Ursanthropy

A/n: Two chapters today, because Beladiyameera wanted a little more positivity, which is in the next one. It won't be much but progress is progress... 💛

Dennis

An hour and a half earlier:

Right, now that I have Maxwell out of this room, as he is being brought downstairs into a cell. I have to get all the other Alphas on my side, and should they not want to cooperate with me becoming the King, I’d have to use something rather rigorous. But I am far from withholding it, as I am determined to become King, right now.

I took a small box out of the left pocket of my pants and checked its content. The bag inside was still sealed, so there were still fifty pills to be accounted for. I had taken mine this morning already, just like all the warriors that are with me in this room.

“So, now that the bastard is out of the way, I wanted to address another thing as well.” I started to speak while pacing in front of all the Alphas.

I wasn’t fazed by all the men in here, because I’m the one that they should fear!

“As you all know, we haven’t been under the guidance of a King and Queen for decades already, and I’d like to inform you that I have found a perfect suitor to claim that throne again.” I continued.

“Have you found a female shifter?” One of the Alphas in the back asked me and I nodded my head, agreeing to that question. I never knew for sure that Doreen could shift, but as I had seen the barn all bloodied up, and the fact that she was the daughter of the hunter King, I knew that she must have been able to do so.

Questions of where this female is, or where I had found her, or even a little accusing questions as what I had done to her, came instantly out of the ignorant Alpha’s mouths. I raised my hand to silence them. “But, as it so happens, she turned out to be the daughter of the hunter King! The former Luna of this pack and thus also the traitor that nearly got my beloved pack murdered!” I yelled and plenty of disapproving roars were heard. “But she was not the one I was talking about.”

“You don’t think that you could get that title, right?” One of the Alphas boldly stated.

“Well, yes I do, actually.” I said with a security in my voice, at which half of the room started to laugh hysterically.

“Get me Maxwell’s Beta.” I linked one of my warriors at which he went outside the room, to fetch for him.

“I am the last remaining relative of the McCormack clan of bears, the first pack to have been eradicated from the earth by the hunter King, if you can remember it.” Thoughts of my family being massacred in front of me, roamed through my mind. But I kept thinking of the moment, right after this, where I would throw Damien in front of all of these people. For them to have their way with him, for all the pain that he must have caused others as well! It gave me a smile, knowing that he would be torn apart, skinned, bitten, broken and what not more.

“And it was my grand-uncle who was mated to the last princess we had, and thus I’m the only one that is suitable for taking the title of King. In fact, when I am King, the law where females rule the Kingdom, will be changed immediately.” I continued.

The Beta that was being dragged back into this room, growled and hissed, like a little kitten that was stuck in a trap. And for a moment I had to smile at the irony as he was actually trapped, chained and subdued by four of my warriors. Besides, he was about to undergo something rather devastating.

“If you’d please all calm down for a moment and watch my presentation, you might want to reconsider your awful lack of respect towards me!” I roared and the room became quiet. Good, finally I’m getting some attention.

I nodded to my warriors and they took the equipment that I had stalled in the corner of the room, to where the Beta stood. They strapped him tightly to a chair and put the airtight oxygen mask over his face, while another connected the tube to a gas filled cylinder.

In the meantime, the doors were being locked, quietly, while I kept the attention of all the Alphas focused on the Beta.

“The gas in the tank here, isn’t oxygen. It actually contains a gas that will make you less dangerous, in fact it will make you harmless.” I grinned at the confusion that was written on all those faces around me. I nodded to the warrior operating the gas tank, at which he turned the lever and a hissing sound from the gas that left the tank was heard immediately.

“Over the years, I have arranged for something to come up with, to make sure that any bad shifter could be disciplined according to their crimes. But I’m no cruel monster, I don’t want to kill just every single person that does something awful.” I said with a smirk.

The Beta in the chair started screaming and convulsing as the purple air that he was breathing, was probably burning around in his complete body. He tried to shift, to fight the sensation and he even managed to grow his fur. But as soon as his fur sprouted, it shrivelled and fell on the ground. His claws and tail that had come out, burst into sizzling fire and eventually fell off of him as well.

The Alphas and their Lunas or Betas started to gasp and scream at the horrific sight. They even wanted to leave this room but then noticed that the doors had been barred. “Oh, you are not going to leave just yet.” I smiled as one of my warriors pushed the people that were at the door, back into the room.

