TAKING THE DEMON'S MATE

Agnor, Sutcliffe, Beaumont, Ajax, Loughty, Braddock. These were the households ruling the six great kingdoms in Slora. Headed by some of the most muscular werewolves to walk the land, the clans lived in harmony, feared and revered by all.

When famine and a mysterious disease break out, everyone- be it a beastman, a unique or an ordinary person, is at risk of being taken by the icy hands of death.

The Braddocks, regarded as the weakest amongst the six great packs, rose above all and sailed through the crisis like it never took place. However, that success brought about unsavoury suspicions. Rumours about their leader using dark magic to grow his kingdom diffused into the air until it no longer became hearsay.

At the tiniest hint of proof, all but the house of Loughty schemed and attacked a family, accusing them of causing the deadly plague. Caeser Braddock stood his ground, but his wife did not survive the ordeal, leaving behind an eight-year-old yet to present.

Heartbroken, the widower exiles his only child to keep him safe until he is old enough to protect himself and the whole of Ingram.

Failure to subdue Ingram gave the other kingdoms sleepless nights. Everyone feared a retaliation may come when they least expected it. The impending darkness subsided over the years, but it was never forgotten.

Ten Years After...

Candor

It was another day to break the bounds and run around with a helpless servant on his tail.

Clear skies with thin clouds, a cooling climate, rustling noise of leaves giving in to the wind. Arlen soaked it all in. It was another form of meditation and a gentle reminder that he was an ordinary seventeen-year-old. Neither 'alpha' nor 'omega'.

"Master Arlen, watch out for that tree." A servant exclaimed. "The river does not have legs to run off, so SLOW down!" He adds, gasping for air as he chases after the young Master.

"Come on, it's more fun to embrace the excitement of a forbidden dip in the river- this way." Arlen swerves the said tree and goes left.

"The Madam will kill both of us if you return with a scratch." The servant's voice ramps like waves as he goes down a slope.

"Forget my Aunt; she'll never know if you don't freak out like the other day." Arlen set eyes on the river.

"You returned with a limp! I told you that tree was too high up. Sometimes I think you're just trying to die!"

"Pffft! Don't be silly. Here, catch these." Arlen removes his pants and flings them in the air.

"What! Don't go in naked; the water must be freezing. Prince Arlen!" Julius keeps his hands in the air to catch every garment as he calls out a name he is not allowed to say outside the castle walls.

"Stop whining. It's just water." Arlen jumped in from a huge rock along the riverbank. "Ohhh shit, it's cold." He cussed.

His servant found an excellent spot to sit and watch the young man act like a child. After swimming in various directions and techniques, Arlen can no longer take the silence. "Jules, get in the water." His hands slap at the surface childishly, resulting in a splash.

"Nope, staying here...and catch some fish while you're in there," Julius said. Folding his Master's clothes, he scoffs and mutters, "With your thing dangling in their view, the fish will probably think it's bait. I hope they succeed in biting it this time around."

"You know I can hear you loud and clear, right?" Arlen startled his friend with a surprise close-up.

"No! I don't know what you're talking about. Hurry and let's go back," Julius rants with his nose in the air.

Arlen always believed he had a lot in common with his aid. Abandoned by his father because he was a beta, Julius was taken in by Arlen's uncle.

Of all the servants that ever got to wait on the young Master, Julius survived his robust and cunning nature.

Truth is, Arlen took a liking to the young man. He drew Julius close and treated him as an equal. After all, if he were an alpha like his parents, he should have presented by now.

For someone who was a year older than Arlen, Julius was sensitive yet easy-going.

"If you're going to talk about my prick, why don't you strip and show me what you got? I know I'm bigger," Arlen scoffed.

"Whatever, Arlen, just get back in the water."

"Huh, why are you ignoring me? You usually love a challenge." The Master tilted his head.

"I'm hungry; snatch some fish. And stop swinging that thing in my direction." Julius shooed him away.

"Pffft! Sheesh, so prickly." Arlen shook his head as he returned to the river, shivering from the cold air blowing over his pale skin...

The day goes by faster with those two together, yet they don't take note of the time. After having more than enough adventures, they make it back home.

