Legacies of kings

Charlotte

My head hurt a lot, my vision was still dark and it took me a while to realize where I was. The light swaying, the smell of salt, and the sounds of breaking waves. I tried to stand up again, but the dizziness and constant rocking weren't helping me keep my balance. I leaned on a nearby piece of furniture and managed to lift myself off the ground. I opened my eyes slowly and realized, in the dim light coming from the moonlight through a small, round window, that I was trapped in a boat cabin.

"Where is Diane?" I asked aloud and went to the door which, to my surprise, was unlocked.

The boat was bigger than I had imagined. The cabin I was in was the last, a long corridor stretched out before me with other doors flanking it. A few torches lit the way, but I had to be careful with every step, as some loose boards creaked and could give away the fact that I was awake and wandering around the boat. I walked a little further and then I felt something in my chest, a sense of distress and urgency. I followed my instincts until I stopped in front of a door closest to the stairs leading up to the deck.

My hands were shaking as I stretched them out towards the door handle. A low moan came from the other side and I immediately opened the door. A she-wolf held a bundle in her arms and turned pale when she saw me. She looked around, searching for something to use as a weapon against me, or even an escape route, but I wouldn't allow her to leave that cabin alive. The wrapping shifted, revealing a small hand reaching out towards me and then a few more soft, thin moans.

"He's mine!" I growled furiously.

The frightened she-wolf tried to escape by throwing the package in my direction. I caught it easily and those big blue eyes captured me. Fenrir, my baby that I had dreamt about for so many nights. The she-wolf tried to take advantage of my brief distraction and run past me, but I grabbed her by the hair and threw her back into the cabin, locking the door.

"You touched what's mine, do you think you're going to get out of this room alive?" I didn't even recognize my voice at that moment.

I was overwhelmed by hatred, and seeing that weak she-wolf trembling made me even angrier. How could someone as weak as her be looking after my son? I put Fenrir on a bed next to me and went over to the she-wolf, again holding her by the hair and dragging her to a far corner.

"Please, I only did what I was told. I was forced! They were threatening me! I beg you, ma'am, I don't want to die!" the she-wolf kept shouting her pleas and lies.

I leaned down and came face to face with her, still holding her by the hair. "I don't care one bit," I said through my teeth.

My hand closed into a fist, I raised it above my head and threw it at the face of the she-wolf under my control. My fury seemed to flow through my arm and fist, each time I hit her my heart beat harder until the she-wolf stopped moving and my hands were bathed in her blood, her face completely disfigured.

I didn't want Fenrir to see me like that, so I grabbed the she-wolf's clothes and wiped my hands on them before going back to Fenrir and taking him in my arms.

How long I had waited for that moment, to feel the warmth of his little body next to mine, but before I could truly enjoy that moment I had to get away from that place and find Logan.

The deck was empty, I looked around and there were other boats, some much larger, moored nearby that might contain crew. I had to be careful and keep Fenrir as quiet as possible so as not to attract attention. I moved carefully, so we managed to get off that boat. The harbor was strangely deserted, even though it was late, there should still have been sailors walking here and there, but there was no movement.

"Miss Charlotte?" a deep, low voice called out to me. I looked back and Gabriel was standing, panting, leaning against a tree. His breathing was irregular and his bandages were soaked in blood.

"Gabriel," I ran towards him, but something seemed strange, so I kept my distance. "What are you doing here? Your injuries..."

"It doesn't matter, we need to get away immediately, they'll be here soon." Gabriel took a few steps towards us, I squeezed Fenrir in my arms and he laughed, then Gabriel stopped and looked at the package in my arms with deadly coldness.

The silence dragged on, and then a loud sound came from the forest, followed by screams and howls. Gabriel seemed irritated and uncomfortable with the situation, so he assumed his Lycan form. His long copper-colored hair blended with pure white on his chest, and his eyes took on a brilliant golden hue. He was almost as big as Logan, but his body was slimmer. He turned to me, and his wounds completely healed.

"We need to run, ma'am. King Alpha has sent me to fetch you and take you to safety," he said, extending his large hand towards us.

"Tell me, Gabriel, where are Logan and the soldiers now?" I asked, turning away from him and shielding Fenrir with my body.

A strong wind swept over us, the cries of despair growing louder and louder, urging us closer and closer to battle. The smell of blood filled the air, in my arms Fenrir seemed uncomfortable with something, and the second I turned to look at him, Gabriel launched himself towards us. My reflexes were faster than he was and I got away just in time. Yes, Gabriel was never an ally, he never wanted to submit to Logan. I began to suspect him when Lia told me about the ancient kings, and when I added that information to his obsession with convincing me that I was a descendant of the Dawn Wolves and that I had to fulfill duties that were never made clear, all of this, together with his attitude at that very moment, only confirmed my suspicions.

"Gabriel, how exactly did you find out where I was? Only Lia had the information that I was meeting Diane, not even Logan had that information." I asked and then Gabriel's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"They underestimated you, ma'am." Gabriel tried to move closer, but I pulled away from him. "Beautiful, intelligent, so powerful and perfect. How I envy Logan, he found her long before I did and now his obligations have been compromised."

"Obligations, obligations. That's all you've talked about since you showed up." I shouted angrily.

"It's very simple, Charlotte," he said, holding out his hands and smiling in a distorted way. "I should be the one you marry, the true and only heir to King Alpha's legacy, a legitimate Alpha, destined to rule by my blood!"

"A legitimate Alpha, you say?" she said with a mocking tone, which irritated him. "The old kings were destined to fall from the start for their sins against the will of the Goddess. Unlike Logan, who was destined for the throne from before he was born."

"Are you saying that that bloody bastard deserves to be King Alpha more than I do?!" Gabriel advanced on us once more and I fled in the direction of the forest.

I couldn't assume my wolf form, not while I had Fenrir in my arms. I needed to find a safe place to hide him and then face Gabriel. I would delay him until Logan arrived to rescue Fenrir and destroy Gabriel. I was an ordinary she-wolf, there was no chance of beating an Alpha, but I could delay him.

"It's all right, child," I heard a voice in my mind, a feminine voice, sweet and gentle. "I'm here with you."

Gabriel appeared in front of me, his eyes shining and teeth showing, an attempt to intimidate me that didn't work. I prepared myself for the attack, I wouldn't go down without a fight and die to protect my son regardless.