03

ZENITH

"Do you really have to do this? Zenith?" His right hand man, Mathias, asked. Zenith looked out of the corner of his eye.

"I have to." He reached out for the waist band. "Yes, I mean how do you get rid of your enemy when there is an already laid strategy." He said.

Mathias snorted. "These wolves are the ones who are supposed to come over to meet you since you are the Lycan King, and not you going down there to meet them." He rolled his eyes.

The ghost of a smile curved at the edge of Zenith's lips. "This is concerning my clan, Mathias. Think like a leader. If they are going to guarantee their wolves would be at my beck and call. Getting married to a bimbo is no big deal for me." He said, adjusting the jacket and he wore his wrist band and ring that signified his Kingship.

He turned around and stared at Mathias. "It is just for a while. For now, let's dance to the tune they play." He told him.

Mathias returned his stare and gave him a curt nod. A nod that said so many things and yet just one thing was certain. Patience.

Zenith stepped out of the changing room and went straight to the court room with Mathias following from behind, where he met the seven elders. The elders who were the backbone of the entire Lycan Clan. Unlike the wolves who were split into different Alphas' jurisdiction. The entire Lycan race was joined into one.

The Lycans cannot brag about having as much population as the werewolves but they are quite stronger than a thousand wolves. Unfortunately for them, despite having such powerful qualities, the rate of child birth was thin because their females could barely handle the pain and most of them result in death or the child dying from the womb. Those who successfully came out are blessed and they try so hard to train them. And for those who are mated to she-wolves, they are careful as to when she starts her heat because a wrong move could end in death and loss.

The elder bowed slightly as Zenith proceeded to his seat with his face blank of any emotion. "So I have decided to leave tonight so that I can get there as early as I can tomorrow morning. I have left Mathias the authority to answer to the calls. You can meet him for further discussion." He told them.

One of the elders cleared his throat and stepped forward. "We are quite glad that you have grown so much, Zenith. Years of learning under us have taught you a lot and we are so happy that you listened to our advice to bond with these wolves." He started. Zenith knew that he was about to say that would enrage so he prepared for it and relaxed against his seat.

"But you giving your right hand man the authority to govern us when he should be going with you to protect you there in case any harm might come upon you is totally not it. We are the Elders and we are capable of governing in your place." He said, his eyes glinting with a spark that Zenith wanted to trample on and switch off.

Instead, Zenith leaned forward on his desk and intertwined his hands. "Are you trying to say that harm would befall me there?" He asked, meeting his eyes with an arched brow.

Elder Lau suddenly burst out laughing and shook his head. "Oh, my young king! You misunderstood what I meant." Zenith felt the pinch of that exclamation he used to describe him. Zenith would be thirty years in a few weeks and Elder Lau still thought to refer to him as 'young'. He bit down the anger he was feeling and watched him continue.

"We are the Elders and we count ourselves as one. We just felt like Mathias's presence is not needed here since we can rule in your stead in the meanwhile." He clarified.

Zenith released a deep breath. "I am the King and I have decided that Mathias would be ruling in my stead. You are the elders that are considered the back bone of the entire Clan, it is your duty to extend your esteemed lessons to the one in charge and I believe that Mathias is humble enough to hear your concerns. That's all for now. You are dismissed." He said, reaching out for a scroll and pretending to read through it.

From his hind sight, he could see their reluctance to leave. He did not say anything as he picked up his brush and began to write some things. The elders shook their heads and walked out one after the other.

When the door slammed shut, Zenith lifted his eyes up and dropped the brush before turning to Mathias who has been quiet during their entire discussion.

"You did not tell me I would be ruling in your stead," Mathias spoke up.

Zenith's brows twitched. "Apparently it was an idea that popped into my head as soon as I saw them standing in here." He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug.

Mathias gave him a knowing look and Zenith looked away. "You can think about it any way you want. I said what I said."

"You know fully when that they are not happy with that." He said.

Zenith let out a deep breath. "And that is why I must marry that bimbo." He told him.

"You have not seen this lady, don't you think calling her a bimbo is really unjustifiable?" He asked.

Zenith turned a shock-filled face to him. "Are you in love with her?"

Mathias blinked twice at his accusation. "What? No!" He exclaimed. "I have not seen this lady in talk."

Zenith nodded his head and picked a new scroll. He laid it properly. He wrote down some thing and rounded it up before tieing it. "Send this to 'him'." He passed it to Mathias who gave him a terse nod, clearly showing that he understood who Zenith had sent him to.

~~~

That night, Zenith set out secretly into the woods. He was alone without any guard. The moon shone its light brightly on his path and his shadow reflected on the trees, as if accompanying him on this journey and it gave him hope. Hope that Light Will Come Again. To his people and to his life.

He did not rest for a second but focused on the task ahead.  He made sure he did not step into some packs' territory because in as much as he could kill them in one blow, he did not want to show case his abilities.

Finally he got the last two packs before that served as the barrier to the Alpha King's palace, the sky was beginning to clear and the sun seemed to slowly awake from its rest. The lady which was matched with him was said to be the Alpha King's last sister and she happened to be his favorite which was why he accepted.

He halted to a stop to take a look around. He could hear howls of laughter and cheers from afar and yet these packs around showed no sign of celebration.

It must be the Alpha king's palace.

His ears twitched as he heard the rushing of a nearby stream. Following the sound, he paused before a stream that ran between two different forests. His eyes narrowed.

What sort of place was this?

He has never ventured out of the Lycan Lands but his father had. He had gone with two of his elders brothers and the result was not something he wanted to remember. He closed his eyes and raised a mental block to the memory.

He crouched down and dipped his hand into the stream to drink.

It tasted salty. That's weird.

He ignored it and drank more till he was satisfied. As he rose up, he could see a different world entirely. The trees moved around and he raised his brows.

Really? Of all things they could use. An illusion technique?

He shook his head and bent down to carry more water. He splashed it before him and everything returned to normal. He shook his head and stepped past the stream and ventured into the forest.

This was the barrier guarding the Alpha King's pack. That, he took note of.

He finally got to the entrance of the palace and could vividly hear the cheers of celebration.

What were they celebrating?

He heard footsteps thudding against the floor and he went to hide behind a place.

"Did you smell something like that thing down there?" One of the masculine voices asked.

"Yes, I did. But no one is here and there is no possibility that he would have escaped right?" The other replied.

"Yes."

With that they walked away and Zenith came out of his hiding place. It was not yet time to enter. He should wait till dawn.