Playing The Alphas

Chapter 78: The Beast In The Hallway

SAMANTHA

Morning light filtered through the tall windows of the palace corridor. Today was a wonderful day! I woke up in a big king size mattress with fruits by my side. I also woke up to fresh air from outside with quality air conditioning instead of fan from the servants quarters.

I did not have any back pain or sore throat. Neither did I see any rats, roaches and spiders scurrying around. I was just so blessed and happy to be here. I thanked the moon goddess for showing me mercy and prayed that this would continue for some more time.

I walked beside Joanne, my maid. Her eyes moved across the walls with the familiarity of someone who had seen them a thousand times. She was adoring everything like she had just seen it for the first time and I wouldn’t lie, the art was majestic.

"The palace is beautiful," I said. "I have never seen anything like it."

Joanne nodded. "It was designed by the late queen. The triplets’ mother."

"Really?"

"She was a very intentional designer. Every detail had a meaning. Every color. Every pattern. Every stone."

I looked at the tapestries more closely. The threads were gold and silver and deep crimson. The scenes told stories about battles, hunts and weddings.

"She must have been very talented," I said.

"She was. She spent years on this palace. She wanted it to be a home. Not just a fortress."

"A home for her sons?"

Joanne’s expression flickered. "Yes. But she never got to see them grow up."

I was quiet for a moment. "She died in childbirth."

"Yes. The triplets were too powerful for her body. They tore her apart from the inside."

My stomach turned. "That is terrible."

"It is the curse. The Lycan bloodline. It gives them power, but it takes everything from those who love them."

We walked in silence. The corridor stretched ahead of us. We saw more tapestries, windows and art work. Including one Luna bible she wrote. So talented.

"The queen chose the colors herself," Joanne continued. "Blue for wisdom. Gold for strength. Silver for purity. She wanted her sons to embody those things."

"And do they?"

Joanne laughed. It was a soft sound. "Jayce has the strength. Finnian has the wisdom. Darlington has the purity."

"And the curse?"

"The curse takes all of that and twists it. Strength becomes cruelty. Wisdom becomes coldness. Purity becomes weakness."

I stopped walking. "That is a sad way to look at it."

"It is a sad reality, Miss Samuels."

I started walking again. "What about the carvings? The ones on the pillars?"

"Those are the queen’s favorite designs. They depict the moon phases. She believed the moon guided everything. Even the curse."

"The moon guides everything for wolves."

"Not just wolves. Everyone. The moon does not discriminate."

We rounded a corner. The corridor opened into a large hall. The ceiling was vaulted. The windows were stained glass. The light that came through was blue and gold and silver.

"The queen wanted this hall to be a place of peace," Joanne said. "A place where her sons could come when they were troubled."

"Did they?"

"I do not know. I was not here when they were young. I only heard the stories."

"What do the stories say?"

Joanne was quiet for a moment. "They say the queen used to bring them here every full moon. She would sit with them in the center of the hall and tell them stories of the ancient wolves. Stories of bravery. Stories of love. Stories of redemption."

"Sounds like she was a good mother."

"She was. But she was also a prisoner. The curse trapped her as much as it trapped her sons."

We walked through the hall. The stained glass windows cast colored patterns on the floor. I stepped on a patch of blue light. Then gold. Then silver.

"She must have been lonely," I said. freewebnovёl.ƈom

"Very lonely. The king was not a loving husband. He saw her as a vessel for his heirs. Nothing more."

"That is terrible."

"That is the way of royal families, Miss Samuels. Love is a luxury. Power is a necessity."

We reached the end of the hall. Another corridor stretched ahead. More tapestries. More windows. More light.

I was about to speak again when I heard it.

Screaming.

It came from somewhere ahead. Distant at first. Then closer. Louder.

People began to run past us. Servants. Guards. Their faces were pale. Their eyes were wide. Their feet pounded against the marble floor.

"Run!" someone shouted. "Run!"

"What is happening?" I asked.

Another servant ran past. Her voice was shaking. "It is a beast! A prince! He has turned into his cursed beast!"

Joanne grabbed my arm. "We need to move. Now."

I did not move.

More people ran past. Guards with swords drawn. Servants clutching their chests. They pushed and shoved and screamed.

"Everyone run!"

"It is the prince! It is Prince Finnian!" freewebnσvel.cøm

"He has lost control!"

"He is beasting out!"

I heard the roar before I saw him.

It was loud, deep, primal and guttural. It shook the walls and rattled the windows. It made my bones tremble.

And then I saw him.

Finnian.

He was at the end of the corridor. His body was massive, hunched and muscular. His skin was grey and cracked, like stone. His hands were claws and his teeth were fangs. His eyes were black and hollow.

Horns grew from his head. Twisted. Sharp. They curved upward like a demon’s crown.

He looked like an orc. An ugly, monstrous orc.

He roared again. Spit flew from his mouth. His claws scraped against the walls.

I could not move.

My feet were glued to the ground. My hands hung limp at my sides. My mouth was open. No sound came out.

Finnian turned his head. His black eyes found me.

He took a step toward me.The world around me blurred and suddenly, the screaming faded and the running stopped.

There was only him. Only the beast.

Only Finnian.

The shock hit me like a wave. Cold, numbing and overwhelming.

I could not breathe or think.

I could only stand there, frozen, as the beast approached.