Chapter # 02

When Azriel reached the area, a large snow white wolf could be seen. One of his female soldiers was trying to calm it down.

A strong scent of blood was in the air alongside another scent.

It was so strong that Azriel forgot to breathe and stilled in his wolf form, with nose in the air.

“Your highness…..”

Someone called him but he couldn’t hear it. He followed the scent to one of his female soldiers who was standing away from the dying wolf.

Azriel was staring at her hands holding a dark wool cloth. He slowly moved towards her, his nose guiding him towards the scent which was made for him.

He could smell her but yet, he couldn’t breathe. His mind, which had never failed him, was failing him.

When he stood in front of the female soldier and shifted in his human form, his hands were already reaching to take the newly born cub.

“Your highness….Azriel? What is it?” Rabayeel asked.

“Kneel.” Azriel said shortly.

This was the first time his wolf came out from his human form.

The thirty or so soldiers alongside Rabayeel kneeled loudly, their bodies betraying their own control.

“Kneel to your queen.” Azriel’s wolf spoke again. The dangerously dark voice sent a shiver down everyone’s spine, their heads bowing painfully low on the order.

Azriel's hands moved the cloth to find a snow white wolf cub. Its eyes were still closed and it was breathing softly. Azriel leaned down and ran his nose across its fur. Breathing in the scent, listening in the small heartbeat, he found his whole world shifting, as if the gravity that held him was moving, the mind which belonged to him was going loose, out of his control.

“Azriel……your highness. It's an omega.” Rabayeel’s voice quietly reminded him without rising from his position.

“She is your queen, Rabayeel. This is all that you should care about.” Azriel’s wolf softly warned.

A small sound escaped the cub which reminded Azriel of his mate’s dying mother.

“June, check on the wolf. Make sure she survives.” Azriel didn’t raise his head from the cub and said.

June got up from position and checked on the wolf.

“Your highness, she is too weak to survive. I can’t save her.” June told him.

Azriel finally leaned his face away from the sleeping cub and held it closely to his chest. His eyes fell on the dying wolf. He walked closer to it and kneeled.

He couldn’t find much life in its body. June was right, the obvious bones showing under the rough and patchy fur seemed almost like a skeleton. He almost couldn’t hear his heartbeat.

“When she dies, burn her. Make sure there is no trace left of her. Rabayeel, very very quietly finds out where she came from. Remove her scent quickly which could trace her here. What happened here, must be buried in this very land. Also, find a dead newborn to burn alongside the wolf just in case.”

“As you wish your highness.”

“You saw nothing today, you have no queen yet, I have not found my mate yet. Worse comes to worst, we found a dying rogue who we burned.” Azriel ordered and slowly started walking back to the palace in his human form.

His steps were humanely slow, as if he was dragging his steps. His nose repeatedly leaned down to breathe into his mate’s scent while he also heavily covered her with his own scent. He wanted to make sure that his mate’s birth would never be discovered until the right time.

He had hardly walked for an hour when he was joined by Rabayeel.

“Her mother passed away. Before we could remove her trace which led her here, it was already removed. From the state of her wounds and body, she must have escaped from somewhere. It seems like your mate is an omega due to…..” Rabayeel trailed off.

Azriel stayed silent. The last thing he cared about was that his mate was an omega. How she came to be born an omega wasn’t something he cared about either. She found him safely, and he will keep her safe from now is all he cared about.

Rabayeel, seeing his unchanging expression asked, “Where will you hide her? How long would you be able to hide her?”

“I will inform grandfather I will be leaving for the border of RegnoLunare. He will not doubt it. Even if he does, he would not dare ask.” Azriel said quietly.

“You will need to find a feeder as well. Do you want me to bring few people from Krvcistej?”

“Yes. Other than the feeder, send everyone directly to my place in Larastina. Dispatch heavy duty soldiers. This news must never get out.”

Rabayeel nodded and asked, “You would have to send her somewhere till she grows up. As soon as possible. If she started to recognize your scent, it would be impossible to take her away.”

“That will still take a couple of years.” Azriel’s wolf suddenly came out again.

He couldn’t already imagine having to separate from her. He understood that he found her too early. Very early, as soon as she was born but he couldn’t find himself to find this fact a mistake. He was blessed to be able to love her, to be the first to care for her.

She was his alone.

She will remain his alone from now on.

“Azriel, before my King you are someone I raised from cub. I do not just speak for her. You already recognize her scent, though you will remain unmark before she grows up, it will also become impossible for you to separate from her when the time comes and she is an omega.”

Azriel suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Rabayeel. Now, not his voice but his eyes have also changed to his wolf form.

“This is the third time you mentioned that she is an omega, Rabayeel.” Azriel’s voice had dropped. Rabayeel could tell that his wolf was on the edge of coming out.

He sighed softly.

“Last known Omega to have a mate was recorded more than ten thousand years back. Not just that, other than Krvcistej, every kingdom rejects their existence to the point where most omegas spend their life in captivity or red districts. It is also impossible to conceive a child with an omega.”

“It seems like the palace of King Jaralaam has rubbed off its hareem immorality on you.”

“Azriel, you are misunderstanding me. Her being an omega is not her sin to bear, she was simply punished for her parents or single parent’s sin. But you still have a long way to go before you gain further power, you can not be distracted just yet and her being an omega will also be a distraction for you. The eyes that will follow her will also try to dirty her, whether you mark her or she gives birth to your child, she will remain an omega for the people of NoireLune. They will never accept her as their queen.”

“I will make them accept them as their queen, Rabayeel.” Azriel said slowly.

“NoireLune has been so far off ruined by the deeds of your family, I don’t think you will have time to do that.”

Azriel looked straight in the eyes of Rabayeel, his wolf’s eyes shining brightly, still being on the edge of coming out before he looked down at the small cub sleeping blissfully in his arms.

“Before I mark her, I will make sure the NoireLune she returns to is the home she will recognize. I will make NoireLune worthy of my queen.”