Calhoun trained his soldiers severely. He tested their speed, agility, and strength. He wanted them to only be the best.
As their training continued, they gradually began to feel less and less human. Felix, Evander, and George stood by the side, watching them train with Calhoun. Evander felt the pressure put on them. George was indifferent which was suspicious because he always had something to say.
Felix however was Calhoun's supporter. The only reason he and Evander were exempted from the strenuous training was that they were ages older than Calhoun and had fought beside his father. They knew the old tactics of battle and that was enough for them.
At the end of the first week of their training, there was a lot of difference in even their appearance.
"Well done my king," Felix said, handing him his robe as usual. Calhoun would only grunt and nod his head. "With this type of training, it is inevitable to win the battle against Yara."
"There is no relenting," Calhoun growled. "It's either we win or we win. There is nothing like a loss for Wisteria."
Felix nodded in agreement. "We still have two weeks before the next full moon. My Lord, we have to teach them to control their wolf. Otherwise, they will go on a killing spree."
"Isn't that wonderful Felix? More blood for splattering!"
"Wonderful as it may sound my Lord, it will only be an edge Yara will have over us," Felix said. Calhoun gave his words a thought.
"I think that the army is ready, my king,"
Evander said. "They look so fierce now."
Calhoun glanced at him. "You are right, Evander. I also think you ought to return home to rest. It's been a week since you all left your homes. George, see to it that Evander gets home and rests properly."
George bowed and led Evander out. Felix stared at their retreating figures.
"Why send them out, my king? Do you perhaps perceive something?" He asked.
"You have truly learned well," Calhoun said. "I do perceive something off about those two. I can't pinpoint it but I can sense it."
"What might that be?" Felix asked.
"Don't be too curious, Felix." Calhoun chuckled. "Haven't you heard? Curiosity kills the cat.x
Felix kept quiet. He knew that Calhoun wasn't going to say anything about it anymore.
He kept quiet, watching as Calhoun stared at his army of strong wolves, feeling quite accomplished.
"My king, did you happen to find out who shot the arrow?"
"No," Calhoun answered. "I don't care about who shot the arrow."
"But my king, these things can serve as a potential danger to your health, my king."
"That's good. I like the fact that these people think they can easily distract me by sending a few sticks and stones to break my bones." Calhoun said. "Unfortunately, those things have little to zero effect on me."
Felix nodded. "That's true my Lord. But don't you think that if you let them know that these things have next to zero effect on you, they will want to up their game?"
"If they wish to up their game then that's even better," Calhoun said. "I like having to play games that interest me, not games that bore me."
"I fail to understand how things that would pass off as scary just seem to catch a little of your interest," Felix muttered. "There is something off about the army too."
"You're so observant, Felix," Calhoun said. "It's no wonder you were chosen by my father."
Felix shrugged a little. "We still have a lot of time to finish the basics of the training. But if we waste any more time, we shall lose."
Calhoun was struck by Felix's words. He glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. How could he have bypassed this one and made George his right-hand man? His beta should be his right-hand man.
"Felix, how would you like to assume your position as the king's right-hand man?" Calhoun asked, returning his gaze to the army before him.
"Oh my lord, I didn't mean to make you feel that way," Felix said. He felt that he had somehow hinted to Calhoun that he could do the job better than George and he never meant to!
Calhoun chuckled. "Nonsense! Do I take orders from anyone?"
"I doubt there exists anyone on the planet whom you would take orders from."
"What if there was?"
"I bet you would overthrow him and take his position too, giving orders to those who feel they're like you," Felix said.
Calhoun's lips crinkled in a weird smile. "And if it was a woman?"
"Then you can just make her your Luna if she's that powerful, and still you get to Lord over her," Felix answered. "That soldier is having some issues."
Calhoun nodded slightly. "I can see him. I know the problem, I just want to see how well he can deal with it."
"That... That's just brutal." Felix murmured.
"Brutal?" Calhoun asked, turning to face him completely. "What's brutal about this?"
"If anything, we have to train so hard! And we need more because the warning about the spy came from a distant country and I'm not so certain about it, it had no seal."
"That's not possible," Felix said.
"It came from Sunshine town, but the paper is different from what we have there. I've searched every post office in that town and they have never seen anything like that paper before."
"Well, let's hope that whoever sent us the warning is a friend and not a foe who just wants us to trust them," Felix said.
George came running almost immediately with another letter in his hand.
"My king, I received this on my way from Evander's house. It's a letter from Sunshine town, again." He said, handing Calhoun the letter. Calhoun accepted it and placed it carefully in his robe.
"Watch the soldiers, make sure they continue their training without stopping. At least until I return." Calhoun ordered. George bowed in response. He turned to Felix. "Come with me."
Felix quickly followed Calhoun back to the castle. Calhoun's steps were quick and hasty, and Felix had a hard time keeping up with his pace. Once he arrived at his chamber, he stopped abruptly.
