The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 34: Moon Banquet ()

With the enthronement of the new Alpha King completed, darkness fell upon the Ethereal domain and as the moon began rising, it marked the auspicious time for the beginning of the moon banquet.

The banquet began in a flurry of elegant decorations welcoming a gathering of those of prestige and nobility.

Low, harmonious tunes rang out across the Ethereal palace, telling the tales of the children of the moon,

The most refined nectar brewed from the rarest fruits across the realms flowed from the fountains in abundance

A stately yet imposing ambience rested over the Ethereal palace as thousands of guests from various species across the supernatural realm convened in the grand courtyard to await the new Alpha King.

Upon the Alpha King’s arrival, the moon banquet to commiserate his enthronement would fully commence.

The coronation in the throne room had been the formal procedure where only the Ethereal Alphas and the supernatural council were allowed attendance.

The moon banquet however was graced by hundreds of Royal Lycan wolves and high ranked wolves from the other packs across the Ethereal domain, representatives from the other supernatural races were also present.

Meanwhile the main host of this grand event was somewhere in the depth of the forest, still in his royal robes and casually laid on a tree branch, his eyes fluttered closed as though he were asleep.

"My King, the banquet has begun, the guests have all arrived, don’t you think it is inappropriate to arrive late for your own enthronement banquet?" Luther called up to Askel with an exasperated look on his face.

"My mother’s banquet you mean." Askel countered in an uninterested tone, not making any moves to descend the tree.

Askel found it daring they would call it his banquet yet his reserved tastes had been foregone in favor of his mother’s extravagant preferences.

"My King, every enthronement ceremony must be followed by a moon banquet. Queen Sancia may have gone a little overboard, but it’s just the way things are done." Luther reasoned.

"There are matters that need my urgent attention all over the Ethereal domain yet my palace is filled with music and wine and Alphas that should rightly be looking after their packs, and this is the way things are done?" Askel asked blankly.

"My King, they have all come to honor you and even the Crimson Wolves will be attendance. I do not know how to explain it if you chose not to attend, please do not put me in a difficult position." Luther pleaded.

"Very well then, let us attend this banquet. Afterwards, I want everyone that should not be here off my territory before the week runs out." Askel said as he jumped off the branch, landing to the forest ground without a sound.

Askel led the way back to the Ethereal palace, his sensitive ears twitching as he picked up the excited chattering from a long distance away.

After a short walk, they arrived at the grand courtyard and Askel passed an uninterested glance over the luxurious banquet that had already commenced.

The guests all donned their finest regalia and conversed in small groups, pretending for this night that the supernatural realm was in peace and the alliance amongst the races was not tethering off a dangerous edge as it truly was.

Askel’s nose twitched slightly as various strange scents filled his nostrils, belonging to the different races that were present at the banquet.

Askel was particularly offended by that scent of mines and metals that was rather overpowering.

"Dwarves." Askel murmured in a tone of distaste.

"King Droogen has sent his two younger sons to bid you congratulations, Queen Sancia made sure to settle them as far away from the main palace as possible and so you have not noticed them until now." Luther reported.

"And you did not care to inform me that I have dwarves lurking around my palace?" Askel seethed in annoyance.

"The Ethereal domain knows how much My King detests the Dwarven race, yet in honor of the alliance, it was necessary to extend an invitation to them and of course, it is necessary they return to their territory alive." Luther explained.

"Just perfect." Askel grumbled as he emerged fully from the covering of trees into the grand courtyard.

All eyes turned to settle on Askel the moment he appeared and Askel strode through the crowd, heading towards his throne which had been placed at the head of the banquet.

Askel sat on his throne and the guests all bowed in respect after which the representatives of different species came forward to offer their congratulations.

Askel found it extremely unnecessary but the procedure was all for formality sake and if he could neglect it every other day, he could not do the same today.

The moon banquet had only just begun, yet Askel could not wait for it to be over, Askel desperately wanted to return to peace and quiet, the two things he valued the most.

