THE ALPHA KING'S EPISODE
THE ALPHA KING'S EPISODE
Chapter 42
AUTHOR’S POV
Inside the cold and candle-lit chambers of Alpha King Lir, an intense silence spread across the room with only the sound of the wind and rustling curtains.
The scent of blood and metal fills the air as Lir, with blood dripping from his hands and legs, is bound to the stone walls, in silver-forged chains attached to the wall that seals him against it.
The chain cuffs burn and dig into his limb, scorching his skin. A pool of blood and sweat settles underneath him from the intensity of the burns.
And despite the pain, Lir stares directly at the puddle, with his head hung low. His breathing is so faint, it is almost quiet as though he isn't breathing.
Around him stood a small gathering: Beta Lincoln, Commander Saphena, and the three Elders of Frost Vale: Aurora, Perrie, and Odin.
These three were rarely seen in the Alpha's Castle, because their duties were scattered across the other three villages, Silver Frost, Isle Frost, and Peak Frost, all under Frost Vale.
But tonight, their duties were not to the villages, but to their Alpha King, journeying miles in the cold for this moment.
The one moment that happens in a space of three months, that they always dread.
The King's Episode.
No one spoke because they dared not; they were here for something specific. To make sure an episode passed by successfully without any mishaps.
Saphena’s calculating gaze remained fixed on Lir, with a cold precision. This wasn't her first time here, and she was fully prepared for what would happen next.
“The preparations are complete,” she murmured to Aurora. “The castle is empty, no one will disturb or trespass.”
The elderly woman nodded gravely. “Let us hope the chains hold as strong as the last time.” The others nodded in agreement.
Lir wasn’t listening. His body was there, but his mind was gone, far away from that chamber and deep within his head, where darkness and wild fury were waiting.
His jaw clenched as he tried once again to reach his wolf, his other half that is still stuck in the past, still reliving the tragedy of that day.
Come on Lyan, talk to me. Show yourself he willed silently.
But there was nothing, only the familiar silence, and that barrier he hated.
The invisible walk that separated him from his wolf, that shut his wolf out from connecting enough to heal.
Lir was tired of it, he would do anything to break this wall and feel his wolf completely.
On normal days, Lir has tried to connect to his wolf, when the walls aren’t so tough, and it has come to a huge fail. But on a full moon night, when he gets the episode, it is even harder.
Lir summons every ounce of focus to push through it, he comes close to feeling his wolf, but not seeing it.
His breathing deepens as he reaches further and further.
But then…
A sharp pain ripped through his skull.
Lir’s head snapped up as a low growl tore from his throat. The pain wasn’t a direct hit, he had felt it telepathically. It was sudden and violent; it felt like a knife had been jammed into his skull.
His concentration shattered instantly.
Lir gasped, his hands yanking at the chains that burned with every movement. The links rattled against the stone wall as he moved.
His vision slowly blurred, black lines streaking across his sight. The connection to his thoughts was starting to slip away, and his heart pounded harder.
“Arrg!” He groaned in disbelief.
He didn’t understand where the pain came from, but it had ruined everything he was trying to achieve in the last hours.
Saphena flinched at the sound of Lir's growl. She stepped back instinctively, alerting the others, who were very much aware that the episode had started.
“It’s here,” she said sharply.
“Steady, absolute silence” Elder Odin warned, his tone low. “The restraints must hold.”
At a safe distance away from Lir's convulsing body, Lincoln, Saphena, and the elders watched the episode unfold.
As Lir begins to shift from his human form to his wolf form. A tall black figure with rough furs, his large head thrown back as a deep guttural feral snarl ripped from his throat.
His eyes flickered with an unnatural golden flare, black bleeding into gold, making it look ominous.
His fingers clawed at the stone floor, scratching as his entire frame trembled.
The silver burnt out the furs and skin, shifting the scent to that of burning fire and skin.
Saphena glanced at the other, knowing the episode had just begun. “It's time to go.”
Perrie hesitated, worry creasing his features. “He is losing it faster than before.”
“He has been resisting for too long,” Aurora muttered. “It's only making it worse. Let us go.”
They soon began retreating slowly toward the door, until each was out. The doors were sealed tight, and in silence they glared at it as if it were a part of a theater performer.
“When is the next episode?” Elder Perrie asked, not tearing his gaze from the door.
Beta Lincoln who had been quiet since the episode started, finally spoke. “I believe our main concern should be the king coming out of this episode alive.”
“Each one that passes draws too much of his strength, this cannot be our forever solution. The king is our anchor and we all need him in our lives. If he dies from this episode, we will all perish. So before we worry about the next, let this be over.” Lincoln said and silence followed his words.
There are surprise glints on the faces of the other, each not expecting the Beta to bluntly cut them out.
The fear was real and would continue to be, if a solution to save Lir is not found. For twelve long years, they have searched and gotten nothing. Each day that
passes, they lose hope not in their king, but in their competence as his most trusted allies.