"The coast is clear," Julius hums. Arlen quickly runs past the second danger zone- his cousin, Rufus Loughty's quarters.

Knowing the youth's stubbornness, the Loughtys put guards everywhere to lock him in. At that, the rule-breakers never use the gates.

Given that Julius was shorter than his Master, the latter always gave him a boost over the wall before climbing up.

Julius: "I'm in. Um...Master Arlen."

Arlen: "Hold on for a second; I'll be right over."

"Master Arlennnnn," Julius stressed.

"Yes, my dependable Jules." Arlen puts on a flirty voice when he finds the right footing.

A dilemma hits as soon as he sees what's on the other side of the wall; should he return to where he ran off to or surrender to his cousin, who was glaring at him?

"Are you coming down from that wall, or must I get you myself?" Rufus folded his arms with a frown on his sharp face.

"Ahh...haha. Cousin, I was...I was just coming from your quarters." Arlen could not perfect the laugh as his cousin's face got darker.

A few moments later...

"Ah! Huff! Brother, this is too much." Arlen blinked nonstop when beads of sweat invaded his eyes.

"Shut up and squat properly! Always know to call me brother when you get in trouble. Keep your arms straight ahead of you... Arlen, you better not spill a single drop of water." Rufus flips a book page on the table.

Born a dominant alpha and the only son of the Loughtys, Rufus had to always appear tough. Although his father often gave him a hard time, he was considered the youngest until Arlen arrived.

It took time to get used to Arlen, but once he did, the alpha could not control his urge to protect the new baby of the house.

Julius shrugs when he notices Arlen spying on him from the corner of his eye. Although the servant is responsible for his Master, he hardly receives a harsher punishment. Julius often got exempted. While Arlen had to balance a water bowl on his head as he squats, Julius was only told to hold another water bowl.

"I told you not to go swimming," Julius whispered. Unfortunately, that came out louder than he thought. "You went swimming?! Lift your heels higher!" Rufus slammed the table.

"No, no, brother, I didn't go swimming!" Arlen scrunched his face, ready to cry.

Alphas were terrifying when angry or in distress. Restraining himself from yelling, Rufus walks to the window to cool off.

"Brother... Argh!... Brother." Arlen's body wobbled as sleep-inducing air repeatedly blew over his eyes, and his mind immediately thought of his bed. It made him realise how worn out he was.

"Ahh!" Arlen experienced a hard fall on his glutes. The small basin on his head judiciously goes down with him, drenching him and the floor with water.

"Julius, give him your bowl of water and clean this mess... And you!" The alpha turned his gaze to a sulking young Master. "I told you not to spill a drop. Get up and resume squatting before I break those legs!" Rufus buries his head in the book before being swayed by an innocent face. There, in the young man's room, he ensured the punishment was carried out.

"Arlen." Ari's voice echoes through the room until her figure comes into view. Setting the basket on the table, she approaches the person lying on his belly, stripped of his upper garment. Julius placed another hot towel on Arlen's back and stepped aside.

Ari was the elder of the Loughty siblings. Her calm and loving nature was compared to no other. As an omega, Ari loved caring for the people around her, especially Arlen. She was his biggest weapon against Rufus.

"Sister." Arlen conjures an ugly cry when Ari feels his forehead.

"Arlen, you shouldn't have snuck out...and swimming? You could have gotten hurt," she said. Ari removes the towel and dips it back into warm water. After a couple of squeezes, she lays it on Arlen's waistline.

"Auch! Rufus punished me for nearly two hours," Arlen said.

"Rufus does so because he cares. You should have seen how distraught he was when he discovered you were not home."

"Hmph!" Arlen grunts. It's not that he was oblivious; he was only playing difficult.

"We understand how hard it is to be locked up, but you can't run off like that," Ari said. Arlen turned his head away, not ready to listen.

"Hmm, I know just what will cheer you up." Ari nods to Jules, and he goes for the basket.

"Soup!" the young Master sits up with speed. His nose had long picked up the mouth-watering aroma from the woven basket.

