Alpha Kaden was on a visit to Redwood, a pack under his rule in the Eleandora territory. The Alpha of Redwood was his bosom friend and the only person the Grand Alpha deemed it fit to share his burdens with.
"It's been a while, Your Majesty," the Beta Alpha bowed, his cheeks crinkling.
"Indeed, it's been quite an age, Seth."
"How is your pack faring?"
"Very well, Your Majesty. You've been ruling the country well indeed," he added, and Alpha Kaden smiled.
"I've been trying my best. But problems are bound to rise one way or the other," he said, sighing. Alpha Seth's eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem, Your Majesty?"
"Hmm... none for now. But I feel the problems are only being postponed. I can feel it deeply," Alpha Kaden said meaningfully.
"You and your parables, Grand Alpha. If there's anything bothering you—"
"I know, I know, you're always here for me," he cut in, and the male nodded.
"Your Majesty, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," he added, and the Alpha's lips thinned. "And what's that?"
"When are you planning to reveal what the heavens told us about the princes?" the man said. Alpha Kaden threw his head back. Seeing the king's expression, Alpha Seth quickly cut in, "Have I said something wrong, Your Majesty?"
"No, not at all," Alpha Kaden sighed.
"I didn't just want to say much, Your Majesty, but your subjects have been talking. And this time, they're right."
"And what have they been saying?"
"That you're trying to cover up something grave," Alpha Seth said without mincing words.
"Maybe it's true," the Grand Alpha said. Alpha Seth moved closer to him.
"Really?"
"Yes," Alpha Kaden nodded without dissembling. Perhaps it was high time someone else shared his burden. It was high time he let someone know of his worries; maybe he would feel less weighed down. He had bottled it in for fifteen good years, and it was starting to crush him.
"Is it something you can share, Your Majesty? I'll give my honest opinion," Alpha Seth said sincerely. The Alpha looked at him directly.
"I've never for once doubted your loyalty, Seth, but I need to reaffirm it. Give me your word that whatever we say here remains between the two of us," the Alpha said seriously, and Alpha Seth nodded.
"I give you my word, Grand Alpha."
The Alpha took a deep breath before relaying everything to Seth: from the time he met Serena, to the pregnancy, to the death of the mother and the birth of the child.
Then, he told him of the message on the scroll and the words of the Seer.
A deafening silence fell between the two men. While one was trying to process all he had heard, the other was staring into thin air, hoping to find a solution that would not lead to bloodshed.
"This is huge," Alpha Seth breathed after several minutes. Who would have thought such a weight hung on the Grand Alpha's neck? A half-blood contending for the throne with a pure-blooded prince?
A child born as a punishment? A child whose true nature they weren't sure of?
"So, in essence, the heavens have named him as the true heir?" Alpha Seth said after another long pause. Alpha Kaden looked away.
That was it. That was the statement he had been trying to avoid. Those were the words he had been running from.
"Your Majesty, that's it, isn't it? The heavens said the owner of the crown was carved from the stars, not by bloodline—it's obvious what they are saying. The illegitimate child has been chosen over the son of the true Luna," Alpha Seth concluded in a low tone.
Now he understood the Alpha's fear. The country would never agree to it. It had never happened that a half-blood ruled the country. And this half-blood was born from an avoidable act of lust.
This... this was trouble.
"I don't know what to do, Seth. The moment I read that scroll fifteen years ago, the meaning was glaring. But I couldn't accept it. I just couldn't. What would become of the country if word got out that a product of a moment's weakness is chosen as its ruler? What would become of my reign?" Alpha Kaden face-palmed.
"I have never been so indecisive. There was no way I could face the council and read the message the scroll held. It was just... impossible. So, I buried it... but now, I'm still torn, Seth. How can a single night turn into something this monumental?"
"And the Seer's solution—"
"That is out of the question," Alpha Kaden cut in quickly. "There is no way. No possible way I will kill my own son. I cannot do it," he said adamantly, and Alpha Seth nodded.
"There are two choices laid out in front of you, Your Majesty. Two plain choices," he said, rearranging the pieces on the chessboard between them.
"It's either the King approaches the Queen, or the King runs from the Checkmate," he said, demonstrating his words by moving the chess pieces.
"I don't understand."
"Very well, I'll explain," he replied.
"Like I said, you have two choices. And you can only pick one. Whatever decision you make will determine the fate of your pack, and the country at large," he said, and Alpha Kaden nodded.
"The first option is to kill the child and end the war before it begins," he said, his eyes glued to the Alpha's. The air around them grew thick, their faces illuminated by the reflection of the orange fire burning in the hearth adjacent to them.
Alpha Seth paused, watching the Alpha's reaction, but his expression was unreadable.
He continued, "The second option, Your Majesty, is to let fate play out. Let destiny take its course. Announce him as the heir and brace for the storm of challenge that will follow."
"These are the two options you have. You wish to avoid a war of succession, and at the same time, you do not want to cut the child's destiny short. You will have to choose one, Your Majesty."
"What is your pick?" He added.