THE RETURN OF ALPHA MYLES

MYLES

I'm woken up in the middle of the night by a sudden loud bang. As I try to figure out what it could be, it's banged again, this time even louder. It's my bedroom door, someone is outside, banging it to get my attention.

I hurriedly look at my bedside clock and it is a few minutes past midnight...something has to be wrong.

“Who is there?" I ask. I'm already in a panic mode.

It's unusual for anyone to be coming to my door at this time of the night, not to mention banging it with such abandon.

“Prince Myles, open up quickly, it's me." The unmistakable voice of my mother the Luna shouts from outside.

This is so unusual! What is my mother doing outside my room at this hour? Why has she come herself when she could send one of our many maids?

From her voice, I can tell she sounds panicked, adding up to my curiosity. Many factors doesn't add up.

I jump out of my bed, still on my pyjamas and bare feet and I walk towards the door and opened it. My mother, her hair disheveled and her face devoid of the usual beauty walks in, shutting the door behind her. She's obviously in distress, adding to my gut feeling that everything is not alright.

I want to ask her what the problem is but she speaks first.

“Listen my son, get dressed right now. We are leaving. Now." She tells me in a voice so commanding that my nerves shrink.

“But why are we leaving? Where is dad?" I asked her, curiousity taking over my ten years old self.

She scratches her head vigorously, further destabilizing her long hair, her eyes beginning to change color, her temper beginning to rise.

“Son, please do as I say." She says softly.

One look at her eyes scared me into submission.

“I'll be coming back in a while, be ready in ten minutes." She says as she walks out hurriedly, banging the door behind her.

I wonder what could have prompted my mother to make such a decision but there's no time...I make a mental note to ask her later.

Right now I need to do what she has ordered me to do, for the respect I have for her.

I have so many clothes to choose from, and I see no need to call in my guard who's in the adjoining room.

Hurriedly, I chose my best clothes and put them on, complete with some warm clothing because from my room's windows I can see heavy rains pouring outside.

I keep on wondering why we're needed to leave so abruptly but I can't find a reason. I just hope that the Alpha my father is fine, though I'm not sure whether he's leaving too.

As I put on my shoes, my mother bursts into the room again.

“Come, let's go. Don't take anything with you. Quickly, let's get out of here.”

She's already in a panic modes and I look at my room hurriedly, and I have a gut feeling that I'm seeing it for the last time. My mother grabs my hand and pulls me out.

“Come, we have to use the fire escape, the doors are unsafe." She tells me. A lone guard who's not the one allocated to neither mum nor myself escorts us to the roof and I wonder where the rest are. However, there's no time to ask question since this seems like a matter of urgency!

Ordinarily, the Palace is teemed with guards and maidens. Without asking questions, we follow him to the top landing where the fire escape is and mum commands him to go first.

The guard stands alert, his sword ready.

“But mum, why are we escaping? Where is dad?" I ask her, now uneasy about the sudden developments.

She eases up and walks away from me. Then she comes back to me, looking at me straight in the eye and decides it's fine to tell me the truth. My ten years are enough for me to handle it.

“Your uncle has toppled your father's leadership. The Alpha is dead, and so is his Beta, Gamma and their mates. His loyal guards, including mine and yours have been captured, and imprisoned and now they're looking for you, the heir to the throne and Pack leadership to kill you. However, I'll make sure that doesn't happen, that's why I'm sneaking you out. But you have to obey my orders without question. Now, go down the fire escape, I'm coming behind you." She commands.

I have no time to digest the devastating news therefore I start scaling down the ladder. After going down a few steps, my mother follows suit and minutes later we're on the ground, and the guard at the top is gone.

Just then, I hear a loud command. “They must be somewhere in here. Search for them and bring them to me, alive if possible, dead just as well!” The voice is unmistakably from my uncle, and it's clear what he's talking about.

I don't understand what's going on. Earlier, I couldn't believe my uncle could do the things my mother was accusing him of, but now I have heard him clearly giving out instructions for my mother and I to be killed!

What's a sudden twist of events!

Uncle Cedric, the Top Warrior of Riverside Pack has previously been good to me and we have been good friends, but now he has turned enemy, but why?

We're hiding behind some bushes in the palace courtyard, in the rain, watching as guards criss cross all over, holding long swords, obviously looking for us.