"What's the matter, my king?" Felix whispered.
"Is someone there?"
"Yes," Calhoun said. "A woman."
"Let me go in first. I'm sure she's expecting you or George, but not me." Felix said, and before Calhoun could say anything, he opened the door and slipped into the chamber. It was dimly lit, disregarding the brightly shining sun outside. He found the king's new slave sitting in a corner, sobbing.
"My ki-" she stopped abruptly, seeing it was Felix and not Calhoun. "S..sir."
"What are you doing in the king's chamber, crying as if you have been bullied?" Felix asked, unsympathetic.
Patricia stuttered for a few seconds before she was able to calm her speech. "sir, I was only trying to.. is the king close by?"
"No." Felix lied cheekily. "Why? What's the matter? What were you trying to do?"
Patricia stood up and tiptoed around the room. She came close to Felix and grabbed his shoulder quickly.
"Woah!" Felix exclaimed. "What's the matter with you?"
"Sir, you have to help me!" Patricia whispered. "You have to help me. I've done everything I could, I don't know what else to do to earn his favor."
Felix chuckled. "Earn who's favor? The king's favor? You're a dreamer."
"Please! I can't help this feeling anymore." She begged. "I'm only telling you because I can sense that for him to allow you to be in here alone, means he is very much trusting."
Felix busted out laughing almost immediately. "How.. look at you! You naive little thing."
Calhoun chuckled darkly outside the room. Hearing Felix call Patricia a naive little thing reminded him of how many times he had told Diana she was naive.
"I need my robe, Diana." He ordered.
"Which one my Lord?"
"Think, little lamb."
Diana's eyes would flare up and she would glare at him. "I'm not a little lamb!"
"No? What are you then? You have stayed months with me and I have never seen you transform. Are you certain you are even a wolf? And compared to me, don't you think you are worse than a lamb?"
And then she would keep quiet. He would snort and say, "You naive little thing."
Remembering it made him quite happy. He liked the back-and-forth exchange between Felix and Patricia but they did not have time on their hands.
He touched the doorknob and turned it slowly, giving Patricia time to get herself in order. Although he had heard everything, he was going to pretend for the sake of privacy. But when he opened the door, he saw her clinging to Felix's arm like a koala and he forgot his earlier resolution.
"Will she also seduce my beta in my chamber?" Calhoun asked, sneering down at her. Patricia trembled. She hurried over to Calhoun, falling at his feet instantly. She grabbed his robe.
"Why does this scene feel familiar?" Calhoun murmured.
"I dare not seduce your beta, my Lord. I was only asking for the insight!" Patricia confessed. She wondered why every time she tried to get close to Calhoun, something bad always happened to make him hate her instead.
"What then did I see?" Calhoun asked, tapping his chin. "Take your hands off my robe, Patricia. Go and get my bath ready, then I need something to eat."
Patricia sprang up from the floor where she knelt. "Yes my king, I will do that right away."
Felix watched the woman scurry about, mixing Calhoun's bath water in two minutes and then she hurried out of the chamber to fulfill his remaining wishes.
"She's pretty," Felix commented. "Perhaps not as Diana, but better than all I've seen in this castle."
"It's more than just the face, Felix. There should be something beneath." Calhoun objected.
"There is something beneath her. I'm not certain it's good." Felix said. "But hey, something else to keep you busy when the war is over."
"There is no end to this war, Felix," Calhoun said. "These people will not rest until Calhoun Montego and the Wisteria pack are dead."
"But that can never happen, my king," Felix whispered. "For we know that you cannot die."
"Yes, yes that's true." Calhoun nodded. "I tried telling George about it but he seems too sure that the prophecy is not true."
"About that my king, did you ever mate with Diana?" Felix asked, inching closer to Calhoun.
"Yes. Several times. Why?"
"Because if the prophecy is done, there's a chance that she will be pregnant."
"Will it be?"
"Yeah?"
"She's been gone for like a year and six months and you say will be?" Calhoun reminded.
"Oh. There's a chance that you will have a child then." Felix said. "If that's the case then that also means that the curse is broken."
"Yes." Calhoun nodded.
"Then how can we still be sure? Perhaps we should test it out." Felix suggested. "Patricia will be a good test subject."
"Never." Calhoun rejected it immediately. "I can not do that when there is a chance that Diana is still alive."
"My king," Felix said with a tired sigh. "Diana is gone and gone for good. We have to make the difference that we need. If these people figure out that the curse is broken, they will begin to back off."
"What makes you think so?" Calhoun inquired in a voice barely above a whisper. "Why do you think so?"
"That's because the reason they have come to attack us is simply that they all know about the prophecy! They have all heard the prophecy." Felix answered. "They know exactly what is going on."
Calhoun turned to glare at the closed window. Everyone knows? How did everyone know about it?
"How come everyone knows about it?" Calhoun asked, voicing out his thoughts. "I thought it was a secret to Wisteria.
How then did everyone else know about the prophecy?"