The First King

After meeting Prew, Julius led the five human kings to the East, toward the Wild Haer pack. Though wolf packs were nomadic, they had a tendency to camp out in an area for a few weeks at a time. And Julius was very familiar with this particular group. His pack, the Winding Path pack, shared many of the same lands. He was also a mentor for the young Alpha, Konrad. After several days of travel, the group approached the pack, camping on the edge of Plaman Lake.

The five kings chose to wait on the edge of the camp, watching as Julius walked to the center. In the middle was a large communal fire, and a man standing nearby. He was tall, with long brown hair that was shaved on one side of his head. The man turned, looking straight at Julius with his bright blue eyes.

“Konrad!” Julius exclaimed as he shook his hand. “Good to see you again.”

“It is good to see you, too,” Konrad replied, looking over Julius’ shoulder. He could see five men standing beside horses. “Why did you bring humans to my camp?”

“Can we talk for a moment in your tent?” Julius questioned.

Konrad looked at him curiously, but he was trusting of this man. Julius had been there for him when he and his pack needed help for many years. He motioned with his head toward his tent. The two men entered the small shelter and sat on the blanketed floor.

“I heard that you went out west for some gathering,” Konrad stated as he smoothed out his hair. “Are those men from that meeting?”

“They are,” Julius nodded. “There were nine of us total: four Alphas and five kings. We decided to form a group called the Leader Council.”

“Sounds fancy,” Konrad replied sarcastically.

“I know you think it a joke, but we have actually made some crucial decisions. We all decided to combine our armies to push the witches back to their dark hole.”

“I’m surprised the humans were willing to work with us,” Konrad remarked as he perked up. “So what do they want in exchange?”

“Well, we decided that we would have an alpha and a human female controlling the combined armies together… as a mated pair,” Julius answered hesitantly.

“A mated pair?” Konrad repeated as he frowned. “A wolf choosing a human female as his chosen mate?”

"Yes,” Julius nodded.

“So you chose me?”

“I did not do it,” Julius replied with a quick shake of his head. “The human kings chose you. Gray, Sebastian, Leo, and I chose the girl.”

“Julius-”

“Hear me out,” Julius interrupted. “You were chosen for your qualities as a leader. You can work with humans, and you’re not egotistical like some can be. Plus, this shall be a great opportunity for you and your pack. You will be given a throne with your own kingdom. The girl we chose, her father, has no other children. So he offered his throne to the Alpha that was chosen.”

“And the girl was a smart choice,” he continued. “She is tall and very skilled in archery. The Alphas and I hunted with her. I tried to trip her up to see if being a little curt with words would make her cry, but she was rather feisty. I even tried to spook her horse, but she heard me coming from a fair distance, and now Rhys is missing a bit of his ear!”

Konrad huffed as he crossed his arms. He thought to himself, weighing his options. Julius had a point that it would be better for his pack. He would do anything to see his people fed and happy. But then there was his own personal vendetta against the witches. Konrad never backed away from a chance to kill those from the Coven of Stardust. He glanced at Julius, noticing the smile across the old man’s face.

"You can always say no," Julius added. "There are others the humans can choose from."

“Is she pretty?” Konrad finally questioned.

“She isn’t your average princess,” Julius admitted. “She isn’t rail thin, nor is her skin milky white. But I think she was attractive. She had black hair that was long and shiny. Her copper eyes sparkled when she glared at me. And when I tell you she is tall, I think she is nearly as tall as you are.”

“You said you went hunting with her? Did she make a kill?”

“She made four kills,” Julius nodded as he chuckled to himself. “Three pheasants and a deer that Sebastian was stalking. I’ve got to say, she surprised me. I thought her father had lied about what she could do. But, she proved her worth. She shall make a great Luna.”

“Do you think she would like me?"

"I think you will have a hard time taming the wild human," Julius joked. "But I believe she would like you. I doubt charm would work on her, so it is a good thing you have none. Just be yourself when you meet her and see where it goes?"

"Do I get to meet her before we mate?" Konrad questioned.

"In one week, the two of you shall meet near Linfell Lake. This is in her father's kingdom, but it is near the border. Now, why don't we go outside? The kings would like to speak with you. Prew's father is one of the kings: Porter. He is the tallest one."

Prew... Konrad repeated the word in his head as he stood to his feet. He liked the sound of it. Thinking about her caused a fluttering in his chest. Especially with how Julius described her. A wild human who needed taming. The thought of a strong mate, one who would be challenging, made him smile. If she were a frail princess, one who would break if you looked at her wrong, perhaps he would have declined. But, then again, he would never pass up a chance at fighting the witches from Thresnora.