"Huh? Didn't Rufus say you couldn't sit up?" Ari was astonished. She thought the boy was dying because her brother described the situation remorsefully.

"Haha, your food does wonders, Ari. Just a sniff and my bones are healed." Arlen sprung from the bed to flaunt his slender muscles. The lady laughs heartily with the servant, but Arlen's ears quickly catch another person's footsteps.

"Aah! My back hurts." He sits down in the twinkle of an eye and resumes faking it. Ari gapes at the lad, unaware that Rufus has walked in.

"Who asked you to sit up? Lie back down!" The alpha barked, increasing his pace to help Arlen.

"But how will I eat my sister's delicious food, specially made for me?" Arlen mewled.

Rufus took a step back, feeling horrible for Arlen's condition. Why did he not heal up quickly like usual? "Fine, eat first. If you had listened to simple instructions, I wouldn't need to punish you," said Rufus.

Arlen lowered the spoon and guilt-trips his cousin with sad puppy eyes.

"*Sigh* If you stop moping, I'll take you out of the estate for a day," Rufus said. Arlen's sobs died down at once. "We can do whatever you want if it does not involve climbing trees or using spirit energy. But there is a catch." Rufus lifts a finger with his brows knitted, waiting for Arlen's silly smile to disappear.

"Father will be hosting guests from another pack. You know the routine: you are not to step out of your quarters or play your shenanigans until they leave," the alpha said.

"Okay, I will behave," Arlen assured him with a forgiving grin.

"Arlen, eat before the soup goes cold." Ari hands him a bowl full before scooping some for Julius. Ari didn't mind feeding the youngster. However, Arlen often got picked on by Rufus for acting like a six-year-old. In the meantime, they were content that the young man was no longer upset.

****

Arlen stayed put on the first day the guests arrived. He locked himself up in one of the towers and focused on studying, eating and sleeping. On the second day, he went around his quarters just a short distance from the main house, searching for bugs and insects to play with. On the fourth day, Julius was convinced his favourite Master could lose it. Arlen was already biting his nails and dropping objects intentionally. "How long will this torture end? Why haven't Ari or Rufus come to see me?" He slouched in a chair, chewing on his pencil.

"Probably for a week or two. If you're that bored you could try drawing. You owe me a new portrait," Jules said, sighing as he dusted the tables and artefacts in the bedroom for the fifteenth time.

"You look as bored as I am; it won't come out nicely. Oh, I'll draw the courtyard on the east wing."

"But you already have a painting of the courtyard." Julius rolled his eyes. He dropped the duster and lay flat on the ground.

"Then let's go to the training grounds...or...we could go closer to the main hall, see the kind of guests Uncle Claude has," Arlen said, growing a cunning smile on his dimpled cheeks.

"Here we go again." Jules rolled onto his face. It was ideas like these that often got them into trouble.

"It's simple; all I have to do is wear your clothes and look like one of the servants. Come on, Jules, I'm pleading here. We won't go over the top." Arlen went on his knees. It takes a little push to get his every whim granted by the servant he dubbed his best friend.

"Fine, I'll get you something long enough to wear." The servant palms the floor and attempts a push-up, but he drops when his muscles give up...

The transformation from Master to servant did not take long. Jules remakes Arlen's hair and sprinkles water on his face to exaggerate the tired part. They pick up supplies and sneak out through another secret location.

"Jules, I change my mind; let's go to the kitchen. There are lots of beautiful omegas loitering about." Arlen was instead looking out for his tummy. His button nose was made to smell delicious food from miles away.

"For someone who embraces the life of a beta, I think that is a terrible idea. What if you get spotted?" Julius tugged the other's hand in a different direction.

"Okay, let's stick to the plan and find an interesting subject," Arlen said.

Fortunately for them, the guests were not many. Lunch was set up in an enclosed garden opposite the hall. The Madam went out of her way to provide entertainment. All the duo had to do was climb a wall relatively short compared to the heights they were used to.

Spying on the strangers below, Arlen was somewhat disappointed. ' Cousin Rufus forgot about me because of these boring old men in navy-coloured suits?' A slight frown appeared on his face. "Let's leave." Arlen hopped down before the servant could process his displeasure. "What happened back there?" Julius asked as they walked by the wall.