“If you utter a single word, we both die. Maintain silence,” my mother would whisper every now and then, a warning that is unnecessary because I already know all that.

Cedric could be heard every so often, barking instructions for the guards and warriors to keep looking and it'll only be a matter of time before our hiding place is discovered.

We have to move!

“We have to go up the wall, into the forest beyond, then escape to the East.” My mother whispers, pointing at the perimeter stone wall fence.

The guards are now combing the lawns, coming closer, now only a few meters away, closing in.

“Now. Let's go! You go first, I'll follow.” She whispers the order and I spring up and run the fifty meters to the wall.

Behind me, I can hear mum's footsteps as she follows closely behind.

“There they are. Get them!" An order is shouted and heard all over the gardens by a familiar voice...a voice I used to adore but now has turned bitter in my ears.

Looking around I can see some guards and warriors running, coming after us, swords ready, but I'm already at the wall.

I jump and grasp the top of the wall, then haul up my body over and land at the other side.

I anxiously wait for my mother who tries the same but she can't heave her weight to reach the top and the guards get to her before she can make it.

Looking through a small hole in the perimeter fence, I see the soldiers dragging my poor mother away, then I hear her shouting to me. I can't hear what she's saying as the rain and shouts from the guards and warriors drown her voice away..

One guard in particular catches my attention...he has been her mother's guard for years, but now he is leading in capturing and dragging her away!

His name is Michael, always royal to her, until now when he has changed allegiance.

"Run Myles, run.”

I hear her clearly now. Even in her distress, she is brave enough to warn me.

Seconds later, I watch in horror as Michael drives a sword through her chest as the other soldiers hold her still, but even as she's dying she repeats her command, “Run my son, run.”

Michael draws out his sword, then looking through the wall where I have escaped through, he gives the order.

“After the boy. Don't come back here without him." He orders!

*******

The Riverside Pack, as it's well known, was named so because it consists of two big hills full of ancient trees. A big river runs at the bottom of the hills, acting as a boundary with the Greenspan Pack. The two packs are surrounded by other small towns where humans dwell.

My father is the Alpha of the Riverside Pack...o rather was until my greedy uncle murdered him in cold blood!

He was a good leader and everyone loved him, mostly for his good leadership that saw everyone flourish. The pack members, both omegas and royalties were loyal to him and loved him a lot.

His wisdom endeared him to them and they always knew that if they went to him in times of dispute they would get good justice.

I'm the only child to my parents and they love me so much. They brought me up the best way they could, offering me the best trappings that the palace could give and I was growing up well as they always said, showing signs of being a great future Alpha.

My mother dedicated most of her time bringing me up, teaching me the ways of the Pack and the history of our forefathers and when my dad was not attending to matters of the Pack, the three of us would sit as a family and connect.

I loved my parents so much....I still do, even in their death! Every day after school, I would come home yearning to see them.

The Palace is seated on top of one hill, an imposing stone castle, built by my grandfather using modern architecture.

In the same compound, at the furthest end is another house, similar to the palace but smaller.

Dad's younger brother, the top warrior Cedric lives there. I used to spend a lot of time there too, talking and playing with my uncle. He loved me so much because he used to teach me some good lessons, including riding horses, handling fighting tools and a few lessons in history, and other times some basic sword lessons.

“I would like to see you growing into a strong swordsman.” my uncle would say from time to time...

He was just great!

However things changed when uncle Cedric got mated to a princess from the neighboring Pack. She hated me at first sight and I soon found myself being separated from my favourite uncle.

However, I eventually learnt to deal with it and soon I weaned myself from his company, something which pained me immensely.

It now became the norm for me to stay a week without seeing my uncle.

Rumours started spreading within the palace that the top warrior was planning to overthrow his brother, and he was spotted in many instances training newly recruited warriors deep in the woods but the Alpha my dad disregarded this information.

There was also a talk about the other warriors and guards being swayed to betray my father but he refused to believe it.

Well, all these I came to learn later through one of my confidants!

He couldn't allow anyone to talk ill of his beloved brother. But what he didn't know was that his brother was being driven to do all these things by his mate, Carina.

As time went by and the brother continued with his underground mission, the Alpha forbade anyone from ever speaking about the issue, citing that his brother loved him and he couldn't harm him. according to dad, the rumours were spread by malicious people!