"Gentlemen, this is Konrad. Alpha of the Wild Haer pack," Julius stated, pulling Konrad from his thoughts.

"Welcome to my humble camp," Konrad greeted with a slight head bow. He looked around at the men, his eyes instantly finding Porter. He stood nearly half a head taller than the others. Julius had said that Prew was tall, clearly she got it from her father.

"We were told you took over the pack at a young age," Porter said as he stared at Konrad. "Why is that?"

"My pack used to roam around the Lamburg Hills in the east," Konrad explained. "We were out there when the witches began to leave the confines of Thresnora. We were attacked, and my parents, along with several others, were captured. Their broken, dead bodies were returned to us a few days later. I was 17 at the time. Since wolves shift at 16, I was able to take the Alpha role, but honestly, I did not know if I could do it. After burning the bodies of our dead, I brought my pack to the west, which is when I met up with Julius. He helped me establish new hunting grounds and helped me to pick up the pieces."

“And you are currently mateless? At 25, is that common for wolves?” Another questioned.

“Sometimes,” he shrugged in response. “It depends greatly on the wolf. I have yet to come across my fated, but that is not a surprise with how packs are scattered across the lands.”

“But why wait to have a chosen mate?”

“It just isn’t a priority of mine. My main concern is for my pack and everyone in it. If I am not hunting for food, I am selling myself as a mercenary to get money to pay for necessities.”

“I hired you once to fight alongside my people last year,” a king, Jenson, added. “My men told me that you did not hesitate and were rather ruthless in your attacks.”

“It’s either that or I die, plain and simple,” Konrad replied nonchalantly.

Before another question could be asked, a wolf came sprinting up to them. It shifted into a young man, who collapsed to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Some of Konrad’s warriors came running up, circling around the stranger.

“Be still!” Konrad commanded as he knelt beside the boy. “Where are you from?”

“I… I am from… Silver… tail pack,” the young man panted as he tried to catch his breath. “An… hour north of here. Help!”

“Is it witches?” Konrad questioned.

The young man nodded his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. Konrad stood to his feet, mind linking to his warriors. The young wolf had run for an hour to find help. But there was a chance that it would be too late. The witches were quick with their attacks. He turned his attention back to Julius and the human kings.

“I am sorry, I need to go help,” he apologized. “Werelia Inttum.”

Konrad shifted, leading a group of his warriors to the north. Julius sighed as he helped the boy to his feet. The human kings stood behind him, watching as their chosen Alpha ran off into the distance, answering the call for help.

“Well, now you get to see firsthand the type of man Konrad is,” Julius stated, motioning for the humans to follow him into the camp.

“Very impressive,” Porter replied as the other kings nodded their heads.

Julius sat the young man down on a log around the central fire. An older woman came up, whispering to Julius. After a minute, she looked at the humans. Her lips were pursed as she thought to herself.

“Everyone, this is Ava, Konrad’s maternal grandmother,” Julius said as he ushered her closer to the group. “Any questions about the Alpha, you may ask her.”

“Wouldn’t she be biased?” One man asked.

“And why would you think that?” Ava questioned harshly as she stepped closer to the humans.

“Because you’re his-”

“Grandmother?” She interrupted. “Do you think blood will make me lie? Do you think it shall make me blind to mistakes?”

“It does for some.”

“Well, I am not that kind of Grandmother. So, if you have questions, ask them. Otherwise, your scent is stinking up the camp.”

“Spicy,” Porter remarked as he looked at Julius. Julius was hanging back, doing his best to hide his smile. “Alright then, Spicy Grandmother, what are things Konrad does that you don’t like?”

“He eats too little,” she answered, her voice a bit calmer than before. “He also gets tunnel vision when it comes to witches. Any chance he gets, he will fight them. Even if it means that he fights alone.”

“He told us what they did to his parents. We all understand the contempt that he carries,” one of the men replied.

“Contempt? No, it is pure rage that he holds in his heart. Don’t get me wrong, they murdered my daughter. I want every single one of them dead. But he doesn’t know when to stop. I fear that it will be his downfall.” Ava stated with a heavy sigh. “If it weren’t for this pack, for the warriors who fight alongside him, he probably would have died by now.”

“So, he can be reckless. But it sounds like his pack and those who fight for him are loyal to him,” one of the humans commented.

“Yes,” Ava nodded. “He has given up so much to ensure this pack has everything. He goes without food, sleep, anything if it means he can help someone. You can’t help but be loyal to a man as selfless as him.”

“I think we’ve heard enough,” Porter stated as he looked at Julius. “We are pleased with our choice. Will you let Konrad know about the meeting?”

“Already done.”

“Then we shall see you back in Guilford in a month for the wedding,” Porter replied as he nodded his head to Julius. “Stay safe.”