Chapter Forty: First Pack

Alexander Lykos

We stood there dumbfounded as the wolf rose from his bow, the rest of the wolves milled around us while a few gathered by the wolf in front of us.

*"My name is Maxwell Vright, Your Majesty. I was your Head Commander centuries ago, and these men were your soldiers... loyal soldiers who stood by your side when Stephen dismantled and destroyed everything you had built... everything you and Rose had built."*

Angel, Amelia and Jared stared at me with a mix of awe and confusion. They knew about what the Moon Goddess had done to us, but never the full scope of events... and to be honest, neither did I.

"I am sorry, Maxwell, but I remember very little of my past as your King--"*

*"No apologies needed, Your Majesty... the only important thing now is that you are here... and maybe we can be finally freed."*

Angel brushed past me to stare at him.

"You all of not wolves, at least not like us... so what are you? And how are you still alive after centuries?"

Maxwell huffed before he sat on his haunches, the other wolves beside the soldiers began to move back into the forest at Angel's questions, the older ones gently nudging the wrestling cubs to follow them.

*"The fires raged for hours, and all of a sudden, there were mercenaries and guards from Xander's personal guard running around the place putting out the fires. It took them a while before everything settled, and that was when they herded us to the town square. My men and Orion's tried to resist but they held the villagers with swords to their throats, threatening to slit their throats if we continued to disobey Stephen's command..."*

The dark grey wolf snarled as he projected the last few words, the wolves around him responded with equal hostility as they growled, their ears flat against their heads.

*"We had no other choice but to drop our weapons and comply. It was only by sheer luck that the villagers had suspected that something was amiss and had smuggled Orion out of Avarelia's walls. Stephen stepped out in front of us, wearing your crown, announcing that a new era in Avarelia had begun. He grew angry when he could not find Orion and started to scream at us to turn him over, but none of us would give up who had smuggled him out and where he could have possibly gone to sneak refuge... Stephen was never a patient men..."*

Maxwell hung his head, and I looked above to see his human form in a sitting position with his head between his knees, hands raking roughly through his hair.

*"He began to execute the villagers one by one because they refused to give him the information he wanted, ten fell before Jessamine, Rose's sister, screamed at him that he would not have anyone to rule over if he killed all the villagers. I waited with bated breath for him to cut her down, but he did not... he actually listened and told his men to stand down... but Avarelia had already become Hell on Earth. Stephen ruled with no mercy, and cared for nothing and no one but himself. He undid everything you and Rose had spent years building. The men were forced into the army and sent on ridiculous missions that saw their bodies in unmarked mass graves. The women were forced to work the fields day and night, I can still remember the screams of the mothers and sisters as they children were torn away from them by the army. They were pushed into the mines were they were sent down small shafts and crevices to retrieve jewels for Stephen's coffers. The other alternative for children was for them to join the army and act as living shields for the troops. I thought that Stephen was building up his army so that he could invade other territories to expand his kingdom, but he did not. All the extra military was used to enforce Avarelia's walls, making sure that no one entered, and no one left... the only other missions where soldiers ventured out of Avarelia was to raid bandit camps and to search for Orion, and thankfully, he was never found."*

His black lips pulled back over his teeth in an attempt to smile as he stared at me.

"I still don't understand how so many of you became trapped as wolves for so long?"

*"You have to understand, Xander, that many of us died horrible, painful and slow deaths at Stephen's hand... with vengeance in their hearts. All of my wolves you see today were former prisoners of Stephen who died before their time. Many of the villagers starved to death as a famine swept through the land, leaving the ground barren... unable to bear anything to fill our aching bellies. Our souls were so full of hate and bitterness that we could not move on to join our loved ones, and were doomed to roam the Earth as spirits for eternity. That was our fate till the Moon Goddess gathered all of us, and gave us a second chance. She channeled out spirits into wolves where we would remain till the rightful King and Queen of Avarelia returned... and after centuries, they finally have."*

I stuttered as they looked at me with expectant eyes, the other wolves had returned from forest and began to move towards us, and as they drew closer, I could see the hope in their eyes. I had already failed to keep my own pack safe... how was I supposed to free the souls of an entire kingdom? I stared at the wolves around me and my heart sank, they had been trapped for centuries, unable to join their loved ones in the afterlife... I had to do something.

"I will do whatever I can to break the chains that hold you to our mortal coil, but I need your help to infiltrate the inner circle of Blackwater."

Maxwell immediately shot to his feet, his soldiers doing so with the same sense of urgency.

*"We will do everything in our power to help, Xander. You can use this clearing as your base as no one but us, and the Moon Goddess's chosen can enter. Damien's men could be right at the edge of the clearing, but they still would not be able to see us... another gift from Her Grace. Damien has twelve patrol teams of four at all times combing through the forest, but I am willing to bet that the number will increase as he grows more and more paranoid--"*

"Paranoid?"

*"He expects your presence in Blackwater, and is worried that you will take back what he thinks rightfully belongs to him... the more time he has Sapphire, the more dangerous he became... like a dragon guarding its hoard. Most of his forces are stationed around and in the stronghold, protecting his most precious jewel, the one that will return 'his throne' to him. You, as King of Avarelia, might have led the people, but it was Rose who had guided it to prosper... her very presence in this land causes it to thrive. Damien himself rarely leaves the stronghold, preferring to be in the same place as Sapphire. Entering the pack village should be easy enough, you could sneak in undetected in about an hour when the patrol team changes shift. Getting into the stronghold where Damien keeps Sapphire and the rest of his prisoners will be difficult, and I am afraid I know too little about the way he operates the stronghold to give you any advice."*

He hung his head in shame and disappointment, but I could only smile down at him... he had already gone through so much.

"You have already provided us with more information than what we knew about Blackwater."

*"You are too generous, Xander. Why don't all of you rest here for the moment while we wait for the guards to handover their duties to the next twelve teams. We will then use that small gap to guide you to the training hall, as it is mostly empty at this period of time, but I am afraid that is the further I can go. The Moon Goddess might have given us our own place, but she prevented us entering the inner circle of Blackwater as she feared we would have divulged everything to Sapphire before she was ready. The only information I have about the inner circle comes from eavesdropping on Damien's patrol team---"*

He stopped in his tracks as I grabbed his fur, hands trembling as I stared into his dark brown eyes.

"Did you hear anything about Sapphire and the others?"

He sighed and cast his gaze to the ground, unable to meet my own.

*"I am not sure about the fates of your pack, but I heard that Damien had sent them into the arena for entertainment, not sure how many of them are still alive."*

Angel and Jared closed their eyes and took deep breaths while Amelia snarled and hung her head. I, on the other hand, still had my fingers deep in Maxwell's fur, keeping him in a vice grip.

*"What about Sapphire? Did the patrol teams let anything slip regarding her current state."*

He sharply shrugged away from my grip, pacing up and down as he continuously shook his coat. He continued walking for a few minutes before stopping, eyes still unable to reach mine.

*"Sapphire is alive, Xander, but Damien did something to her rendering her unable to move... Xander, this time, she cannot fight back."*