Aren
We spend the next few days attending class and training. The only hitch is that Ryland has to attend Ora's classes with her. The night the spell took effect, we experimented with the limits of it, and we figured out that they can get no more than ten feet apart before they feel pain and are pulled back together. This at least allows them to have a little bit of privacy when using the bathroom. Since they are spelled together, Ryland will be joining us on our trip to the Desert Kingdom along with my father, Professor Hastings, two Blood Moon Knights, and surprisingly, Charlotte. When Char found out about the trip she demanded to be allowed to come along. I didn't know she had that much conviction in her. She shocked all of us when she spoke up. Her voice was still soft when compared to a normal shifter, but from her it was practically yelling.
She is from one of the outer packs, so she would be helpful for us to have in order to connect better with the people. Seven wealthy shifters marching into town spewing words of aid, might fall on deaf ears. These people don't want to talk to philanthropists. They will think we are being egotistical and using helping them as a way to make ourselves feel better about our own privilege. With Char there, we can convince them that we actually want to bring change and not just feed our own egos.
The problem is, Char is not a shifter, and we don't have time to take horses or a carriage. The group we have put together all have animal forms that can cover vast amounts of land very quickly, and no horse could ever keep up. The other guys wanted to come to but their slower shifts is what is preventing them from joining us. Dean Charles decided, with the rest of our permission, that we would all take turns carrying Charlotte on our backs. With that final determination and some packing, we were ready to go.
Our trip will take three days and two nights. The first day will be mostly travel and we will spend the first night in the Desert Kingdom's palace. The second night we will be camping, so the larger shifters in the group are carrying packs as well as taking turns carrying Char. Ora, my father and I are all bird shifters so we can fly. Professor Hastings is a tiger, Ryland is a panther, and the two knights are a lion and a cheetah. We are stacked with powerful Desert shifters for this trip. We all bring cloaks and extra clothing to wear. We all insist that it is essential that Ora wear her hood to cover her face and hair whenever she is in human form, since she is easily recognizable. I wish she has mastered shifting into other animals since her phoenix shift stands out even more than her hair and eyes. Ora has to fly low to stay within the safe range of Ryland and I can tell this frustrates her, but it at least keeps her below the tree line and out of sight. Being tethered while in bird form is against our nature. Most of the journey is spent in silence, but whenever we take a break for food and water, we shift back into our human forms and idly chat until we have to start moving forward again.
In the distance we finally see the Desert Kingdom's palace and relief rolls through the group. As soon as we arrive and shift into our human forms we are ushered into a nearby bath where servants bathe and clothe us, so we will be ready to greet the High-Alpha. Such formalities happen at all High-Alpha palaces, but we've never had to go through this at Ora's dads palace, given it's our home and the trip there isn't very arduous.
As soon as we are fresh and presentable, we are ushered into a lavish sitting room to wait. We don't have to wait long before High-Alpha Otison strides into the room.
"Welcome my treasured guests." He says as he holds his arms out to us.
My father jumps up and rushes to him. "High-Alpha, it is so good to see you face to face."
"Please Leto, call me Hugo. There is no need for formality in front of your friends. It has been far too long since you've come to visit me. I was starting to think you had officially joined the Forest Kingdom."
"Of course not. I do enjoy my work there as your liaison, but I will always remain loyal to you."
"That's good to hear." Hugo looks around at the rest of the group. His eyes stop when they land on me. "This can't possibly be your son? He is so big and strong." The High-Alpha rushes past my father and grabs my face, pulling it and examining me. "He looks so much like Misa." My father's face falls at the mention of my mother. The shift in his expression catches the High-Alpha's eyes. The jovial energy dissipates. After my mother passed, my father accepted the position in the Forest Kingdom. I always suspected he needed to get away from the place that reminded him so much of her.
Hugo clears his throat and wipes a tear from his eye. "When you notified me you wanted to speak in person about important matters, I was intrigued of course and it seems you have brought some friends." He waves towards the rest of us. "Please introduce me."