The former smirked and shot his head up. "I just had a change of mind. Why don't we hit the cellar for some bottles of... someone's coming, hide!" Arlen's senses kick in. Grabbing his companion, they sneak behind a hedge and wait.

Two tall men wearing navy uniforms with silver crests on the left side of their chests came strolling down the grey brick road in seconds. Arlen and Julius could barely look away from those intimidating strides.

Aside from the difference in the colour of their hair and the slight change in height, they were evidently related as they shared similar features.

Julius was too distracted to notice the steepness in his Master's breath or the shiny look in his eyes.

"These are the infamous Beaumont brothers, I'm sure of this," Jules said undertone, being careful with his utterances. They were not only alphas but deadly wolves with very keen senses. One slip-up and they could get discovered.

"You know who they are?" Arlen said. He clings to the greens blocking his view, lifting his head higher as he peeps. Julius pressed Arlen's stubborn head down slowly." The man on the left is Axel Beaumont."

"Damaris?" Arlen's lips part slowly as his gaze follows the man next to Axel

"Mhm...Beside him is his elder brother, Luca Beaumont- popularly known as the widower of Beaumont Castle."

"Pfft, why that?" Arlen said.

"I don't know, something about him never smiling, but he will be the future ruler of Damaris." Julius shrugged.

"I see." Arlen's lips curved with a gentleness Julius was yet to know existed. "What's with that look?" He inquired. Julius swayed his hand over the other's face when no reply came.

"Luca...Beaumont." Arlen mumbles to himself, fascinated.

Luca Beamount suddenly halts. He turns to the emptiness behind him, peering around for something. The voice that just whispered in his ear was too definitive to call a trick of the mind.

Axel: "Luca, is there a problem?"

"No. Let's go," Luca said after asserting there was nobody there. Gracefully, he retreats to his original route and continues to the garden, where the elders had assembled.

"That was close!" Julius fell beside his master. Stealing two bottles of wine from the cellar was the easy part. Nearly bumping into Rufus was their reason for running.

" How come you're not out of breath?" Jules consoled his heaving chest with deep gusts.

" I am a Braddock; I never get tired," Arlen smirked. His profound boasting nearly earned him a knock on the head. This was his doing.

"Whatever, let me quench my thirst. Here, have this." Julius drowns that urge with mercy. He handed the first bottle to Arlen and rushed the second down his throat.

Arlen wiped the excess booze trickling down the corner of his mouth. A silent grin perched on his face when he tried to determine why that alpha looked so stiff. 'Luca Beaumont, I bet you would look scarier with a smile on that face. Who else can survive such a miracle if not me?' He sent the bottle to his lips, keeping to his thoughts.

***

Claude Loughty was a quiet man, kind and understanding. Many say his lack of a strong personality matched his wife's fierceness. Having guests were expected. The distinction was that Theoden Beaumont rarely asked for assistance or dug for knowledge outside his territory. Not only did he visit with his sons, but his sister, Roxanne, also made an exciting appearance.

Roxanne was not just an alpha with a title; she was the brain behind Damaris' fast-growing economy.

Rufus was okay with having Theoden or his second son around. It was the other two he could not stand. To him, the variety between them was the elder bearing a sharp tongue and a different organ between her legs.

"Traces of the plague has reared its head in the remote areas of Tremainia and Cloverdane. A few have been sighted in Damaris, but nothing cannot be handled. I do, however, have a recurring issue about sirens in one of our fishing communities," Theoden said.

Claude: "Yes, I know the young masters are here to learn how to deal with them effectively. My son will see to that. He is the best in that field."

Theoden: "Thank you, old friend."

Roxanne: "My brother says this is another plague effect, but I disagree. This is a vivid sign that Caeser is on the move. Instead of pruning the overgrowth, why not uproot the tree? The world would be a lot safer with his demise."

"With all due respect Madam Roxanne, there is no solid evidence that Caeser Braddock is responsible for this," Rufus interrupted. His eyes locked on a cup of tea deters him from glaring rudely.

