The Alpha Kings' Last Healer

Queen Penelope who was expecting a child, was on her way to visit an old fortune teller outside Odyssey. She went along with King Kenneth, her husband who hadn't left her side since he was told about their forthcoming child.

"Would it hurt?" Queen Penelope asked, searching the eyes of her beloved for reassurance and security. She wanted to know if the fortune teller would have to do something to her in order to tell her future as she had never visited them in the past.

"No, my love." He responded, "but I would have loved it if you went to your sisters, they have been white witches for decades and must have mustered different dimensions to use their powers." He explained, his stomach rumbled so loud it was audible to her ears and even when he wanted to pretend that he was okay by walking fast ahead of her, she already knew.

"You're hungry." She stated in a firm voice, pulling him by the hand and dragging him back so that he was towering over her. He was huge, well built and strong, a huge contrast from her small form.

"I'm fine," he breathed deeply, "I can wait a few weeks until our child is here," he whispered but she wasn't going to take any of it. He needed to feed and that was all that mattered to her.

"Feed," she ordered, stretching out her hand in front of her while pulling up part of the coat that covered her wrist.

He stared longingly at her wrist, the rush of blood through her veins got even more audible tto his ears. Yet he fought every urge to lick and pierce his fangs into her wrist as he has always done. He couldn't do it, he didn't want to as he feared that he might hurt their child.

Subconsciously, he held her hand and was beginning to lean in but realizing what he was about to do, he threw her hands off, "No! Penelope." He yelled, looking away from her and panting heavily.

"I insist." She said in a plea, holding his hand firmly with her other hand and he shook her head.

"No, you need your strength and enough blood for our child to be healthy and for you as well." He pleaded as he was beginning to lose the self-control he had displayed earlier. He was terribly hungry and if she pressed on a little further, he just might give in.

She pulled her wrist even further to his lips and his fangs were beginning to peep out of his mouth. She brushed her wrist forcefully over his fang and caused a tear.

The strong metallic scent hit his nose and he quickly turned around to see her staring at her wrist in fear, crimson red fluid gushed out of her wrist and although he was confused as to how she got hurt, his eyes were beginning to glitch. They dilated turning red and his upper canines began to peep out his mouth, sharp and hard.

"You. Did. Not," he said in a raspy voice, taking fast steps away from her yet she drew closer. "I can't," he said as he fought his eyes to remain normal, "I can't, Ugh!!!" He shouted, jerking back and forth, shivering as a result of his resistance. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead when he suddenly stopped and turned around to face her with bright red eyes, large dark veins had formed on the side of his face but she wasn't scared, rather, she stared in awe holding up her bleeding wrist so he could have his full.

Going down on his knees so that he was at a convenient height with her, he flipped his tongue over her bleeding wrist, and licking the oozing blood, he pierced his fang into her wrist. For some reason, her blood seemed to be a lot tastier than it had been the last months but he was too hungry to think about it.

She brushed his jet black hair when she felt a tingling sensation shoot through her veins, it made her excited, ecstatic and he knew it but he had to be careful in order not to suck her dry.

He had been able to take in a good ratio when he raised his eyes to admire her face when he noticed they had gone pale, reality dawned on him and his eyes went back to hazel green as he quickly detached his fang from her wrist.

He got on his foot with so much speed and held unto her before she collapsed to the ground, "Penelope," he sighed as he stared at her slowly healing wrist which was covered by a dim white fog unlike the bright ones when she had her strength, she was weak and it was his fault.

"Are you satisfied, Papa Bear ?" She asked in a weak voice, smiling at him as he carried her bridal style.

"I'm a vampire, sweetheart, not a wolf." He corrected her, "You shouldn't play such games on me, especially with blood." He whispered in a soft voice before speeding up his movement which was more like appearing at distant locations in a few seconds. And soon, they arrived at the home of the fortune teller.

_

"And then would it happen again, for centuries and centuries to come about the war between the twins. As had the century before you and two centuries before that one," the fortune tellers stated as she held Queen Penelope's hands up to her face as if she was reading them.

"Twins?" He asked and the fortune teller nodded, "A war? We just restored unity to Odyssey. Why would any twin want to destroy it?" He asked but the woman shut her eyes instantly.

"Your story would be rewritten by different people at different times until your successor's healer has been born."

"Your words are so unclear, am I having a prince or a princess?" King Kenneth asked, holding his beloved closely to his side as she was gradually regaining her strength.

