Chapter 287: King To Be (Ch.287)
~The Eclipse Palace, Heart of the Eclipse Domain~
The throne room of the Eclipse Palace was completely shrouded in darkness and shadows, every ounce of light banished to leave behind only the darkness.
All the drapes and doors in the throne room had been closed shut, every point through which a strand of light could seep through had been completed sealed up, leaving a dark and dreary ambience resting heavily over the hall.
The throne room of the Eclipse Palace had once been the most luxurious hall in all the palace, with bejeweled tapestries and the most exquisite decor that boasted of power and prestige.
This was Alpha King Lothaire’s choice appearance for his throne room.
Yet each ruler would always have their own tastes, and with the ergence of a new Alpha King, the throne room was but the first of many things that would experience a change.
Within this dark and gloomy hall, laid back on the throne was none other than the Prince Royal of the Eclipse Domain and soon to be Alpha King, Alessio Terran Lothaire.
Alessio was dressed in pitch black royal robes, robes as regal as the title he would soon bear.
His robes blended perfectly into the darkness of the hall, making it difficult to sight him save for the dim glow of his forest green eyes and the quiet humming of a tune...a folk song in the ancient wolven tongue.
The tune was slow and haunting and Alessio humd it because he could not quite recall the words.
He never did find the song itself intriguing, the haunting tone was all that caught his fancy.
But if Alessio spared a little more thought, he vaguely recalled the song told of great battles and bloodshed and of the darkness and depravity in the hearts of n.
"Ti and ti again, I have wondered... what would it feel like when I finally possess this throne?" Alessio wondered aloud in a quiet murmur.
"And even now that I sit upon this throne, I still wonder... what would it feel like when I truly beco Alpha King?" Alessio continued.
Alessio lifted a hand to his temple, he was missing an extrely important item...a crown befitting of a true Alpha King.
There was a crown, resting on a holder by Alessio’s side. But that crown was a displeasing sight to Alessio because it was not his.
"Each King is buried alongside his crown, this is the way of the Eclipse wolves. Hence a King is to craft a crown that holds aning to him..."
"But what aning exactly?" Alessio murmured to himself.
It had been half a month since Alpha King Lothaire Raul departed the Eclipse Palace for his tour around the Eclipse Domain.
In this ti, Alessio had seized power in the Eclipse Palace and the Eclipse Fang pack.
He had taken complete and absolute control of his father’s warriors and all the lands and routes commandeered by the Eclipse Fang.
It had not been all that difficult, Alessio had just done exactly what his father had done when he seized the throne for himself.
It was a simple thod...kill all who opposed his rule rcilessly as a warning to all others and a show of strength and dominance.
The greatest weapon a king could wield was the fear of his subordinates, this was exactly what Alessio’s father had taught him.
And Alessio was certain his father would be imnsely proud of what a great student Alessio had been in these past weeks.
Alessio’s eyes fluttered closed, his mind replaying the many scenes were he had ripped apart his father’s loyalists who refused to bend the knee and pledge their fealty to him.
It was just too sad that there had not been many enough to make an example of, after a few deaths, everyone quietly fell into line.
Sowhere in Alessio’s mind, he wished it had taken more...he was not the slightest bit satisfied.
Alessio sucked in a deep breath, forcing down his blood thirsty urges.
"Father’s thods are cruel...but they were always effective." Alessio murmured to himself with a quiet chuckle.
Alessio was not certain what word had reached his father of the overthrow, Alessio had made sure word would not spread...so his father would never know what hit him till his return.
That was if Alpha King Lothaire would return alive, after Alessio had exposed his father’s travel route to all his father’s enemies.
But even if Alpha King Lothaire did return, Alessio was ready... the Eclipse Domain had always been governed by the strongest, Alessio itched to test his strength against his father.
In no distant ti, Alessio would spread his influence beyond Eclipse Fang borders to the other Eclipse packs.
One after the other, he would subdue them. Perhaps Alessio would find more resistance then than he had found here, that would suit Alessio just perfectly.
But before any of that, Alessio needed to be crowned as Alpha King. And what was a crowning without a crown?
"I can do battle and bloodshed, why must I think up a aning for a crown also?" Alessio grumbled in annoyance.
Alessio reached for his father’s crown, bringing it to his sight and examining it closely.
It was exquisitely crafted, that was true, but Alessio did not find anything quite special about it.
"It reminds
so much of him... how was it crafted to be his perfect embodint? What about this piece of tal holds aning to him?" Alessio wondered aloud.
Alessio could not understand it, just what was he to order the craftsn to forge that would hold a symbolic and personal aning to him?
’Whatever it is, we shall not find the answers here.’ Alessio’s wolf, Terran thought to Alessio in his gruff, animalistic growl.
Terran never did speak much, he was what Alessio would describe as the embodint of all his darkness and rage.
Terran was bloodthirsty and cruel, Alessio had always wondered if his father would be prouder if Terran was the entirety of his son and there was no Alessio.
’We are one and the sa. Lothaire sold away our mate... we do not need him to be proud, we need him dead and out of the picture.’ Terran thought to Alessio again, displeased by Alessio’s train of thoughts.
"Hear, hear." Alessio murmured in agreent to Terran’s words.
"The answers we seek, where do you suppose we shall find them?" Alessio asked his wolf.
’What is the most discerning feature of a crown?’ Terran asked back.
Alessio lifted his father’s crown to his sight, his gaze fixed on the single deep blue gem that rested in the centerpiece.
It was the first thing anyone would see when staring at the crown, the main attraction on an otherwise ordinary looking headpiece.
"A gem...a rare gem." Alessio murmured in responding.
’Perhaps it is the gem which holds aning to Lothaire?’ Terran thought to Alessio.
"Then the answers we seek would rest in father’s treasury." Alessio said in understanding as he got up to his feet and strode out of the throne room.
______________
Alessio soon arrived in his father’s study. Alpha King Lothaire’s treasury was sowhere in the inner room of his study but Alessio did not know where exactly.
That was just how much trust Alpha King Lothaire had in his son... next to none.
It was why Alessio was not so worried his father would be hurt by his betrayal, Alessio knew his father never expected much of him anyways.
Alessio’s gaze wandered about the neatly arranged study with dozens of shelves filled with books.
Alessio was certain his father had never read any of these books, most of them spoke of virtue and morality, all of which were traits his father did not have.
’He would always send us away before opening the secret passage to his treasury. There will be a trap door hidden sowhere...think.’ Terran thought to Alessio.
Alessio let his eyes flutter closed, giving it a critical thought as Terran had said.
While Terran was the fierce and bloodthirsty side, Alessio had always been the cunning and calculating side.
Both Alessio and Terran knew their individual strengths well enough and when to give the baton to the other.
"If there is a trap door, there will be a lever well hidden. The lever will reveal the trap door, where could it be?" Alessio wondered aloud.
"If I was father...greedy for wealth, I would unconsciously keep the lever sowhere close within reach. Sowhere that would feel most secure..." Alessio murmured as he walked over to his father’s desk.
Alessio leaned down and felt underneath the desk till he touched a strange compartnt.
Alessio pulled on it and a quiet, barely audible whirring sound was heard. Glancing over his shoulder, Alessio noticed the shelves did not seem quite as they were before.
"It is one of you..." Alessio murmured, searching for the shelf that had moved till his gaze settled on the only shelf that was no longer in it’s original place.
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