Okrapticuiz again

"Give the box to me..." Alorea stuttered, unsure if her command would be to any effect. It was surprising enough that Siarra would even quiver in fear like that, not to talk of the fact that she went on her two knees in submission to Clingy. It did not make any sense and Alorea could not understand it.

"Give the box to her". Clingy repeated, forcing Siarra to grab the box of claws from the ground and hand it to Alorea.

Collecting the box with unsure and doubtful hands, Alorea was stunned by the powerful aura Clingy emitted. He no longer seemed like the slave she knew who always got cheated by prince Scorpio and directed by Scorpio's brothers. He commanded an aura as strong as the one Daemon emitted, if not stronger.

"From now on, you will stop trying to kill the princess." Clingy continued, speaking in command tones.

Alorea could almost feel his dominance reaching into her own heart, even though he was her servant right now. If he did command her, she was no longer sure she would be able to resist.

"How did he suddenly become so powerful?" She wondered. "It has to be something to do with this place, and this box. It feels irrestible... Like magic..."

Siarra was as submissive as a servant at this point, and Alorea could no longer hold herself.

"Clingy..." She muttered, unable to heighten her voice in his presence. "We... We need to leave..."

They had the box now. They had no more reason to remain on that weird hill. They needed to go back to Daemon before he killed the night wolves in his prison.

"That is true..." Clingy agreed. Even his soft words terrified both Alorea and Siarra. Alorea could feel an old sensation, budding in her heart.

Flashes of memories came to her, when she was still a slave to Nathan. When he used to command her to undress without a blink, when she dared not defy his words.

"Let us go." He grabbed her hand, sending a violent wave of vibration down the lines of her circulatory vessels. Alorea felt her heart beat in a fast rhythm as they both exited the mysterious house and made their way back down the progressive hill.

As they went, Siarra stood back on the hill and watched their departure. She still could not understand what she had just seen in the servant's eyes. The future?

He was not just any servant. He was an alpha. Her alpha.

"King Nathan..." She murmured, in semblance of the future.

***********************

Back in the land of the night wolves, the council was riddled with disruptive thoughts. The king and his men, the queen and her maids, the ministers and the councillors, everyone was bothered with the dragging absence of Alorea in the land of the giants.

Below the sky and over the kingdom flew a messenger bird which landed on the roof of the king's palace. On its leg was a letter to the king and the queen.

"The princess has been gone for a while now, along with some good members of the court. So far, this is the first letter we will receive from her." Henry said to his men in the court.

"She has sent this from Daemon's palace. This is proof that she landed successfully in the giant kingdom and she was welcomed by the king! All hail princess Alorea!!" One of the ministers said, aiming to start a chant.

But the raised hand of the king stopped the motion of lips.

"In this letter, she describes a mission given to her by Daemon. An impossible mission." Henry continued. "They want her to find the claws of power which has been lost for many years in the space of three days!"

A loud rumble came from within the court. Anger and fuelled rages. Everyone could not believe what they were listening to.

"That means they do not want peace!!"

"They want war with us!!!"

King Henry continued. "If she fails to achieve this, they will take the life of Baldwin and all the men who has gone with her. And that bastard Daemon, he plans to take my daughter to bed!!"

"Damn that bastard!!!" Someone screamed in shock from behind. And soon a wave of voices followed after.

"Damn the giants!!!"

"Damn their alpha!!!"

Everyone chanted in unison.

"It has been three days since princess Alorea went on this hunt for the claws of power." The queen continued where her husband had stopped. "We do not know the success of her mission, but we know it to be an impossibility. Once a human wizard came here to gift my husband with the box of claws but his majesty rejected it, since then there has been no talk of the claws. How then would Alorea find them out of the blue moon?"

Everyone agreed with the queen. They also knew the implication of this. This meant that Daemon had declared war on their pack, on their kingdom. And war he shall receive.

"Fight them!! Kill them all!!!" Someone started another chant.

"Kill the giants!! Kill their alpha!!!"

It grew louder and louder. Till there was an interruption when the large door to the palace hall splited open, and a weird looking familiar man walked in slowly through the door.

"Who is he...?"

"He is no wolf..."

"We know this man...."

King Henry starred harder as the man approached. So did the queen and even Prince Allister who had been all but interested in today's matter of discourse.

"That is him..." Someone said.

"Him who...."

"The wizard...."

The weird man walked towards the king with his staff as his help. When he was a few steps from the throne, he stopped and bowed.

"Your majesty..." He said.

"You... You name..."

"Okrapticuiz the third. Heir to the family of secrets."

"Why have you come here again? The last time you came, you were with a gift. Your gift would be needed now more than ever..."

"I did not come here with a gift." Okrapticuiz muttered. "I come with a warning."

There was a rumble of murmurs among the people. What was the crazy looking human talking about? A warning?

"What warning do you speak of?"

"I hear your majesty is conceiving the dire thoughts of war. I have come to speak against it."

"My people are about to be slain by the arrogant usurper, Daemon. He wants to take my daughter as one of his maids. You dare stand here and tell me not to go to war?!!"

The soldiers behind stormed forward in anger, ready to take Okrapticuiz's head off his shoulders. All they needed was the command.

"Your daughter will complete the test. She will defeat Daemon in the game of minds." Okrapticuiz said. "It is not by your intervention for this to happen. If you insist on going to war, your majesty, you shall lose. And you shall die. You. Your queen. And many many more lives."

"Kill him!!!!" The king screamed out his lungs in horrific anger.

The soldiers were happy to receive the command. Their weapons dashed forward immediately, seeking to take the wizard's life.

But the weapons only passed through Okrapticuiz body which vanished slowly, disappearing to become with the air.

As everyone watched the incredible sorcery occur before their eyes, a certain old, cranky voice, belonging to Okrapticuiz echoed above their heads, repeating the same words and fainting with each repeat.

"Heed my warning, and your future may be better."