CHAPTER 6 (THE FAKE INVASION)

ANNA'S POV

 

I walked behind the young guard though a huge part of me stayed at that kitchen door lamenting what could be described as the sweet aroma of butter-soaked roast bidding farewell to my crying tongue and stomach.

 

I was pissed and all through the walk back to the throne room, I resisted the urge to wrench the little guard's neck, rendering him unconscious, and running back to the kitchen.

 

My stomach grumble loudly, letting its displeasure known about being promised food and then being deprived of it.

 

"Sheesh!" I whispered to it as I clutched it.

 

The guard kept on looking around, fidgeting. I knew it was out of fright. He was watching out for the attacker.

 

I rolled my eyes at him. A good part of me wanted to enjoy his discomfort but I was too hungry, and this pissed me off.

 

"Relax. There is no one to harm you," I said, trying to comfort him as I was certain that I was not going to hurt him.

 

I studied him as I walked more as a means to get my mind off the food I had just missed than out of wanting to know more about him.

 

It was as I carried out this study that I realized why I thought I found him familiar.

 

It was because he actually was familiar. And it was because he was just like me.

 

A young person trying to fill in shoes larger for him just for the sake of his family.

 

At that instant, I empathised with him. He was a fellow soldier in the battle and I said a little prayer to the moon goddess that she may grant to us all victory in whatsoever battle we were facing.

 

As I walked into the throne room, I saw the Alpha Lartes sitting proudly on his throne.

 

He looked calmer than he had been earlier when the rumor of the invasion had come.

 

He even looked satisfied and it made me curious as to what had actually happened.

 

He was nursing a goblet of wine in his right hand and I could feel my toes prickle with brimming anger.

 

I could not remember the last time my father had tasted good wine. He had grown to develop a liking for the fermented chaff drink that had been improvised to give my people the feeling of wine and to allow the men to drink themselves to stupor and forget their worries leaving their women with the burden to find a means to shut the mouth of their hungry children.

 

"Are you sure you killed every single one of them?" I heard Alpha Lartes ask the two armed men who were standing before him with their helmets tucked underneath their arms in military stance.

 

"Yes, my king but we are not certain that all of the rebels had attended the meeting," One of the armed men said.

 

By this time, the guard and I had reached his throne and I curtsied before him —like the proper princess I was supposed to be.

 

He waved off my greeting and then signaled that I stay seated.

 

With a face as calm as a gentle creek and a heart burning hot like the lava of an active volcano, I took my seat on the same chair I had earlier occupied, before the drama started.

 

"Did you capture any prisoners?" Alpha Lartes asked.

 

"No, my King. We could not risk it. They actually put up a good fight and so we made the decision to annihilate them and put a total end to their activities," One of the men answered with pride in his eyes.

 

Fool. Even, I knew that was a wrong move.

 

"Fools!" Alpha Lartes blurted out, agreeing with my inner thoughts.

 

"Bloody fools the lot of you! Don't any of you have any common sense? How am I to know the leader of this gang if you killed them all? As you said, there is a huge possibility some of them are still running free! They will gang up again!" The Alpha bellowed with anger.

 

Although my face was turned straight ahead of me to the door, I made sure I was a hundred and one percent attentive to all that was happening.

 

One thing I could not take my mind off was the way the Alpha's cheeks glowed as he spoke.

 

At first, I found it funny that he looked like a woman with intense skin care routine rather than a true Lycan but then I remembered that it was the pain and hunger of my people that made him glow so much.

 

This bloody man had made himself perfectly with the sweat of my people while I and my people shrunk to nothing.

 

I remembered the comment his lame nephew had made earlier about me being skinny and I promised myself that when I had succeeded with my plan, I would first force Alpha Lartes and Xavier to three months of starvation before I began my torture on them.

 

"Please forgive us, My King!" The two guards said with strong voices.

 

From the corner of my eyes, I saw them bow, their heads to the ground in front of Alpha Lartes.

 

I would rather my head be separated from my body and my body hung up for the birds of the air to feast on before I fall face first before the fool seated next to me.

 

"And what of the man who was hung up here? What happened to him?" Alpha Lartes bellowed.

 

"And where is Xavier? Why is he not here? Why are both of them missing?" Alpha Lartes roared.

 

"Your Highness, the prisoner who was here, escaped but we caught him as he went to the hideout to seek refuge. We killed him and threw his body down a tunnel they had which led from the palace!" One of the guards said.

 

"The palace? This palace?! My palace?!" Alpha Lartes thundered with anger and irritation.

 

"You mean to tell me there is someone in my court who has a knife to my back?" Alpha Lartes asked.

 

I wondered why he was so surprised. I was pretty sure his left hand would not mind stabbing him in the back too.

 

"Yes, your highness. The rebels had an accomplice from the palace and the person helped the prisoner escape," The talkative guard said.

 

"And we know who he is..." the guard added.

 

Now this was getting interesting because I knew who this accomplice was.