Roxanne: "Well, do you know of any other beastman that could control darkness?"

Rufus: "There are imitators out there trying to learn the arts. If this was his handiwork, wouldn't he do worse than deploying a few puppets?"

"Does Master Rufus defend the enemy? Has your father not told you of the day the packs invaded Ingram and what horrid things we saw?" There was a disapproving pitch in Roxanne's tone. That did not shake Rufus out of his opinion. "I know my father stood with you and the others to save us," Rufus stressed. " However, I find it disturbing that we celebrate the massacre of women and children like an honourable achievement." He stunned those present with his bold remarks.

"It seems you have forgotten about the innocent ones who died because an alpha wished to become more powerful," Luca chipped in, his poker face fixed on his age mate.

Rufus tilted his head, holding a growl when he said, "If King Caeser was that powerful, why couldn't he stop your father from murdering his wife, burning down half of his kingdom and constantly slandering his name?"

"Rufus, enough! This is no way to talk about your elders." Claude said. He knew the passion and hate that scorched his son's pride each time he heard such tales. More so because they knew the Braddocks had been wrongfully accused and misjudged.

"My apologies; I did not intend to overstep my bounds with unreasonable opinions." Rufus lowered his head, cutting short the argument.

Theoden: "It's fine. We are entitled to have thoughts, but we must not forget the truth. Claude, let us not ruin the day with bad memories. Roxanne and I will be meeting Prescott on our way back. I trust that my sons are welcome in your abode."

"Always," Claude answered with a grin.

**

The quest to make a stranger smile leads Arlen down a destructive path, and he drags Julius down with him. As usual, the servant refused to be his accomplice, but heaven knows how fickle his resistance was. They had no idea which room belonged to whom when they snooped around the guests' rooms at the main house, but Arlen guessed with Julius as his lookout.

The first thing his eyes landed on was one of those uniforms he saw on the Beaumont brothers. For some reason, Arlen thought he would sniff it to see if his nose could capture a bodily scent. He smothers the jacket, rubbing his face like a curious cat. He would have made out the man's scent with little effort if he had been an omega or an alpha.

Arlen stops when his eyes flash over a stack of books in the bedside drawer. He drops the uniform on the round table in the sitting area and ventures beyond. Arlen flips through a few, then grabs another when he gets bored.

He then turned his attention to the giant bed fit for two. Grazing the sheets with his fingers, the young man resists lying down. Suddenly something which sparkled against the sunlight boring through the window caught his eye...

*

Arlen stares at his souvenir on the way back, rubbing the silver crest between his fingers.

" You should not have taken that," Julius pointed out.

"I needed it," Arlen said.

"For what?" Julius stood in the other's path. "Master Arlen, I know that alpha is handsome, but you cannot fancy him."

"It's not what you think. I'm just having fun." Arlen smiled sheepishly.

"Axel is not the problem here; you're the future of Ingram and..."

"Axel?" Arlen raised a brow.

"No...no way. Do not tell me you're like this because of the ice-cold Luca!" Julius raises a fist with eyes that could fall out of their sockets.

"Relax, I just..."

"Luca Beaumont does not have a love interest, and I doubt he ever will!" Julius stressed.

"Oww, is that so?"

"Wipe that smile off your face. You'll be an alpha someday; you can't love another male- alpha!" The servant massages his temple, feeling perplexed.

"Jules, stop talking about what I know nothing of. And for the record, my mother always wanted an omega." Arlen snickered.

"Your mother was an alpha!" Julius shook the featherweight vigorously before finding his breath. "Please, Arlen, let this be the last time we speak of the Beaumont brothers. Whatever infatuation you have, kill it before it's too late," he advised.

Love was a phenomenon that never came to Arlen, not even in his dreams. He did not think he had any infatuation with Luca Beaumont either, but at that hour, he began to wonder what was written in the stars for him. Would he fall flat on his face in love with someone with a soul? And if that happened, would he be accepted for who he was?

Dwelling on that thought dampened Arlen's spirit. No one could lie with an omen like him. He wanted to believe in love, that it could free him of his bondage and even change his name. But it can't.