The cubs swallowed when discovered and a light layer of sweat covered their bodies, but they were reassured by smelling, behind their back, the scent of their older brother.
-Nico- Alan turned and showed an uncomfortable grin- We were just taking a walk. We already go back to our rooms to change for dinner-
The brown-haired wolf, like them, who wore it in a long braid along his broad back looked down the hallway that led at the end of his father's office.
-Did you hear what he said?- He asked with a frown.
Noa raised her hands in surrender and doubt.
-I don't know what you're talking about- if there was something that Nicolas never did, it was get upset, but poor that he was around when it happened.
The older wolf paid attention to them again, his tone of voice dry and serious.
-You two. Come with me-
There was no reply to his words.
The two puppies followed their brother, who after usting them into his room and checking to see if there was someone around, closed the door behind him.
-Apparently they already know-
Alan and Noa sat tense on the bed.
-Don't make those faces, I'm not going to scold or betray you-
Two sighs of relief were felt in the room.
-What do the words of father mean, Nico? Is everything we hear true?-
His brother sat in a chair across from them and leaned his elbows on his knees.
-If I told you that it was the truth behind the actions of the current alpha, what would you do? –
Noa's expression was quite a poem. Like their brother, they couldn't believe this was happening.
-You're not serious- Alan ruffled his hair getting out of bed and turning around -That means that father is a usurper and that the previous queen is somewhere in this mansion-
-And there is more- his two brothers looked at him -I recently discovered the location of the cell where he is held captive-
-And why haven't you taken it out?- Noa also got up with her fists clenched, he felt inside her a strange feeling for that person despite not knowing her.
-Why, it's not possible. It is inside the old torture cells of the catacombs, below the mansion. The only way to get it out is with the key that father always carries on his chest-
Alan stopped in front of him.
-Since when did you know this? –
Nicolas leaned back in his chair when the door to the room opened, letting in what was now known as the Commander of the guard.
-For a month- he answered them.
-Close the door, Liam. It would be no good if someone overheard the conversation-
The newcomer did as said and walked towards them, standing next to Nicolas.
The youngest did not understand the situation well.
-Don't worry, he's on our side- his brother didn't seem uncomfortable- Actually he was the one who discovered it in one of his routines, when he saw father and the doctor come out of the catacombs when they have been abandoned for years. Of those of us who are here, it is the oldest and was under the orders of the previous queen, more specifically, it was her beta, so he could recognize its scent when it infiltrated-
-And what do you intend to do?- Noa was getting desperate.
-Liam, tell them, sooner or later they had to know-
The commander nodded.
-Since I learned that she is alive I have organized the army to rebel against the corrupt alpha that governs us-
-And how do you intend to do that when more than half the members of the pack are terrified of our father? –
-That's why we intend to ask the other packs for help-
-Although that's the complicated part- Nicolas touched his temple as if his head hurt -Getting the support of another pack is difficult when there is no evidence and the alpha has taken measures to not leave traces-
-What if we stole the key from Father?- Alan said as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
-As if it were something easy to do, not for something is the alpha of the pack, even when it is imposed-
-What we do know is that time is crucial in this situation. If the queen continues to have cubs she will die shortly, after all, she is procreating outside of heat cycles.
-Having cubs!- Noa exclaimed -Does the queen still have children? And where are they?-
-I have them in front of me- Liam nodded at them.
-You're kidding- he looked at Nicolas, who was barely affected by what was revealed.
-When you guys started to appear out of nowhere I was surprised that your smell was similar to the first-born. And that the queen's disappearance was so sudden, she is not the type to neglect her responsibilities. I asked the alpha and he answered me what he has been saying for years, but no one can deceive the sense of a wolf-
Alan and Noa flopped onto the bed in shock. That they tell you that your mother is alive and that this captive was a difficult bomb to assimilate.
-How is she?- The older of the two asked in a shaky voice.
-I cannot answer that, Your Highness- he inclined his head to sit up with an expression of disgust and rage, remembering the current living conditions of his queen. That is something they have to see for themselves-
***
The heavy breeze with a strong smell of humidity, rotten meat and dust clouded the senses of the three silhouettes that entered through a small gap between the stones that gave access to one side of the catacombs.
-What the hell is this place?- Noa felt that what little he had eaten threatened to go back outside.
-It is what remains of the torture sanctuary of the first members of the pack. This place must be around 3000 years old-
-And this is where our supposed mother is? –
Liam nodded at the two cubs who flinched as they walked crouching behind him, avoiding the sharp stones on the ceiling.
They circled for about half an hour while the commander warned them not to separate because the hope of finding him would be null.
-This is it- Liam declared as he stopped in front of a huge rusty iron door that must have weighed a ton.
That's when they felt it. It was slight, almost imperceptible but every part of his body shook. Nicolas was not lying. They knocked on the cobwebbed door at the same time. They smelled flooding more of the fragrance that made them so familiar and that they remembered as the first thing in their life. Behind that door, in those impoverished conditions, was the woman who had brought them into the world.