The Royal Mark-Chapter 85: A Year Ago - Chris’ Story (4)
When a werewolf king dies, his heir inherits his abilities and the new werewolf king will gain a unique ability after their ascension ritual which is equivalent to the coronation ceremony of the humans.
Prince Andrius smirked as well after Chris changed back his eye color to gray and offered his arm to him. Chris did not hesitate and grabbed Andrius’ arm for a forearm handshake before both princes placed their other hands onto each other’s shoulder as a form of greeting and respect.
"Your Majesty," Andrius then bowed before him making him utterly confused.
"What are you doing? That title is only reserved for a King, you and I are of equal status as I myself is a Crown Prince as well of my kingdom," Chris said, noticing another round of whispers and murmurs from the people around him.
Prince Andrius had a crease on his face as soon as he heard Chris’ words, just like Chris, he himself is now confused as well. "I think we should talk in private," Andrius said before commanding one of his men to give Chris a horse which he swiftly mounted.
"Perhaps you are right, I shouldn’t call you Majesty yet since by tradition in your kingdom you should ascend to the throne first," Andrius mentioned, assuming that Chris meant only that.
"I-I don’t understand, you keep on mentioning me being King. I will only ascend when my father can no longer perform his duties in cases like sickness or death," Chris said as both princes headed towards the Rügengard Castle.
Andrius halted his horse causing Chris to stop his horse and look at Andrius, "Just where have you been all this time, Prince Christopher?" he asked curiously.
"Last night me and my men arrived in the port of Zemaria, and on our way to my wedding, we helped a man and an injured old woman from demons attacking them. The old woman is a mage and I..." Chris paused, remembering the old woman’s words that her granddaughter is not safe in Zemaria and it is better for him to stay quiet about it until he knows that Andrius can be trusted with that information.
"Just tell me Prince Andrius, what is going on? The place where I left my men looked different. It is my wedding day with your sister but there is no indication of any celebration anywhere," Chris uttered.
"Please call me Andrius. You have been missing for a year together with my half-sister Hera. We all thought that the demons or witches might have captured both of you to stop the wedding and the alliance from happening. Since after you were gone, they attacked Arcanis and your father..." Andrius paused and took a deep breath, he didn’t know how to bring the bad news to Chris for he seemed like he had no idea what happened for the past year.
"What about my father? What happened to the King? Tell me!" Chris almost yelled because he didn’t like what he was hearing and he indeed had a bad feeling about it.
"K-King Ulfgar Jorgensen died when the demons and witches waged war against Arcanis when the alliance between the Zemaria and Arcanis didn’t happen. Your uncle Alaric Jorgensen is the new King of Arcanis and— Woah," Andrius was not able to continue for his horse reared up and was almost thrown away.
He saw Chris’ eyes turn red, his fangs starting to get bigger and furs began to grow from his skin... He is transforming into a werewolf.
The soldiers escorting Prince Andrius had drawn their swords and surrounded the Prince of Arcanis, who had already unmounted from his horse and roared loudly as if he was in physical pain.
The horses of the soldiers and knights are becoming restless and out of control the longer they hear the outcry of the transforming prince.
Chris’ shirt and armor started to tear up, his upper body becoming larger and his skin was now dark with black furs.
Everyone watches him shift as every bone and muscle in his body changes. They pointed their weapons at him, prepared to attack the moment he charged at them.
"H-Hold your weapons! Do not attack, I repeat do not attack!" Prince Andrius exclaimed when he saw Chris trying to control his transformation to not complete his form.
He had seen many werewolves transform on the battlefield and he is sure that Chris’ transformation is only because of his uncontrollable emotions and strong grief. He just found out that his father died and being a true alpha, Andrius knows that Chris can fully control himself and will not go on rogue.
The soldier’s knees were trembling and their hands were shaking. Werewolf shifting is not new to them but Prince Christopher Jorgensen is no ordinary werewolf... He is a true alpha, the alpha of alphas.
Not only he is larger than a normal werewolf and has glowing red eyes, but his aura is also more terrifying and can make any shifter bend their knees and kneel in front of him. And it goes the same with other races, his presence alone is so petrifying that a normal creature would either bow their heads or run away from him in fear.
The soldiers slowly took a step backward as Chris shifted into his wolfman form completely destroying his upper garments and ripping his pants off. His long and large fangs now completely showing and he looks as if he is struggling from deep within.
He screamed and wailed several times making all the soldiers anxious and terrified at the same time. He hit and punched himself on the chest and on the head before letting out a piercing roar and howl causing some of the people around him to cover their ears including Prince Andrius.
After that deafening howl, Chris slowly calmed down, shifted back to his human form, and kneeled on the ground with shoulders drooping and a gloomy look. Prince Andrius quickly ordered his squire to cover his fellow Prince with a cloak.
Once covered, Prince Andrius was the one who helped Chris get up and guided him towards the horse, "Get hold of yourself, you should not let others see you weak! You are my future brother-in-law, and I will not allow you to be in such a state!" Prince Andrius firmly whispered to his ear.