The warrior turned the lever of the tank of gas the other way, stopping it from pouring out, and unleashed the Beta from his restraints. The Beta then let himself drop on the floor and the nearest Luna came over to him, to check him out. “I, I... NOOO!” The Beta screamed.

“You son of a bitch, what did you do!?” The Luna yelled, as she held the Beta by his shoulders.

“I released him from his animal, he is human now.” I simply stated.

“What? Let us out, now!”, “You are crazy!”, “You will never become my King!” It echoed in the room with all these exclamations, but I didn’t care.

“There is only one way out and that way is blocked. And you see those air vents?” I asked as I pointed out to the grids on the wall, near the ceiling. “They are connected to more of these gas tanks. But not to worry, I have an antidote for it. But unfortunately, I only have enough for fifty people, and since we are here with at least the double of that, you all have to come up with a solution. Either everyone complies to me becoming the King and no one loses their animal, or no more than fifty people will prove their loyalty to me and gain some land and get the chance to enlarge their packs with taking over the others, as they would lose their right to it, as soon as they lose their animal.” I explained as my warriors shared voting cards to all the people in this room.

“You have thirty minutes to fill in the card and put it in the box right here.” I said as I looked to all of them.

Some began to cry; some tried to group up, to make alliances, as their greed consumed the idea of becoming an Alpha of a larger pack; and others just simply checked a square on the card without thought and put it in the box.

Two of those fast-choosing Alphas even nodded to me, letting me know that they were acknowledging my new title already, and I nodded back approvingly.

“Tick, tock, people.” I said after fifteen minutes.

“Oh, and don’t try anything funny. I told you that you couldn’t leave yet.” I pointed to a crying young man. “My people and me are already immune to the gas, so even if one person here tries something, I’ll use the gas on everybody!”

I took a seat at the chair close to the voting box, and every time a person came towards it, I looked at their faces. A wicked smile? Greedy bastard. An angry face? Disturbed by my actions. Crying? Cowards.

Eventually, every single card was in that box and I had let them be counted by my warriors.

“Oh wow, I had guessed for the majority to be fucking greedy people actually. But I guess more of you are more humane than I would have thought! Fine, I’ll use my gas for someone else then, don’t worry it won’t go to waste.” I blinked with one eye towards one of the Lunas. “I still have my former Alpha and Luna to take care off, oh and the hunter King in my office as well... oh wait he is human already!” I laughed out loud and people gasped at me mentioning that I have the hunter King in my possession.

People may think that I am stupid, not thinking carefully about what I am doing or saying, but I couldn’t prove them more wrong. I have spent years to come up with ideas for when this would finally happen, and I have spent of my money for my scientists to come up with this gas in the first place, so…

“Well, anyway, thank you all for voting for me to be your King. As of today, I reinstate all the former laws and will uphold them accordingly, with the exception of the female ruling of course. And the punishment for disobeying any of the laws will either be the same as those from the old days, or when the severity of the crime exceeds a certain level, the gas will be used. Is that clear?” I asked them all.

Besides the two Alphas who had already succumbed to my new role, the others nodded hesitantly, but I wanted a vocal agreement. “Sorry, can’t hear you!” I yelled.

“Yes, my King!” It echoed through the room, as it had been said in a cacophony of a dozen different languages.

I nodded for the two Alphas to come to the front, and made them sit next to me. “Thank you for your allegiance, right at the start. Can I expect you to follow my lead? To uphold the laws and help me to administer the right punishments and everything else that comes with it?” I asked them.

“I would love nothing more than that, my King. The world has grown soft, it was due time to get ourselves a new ruler!” The French Alpha replied and the one right next to him nodded agreeing as well.

I’m glad that I have at least two packs that join me in my new role as King. I needed the cooperation as otherwise I would have to deal with all of the packs that would cause problems, on my own. Not that they would dare to fight against me now, as they would otherwise lose their most prized possession, but once they were out of this room, they could do anything they wanted.

“Note, that the majority has chosen to accept me as their King, without any ‘casualties’, so no one has taken the antidote as a result of it. If any of the pack leaders present here, in this room, should decide to go against me when they have entered their own packs again, remember that I still have the gas in my possession.” I said, before a knock on the door was heard.

And after a little conversation with my warrior, I let Jack to be dragged inside.