrespect you, but have you lost your mind? Will you leave your kingdom without a leader? Not that I have anything to do with it, but it sounds too risky!"

"I have my reasons Prince Edwin, and my kingdom will be well taken care of! I only ask that this be kept secret. Only the elements of my pack and the merchant sorceress will know. I hope I may trust you to keep it to only those who must know as well." She looked thoughtfully at the horizon.

"The fewer people who know, the better! When do we leave?"

"I must arrange things here. Just as I am sure, you will have to go back home and warn who is in charge! Is a week enough for you?"

"Of course! I'm a vampire, we are efficient, unlike some."

"Putting aside the offense. We shall meet in one week, at the Emerald River, on the stone road."

"Do not give me orders," Edwin grunted.

Alexa rolled her eyes, "It was not an order, Prince Edwin, but a mere suggestion."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"I suggest you take a bite before you head north," She says.

"I do not eat your food," Edwin grunted again. Being so close to Alexa made him irritable.

"I know you don't, Prince Edwin!" She said with a sweetness in her voice. "I took the liberty to send a human volunteer to your room for you to feed on before you go."

Edwin was shocked by the Queen's generous offer. It was most unusual for werewolves to offer their servants to feed a vampire, even though he was an emissary.

"I thank you, Queen Alexa, for this generous offer. If you do not mind and if everything is settled I shall take my leave now, the sun is not generous with my kind!" He informed her and promptly left without waiting for her response.

Alexa rose from the stone seat as soon as the vampire turned his back, her mind a tumult, of pros and cons, possibilities, chaos, and stranger feelings.

She went to the castle and called for her pack and Arya. She sat at the oval table and looked at each one in turn before beginning to speak:

"The treaty is being broken," Alexa says.

"I do not know anything about it," Arya commented. "If there were any indication of that, the vampire merchant should have contacted me!"

"Just as you should have informed him of the vampire activities in our territory and failed to do!" Andrew snapped, he had been the one to discover that information.

"Yes, that's right. I have not done it yet, because Alexa asked me not to...but also… because I do not like Flavius. I would prefer never to speak to him at all!"

"It does not matter now!" Alexa said, "What matters is that the treaty is being broken on both sides! However, neither of us has a direct connection to the violations! The Vampires tell me that the warmth emanating from werewolves has increased and that may endanger their species. They accused me of creating more werewolves than allowed in the treaty…"

"Is that a joke?" Truman the youngest of the pack asked.

"No, it is not a joke, I feel the greater power myself as if there were more werewolves than those in this room! And Prince Edwin did not know of the Vampire attacks on our territory!"

"That could be a lie from them!" Elia said, looking at her queen.

"I do not think so. That is why, I proposed to Prince Edwin that we should depart to investigate what is happening, a vampire, and a werewolf with no one else. He has offered to go…"

"I offer myself!" Flora volunteered.

"No, Flora. This mission must be mine and no one else's!" Alexa explained.

Objections rose from every corner, the pack speaking over each other in a chaotic and nearly deafening cacophony. She had already considered and dismissed every argument against her they raised.

She let them speak until she could stand it no more and wearily raised a hand to silence them. All at once, they quieted "I know all your arguments intimately, They have already crossed my mind. Now listen to me and you will come to the same conclusion I have! We do not know how long the journey will last, if you are caught under a full moon, you will not be able to maintain your human form, and your instincts will lead you to attack the vampire and start a war. Something we want to avoid at all costs! That is the main reason, but there is more, if there is a need to make a decision that affects the destiny of our kingdom, you cannot contact me, but I can do it without you. Moreover, this is not the first time a Monarch will leave on a mission, leaving the kingdom in the hands of the pack! It has happened before."

"Yes, but when that happened, there was already an heir to the throne, an Alpha Born, which is not the case now!" Charles pointed out.

"I know, Charles, but I think the benefits of me going are still greater than the cons. Besides, Prince Edwin will be invested in keeping me from dying, for if I do, it will mean war between our two kingdoms and this is something neither of us wants!"

"I understand what you say, Alexa, but I could go to your place!" Arya said.

"And who would take care of my kingdom and my pack, Arya? And if anything happens, who could you count on to get in touch with the vampire merchant?"

Arya nodded, realizing what Alexa was saying.

"I want you to make the decisions together, to appear in the throne room, to listen to our subjects, and to be fair to them, promise me this, and I'll leave you alone! If there is something out of the ordinary, ask Arya to contact me."

"And what shall we say when people ask about you?"

"Tell them I'm dealing with the kingdom's affairs!"

"Isn't that going to raise suspicions?"

"I do not think so! If this happens I ask you to come up with an excuse, but nothing to alarm people! Do not say that I left, much less that I'm in poor health!"

"We promise Alexa," Truman said, his eyes fixed on the table.

"Any other questions or concerns? Before we leave?"

"I do not think so," Charles said, unconvinced. He would follow his queen's orders, however.

"This should not leave this room! The real reason for my absence should never leave this room! It could cause riots and rebellions, not to mention the war," with these morbid words Alexa got up and left the table.

On the way to her rooms, a maid stopped her, "Madam, I must warn you that the vampire emissary has already left the grounds of the Castle!"

"Thank you, Cassandra."

The woman bowed and went on.

Alexa came to her room and though she was tempted to lie down on the bed, she decided to start packing for the mission. From the trunk under the window, she took the sword, which belonged to her father, the edge sharpened, as only the Merchants knew how to do with an embedded spell that prevented it from staining or rusting. The handguard was simple with. a leather-wrapped pommel capped with a wolf head. The sheath was metal and protected with leather, it hung from a belt with a worked buckle, simple but effective. She packed her light armor, a knit shirt, heavy-duty fabric and leather at the sensitive points, metal armbands that protected her arms when she wanted to wear the bow. She took her riding pants and a black cloak for travel. Next, she chose a curved bow, along with a quiver loaded with arrows. As soon as she was satisfied she ordered dinner and left word that her horse Jax be prepared for the following morning.