Beta Orel introduces Professor Hastings, the knights, Ryland, Charlotte, and then Eudora. The High-Alpha's eyes light up when he sees her.
"Richard's girl?"
"The one and only." Ora smiles as she steps forward to shake his hand. He surprises her by pulling her into a tight hug before releasing her and clasping his hands on her shoulders so he can better examine her face.
"I remember when you were born. The whole empire celebrated for weeks that an alpha female had been born. What brings you here with this group?"
My father steps forward. "Eudora is actually who we need to discuss."
"Really. I heard she's engaged to the crown prince. It's such a shame, I always wanted her and Aren to end up together. Plus if the crown prince is anything like his dad, he's a right git."
Ryland chooses that moment to clear his throat and draw attention to himself. "As the crown prince, I can confirm my father is a git, but I am doing my best not to follow in his footsteps."
Hugo releases his hold on Ora and whispers to my dad, "Dang, you brought the fiance."
"It wasn't my choice, but circumstances made it necessary." Dad sighs. "The Emperor is after Eudora. He wants her desperately to join his family so he can control her power."
"Okay?" The High-Alpha seems confused about where this conversation is going and why it involves him.
"Eudora isn't just a female alpha shifter, she is also the reincarnation of the moon goddess." Dad pauses to let Hugo absorb this new information.
Hugo's eyes go wide. "Holy crap, there is so much to process with that statement. I don't even know where to start."
"I will answer all of your questions later, but for now we need to know if you are loyal to the moon goddess, or loyal to the Emperor."
Without missing a beat Hugo responds, "The moon goddess of course. The Emperor is a fool of a leader."
"Good. We needed to know that before we told you the rest. We plan on overthrowing the Emperor."
"Who will you put on the throne? Surely Eudora's not ready yet to rule. Is this why they are engaged? So they can step up to the throne together?"
"We haven't figured out all of the details yet, but if you join the Knight of the Blood Moon, you could help with the plans. We want to set up a new system that gives voice to the people and doesn't just rely on birth as a way to determine the next leader."
"I don't know. Many people believe the moon goddess is who determines who will be born alphas and chooses them as our next leaders."
Ora steps forward then. "I don't know how pheromone levels and alpha's are determined, and maybe there is a natural force that guides them, but I am the moon goddess, and this is a change I want to make."
Hugo nods in agreement. "If the moon goddess wants a new system of government, then I am in support."
"Thank you." Ora's soft smile brings reassurance to the group.
"I don't think the rest of the high-alphas would be so willing to lose power as I am."
"We don't plan on removing the Alpha's as leadership. We just want to put another party in play that gives the weaker shifters a voice." Professor Hastings states. He then pauses to think and asks an important question. "Why are you so willing?"
"I may not look it, but I have lived a long life. My shifter side gives me the blessing of an extended life and I have seen many things change over time. Our Emperors used to care for their people and we all prospered, all the current Emperor cares about is how much he can get from us. This is no way to run an Empire. I have seen how power corrupts and if there is a way to create a more balanced power dynamic, then I am willing to step aside."
"That is very wise."
"They don't call me Sir Hugo Otison the wise for nothing. My great grandfather was one of the original five shifters created by the moon goddess."
"Wow, only four generations have ruled this kingdom since the beginning. Your lifespan must be very long."
"It is indeed."
"How old are you?"
"It is rude to ask someone their age."
We discuss things with the High-Alpha for hours and eventually he calls a witch in so he can make the pledge and officially join the Knights of the Blood Moon. After that we all are shown to our rooms and to my displeasure Ora and Ryland are escorted away together. It makes sense that they would share a room because they are engaged and cursed to have to be close, but I am jealous that he gets to have extra time with her. This jealousy is something I need to work on, if I plan on sharing Ora with four other men for the rest of our lives.