"Report
your standings, brothers," Ziason says to his brothers after they
were done bowing.
Zechariah
goes first. "There are no sign of an attack yet, but I left my men
on the borders. They'll keep watch."
Ziason
nods at Zechariah before looking at Zeedar, who starts talking. "The
company is fine. Technology in the human world is vastly spreading,
and electricity is highly needed, so sales are doing well. However,
there is another matter I want to discuss."
"Do
say."
"As
you may have already known, the alpha of Tribalan pack is a mystery,
but he used his Beta to relay his conditions for a peace treaty to
me."
Ziason
remain silent for a very long time, his expression tightening into a
deep frown. "Peace treaty? Conditions? Since when did we start
discussing a peace treaty, ambassador?"
"I
acted alone, Alpha. This war needs to stop no matter how you deny it.
The condition isn't difficult. They just want the old acre of land
uncle gifted father."
Ziason
reclines in the sofa and crosses his legs-his left leg over the
right. "And you think-"
He suddenly stops talking when a harsh unpleasant sound hits his
nostrils.
Scrunching
his nose, he doesn't need to search where the smell came from, as
he could already see the perpetrator.
Zechariah.
The
man quietly unwraps a bubble gum and tosses it into his mouth,
looking up to find Ziason glaring at him.
He
enjoys the glare, and he smirks while chewing the gum, fully aware of
what he's doing.
Ziason
thought a full year in the border between Moon's Wrath pack and
Tribalan pack would change the man. But he was wrong. His youngest
brother is still very much interested in annoying him using his
despise for garlic.
However,
before he could order Zechariah to throw away the gum, another smell
overshadows the stink of garlic. A more pleasant smell. A mixture of
peony and lemon.
Something
pulls his attention to the hall's entrance. Not only him. Zeedar
and Zechariah perceived the scent too.
As
they're prompted to turn toward the door, they feel something rise
within them, like a subtle heat at the start of a rising sun.
However,
they see nothing special at the entrance. Even as the crowd jeers the
moment they turn back, it's all uninteresting.
Slowly,
the scent begins to fade, but the magnetic feeling doesn't.
Something still captivates them. Only, this time it doesn't feel
close.
"Peace
from an enemy's mouth is a piece of shit. Do you think giving back
the land will solve everything, ambassador?" Ziason asks, snatching
his brothers' attention from the door as he rises up and steps down
the stairs of his raised platform.
"I
think it will serve as the best framework for peace, my lord,"
Zeedar replies with confidence.
Now
pausing in front of the latter, Ziason huffs a smile, maintaining eye
contact with Zeedar, who doesn't relent. "And what do you say,
Zechariah?" he asks the last brother without breaking his eye
contact with the ambassador.
"I
don't mind which prevails," Zechariah mumbles, "but I prefer to
be in a battle scene."
"Do
you hear that, brother?" Ziason asks Zeedar. And, without waiting
for a response, he continues. "You went behind my back without
finding out what I want. What I want is war. What I want is power.
With you as my adviser and Zechariah as my warrior, I will dominate
packs. I will grow stronger and overtake even the Alpha King. Until
there is terror on every single minds at the mention of my name, I
will not rest. I ask again: do you hear that, brother?"
"What's
the use of being your adviser if you don't take my advice,"
Zeedar simply says before walking away, using the back door to leave
the hall.
Due
to growing up with an abusive father and a manipulative mother,
Zeedar has not always been uncomfortable staying in the wolf kingdom.
He prefers the human world. And in times when it's necessary for
him to stay in the wolf kingdom, he prefers to roam about.
Like
now.
Sitting
under a shade in the pack street, he can't help staring up at his
old home from time to time.
The
tower's length is domineering to the point one can see it from
afar. And it always looks dark, like a shadow threatening to swallow
every piece of light around its environment. It gives Zeedar chills,
and it carries heavy memories that he wishes he can forget.
However,
despite the unsettling feeling lingering within him, there's also
something else, and that's what makes him stare at the tower every
time.
As
he can't hold the curiosity any longer, he proceeds toward the
building.
The
more he closes in on it, the more a certain feeling of familiarity
grows strong, trailed by the sensation from earlier; that subtle heat
at the start of a rising sun feeling.
So
as not to roughen his suit by jumping over the fence of the tower,
Zeedar results to using the combination lock on the main gate and the
main door.
Inside
the tower, the air feels thick with bad memories. Even though the
hall is now empty, Zeedar can still tell every item that was in it,
as well as their positions. And he recalls running up and down those
staircases in terror, sometimes falling and cutting his skin.
Despite
all these memories, the air soon starts growing lighter. More
pleasant and perfumed. And the same peony and lemon scent he
perceived at the pack hall starts clouding his senses again.
Zeedar's
stiffness locks when a loud bang echoes from the next hall, followed
by the noisy clatter of wooden planks. He becomes alert on instinct,
but settles down when he perceives Zechariah's artificial perfume.
The
faint sound of clinking metals introduces the man as he walks in
through the next hall's entrance, dusting his elbows.
On
sighting Zeedar, he mumbles. "Jeez. Why did brother lock every
bloody window?"
Without
responding, Zeedar jerks a brow up at the thought of Zechariah
breaking a window. The pack's delight only approved of actions that
would not incur Ziason's wrath. But here he is going against his
rule book a few hours after landing in the pack.
"Brother
reformed that into a gym. Wasn't it father's meeting hall?"
Zechariah asks as he points back at the hall he came out from.
On
reaching Zeedar, he stands akimbo, still loudly popping the garlic
gum. "You've not been here since we packed out after father's
death. Why come back now?"
Zeedar's
eyes move from Zechariah to the stairs. "I sensed something."
Zechariah
huffs. "Why not just say you sensed a mating bond? You of all
people should know how it feels."
