Chapter 396

396 Winds of Change

“Rana, I need some time to think?” the prince finally told his beta alpha after a moment of silence. Rana’s emotions were far too distracting for him to focus on what he wanted for himself.

The beta alpha wasn’t like he’d been before. Rana had expressed his opinion strongly when it came to how he should have treated Jane and had left his alpha feeling slightly guilty for his stupid actions.

Noticing the prince’s turmoil, the beta alpha bowed in respect and excused himself from the room. With the man gone and his door closed, the prince dropped into his bed, exhausted.

This short moment of relief was short-lived. An image of his sad mate materialised in his mind. Cirrus’s wolf wasn’t willing to stay quiet either.

‘Damn it. Why can’t I get that image out of my head?’ he cursed in his mind. When Cirrus left the town, he’d not thought much about his rejection, but his wolf didn’t agree with him. “Hey, Rana... about my usual escorts. I’m not sure I heard you right the first time.”

“Your usual escorts dismissed themselves, sir,” the man responded before he had asked.

'

“Find me one, Rana,” the prince ordered out of desperation. Rana’s response didn’t come through from the other side, but he was sure the beta alpha would begin his search even if it was futile. It was just how their connection worked.

Thinking through his illogical orders, he asked in a calmer, more sombre tone, “You’re sure they’ve all left.”

“Yes, sire. After the news from the king a few days ago, most of them changed their opinions of the royals and tried to chase after the power they wielded. They were of the opinion that none of them would ever be able to compare to the royal’s true mate in the end. It would all be for nothing to have some random female come in a swoop the alpha off his feet without even breaking a sweat.

.....

King Hamedale has already shown his distaste for the women that hung around him. After issuing these orders, he showed that he was even more irritated by their presence, so they all... quit,” Rana explained once more with a hint of hope in his voice. Hope, that the prince would come to terms with what was going on.

Cirrus sighed and sank deeper into soft covers, “Don’t bother searching then,” he relinquished his orders.

His mind, once more brought forth the image of the woman that had rejected him a few days ago. He’d not even noticed before, but his wolf projected her body with staggering clarity and detail.

Her features were every bit attractive as her strong personality from the little he’d gathered from their brief encounter. ‘She rejected a royal when others would be trying to do otherwise... Ugh, screw it,” the prince cursed, getting up from beneath the covers, his eyes burning with the fire from his new goal, ‘I’ll find her... and probably make her pay for causing a royal so much trouble.’

To his surprise, when his thoughts completely stopped humming on about the goddess’s revenge, his strength returned to him completely and when he remembered, it was cut in half yet again, somewhat like an encouragement for him to go looking for the woman.

“We leave soon, Rana. Get ready.”

“Yes, your highness,” the alpha responded, his voice regaining its formal tone. ‘I can feel you smirking through the mind link, Rana.’

‘I do not know what you mean, sire,’ Rana replied.

Cirrus paused in his advance to the walk-in closet. Rana’s voice had gone up a few octaves. He was definitely smirking, wasn’t he?

Shaking off the thoughts, he changed into clothes suitable for travel and donned a pair of leather boots before making his way for the kitchens.

The kitchens were busier than usual in preparation for the guests they’d received, so he asked they carry on with their duties and serve him discreetly and without breaking their workflow.

While he ate at the table he’d been provided, he couldn’t help but tune into the conversation of the wolves in the kitchen, “Do you think they will agree to the king’s conditions? Do you really think werewolves and humans could ever be at peace?” went the first wolf he heard.

To this, he scoffed almost silently, wondering what foolishness could make them assume something like that. After all the carnage that his platoon had reaped through the humans, he was sure that would be an impossibility.

“I hope so. You know I have a human family out in the Sirius empire. Ever since I was bitten, we haven’t spoken. I would hate to lose the opportunity to reconnect with them,” another replied, turning the pieces of seasoned venison he had boiling in a hot pot.

“Wow, seriously. I have a sister in a remote town. She’s the prettiest thing you could have ever imagined. I got bitten while I was out hunting and led the rogues away from the town. I’ve never seen her ever since and have never even risked a visit for her safety,” another woman replied. The other members of the kitchen staff offered their sympathies to the two wolves before moving on to speak of their different hopes for the future.

Cirrus stared at the wolves working in the kitchen. He didn’t know whether to be disgusted by them or angry... ‘Insolent... The nerve...’ Instead, he finished his meal and marched out of the room with his fists clenched, ‘Wimps, all of them. They only care for themselves. They should have given their lives for the cause...’

His destination had now changed, shifting away from the village he was supposed to be looking for and his energy diminished significantly as he changed course and made for the throne room.

Without knocking, the prince pushed the large double doors open, ignoring the warnings of the men at the entrance. The king was in the middle of his speech when he saw his older brother standing at the entrance of the throne room, “Now there is a face I didn’t think I’d be seeing. Are you feeling better brother?”

“Yes, I’m feeling a lot better, thank you,” Cirrus replied with a practised smile. The pretentious prince walked up to the king and took a position beside him, pushing his beta alpha further away from the king, “Apologies for the tardiness. I wasn’t exactly here on time.”

“It’s been a while, Cirrus,” an angelic voice resonated through the room, capturing the prince’s attention and withering away at the frustration that had been building within him. The voice belonged to the only other royal with a higher status than his own. The Queen of Sirius. Jeanie was clad in a beautiful white dress that went well with her snow-white hair. Her sapphire eyes were as sharp as ever as though they could see into the depths of the prince’s soul.

Despite her intimidating appearance, Cirrus wasn’t fooled. Jeanie was the kindest being he’d ever been graced to meet. A sentiment that was rarely ever awarded to a royal werewolf.

“Queen Jeanie, I see you’re looking fair as always. It’s a pleasure to see you doing well,” he said with a slight bow.

“Yes, Cirrus, I am well. Although I wouldn’t say the same about you. Are you sure you’re doing alright?” the Queen asked him.

“I am. I just thought I wouldn’t want to miss such a pivotal moment in our history,” the man responded, regaining his quiet composure. He stood by the king like a statue while the hunters spoke with the two royals. They drafted terms for a peace treaty between them and the humans and began to pick out new roles for the hunters.

As they spoke, Cirrus noticed a few things that were peculiar to him. The hunters no longer laid their hands to rest on the pommels of their weapons. They didn’t flinch when the king or any other wolf for that matter made a sudden movement.

Not to mention, the wolves didn’t show any signs of this kind of reaction either. What he noticed later tore at his heartstrings even more. The hunters and wolves had abandoned any semblance of order of sitting at the large table. They had all mixed with each other.

Generals of the king’s War Council were seated with notorious hunters known for slaying some of the most decent werewolves in their history. They shared drinks that were brought to them and talked as though they were old friends. The last hints of fear towards the hunters still existed, but only as mere scars to an old darker time.

The world was really changing. The hunters were accepting of this new peace treaty. If there was anyone in this room that wasn’t fine with what was happening, it was Cirrus. ‘This is wrong...’ he thought to himself, but his thoughts... like his voice, held no power to the thundering winds of change.