CHAPTER 26: _THE DARK LANDS

Lucian’s POV

*****

He drew in deep breaths, trying to control his emotions as he walked through the hallways, heading back to the war room where his father’s council, the council of fangs, were gathered.

It was at the very top of the palace, on the same floor where his room and the rooms of the other royal family members were. The floor was also directly on top of the floor where Elian’s room was.

His jaw clenched when he remembered what he had walked into a few minutes ago.

He had been searching for Beta Axel to inform him that his presence was needed at the council meeting... And that led him to Elian’s room.

The Omega was in heat and the Beta was already placing stakes on him!

Lucian’s wolf growled with need just then but he ignored it, brushing his right hand through his hair.

"How the hell did he know I touched myself to thoughts of him?" He asked himself, finally getting to the last floor of the palace on foot.

He ignored the bows from passing maids, his jaw clenched, and his gaze forward. The storm inside him raged too violently to feign politeness.

The crystal chandeliers above cast a golden light, and the walls were also etched with blue crystals.

"That omega has secrets... And I’ll find out what they are soon enough." He nodded to himself finally but then paused when he heard footsteps approaching behind him.

He turned around to spot Beta Axel running to keep up with him. The man was dressed in a sleek golden and blue armour that soon morphed into a more appropriate golden blazer with an eye-catching shine.

"You sure took your time." Lucian sneered with contempt, but Beta Axel ignored the attitude, patting him on the shoulder when he got to him.

"I didn’t do anything with our mate after you left if that’s what you’re wondering," Axel whispered, causing Lucian’s eyes to twitch with annoyance.

Axel brushed past him and continued walking down the hallway until they finally stopped in front of a large golden door with two guards standing in front of it.

The guards bowed before the two of them before opening the door. Lucian and Axel glanced at each other before stepping into the large war room.

It was illuminated with white crystals on the walls and had a large rectangular table where the council of claws were already gathered, as well as Alpha King Arian.

Lucian ignored the judgmental look in his father’s eyes as he and Axel stood at a free spot on the obsidian table.

"Great." Gamma Drax, a man with a thick white beard and grey eyes, cleared his throat. "Now that they’re here let’s continue with the matter at hand."

He proceeded to swipe his hand over the table, causing a holographic projection of the map of Evaros to appear above it. He then flicked his wrist, zooming into the map until he stopped at a spot in the heart of the continent.

"We all know the history of the dark lands." He scanned his gaze on the faces of everyone present, making an exaggerated gesture. "It was once a free land separating Lunaria from Arcadia. We used the territory for its rich mineral resources back then, and it helped our empire grow in its technological might."

Lucian rolled his eyes, folding his arms in front of his chest. He glanced at Axel and saw how focused the Beta was even though everyone on this table knew about all this already.

"But as our empire expanded, the Arcadian kingdom did as well, also using the dark lands’ resources. And that’s when the ’Blight’ happened. A cataclysmic witch experiment gone wrong that cursed the dark lands and made it what it is today." Gamma Drax said solemnly.

"The history that both our people share with this ominous piece of land—a land mass of over eight million square kilometres— could theoretically give either of us a claim over the dark lands."

There was silence after all that. Lucian felt like he was about to get a headache on the spot.

"Enough history. Let’s talk about the real threat — Arcadia." Delta Raina, a woman in her late forties with lush black hair spoke up, taking over the holographic projection. "Let’s be real here... These bastards have been trouble for millennia. Our alliance with them has been shaky at best, owed mostly to the fact that wolves and witches are the dominant species in the continent."

"And as for the Dark lands, rogue wolves from our empire who were either cast out for serious crimes or abdicated themselves have made it their home and they even have a leader... The Rogue King, Kyren Nochthane." The Delta continued but Lucian was at his wits’ end already.

"Excuse me." He raised his hand, causing all eyes to turn to him. "Can we cut to the chase? Who’s the enemy here and who’s causing trouble? Arcadia or the Dark Lands?"

There was a tense silence, most of the people present staring at him with disapproval.

But he couldn’t give a rat’s ass even if he tried.

"Arcadia wants the dark lands under their control." His father, the Alpha King, was the one who spoke up this time, placing his hands on the obsidian table. "They’ve made their claims on the land known subtly for years. We’ve turned a blind eye because... Well, it’s barren and we’ve avoided trouble with the rogues. Arcadia clearly doesn’t care about that."

"They started with sending scouts to the borders of the dark lands. But the rogue king didn’t appreciate that and retaliated by annihilating all those scouts and their fleets." He added, straightening his posture slowly. "If Arcadia decides to go full force on the dark lands and manage to take it. With how shaky our alliance is... Lunaria might be next on their sights."

Lucian’s eyes widened as the solemn air in the meeting room tripled.

This wasn’t just a fight for land or resources.

It was a fight to determine the supreme power of the continent.