My mother tried to influence my dad to arrest my uncle and punish or banish him for subversive activities but he turned a deaf ear on her and for the first time, I saw my father shouting down at my mother.

He had absolute confidence in his brother and no one could convince him otherwise. He always narrated how the two of them grew up together and the strong bond between them, terming it as irrevocable and indivisible.

Then this evening as it rained heavily his brother's minions matched into the palace, and caught the palace guards unawares. Other members of the palace guards joined ranks with the invading forces.

A sword fight started but the palace guards, unprepared, were quickly overpowered.

The Alpha was holding a meeting with his Beta and Gamma when the invasion took place. The invaders broke in and a fierce fight ensued, the Alpha himself being a skilled swordsman.

However, the invading warriors overpowered them and killed them all!

Later, all the other guards and palace maidens were rounded up and some of them who couldn't submit killed by beheading.

With the Alpha my father dead, an order was issued to look out for my mother and I and kill us too. I being the next in line wasn't to be spared!

My mum had escaped by a whisker, and she ran away, to escape death with the aid of one of her most loyal guards, Bruce who had refused to be swayed.

But she couldn't leave me behind since I was all that she had left.

Now she's dead after waking me up and tried to escape. She was unable to scale the perimeter wall. They captured and killed her instantly!

However, I'm already safely across the wall and after witnessing what has been done to mum, I escape into the deep woods, in the heavy rain, uncertain of where I'm headed to.

Several things I've seen and heard left me confused.

For instance, uncle Cedric has betrayed all the trust my father had for him and my mother's guard of many years is now working for my uncle. Betrayal is everywhere and I don't know where to run to. However, I have to continue running as the guards are after me and I can hear them shouting some paces behind me.

I run towards the general direction of the river, which serves as the boundary with the next kingdom and I know that if I make it across, the pursuit would stop. The guards wouldn't dare pursue me into another territory.

The guards and warriors pursuing me seems to know what I'm up to, and they start shouting at me, beseeching me to surrender myself and nothing will be done to me, but I know better.

I've seen it all...they killed mum in cold blood at my watch and the same fate awaits me if I dare surrender!

I keep running until I can hear the river roaring as it cascades down the rocks.

The banks can't be far away, but there would be a challenge, how to cross it...

The rains have pounded all over the hills, flooding the river which burst it's banks.

Now with a bloodthirsty force coming after me, I need to think on how to cross the ballooning river!

The rain has now subsided and the sounds of the approaching army are now getting louder, and in a few moments they'll find me if I don't cross the river, but the water is flowing too fast for me to cross.

There's a rope bridge upstream and I head towards it, in the hopes that it's still there. Meanwhile my pursuers are getting closer, and their leader still calls my name, pursuading me to come out, and nothing will be done to me, a tired lie that even the liar doesn't believe.

I find the bridge, but it's in a very bad shape I'm not even sure that it connects to the other side. I pull at the ropes and some of them break off, rotten from years of exposure to the elements.

But faced with certain death from my pursuers, and the likelihood of escape through the sagging bridge, I decide to go for it.

I take the first step, then the second, trying to balance myself, and soon I gain traction and start moving. The water just two inches below me threatens to wash me away should the ropes give way but I still trudge on.

Midway the river Michael and his army see me and someone shouts to me to stop or they'll cut away at the ropes.

I stop immediately, seeing the consequences that may follow should they cut away at the ropes.

“Turn back and come." The same voice orders.

I shake as I imagine what is certainly waiting for me and I defy the order.

I make more steps towards the other shore.

“Cut the ropes," I hear the order clearly amid the raucous sounds of the fierce river.

The bank is about ten meters away and I try to run, but a rope gives way under my foot, and the foot gets entwined inside. Then another one is cut, destabilizing the bridge even further, taking away my balance, but I still hang on the ropes ahead, having disentangled my foot.

I crawl on all fours and finally make it to my feet, then I jump upstream the remaining distance, as the bridge finally gives way and the river washes it downstream.

I land on the shallow banks where the water is less speedy and hung on papyrus reeds, then wade my way across.

Michael goes mad, seeing me across without any means of getting at me.

“We'll find you young bastard. Don't celebrate just yet." Those words coming from someone who had promised me safety just moments ago makes my heart stop beating for a moment. Nobody should be trusted in this world!

Now safe across the river, I dash into the forest, secure in the knowledge that I'm now in another territory.