Henry's POV
I sprinted down the path of the courtyard, shrieking with laughter. The late-afternoon sun beamed down on my sweat-drenched back, still searing as it was summer. I was running from my friend Archie Calder, who held a wooden sword in his hand.
“Stay where you are, traitor!” Archie yelled.
“I’d sooner die than let you capture me,” I replied, raising my own sword.
Archie chased me down the rest of the stone path. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the fastest at running, so Archie caught up to me and tapped me on the shoulder with his sword. It was a challenge for a duel. I grinned. I may not be fast, but I am great with a sword. Without warning, I spun around, aiming the sword at Archie’s throat. He dodged just in time, but before he could land a hit of his own, an Omega appeared at the entrance of the doorway to the courtyard, ringing a bell.
“It’s five o’clock, pups. Time to go home,” he announced.
“Just a little while longer,” the pups whined.
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Like usual, the Omega acquiesced and the pups continued playing, usually for around half an hour more. However, I remembered that today the Omegas were preparing a huge feast for my aunts, uncles and cousins visiting from Chesterfield, and she had specifically instructed me to go home earlier. I never backed down from a fight, but if I didn’t this time mother would be cross. Sighing, I reluctantly dropped my sword and raised my hands above my head in surrender.
“Alright, you win Archie. I have to go home. The Omegas are preparing a feast and I can’t be late,” I said.
“Come on, Henry? What kind of knight are you if you back down from a fight?” Archie protested, trying to goad me back into the fight.
It almost worked, but the temptation of the feast overruled that urge.
Food comes before my pride, I decided.
“See you tomorrow, Sir Calder,” I farewelled.
“Bye, Sir Richmond,” he replied.
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I sprinted down the corridors of the palace, intent on leaving the palace as quickly as I could. In my mind, I was already imagining the many foods that the Omegas will prepare for us. Smoky ham legs cooked over fire pits, roasted chicken, juicy beef steaks, all those different pastries, and the desserts, the puddings, cakes and the fruit pies. My mouth watered just thinking about them. I had to get home now.
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I was thinking about food so much that I didn’t notice when I made a wrong turn. I didn’t realise until I heard two voices speaking from the corridor to my left. I paused and quickly looked around, deciding on which direction to go. I could go and find help, but I’ll be in so much trouble! As I stood there, panicking, I unconsciously listened in to the conversation.
“Are you sure that no one suspects our involvement in General Richmond’s death?” one of the voices, a female one, asked.
I clamped my hands over my mouth to stop myself from gasping. I recognised that voice from when my family went to the throne room. It was the Luna, Annabelle. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Why were they talking about my uncle?
“Yes. They all think that the old fool was killed by Lockwood scoundrels. Relax, Ann, everyone who knew about this had sworn to keep it a secret. If they break that promise, they will be disposed of, even if it’s the last thing I do,” assured the other voice, who I recognised to be Alpha Hayden’s.
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I was really confused now. Everyone told us that Uncle Cor was killed by Lockwood scoundrels, but Alpha Hayden made it sound like that wasn’t true. And what did the Luna mean by “their involvement”? Are they friends with the Lockwood scoundrels? A million thoughts flowed through my head like a fast-flowing stream. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped, then slowly turned to face them, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“What are you doing here, Mister Richmond?” the Omega asked.
“I-I was just going home, but then I got lost,” I replied, mentally scolding myself for stuttering.
A flare of suspicion appeared in her eyes, but it was gone before I could register it. I gulped as I tried to stare innocently at her. I didn’t feel so brave now, and the wooden sword at my side didn’t seem so dangerous. My cheeks burned with further shame as I realised that I, the son of one of the most powerful lords of Belmont, was scared of an Omega.
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Finally, her lips curved into a practised smile, and she held out her hand.
“Come on, I’ll escort you out of the palace,” she offered.
I nodded and allowed myself to be guided out of the palace by the Omega. I tried to ignore the stares of werewolves passing by, but they seemed to burn into me. I lowered my eyes, head hung in shame. This was SO embarrassing!
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A carriage from my Manor was waiting for me outside. The Omega escorted me straight into it to make sure I wouldn’t get lost again. After some begging, I convinced the coachman of my carriage, as well as my guards, to not tell mother about this. She would be infuriated with me. I could smell the scent of the delicious foods as soon as the carriage reached the gates of the Manor. Right after the carriage was parked, I rushed inside, and ran towards the kitchen, eager to see what the Omegas cooked up this time.
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After I came out from the kitchen, I arrived at the dining hall, where I saw my father, my brother, my uncle and my oldest cousin sitting together, clearly discussing something serious. I waved to them, but none of them waved back. I huffed, annoyed. They needed to stop treating me like a worthless little pup. True, I was only 10, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be important. Meriam started her training when she was only five! I decided the only way to appear more grown-up and useful was to walk over and join in their conversation. Sure, I probably won’t understand much of it, but that's how I can learn, right?
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“Good evening father, Uncle Perseus, brother and cousin Alexander,” I greeted as I nodded to each of them in turn, remembering my best manners to seem proper.
Uncle Perseus and Alex smiled and replied with their greetings.
“Can I join in your conversation?” I asked.
“Uh-” my father began, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Let the boy join in, Nic. He needs to learn about the affairs of the state sometime. Why not now?” persuaded Uncle Perseus.
I nodded eagerly, then smiled gratefully at my uncle. My father shrugged.
“Alright. But don’t interrupt, Henry. It would be very impolite of you to do that,” father said.
“Yes father,” I replied.
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I started regretting my decision to join the conversation after a short while. I didn’t understand much of it, and it was so boring! Suddenly, my father brought up Uncle Cor, and I was reminded of what I heard the Alpha and Luna said.
“Today I heard the Alpha and the Luna say that they were involved in Uncle Cornelius’ death. Is that true?” I asked curiously.
Four pairs of eyes turned to look at me, alarmed. Finally, my father stood up, beckoning me to follow him.
“Excuse us,” he said apologetically to the rest of the group.
He pulled me by the arm to the edge of the dining room. I gulped nervously, wondering what my father was so alarmed about. He turned to me and bent down to my height, staring intently into my eyes.
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“Are you sure you heard the Alpha and Luna say that?” Father asked.
“Yes,” I replied, “I recognized their voices.”
“Where and when did you hear them?”
“I heard them talking when I was walking through the corridors of the palace and I got lost. It was after the Omega told the other pups and I to go home.”
“The Alpha and Luna let you wander through the palace unsupervised?”
“Normally the Omega would escort us to the front doors of the palace, but today I decided to come home before the other pups. They probably didn’t want to bother escorting one pup, so I was allowed to go alone.”
“What exactly did they say?”
“The Luna asked the Alpha if anyone suspected their involvement in Uncle Cor’s death, and the Alpha replied that everyone who knew about their involvement had sworn to keep it a secret.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“Yes. A female Omega saw me and I told her I got lost in the palace. She took me out of the palace.”
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Father’s eyebrows knitted together in worry. He buried his face in his hands, then looked up again, his anxiety gone from his face. He didn’t want to worry me, but I knew. This was something very important.
“Can anyone confirm anything you said?”
“I can,” volunteered the guard who had escorted me back home, “he was escorted out of the palace alone by a young female Omega instead of the old male Omega who usually escorts him and all the other pups,”
I turned around and nodded at him thankfully. My father was bound to believe me now. Guards didn’t usually get involved in the pups’ folly, especially if it concerned something important. Father fell silent, gazing into the distance. This meant he was thinking about something important, so I didn’t disturb him. Finally, he turned to look at me, a grave look upon his face.
“Thank you for telling me this, Henry. You have been very helpful,” he said.
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