"Princesses! one would be of your kind and the other," the fortune teller paused and her face creased with worry, "Did you feed on her?"

King Kenneth's face looked as though he was going to laugh, "How could I possibly feed on an unborn child?"

"No, I mean the Queen?" She corrected and he stiffened.

"Is there going to be a problem with our kids, we're having twins, right?" Queen Penelope asked and the woman gave her a sad smile.

"Please tell us," King Kenneth requested.

"There's not going to be any problem if you keep her away from harm until her time is right, away from harm even from her own blood." The woman stated, "She is different and you fed directly from her source," she explained further, staring directly at King Kenneth.

Suddenly, the woman got on her feet and her eyes rolled up to her head, leaving only the clear part which began to glitter, and so did white fog form in her mouth, and from it came a strange voice, so loud and hard but it spoke with an ancient way, "She would need time but you must know that the fall and rise of Odyssey lies in the hands of your children," Queen Penelope gasped as she felt a movement in her stomach,

She was scared and brought King Kenneth's hand to it, Yet the voice continued, "and there is little or nothing you can do about it but you must be careful who you entrust your throne to. The time is nigh and so is her time, you would fall willingly for her to rise and so would the Kingdom of Odyssey!!!"

Henrietta

"Odyssey must be the most beautiful, strong and wealthiest kingdom else, why would everyone from far and wide want to settle here? especially when their own respective clans are quite specific for them." I asked the royal tutor, Sir Bernard who home schooled my twin sister, Gwendolyn and I. He was one of the oldest alphas in his clan who according to our father, King Kenneth is the reason our realm has so much balance to hold different energy and creatures.

"Pfft, they all have ulterior motives," I heard Gwendolyn say, placing one leg over the other as she threw her head backwards.

"Hmmm," Sir Bernard sighed, staring from me to Gwendolyn who didn't look like she cared about what he was going to say, as a matter of fact, she didn't.

"Ulterior motives?" I asked in confusion at her outrageous reply and she shrugged.

"Yes, ulterior motives," she repeated, with as much boldness as she could fathom. Gwendolyn has always been very smart, strong and courageous, yet extremely tricky. "Can't you see it?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, I can't. All I see are people of goodwill who all they want is happiness, praying for our father and the kingdom." I retorted, my voice a lot higher than I would have wanted it to be while staring at her straight in the face while a side of her lips twitched upward.

"That's bec..." she began, while dropping her leg and making to leave her seat.

"Silence," Sir Bernard ordered, cutting her off and stopping her from getting to me. We both turned our attention back to him, yet the tension in the remain only grew stronger. I knew Gwendolyn so well and since Sir Bernard didn't give her a chance to give me a befitting reply, the conversation was not over.

"Odyssey holds a lot of people, Vampires," he began and I think I saw Gwendolyn smile in pride, "Werewolves, witches and of course," Sir Bernard paused, turning his attention to me and with a smile he said, "Humans," which was the category I belonged because unlike my sister who was already actively displaying her fangs since childhood, up until my eighteenth birthday, I haven't been able to produce any element of the special categories, so certainly, I was human yet born of a Vampire and a White witch.

"Humans," Gwendolyn repeated with a sinister laughter, "they are merely surviving on father's pity, else they would have gone extinct." She said in a malicious voice

"Like yours has already." I snapped and she hissed, exposing her long sharp fangs which were only beginning to get longer.

"Gwendolyn!!" Sir Bernard growled, calling her to order in time before I fell off my chair in fear and she quickly snapped out of it. Releasing a sigh of relief, I gulped, for one too many reasons I was scared of her even when I was the older twin. I have always had the feeling that she would hurt me if she had her chances. She was like fire while I was water while on many days I was dry wood, at the receiving end of her wrath.

Sir Bernard cleared his throat, he must have already gotten used to our constant fights, "They all coexist as a result of peace. The peace treaty which holds everyone's interest at heart and protects them from being prey to the other."

"You mean like Humans to vampires?" Gwendolyn asked but Sir Bernard rolled his eyes instead of giving her a reply.

"Sir Bernard," one of the palace servants ran into the study, panting furiously, "The king requests your presence." He said breathing hard with his head bent low in bow.

Sir Bernard bit down on his lower lip while staring from Gwendolyn to me as if resisting the urge to reply to our father. When his eyes landed on me, they got soft, it was as if he was apologizing.

"Gwendolyn!" He said her name using the voice of his wolf and she winced, "You must me behave!" He ordered, before leaving the room alongside the maid.

