[Tyler’s POV]
I was extremely furious and I just wanted to do something terrible to someone… anyone. For the first time ever, something that had never happened to me had happened and it just felt like a thousand hyenas were fighting in my chest. The Crescent Pack had lost a war? How? Why? It had never happened before, and I was hundred percent sure that my ancestors were looking at me from above, shaking their heads in disappointment.
“So, this is what is left of all the warriors I sent to the battleground?” I thundered, furiously.
“Unfortunately yes, your highness,” Jerry responded.
I laughed hysterically, pacing around the training grounds where they had all gathered.
“What happened? We had a carefully thought-out plan. It was a technique that had never failed, and I was positive it will not fail this time. The Half-Moon Pack’s warriors aren’t even up to a quarter of our men, so what went wrong? Have all of you become useless? Haven’t you been taking the training seriously? How can I send out seven hundred men and only two hundred returned?” I spat in anger, as I stopped laughing.
“Two hundred and five, your highness,” another warrior stated.
“It will be two hundred and four if you keep on speaking. Are you dumb? Can’t you read the room?” I asked, eyeing him irritably.
“I am sorry, your highness,” he quickly apologised.
“Alpha Tyler, I don’t think the technique was the issue. It just seemed as though they already knew we were coming and attacked us from all angles, with large dogs, almost the size of a wolf. We even divided ourselves, and some of us transformed into our wolf forms just to combat with them, but somehow, they got the best of us,” Jerry explained.
I paused and thought for sometime. “That means we have a traitor or maybe even traitors in our midst,” I said.
“That’s the only reasonable explanation for what happened, Alpha Tyler,” Jerry said.
“Get information on all the warriors in your Pack, especially those that were slaves which we took from other Packs and trained them into becoming warriors for us. I must know who that traitor is before the end of this week,” I said.
“Yes, your highness,” he said.
“Also, train thrice as hard from sunrise until sunset for every other day till we fight against the Half-Moon Pack again. We’ll give them a taste of their own medicine, and finally, recruit newly transformed male werewolves into the warrior service. We need more men, and tell their parents it is time for them to serve the Pack,” I ordered.
“I will do as you have said, your highness;” Jerry responded.
“Good. I should go and see the Luna. Apparently, she’s the only one that can get me out of this misery and extreme feeling of disappointment,” I stated, as I turned my back on them.
“We are sorry, your highness,” they chorused, as I walked away from them with my fists clenched, trying to convince myself that it was all okay.
I walked into the bedroom and closed the door gently behind me. Malia was lying down with her back turned against me and I walked to the other side and sat on the sofa, in order to be able to see her face.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” she snapped.
“Don’t make me angrier than I already am,” I retorted.
She eyed me distastefully, then sat up, stretching her arms and yawning loudly.
“You’ve neither brushed your teeth nor had your bath today, have you? It’s evening already, and you’ve just been lying in bed, not doing anything. This wasn’t the woman I married,” I said to her.
“Un-marry me then,” she said, then gave a small smile.
I smiled back at her. “Are you okay? You’ve been tired lately and always falling asleep, even when I’m trying to speak to you. Also, you snap at every little thing,” I noted.
“I think something is wrong with me, but I don’t know what,” she said. “Anyway, let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about you. You said I was the only one who could get you out of your misery,” she added.
“Wait. You heard it all?” I asked.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you have a particularly loud voice anytime you’re angry, plus my sense of hearing is really good,” she said.
I shrugged. “I guess that’s right. I just don’t know, Malia. I hate failing at anything,” I explained.
“I understand, but sometimes, it’s okay to fail. It’s part of life. No one can be perfect all the time,” she said.
“But I used to be perfect all the time,” I argued.
“Well, that just goes to show that even great men could always be defeated. My Alpha, you’ve won so many battles ever since you were just a child. You’ve taken over so many Packs and extended our Pack. Whenever your name is mentioned, other Packs tremble and so far, our economy has been the best in all of the werewolf community. We have precious stones and everything one could ever dream of. Why do you keep starting a war with others? What if you just stop here and spend the rest of your days, enjoying what you have now and not stirring up trouble?” Malia asked.
I smiled at her, then reached forward and squeezed her hands, lovingly. “If I ever stop, other Packs would think I have grown weak and would seek to destroy me, especially now that the news have gone round that the Half-Moon Pack managed to defeat my men. I can’t stop now, Malia. I will rest when I’m dead,” I told her.
“I knew you’d say that, but it’s okay. Whatever you decide to do, I will support you and be right by your side,” she said, and I pressed my lips to her hand, kissing it softly.
A knock then sounded on the door. “That should be the maid,” Malia said, ordering her to come in.
I noticed the frown on Malia’s face as the maid walked towards her, holding a tray of pineapples, and I watched her squeeze the bedsheets tightly as though she was trying so hard to refrain from doing something injurious.
“Greetings, Alpha and Luna,” the maid said, then stretched out the tray to Malia.
“What in the name of the Goddess is this?” Malia demanded.
“Pineapples, Luna,” she replied.
“I’m not blind, I can see that. I asked for watermelons, but you brought this smelling thing instead?” Malia roared.
“But you like pineapples,” I chipped in.
“That’s not the point, Tyler, and shut up when I’m trying to speak to my maid. No one involved you in this conversation,” she said, throwing me a terrible look.
I looked around, trying to see if there was another Tyler present, taken aback by the fact that she had actually disrespected me to my face, and annoyed because a maid was present.
“There were no watermelons in the Royal kitchen, so I thought you’d prefer to have pineapples instead since you love them,” the maid said.
Malia scoffed. “In what universe do pineapples fill in for watermelons? Are you insane? I clearly told you what I wanted. If it wasn’t in the Royal kitchen, you could have said so, then I would have asked you to get it from the market. Are you dumb or just plain fucking stupid?” Malia yelled at her, as she stood up to face her squarely.
I wanted to say something, but I decided against it. I couldn’t take another insult, at least, not right now. Besides, it was an ordinary maid; Malia could do with her as she pleased.
“But…” the maid started to object, but was cut off by Malia who spontaneously grabbed the tray of pineapples and threw it directly on her face. The juice from the pineapples got into her eyes and the back scratched her face, which made her begin to itch and start scratching it, but that only made it worse.
I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Malia, that’s enough,” I commanded, standing to my feet.
“What do you think I am? A puppet? She should be apologising. Instead, she has the guts to be arguing with me. She’s lucky I didn’t force it down her throat,” Malia said, defensively, and surprisingly, she just broke down in tears.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I asked, going over to her while gesturing to the maid to pack up the mess and leave the room.
“I just really wanted watermelons,” she said with a pout.
I couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into her all of a sudden, and before I could pull her into my arms and tell her that it was all okay, she made a whimpering sound and the next thing I knew, she had collapsed on the floor.
“Malia!” I screamed, crouching before her.
“Luna, I’m sorry. I’ll get the watermelons,” the maid said as she panicked.
“Forget about that. Go and get the Pack’s doctor. I will take her to the Royal infirmary,” I said, picking her up and carrying her in my arms as I ran out of the bedroom.
“Malia, please, be fine. For my sake, be fine,” I said.
I could endure anything, even being defeated by a tiny Pack, but what I couldn’t endure was losing her.