15 years ago
(from Armand's point of view)
Like every year, the Confederation held an assembly where the leaders of the Children of the Moon and the Forest gathered to discuss matters concerning each species. At that time, Amaranth was pregnant with Azula and only a few days away from giving birth. Considering her situation, Alpha King Amadeus decided to hold the assembly in Black territory (Vampire Territory) to ensure her safety.
From Moonlight, the continent's capital, Alpha King Amadeus and your father, Albert, were preparing to depart. But at the last moment, Luna Queen Marian and your mother, Ariadne, decided to accompany them to be present for Azula's birth. Just a few hours away from the convoy leaving Moonlight, your father had to stay behind to protect the future Alpha King, who would remain with the pack.
A total of 7 trucks departed, with Alpha King, his Luna, and little Clarisa, who was just a one-year-old baby, in one of them. In the other truck was Ariadne, with you by her side. You had just turned 3 years old a few months ago. The rest of the convoy consisted of the royal guard, the finest warriors of the pack.
We don't know when it all happened, but we grew concerned when the trucks didn't arrive at the agreed time. So, with a group of vampire warriors, we went out to search for them. Ten kilometers before reaching Black territory, they were ambushed by a Rogue army. When we arrived, it was already too late. The warriors were dead, some were barely clinging to life. It was a perfectly planned setup; this was not a coincidence. They knew you were on your way, and most importantly, they knew that your father was not among the convoy. The weapons they used were made of silver, and not only that, they were coated with aconite, which is deadly to normal wolves but weakens Alphas, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
They didn't give them time to transform; it was a massacre.
We quickly searched and found the body of the Alpha King, who was holding hands with his Luna. Both were dead, seated under a tree. Several arrows had struck him, but the amount of aconite in their blood was what ultimately killed him. Despite being weakened, the Alpha King put up a formidable fight as there were over 100 dead Rogues surrounding him. Suddenly, we heard crying. As we moved their bodies, we saw a small hole in that tree, and inside was little Clarisa. Feeling alone, she had started to cry. They had protected the child with their lives.
We took Clarisa out of the tree and handed her over to one of my best warriors to ensure her safety. I carried her carefully to Black territory, where she would be examined to make sure she wasn't harmed. Once they took her, I continued searching for your mother and you for hours until I found a trail of blood leading to the river. I followed it, and that's where I found several lifeless Rogue bodies. It seemed they had been pursued, and Ariadne had taken care of them. When I reached the river, I found her lying on a stone, barely clinging to life. She could barely breathe and only pointed towards the river, but there was no sign of you. It was then that Albert appeared in his wolf form, approaching her to caress her face with his snout. Ariadne slightly opened her eyes and with her last breath, she told him how much she loved him, then closed her eyes. She was gone.
Albert howled, the pain in his heart could be felt for miles. He was not only announcing the death of Alpha King Amadeus and Luna Queen Marian but also the death of his beloved Ariadne. Gradually, he returned to his human form, holding Ariadne tightly. Tears continued to flow down his face, and he asked me, "Where is my daughter?" I didn't know what to say; I could only shake my head, indicating that I had no information about your whereabouts. Then I added, "Ariadne only pointed toward the river. I think the child fell into it. I'm so sorry, brother. This is all my fault."
Albert kissed his deceased wife on the forehead, wiped away his tears, and turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He said, "You don't have to blame yourself for this, brother. None of us expected this to happen. Please, take care of my wife's body and the Kings while I search for my daughter." I nodded and added, "Go safely, brother. I'll take care of everything." He then transformed into his wolf form and disappeared into the river.
We had no news of him for several days until the moment we were about to move the bodies of the Kings and Ariadne from Black territory to Moonlight. Albert appeared dressed in a dark suit. It was clear he hadn't slept these past few days, evident from the dark circles under his eyes and his haggard face. Despite not finding you, he returned to fulfill his duty as the guardian of the Wolf pack and protector of the Royal lineage.
Upon reaching Moonlight, things weren't easy for your father. After the funeral ceremony for the Kings, he had to bury your mother. Only five people attended her ceremony: Aron, your nine-year-old brother, us three siblings, and the new Alpha King, who was also just a child at that time.
What followed was the worst part. The confederation sought someone to blame for what happened, and they wanted to hold Albert responsible. Taking advantage of his absence in Moonlight as he had gone out again in search of you, Maximiliano, the younger brother of Alpha King Amadeus who always wished to take Albert's place, managed to turn many species leaders against your father. When Albert returned to the pack after his unsuccessful search for you, he was imprisoned, accused of failing his responsibilities and betraying the pack. He didn't resist, feeling guilty for the deaths of his friends and his wife.
Maximiliano's plans didn't go as expected. He didn't count on the fact that, although the three guardians weren't physically present in Moonlight, we had eyes and ears everywhere (smiling). It was on the day of Albert's trial that we arrived and defended him with all the arguments we had. However, what completely foiled Maximiliano's scheme was the unexpected arrival of the new Alpha King, Alexander, who despite being a child, showed no fear and confronted his uncle. Despite the latter being a towering man exuding hatred and envy, he tried to belittle the young king by questioning his knowledge of how the confederation operates. I still vividly remember Alexander's words, "Uncle, do you think that just because my father is no longer here, you can do as you please in the confederation? Remember your place and show proper respect to your new Alpha King. There is someone responsible for the attack, and I swear by the Moon Goddess that I will find them, and they will receive the punishment they deserve. But Albert is not to blame; he only followed my father's orders to stay and protect me and the pack in his absence. Isn't it the duty of a guardian descendant of William to obey the Alpha King? Albert merely did what was commanded of him."
With a cold gaze, he then turned to the species leaders and in an authoritative voice ordered Albert's release. Before leaving, he warned threateningly, "The next time I hear about things being done behind my back, each one of you will be accused of treason, and the punishment will be death." He looked directly at his uncle and added, "And that includes you, Maximiliano Kane. From now on, you will live in the western territory of the continent." Without saying anything more, he left the confederation hall.
After that incident, your father continued his search for you, but as the years passed, he began losing hope of finding you alive. I witnessed how his once radiant aura faded, leaving him with only your brother and his duty to your Great Friend's children to keep him going.
When your brother turned 18 and had his first transformation, we realized that he had not inherited the white wolf that the pack guardian possesses. It was very tough for Albert because with your loss, the pack was left without its guardian and protector. As a result, Alpha King decided that Aron would become his beta.
Tears kept running down Aria's face as she learned about her mother's death, how her father had never stopped searching for her, and everything she had suffered. She didn't even have time to mourn the death of her beloved.
Her brother must have endured so much growing up without their mother and believing his sister to be dead. She understood him perfectly because she had gone through the same experience.
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