The moment he left, Gwendolyn took a few minutes to regain her composure before turning her face towards me in her seat.

"Hello, human." She mocked, "You know why you're still alive?" She asked an obvious rhetorical question which I ignored, doing my best to ignore her altogether.

"Let me guess," she paused, "Father pities you. He hopes you'd be like mom. What a shame." She said, slapping her tongue on teeth repeatedly so that the noise got to me. "Poor Mom," she whispered.

That was the part I couldn't tolerate, her joking with our ill Mom. They used to be close but the moment Gwendolyn got to know what she was and the difference, she began to resent mom. She has never expressed any remorse since mother got bedridden.

"You don't always have to make jokes out of everything, stupid." I muttered in a low tone, regretting it that instant as I recalled she had the strongest sense of hearing.

"So you speak, You know I can hear your heart racing audibly." She said in a sing-song voice, leaving her seat and taking dangerous steps towards me while flashing her fangs at me.

"Gwendolyn," I said in a shaky voice as she appeared beside me with so much speed. My breath was beginning to grow heavy and I was getting even more scared. "Gwendolyn, that is..." I watched her hand which she placed in front of me while her fingernails grow longer, "that is. enough. show..show off." I stuttered, moving backward in my seat.

Suddenly, she had her hands placed firmly on both of my arms, holding me firmly while her fingers almost tore my skin. "Gwen !" I screamed in fear as her tongue licked the side of my neck, "Please!" I cried, her eyes hadn't changed its color yet, they never have. She has tried so many times to get it to turn red like father's whenever he's hungry or angry about something but it never does.

"What is a prey without fear?" She said through laughter and suddenly I felt her cold canine on my neck and instantly shut my eyes, expecting pain but the chilly feeling left as soon as it came and so did her hold

"Gwendolyn!!!" I heard father yell and my eyes quickly shut open to see me in his arms yet I was shaky. I raised my hand to feel his beard while admiring his hard face and he turned his hard stare to me but his blue eyes got soft the moment they met my gray ones.

His eyes were tired and afraid at the same time. He hasn't been able to sleep since mother became ill. Neither has he shaved his beard. I guess this was one of the things truelove could do to a person, the fear of losing that person was one of it. And our father did love our mom.

"Are you okay?" He asked me to brush my black hair away from my face with his hand and I smiled, still in shock from what happened. Gwendolyn has done so many things to taunt and scare me but has never gone this far.

Father turned his attention to the floor and I saw Gwendolyn, struggling to stay on her knees with her head hanging low. "How. Many . Time's up I have to warn you not to try such acts on your. Sister!" He bellowed, slowly taking steps towards her and she began to shudder.

"Let's go Dad," I said in a soft voice and he let out a sigh before nodding. I didn't want him to take any rash actions towards Gwen nor did I want to stay in the room any longer.

"Take her away, and lock her up." He instructed his servants while referring to Gwen. After that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

He didn't place me on my feet even though I was a grown woman who could walk on her own, he was scared for me, pity was the right word. I think that was because he wouldn't be around all the time to save me. I wonder what would have happened if he didn't get here in time, ugh! in a world of witches, wolves and vampires, it really sucks to be human.

Richard

The sun peeped into my room, and its rays fell on my face as if waking me up to a new day of extreme search and jealousy. I didn't want to leave my bed in fear of another futile search which happens to be all I could get in finding my mate.

"Good morning, my love," Nemiueh, who had spent the night with me, said and if I didn't feel disgusted, I felt annoyed.

She placed her hand on my chest, rubbing it in circular motion which was classic of her. She does this whenever she wants to make a request. It made me cringe as I recalled how many times she has used our nights together to make outrageous requests some of which I fulfill.

"Hmmm," I breathed while waiting to hear what she had to say, stopping her hand from moving on my chest.

"My love," she whispered next to my ears but I didn't want that attachment.

"Prince," I corrected, "It's my prince to you, nothing more or less." I started in a clear tone and she rolled her eyes.

"Mark me," she blurted out and my eyes widened at the mention of the sacred means of union between werewolves. She was not my mate and even if she was beautiful and great in bed, she still wasn't my mate.

"Never!" I snapped, leaving the bed immediately and going in search of my pants, "You must leave now." I growled but she didn't move an inch.

"Don't you even feel a spark for me?" She asked in a soft voice, making me turn around to stare at her small form on the bed for a good five seconds, expecting to feel something but all I felt was the urge to be alone.

"No," I replied and she gasped in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. What was she expecting from a man who just wants to get the one for him?