Askel wanted to be by himself, in the midst of nature, with the rays of the moon encasing him in it’s enchanting glow, where nothing or no one could burden him.

At any other time, Askel would have taken his leave without a care for what anyone would think, however this time was different, the banquet was held in honor of his enthronement as Alpha King.

Representatives from all across the supernatural realm were in attendance, Vampires, Faeries, the merfolk, demons, dwarves and every supernatural race in existence.

The supernatural council was also present at the banquet.

This banquet hosted over five thousand esteemed guests and Queen Sancia had gone out of her way to prepare for it to an unmatched level of excellence.

Askel knew his mother had put in a lot of effort and even now, she sat some distance away from him, her hawk like gaze fixed on Askel in case he tried to leave.

Although the species of the supernatural realm had honored the invitation from the Ethereal domain and had come to pay their respects to the new Alpha King, Askel knew they each had their ulterior motives.

Whenever a new leader assumed the throne of any of the supernatural species, a new struggle of power began amongst the species for who held the supreme power in the supernatural realm.

For centuries, the dragon shifters had remained the indomitable leaders of the supernatural realm and the wolf shifters came a close second.

However the dragon shifters were much like the Crimson Moon Pack, their domain was separated from the rest of the supernatural realm by vast seas and they tended to avoid associating with the rest of the supernatural species.

This was precisely why although Askel had identified the presence of representatives from most of the species of the supernatural realm, he had not bothered expecting to pick out a representative from the dragon shifter race.

The strength of a race was reflected in the strength of their leader and so Askel knew over half of the guests present here had only come to test him out and fish for weaknesses, especially now when the news of the blood gems awakening had spread like wildfire.

Askel’s expression was blank as he nodded in response to the greeting of an elegant looking man with skin as pale as the dead and a crooked smile that displayed his sharp fangs.

Askel immediately recognized the man to be a renowned Lord of one of the most powerful vampire clans in the Fanged domain.

The Fanged domain was the territory of the vampires just like the Ethereal domain was the territory of the werewolves.

"Kriden Holter, Lord of the Blood Pride clan pays respect to the Ethereal King."

"As representative of the 12 lords of the Vampire council, I extend regards from the Fanged domain and bid you congratulations on your ascension to the throne." The Vampire Lord said with a small bow.

"You have come alone? The twelve lords of the Fanged domain are not known to be of one mind and with the animosity shared between both our races, I am surprised at your presence and more so at your words." Askel deadpanned, not at all interested in false pleasantries.

Unlike the other supernatural races, the vampires did not have a common leader, they were divided into twelve clans each with their own vampire lord and all twelve vampire lords had almost equal power and influence.

This was precisely why the Vampires were the most volatile race as while some of the Vampire lords were honorable and worthy of respect, a good number of them were only out for blood rampages and power tussles.

"You must know King Askel that you have long earned my respect. Truly the Vampire Lords are not of a unified mind, yet my presence here shows that there are still some of us who stand with you and for the alliance." The Vampire Lord replied in a firm tone as he stretched an arm out to Askel.

"Much appreciated, a war between our two races may be inevitable yet I will remember your words and your honor Lord Kriden." Askel replied with a small nod as he grasped the arm of the Vampire Lord in a firm grip, accepting his offer of truce.

The Vampire Lord bowed and offered his gift before he retreated back to mingle with the rest of the crowd and another representative stepped forward.

The scent of sea salt invaded Askel’s nostrils and he resisted the urge to retch as a tall and graceful female with skin the color of glittering silver arrived before him, lowering her head into a bow.

Beside her was a male that looked almost identical to her, the only difference being his hair trimmed to a shorter length and his male clothing.

"Askel...many moons have passed." The silver skinned female greeted, her voice like the tingling of bells and her eyes bright and enchanting.

"Princess Shariah of the merfolk, always a pleasure." Askel replied in a stiff tone which was the direct opposite of the female’s bright and cheery tone.