Rage and resentment

"Dariel Rees?" Azimir pondered over the name but he could not remember who he was and he looked at Aylin questioningly.

"Yes. The previous Gamma of Renada recently gave up his position for his son-in-law to take over since he only had a daughter."

Aylin's eyes flashed with disgust as she recounted what she had heard when she was at Renada. Her tone was filled with disgust and anger which even Zavid noticed.

Azimir was taken aback by her obvious show of annoyance and repugnance and his curiosity wandered away from the initial topic of discussion to find out why she was this indignant.

"May I ask the reason behind your aggravation, Commander?" Azimir's tone was soft and Aylin's anger lessened on hearing his gentle voice.

But she was still irked regarding how none of the women were considered worthy to hold a significant position in the courtroom in any kingdom. Even in the royal court hall of Aranill, except her, every other position was being occupied by men and she could not help but loathe the prejudice the society had against women.

"Your Highness, it is an insignificant matter. I would not like to dwell more into it and take up more of your time."

"What if I request you to take more of my time? Would you still reject me, Commander?" Azimir interrupted her before she skipped what he wanted to find out desperately. Everything about her piqued his interest and he wished to find out her thoughts and feelings, surprising himself at his own notions.

Aylin was rendered speechless by his words. Even the other warriors and Zavid gave the man a doubtful look, wondering why he was behaving this strangely all of a sudden. It seemed as if he was trying to get their Commander to speak to him about all she had in her heart and mind, disregarding the perturbing situation they were in.

"Please, I would like to know why you are this vexed. What is the reason?" Azimir spoke as though he was coaxing her, his mesmerizing voice compelling Aylin to listen to him and do as he wished.

Unable to stop herself this time, Aylin surrendered and she closed her eyes in defeat. A victorious smirk landed on Azimir's lips as he waited for Aylin to speak.

"Your Highness, is it not satirical that women are still not allotted important positions in the court of honor even though they have shown themselves to be worthy of the power they possess time and again?" Aylin questioned, and Azimir was astounded by the sarcasm which she failed to hide in her tone.

"Would you mind elaborating more about it, Commander?" Azimir turned his attention towards her completely, ignoring the probing eyes on him.

"Alpha Azimir, are women unworthy of holding powerful positions in the court or the army? Are they only required to warm the bed and put up a graceful appearance before others?" She spat, recalling the derogatory comments she had to listen to from the men around her before she became the General Commander.

"I agree that compared to men women are physically weaker. But that does not justify the reason for this injustice."

Aylin argued, letting out the frustrations in her heart. Only she knew how much anger and exasperation she had felt when she had faced the mockery when she had decided to join the royal army. Not even women of the society had been supportive of her decision and this aggrieved her all the more.

Now that she had got the opportunity to let out all the unfairness she had suffered, she could not stop her anymore.

"I agree, Commander. Women are brilliant and are equally capable as men in every aspect." Azimir stated with a smile. But Aylin was not convinced.

"In that case, why do you not have a woman holding any important post in your kingdom, Your Highness? Let us not consider humans for now. But female werewolves are quite powerful. Why do they not have this right?"

Aylin's tone changed from voicing out her thoughts to outright blaming the man in front of her and Zavid sucked in a deep breath in fear. He wondered how long it would be before his Alpha lost his composure.

"Commander Aylin, you are yet to meet all the people in my kingdom, especially from my court and the army. How can you make assumptions without finding out the truth?" Surprisingly, Azimir was not irked by her accusations and he explained the matter to her calmly.

"Alpha, I do not have to meet others. I can find out the truth just by seeing who holds the three most important and authoritative positions in your kingdom."

This time, Azimir could not stop smiling and he folded his hands, his eyes dancing in amusement and a strange emotion that Aylin could not comprehend.

"Commander Aylin, I agree that the three most authoritative positions in my kingdom are being by men. But I am helpless in this matter."

"What do you mean, Alpha?" Aylin frowned, confusion clouding her thoughts and she swallowed her saliva slowly.

"As far as I can remember, the first three ranks in our pack have never been able to produce any female offspring for generations together. We have only had males and it was the other wolves after us who were able to birth females."

Azimir revealed the one truth that not many people knew about. Though it was not a secret, only a few people knew about it.

Aylin could not conceal her shock at the revelation and her lips parted, not knowing what to speak in return. Even her warriors were stunned and they too just stared at Azimir in wonder.

"Though we do not have females occupying the top three positions, we do have them in our court and army and I would not mind introducing them to you. I presume the women would be glad and excited to meet you." A strange glint passed through his eyes which Aylin missed completely.

"Why would they be excited to meet me, Your Highness?"

"Because you are their source of inspiration, Commander. It was only after you joined the army and passed the training and the test that the women in my kingdom came forward to fulfill their dreams."

Aylin was too tongue-tied to speak anymore and she just gaped at the man.

"And I must thank you too. It is because of you that I was able to find out how capable and skilled the women in my kingdom are."