"How long, Richard?" She asked, picking up her dress and sliding it up her legs, "How long would you keep searching for her?" She asked, referring to my mate.

"For as long as I can," I replied softly and my face tilted towards the window where my younger brother, Charles and his mate, Marta sat beside the lake.

Where one goes, the other follows. It was as if they truly called out to each other without making a sound. They were inseparable and that was the uniqueness of having the one destined for you.

"It's because of them, isn't it?" She asked, interrupting my thoughts but I didn't reply. Yet, she was right, I wanted what they had, what they shared and everything that comes with it.

Not really about leading the pack because my brother has gotten that role already since he has found his mate. My father tried his best to make it easier for both of us and himself so there is no tussle and I agreed. I wanted the freedom to be with someone and know that they loved you just as much as you loved them and even more.

"Not everyone has a mate, Richard," She stated in a soft voice but I noticed she sounded closer than she did the first time she spoke and I was right when I felt her warm hand resting on both sides of my shoulder.

Shrugging to get her hands off, I replied, "Every wolf does, and it's only a matter of time until they are found."

"It could take eternity." She sighed, "Don't you see what we share?" She asked and I suppressed the urge to throw up at the mention of those words.

"We share nothing, Nemiueh," I snapped, moving away from the window area and walking towards the closed door, "Nothing even a tad bit close to what a wolf shares with his mate," I deadpanned, pulling open the hard wooden door, "You must leave!" I said firmly while holding the handle of the door as I waited for her.

She took slow steps towards the door, trying to maintain a seductive poise which only made me gag inwardly. Rolling my eyes, I said, "It doesn't take eternity to get to the door now, does it?" I asked, taking strong fast strides towards her and pulling her by the hand, ignoring her gasps and pleas until she was out of my room.

"Ric..." she looked around the walkways to ensure no one sees her or hears what she was about to say, especially her calling me by my name. She leaned in and I raised a brow now standing between the door and she said, "When next do I come?" She asked with a wink.

"Your services are no longer needed here." I spat, shutting the door in her face but not fast enough to evade seeing the shock on her face. She might be a threat to me but that was the least of my worries.

I needed to search differently this time around, maybe go back to the board and fix what I haven't been doing right or wait until she finds me but that was risky, very risky because she might not be a wolf and could freely get married to someone else without even noticing me.

What if she's married already? "Ugh!!" I pulled roughly at my hair, dragging my hands down my face in frustration.

"What if who is married?" I heard a very comforting voice ask before noticing the light coming into the room from the door area.

Gently, I raised my head and my eyes landed on Charles first and then Marta as they stood hand in hand beside each other by the door.

"He's probably worried," Charles sighed, "Brother," he whispered, leaving Marta's hand and gradually approaching me. "Listen, you're doing a great job searching for your mate but you need to take it slow." He advised,

"Ever since the fortune tellers made known her presence, you haven't tested or even had good conversations with any of us." He complained, snaking his arm around my neck.

Marta cleared her throat as if seeking permission to speak and Charles nodded, wearing a warm smile on his face, "There's going to be a ball at Odyssey and everyone has been talking about it," she paused and Charles made a circular motion with his hand, urging her on.

From what I've noticed these past few weeks, she isn't much of a talker unless she's talking to Charles and that's of course, when they are alone and notice no one staring at them. By no one, I mean, Me.

She continued, "Father," She gulped, "I mean your father is making arrangements for everyone to attend. I am suggesting that you be in attendance this time around, don't go searching just this once." She pleaded, "Since the ball is for everyone, You never can tell who might just be in attendance." She finished and I let out a sigh.

"But fate says she wou..."

"Would be found in an unexpected place," Charles finished off my sentence before I could, "Just see this ball as a trophy for all your worries and searches these past weeks, like a getaway." He stated.

Taking a long breath, I started from him to Marta and then at him. Letting out the breath I've been holding, I forced a smile, "Alright." I whispered only for Marta to jump in excitement.

"You owe me," She shouted, smiling ear to ear while pointing her index finger at Charles who laughed along with her.

"What is this about?" I asked in utter confusion and their laughter died down only to erupt again.

"We have a ball to get prepared for and you, my dear brother, should get ready." Charles replied while leaving my bed to hold Marta by the hand as they turned around and walked to the door but of course not without a trailer load of public display of affection.

Upon reaching the door, Charles held the door open for her and tilted his head to my direction, "We have a meeting with father tonight by the lake." He informed me before shutting the door.