The Lycan Series
Bullied By The Lycan King Chapter 20

Axel's

POV

The guards led us to a large conference room, the same way my father had brought me to when the world was still normal.

"Please make yourselves comfortable, the Luna will be here soon," the guard said.

I could feel Greg about to lose his cool by my side but I raised my hand signaling to him to keep it cool.

"That's fine. Thank you," I said with a smile despite the irritation I was starting to feel.

This woman, whoever she was, who did she think of herself? She was keeping a king, waiting like she was important? And then she called herself the Luna, on whose order?

As soon as the guard left the large room, Greg shot to his feet.

"This is an insult to your throne and you should have her head!" He hissed, throwing a punch into his hands.

I relaxed into the chair and a grin spread over my face as I watched him. It was funny how I was the one maintaining my cool while he couldn't handle his.

"Relax Greg, we will get to the bottom of all these... Let's give her a little more time," I suggested.

Greg rolled his eyes and moved to stand in a corner, puffing in anger.

At this point, I wasn't even angry anymore. If anything, I was intrigued. I wanted to know who this woman was, who had dared to stand me up.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for too long as the door to the conference room burst open and a woman dressed in a long dark dress walked in. Just like the rumors said, she had a thick dark veil over her face that made recognizing her face impossible.

"How dare you keep the Lycan King waiting!?" Greg growled as soon as she got close enough to give a bow to me as I sat at the head of the table.

She lowered her head and remained this way. "Please forgive me, Beta. Forgive me, my King. You are young, I am sure you don't understand how difficult it is to move when you get so old." Her voice was subtle and well-learned.

She wasn't one of those who just took up power when everyone else ran, she was a true royal. Yet I couldn't tell who she was.

I waved my hand at her, beckoning her to sit. "Tell me, who are you? I have only heard rumors about you and never thought there even existed a ruler in the West until Greg mentioned you."

"I am known by many names as my king but I prefer you call me the Widow," she said.

"Who was your husband and why do you reside here?" Greg fired, slapping his hands on the table.

I could tell his bloodlust was on the surface and he would do anything to have her neck dangling off her dark veil, but for some reason, I found her intriguing.

"I am sure that is not the reason why my King has come all the way..." She responded with such poise, it was like watching an old drama back in the day.

Aunt Emily would always make jokes about ladies in high places and how they behaved in public. It was entertaining, to say the least.

"You have been stealing from us and you have taken possession of what belongs to the King! You should be thrown in a dungeon and not sit around having a civil conversation!" Greg's voice echoed in the walls as his veins popped glaring at the woman sitting across from him.

I relaxed into my chair and watched them, anticipating her response.

From under her veil, I could tell she was getting riled up. The veil moved up and down as her breathing got stronger but as always her voice was silky and without anger.

"I will accept whatever punishment the king deems fit for me but I have the right to be heard as well," she replied.

"What is your defense, Widow," I asked, waving my hand in her direction.

Rather than speak, she pushed the chair behind her and went down on her knees.

"My husband was an alpha in the faraway northern lands, but after the revolution, he didn't make it." She sniffled adding to the drama and my face broke into a grin.

This was really interesting. I looked at Greg but he wasn't getting the humor in this. His face was pulled into a frown as he glared at her form on the ground.

"I came here a while after you took over and I found this land void. I gathered my people and we built it... Maybe not to the glory your family had left it in, but I tried my best."

"Why then have you refused to pay for the tax required for every pack?" I asked her.

"My King, the land is still suffering from the war... We barely have enough to survive. How then could we pay for the taxes?"

"And you didn't think it was right for you to send Word or come over?!" Greg yelled.

She went silent and I felt a little disappointed that she had no reply for this.

"I am ready to serve whatever punishment the king has for me..." She whispered again, with her poise still intact.

"You are not serving a punishment, you should die! You stole from the king! You should serve as an example to others that think they can just step up and start ruling on their own without following the rules!" Greg spat out angrily. I raised my hand, signaling to Greg to calm down.

"You may rise," I whispered.

Slowly, she raised herself from the ground and stood with her head still lowered.

"I would like to see the town. Let's see what you have made for the people here, perhaps my judgement will be lenient," I pointed out.

She nodded and stretched her clothed arm to the exit. "This way my King."

She was an interesting woman. What she did was a crime, punishable by death, just as Greg continuously pointed out because we considered it to be theft.

It was a known rule that no one could come from anywhere and lay claim on a land that wasn't originally theirs without my approval. She broke two rules and Greg was right. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to kill her.

Somehow, the way she spoke and acted reminded me of the old days. It reminded me of my family and somehow, I found myself searching for ways to let her live.

She led the way to the town and true to her words, it was really just a small place with a few things. I could have let it go, but these were trying times. People looked for the smallest of cracks to revolt. If I was going to keep the kingdom together till my parents and family returned, then I had to rule with strong arms.

As we got back to the conference room, I placed my arms behind me just like my father used to do before giving a verdict.

"You will be returning to the capital with me. This land belongs to my family. I am afraid you can't rule here. You will stay under surveillance till I decide what to do with you."

She bowed her head and I could have sworn I saw her grin -as if this was what she truly wanted.

"Greg, make the necessary arrangements while I speak to her guards. Aaliyah will stay back and take over the management of whatever is happening here. I want to report every full moon."

Greg bowed and stepped out of the conference room, leaving me with her.

"I should call the guards," she whispered and I nodded.

She walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with the leader of her guards. After informing him of the new development, he bowed.

"Your wish is our command, my King. We are all loyals to your uncle, Alpha Jared. We only worked for the Widow because we lacked a leader..."

"You could have sent a word. Again, there are many packs in the territory. If you do not tell me your problems, how am I supposed to help?"

The man bowed, lowly and said, "Accept our apologies, my King. We will work more closely with the capital from now on."

Suddenly the door burst open with a loud bang. A very disturbed Greg stepped in.

"My King, I have important news. I request to have the room," he said, glaring at the people around me.

I frowned seeing the urgency in his face, I knew at once that it had to do with the mansion. What could have happened? Was it Violet? Without being told, the widow and the guard quickly got up and scurried out of the room.

"Yes, Greg, what is wrong? What happened?" I asked, my wolf already moving restlessly.

My heart was thumping hard in my chest as I feared the worst might have happened to Violet. Did Sam hurt her?

Did she try to run off?

"Talk to me, Greg. What the f**k happened at the mansion?"

He lowered his head and opened his mouth, "Hilda just called. Hera is dead."