The Devil's Surprise

[THIRD PARTY POV]

[Two Months Ago]

"Sire, the beast of the midlands attacked the warriors," a majestic man voiced as he walked through the huge doors that led to the most dangerous yet exciting room in the whole of the kingdom.

It was the room that saw many doomed and at the same time, it was the room that many wanted t walk into, at least once in their lifetime. Though they didn't want to come for punishments, just a little exploration here and there.

"Again?" came a frustrated voice from the farthest end of the hollow room.

It was the voice that could send many to sleep without even trying so hard and right now, as the majestic man walked towards the voice, he hoped that he wouldn't have to bear the brunt of the chaos that had already begun.

The voice of the werewolf king, Cassius Burda, of Acrod Kingdom.

"Yes, sire. It is an unfortunate truth, one that left us with one new discovery though," the majestic man said as he walked forward to where the king was. he could hear the sound of his footsteps as he marched forward.

The echo in the room was unsettling and yet at the same time, the majestic man knew that this was something he had to do. There was no other person who could step up in times like these.

After all, he was the royal enforcer, a man the king trusted with his life and his kingdom.

Grant Hindley, a man in his mid-twenties.

The march to the king felt like a march of shame, as he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. The silence in the room was no longer a given, as he could hear the king lowly grunt, like he was so done with the news of the beast of the midlands.

The beast of the midlands was the devil himself, and he was more of a myth than a man, though he was the myth that sent terror shivers down everyone's spine.

Many who had had encounters with the devil, and come to realize that even the devil was kinder than the beast of the midlands.

And yet just like everyone, the beast of the Midlands had a weakness that everyone knew of.

He loved and protected children with all of him. It was almost like his very existence was bound to children.

How a man who adored children would tear through people like they were pieces of meat on a grill was still yet to be studied.

But until then, the horrors by the beast would remain the scariest thing other than the ruby wolf of the midlands, and even the mad lycan king of Udrad.

"What is this new discovery you talk of?" King Cassius asked when Grant finally made it to where he was. He could see his junior warrior, Delbert standing at attention beside the king, ready to give up his life for the man the werewolves loved.

Oh, but it was a responsibility that many admired and wanted to take on, but as it was, the job was fit for just one person and right now, Delbert Cornell was it for the king.

"The beast, is a man," Grant said to the king who was seated in the huge and lonely throne room.

King Cassius was a man without an heir and frankly, most of the wolves felt bad for him, because he didn't have a son to succeed him if his time ever came. But maybe he would appoint someone, or so the werewolves hoped as they lived by the day.

"You mean to tell me that all these years we have spent looking for the creature were wasted? And that he had been walking among us? I need a drink," King Cassius, said disbelievingly to Grant, who just offered him the beer bottle on the table beside him.

It was crazy how they had believed one thing for years only for it to turn out a little messier than expected. They had been over this more times than usual, but throughout, the ending was always the same.

They had no one to suspect of being the beast.

They had no reason to believe that the beast was a man, and yet somehow they also believed that the warriors wouldn't have struggled to reveal that if it were false. If the beast was truly a man, then all the kingdoms of the midlands would have to work together to find him.

The midlands comprised of so many kingdoms, it was almost a realm on its own. Everyone was different in their own way and yet everyone was special.

The midlands had the Lycans of Udrad, the werewolves of Acrod, the witches of Greroth, the hounds of the Southern Forest, and the vampires of Asteta.

These communities weren't exactly friendly, but as they say, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. That was the logic King Cassius would be using today. He knew for a fact that once the lands had rid themselves of the beast, everything would go back to normal, whatever that was.

These communities had to come together to find the beast, otherwise, their warriors would have to pay the price again. It was quite sad, how they were willing to come together and find the beast, instead of telling their people that it was rude to make children cry.

"Summon all the Midlands leaders. Tell them we have a pressing issue at hand. Make sure to send all the ravens to all the kingdoms in the midlands. This is a matter that must be addressed before nightfall.

"I do not want another death in these lands, especially when we can fix it," the werewolf king said to his best enforcer and warrior, Grant, as he plopped back on his throne.

It wasn't a hard task and Grant knew that while it would be hell to bring the chaos masters of the realm to their kingdom, it was a task that he had to see done.

"Yes, your highness," Grant responded, before he walked out with his junior warrior, Delbert, following closely behind him.

They had just learned that the beast of the midlands, the creature that had been terrorizing their realm for years, could transform into a man. They were scared that the beast could be anyone, hence the urgency that their king had insisted on.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" Delbert asked the enforcer once they were out of the throne room.

"Of course, we will be. Besides, only someone unhinged can attack when we have the crazy leaders of the midlands. There are higher chances of us catching the beast than getting the leaders to get along, but at least it's worth trying," Grant added and Delbert just nodded.

"No wonder you're the best of the warriors. The situation is tense but your ability to stay calm in the situation is remarkable," Delbert said and Grant just ruffled the junior warrior's hair. If there was death coming for them, they would face it together.

In six hours, there were representatives from every kingdom, seated in the throne room that had now been turned into a conference hall. This was frankly more than King Cassius had expected and he wasn't going to complain about it.

It was clear that they all hated and despised the beast. They were ready to do whatever it took to make sure the Midlands was safe again.

The Midlands leaders all looked so scary and for a moment there, the wolves who had watched them come in, felt like they were much safer in their homes than on the streets of their home, and with that, the streets instantly cleared in fear of being the next victims of the leaders.

The lycan kingdom was represented by King Edison Stitt, a man everyone in the midlands had grown to love and fear with the same intensity. They believed in his way of doing things and glorified him. Maybe a little too much, because his people had other beliefs.

However, as usual, none of them was authorized to talk about anything that happened in Udrad. The royals of Udrad were to be praised by everyone, otherwise, there would be death following. Which is why it wasn't surprising that all they had heard of Edison, was good.

King Edison had come alone, which was quite weird, considering there were rumors that he had a son who was waiting to take over his throne in a few months. Maybe the son would be better than the father, but what if the son was worse?

The hounds of the southern forest were represented by Ulrike, a notorious hound known for breaking the rules and not giving a care about anything in the world; hopefully, Ulrike didn't turn this meeting into a war zone.

The vampires of Asteta were represented by Zelina, a vampire warrior who wasn't scared of anyone or anything. Zelina was the definition of a strong warrior, and while many thought she was cold and heartless, she only showed her fangs when she felt attacked.

"Wow, they look so powerful," Delbert whispered and Grant couldn't help but agree.

However, before he could give his junior a response, Grant was hit with a strong scent, one that made him almost stumble and fall. If he hadn't been standing near the wall, he was sure he would have tripped on nothing, because of the intense scent that he had taken in.

Instinctively, he looked towards the door, to see where the scent was coming from, and when he saw who it belonged to, he couldn't help but think he was the luckiest wolf out there.

'Mate,' Grant thought to himself as he saw the beautiful man who had just walked in.