"Your Majesty, Beta Orion insists on speaking with you," Rex, the chamber guard, whispered to the King.
"Did you inform him I am in a council?" the King replied, his voice a low rumble.
"I did, Your Majesty. But he refuses to leave. He has been waiting outside for thirty minutes and invoked his rank as Beta when I tried to escort him away."
The King's eyes glinted with cold amusement. "Very well. Let him in."
Beta Orion strode into the chamber, his aura bristling with indignation. He had expected to find only the royal ministers, but the sight that greeted him made him falter. Seated around the grand table were the Elders from the four wings of the kingdoms under Eleandora's dominion. Not a single minister was present.
"Welcome, Beta," the Grand Alpha's voice was smooth, laced with subtle mockery. "I was told you demanded an audience, even after being informed I was in a meeting. Is the matter so urgent it could not wait?"
Beta Orion cleared his throat, the eyes of the most powerful Alphas in the land fixed upon him, making him feel like a chastised pup. "I... apologize, Grand Majesty. I was unaware the council of Elders was convened. I will return at a more opportune time."
"Besides," the King added, his tone sharpening, "did I not grant you a three-day leave? You should not even be near the palace grounds."
"Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty," Orion stammered, blinking rapidly.
"It seems the Beta has forgotten some of the fundamental protocols of the court," sneered Elder Zer from the Northern Kingdom. Beta Orion clenched his jaw, forced to swallow the insult. As Grand Beta, his rank was still beneath these elders; he could not retort.
"If you have nothing of consequence to say, you may excuse us, Beta," Grand Alpha Kaden dismissed him with a finality that brooked no argument.
Swallowing the bitter lump of humiliation in his throat, Beta Orion bowed and retreated. The moment the doors closed behind him, a silent vow of vengeance solidified in his heart. That incompetent guard, Ace, will pay for this.
"My apologies for the interruption," the Grand Alpha said, his demeanor shifting back to one of command. "Let us resume."
The council delved into the major affairs of Eleandora: trade routes, land disputes, and resource allocation.
"I heard you have demoted the second prince to a guard, Your Majesty," Elder Zer remarked, his tone carefully neutral.
"I have," Alpha Kaden confirmed. "Do you take issue with it?" He was well aware that none of the Elders had ever supported his decision to grant Axel the full rights and title of a prince. Even if the rumors about Axel's nature hadn't reached their remote territories, their disdain for his "impure" status was no secret.
"It is merely... surprising. You fought to have him recognized as a prince, allowing him to live in the palace as an equal to your true-born heir. To strip him of that so suddenly is... notable." Elder Zer pressed.
"Indeed," added Elder Trent of the Western wing. "Did he commit an offense worthy of such a public demotion?"
"You objected to his princely status, and now you question his lack of it," the King countered, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Do not trouble yourselves over Axel. Consider it a father disciplining his son, nothing more."
The Elders nodded, though skepticism lingered in their eyes.
"On to the Royal Conclave," said Elder Creed of the South. "It is this year. Have you set a date, Your Majesty?"
"I am considering the fifteenth of next month. Are we in agreement?"
Murmurs of assent traveled around the table. "The fifteenth it is."
"I must confess," Elder Zer interjected again, a distant look in his eyes. "I cannot shake a certain feeling about this year's gathering."
"What feeling?" Alpha Kaden asked, his interest piqued.
"A premonition that something momentous will occur. Something... different."
A heavy silence fell upon the room. It was broken by the Eastern Elder, who had been quiet until now. "Of course it will be different," he stated bluntly. "The King will finally reveal the contents of the scroll he has kept sealed for fifteen years. I, for one, am eager to learn what prophecy the Moon Goddess delivered concerning the princes that required such extreme secrecy."
Alpha Kaden's expression was unreadable. "Indeed. The fifteenth year has come. All will be revealed at the Conclave."
---
"Axel! Don't forget to muck out the stables next!"
"Axel, the Queen demands your presence for an errand!"
"Hey! Prince Darius wants to see you, now!"
Axel continued to fork hay into the stall, his movements steady and deliberate, ignoring the barrage of commands.
"Are you deaf?" snarled the guard who had delivered the last message, his patience worn thin by Axel's indifference.
Axel sighed, the sound weary but laced with steel. He turned slowly. "So, I am to clean the dung, run the Queen's errand, and then attend the Prince. I heard you. You are dismissed." He turned back to his work.
The guard, Ted, snarled and kicked the bucket near Axel's feet, sending its contents and a pile of freshly forked hay scattering across the floor.
The sharp click of Axel's tongue echoed in the sudden quiet. He dropped the spade, the clatter final, but did not turn.
"Listen, you little bastard," Ted spat, emboldened by the other guards now watching. "You might be the King's pet, but it's clear he's finally put you in your place. You're a guard now, so act like one. Show some respect to your superiors."
"Ted, leave him be," another guard cautioned, sensing the dangerous shift in the air.
"Leave him? If I leave him, he'll keep strutting around like the prince he's not! The King is finally treating him like the concubine's son he is. He needs to learn his rank!"
"Hey! I'm talking to you, boy!" Ted shouted when Axel remained motionless.
"You must have a powerful death wish," Axel said, his voice low and chilling as he finally turned to face his tormentor. The guard involuntarily swallowed under the intensity of that gaze.
"Wh-what did you say to me? I am your elder! How dare you speak to me like that!" he stuttered, his bravado cracking.
Axel burst into a short, humorless laugh. "How dare I?" he chuckled, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. Ted instinctively retreated.
"Stop right there! Do you realize you're wolfless, boy? I could tear you apart where you stand!" he blustered, expecting fear.
"By all means," Axel dared, his lips curling into a devilish smirk as he advanced. "Try. Tear me apart."
Ted took three frantic steps back, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Why are you trembling?" Axel sneered, his voice a silken threat. "I'm just a fifteen-year-old guard."
His hair shadowed one eye, but the other—a piercing, shade of gold, glinted with a predatory light that promised violence.
The guard's courage shattered. He turned and scurried away, his retreat as swift as it was undignified.
Axel watched him go, the smirk fading into a cold, dismissive hiss. "Fool."