Worthy Of His Prestige (Ch.21)

Neveah sat in the carriage as it rolled down the cobbled streets of the Eclipse Fang settlement, her head was leaned against the polished wood and her eyes were closed in meditation.

It was already early evening and the hustle and bustle of the human population along the streets had reduced considerably since the morning hours yet the streets were still lively enough.

Neveah had spent the entire day out in the city with Lucas Varleston, the young alpha of Eclipse Claw Pack just as her father had bid her to.

And while Neveah had initially suggested a day out together to Lucas with the intention of finally having some time away from the unpleasant atmosphere of the Eclipse Palace and wolf pack,

The day had turned out to be just another medium for her father to achieve his goals using Neveah.

Right from the moment the carriage had left the Eclipse Palace, Neveah had already sensed the presence of the Eclipse warriors her father had sent to trail them,

Neveah had thought this would be the one time she could venture into the city unmonitored by her father but the Eclipse warriors had trail them the whole way, hiding in plain sight.

Neveah was not certain if Lucas had taken notice of it, he was an alpha wolf after all and was more alert than a regular wolf shifter but if he had taken notice, he did not comment on it.

Neveah guessed Lucas believed it was only natural the Eclipse Princess would not be allowed out into the human settlement unprotected,

However Neveah was not foolish enough to believe the Eclipse warriors trailing them were there for her protection, she knew her father much better.

Neveah had always loved the human settlement, the humans were peaceful and carefree, unburdened by the concerns of status or rank,

They did not need to wake up daily wondering where they fit in the world,

They lived a routine lifestyle under the protection of the ruling wolf shifters, in the delusion of safety and prosperity the Alpha King had created for them.

And though they had their difficulties, having to pay their tributes and respects to the wolf shifters, at least they did not know the taste of pack rivalry or death challenges for rank.

At least they lived under the deception that their Alpha King loved and valued them, because her father had made it so,

And while the humans saw the supernaturals to be all powerful existences to be respected and revered,

They did not know that Neveah was but one of many who would have rather been born human than a shifter.

But Neveah knew the humans would argue with her reasoning,

Alpha King Lothaire Raul was a beloved king, kind and magnanimous, prudent and wise, under his rule, the Eclipse territories flourished and so he was akin to a god in their eyes.

'How lucky they were...' Neveah thought, truly they were lucky to not have to see the true face of their beloved Alpha King.

Neveah knew her father well enough to know he did not care in the slightest for the human settlements under his rule,

But he did love having a good image and that was the only reason he expended so much efforts to cater to them.

Neveah shook her head, her day had been positively exhausting and all Neveah wanted at this point was just to return home.

"Are you okay, Veah? You seem a little tired, perhaps the ride has been too bumpy, we could stop for a rest if you want. I'm not in a hurry to get back." Lucas offered.

Neveah resisted the urge to heave an exasperated sigh at Lucas's fussing, after spending the entire day with him, Neveah was more exhausted by his presence than she was of anything else.

Neveah understood the young alpha was concerned for her and he made a point of showing it at every opportunity, but Neveah did not know how to explain to him that being an Omega did not mean she needed assistance breathing.

From the very moment Neveah had stepped out to the courtyard of the Eclipse Palace to find a luxurious looking carriage awaiting her and a grinning Lucas leaned against it.

The fact that he had chosen a carriage as their means of transport and not an ordinary horse was enough to tell Neveah she would be having a 'damsel in distress' day.

And truly it had been just that, from helping Neveah up and down the carriage to guiding her through the throngs of people with a hand on her waist, to fussing over her and seeing to her every need, Lucas had been the perfect gentleman.

And while his personality was charming and his company easy to get used to, the fact that this entire date had been on her father's terms took away the beauty from it.

Neveah was here for one sole purpose, to get into Lucas' head and obtain the information her father needed and Neveah had found it was not even a hassle to get Lucas talking.

Like most youthful men, the young Alpha of Eclipse Claw did love talking about himself,

Neveah knew she should have been glad Lucas had made things easy for her, she would have preferred it if the young alpha knew better than to spill his pack secrets to just anyone.

"I'm fine, I can handle a bumpy carriage ride." Neveah replied with a forced smile.

'And a whole lot more.' Neveah was tempted to add but she restrained herself from speaking further.

"The human settlement of Eclipse Fang truly is a model to the Eclipse packs. Your people look up to the Eclipse Fang wolves and speak highly of the Alpha King."

"They live in abundance and happiness, Alpha King Lothaire is worthy of his prestige." Lucas commented and Neveah forced a smile and nodded in agreement.

Again, another fell to her father's deception, the very same Eclipse Claw Pack her father had eyes on for the longest time now and had even begun mustering his army,

And here their young Alpha sat, commending Alpha King Lothaire, while Neveah sat across from him bearing orders from the very same Alpha King...orders that were not favourable to Eclipse Claw.

'Worthy of his prestige?' Neveah thought,

...if only Lucas knew just how wrong he was...