Taming The Queen Of Beasts

If you enjoy music while you write, try "Hope" by Nathan Wagner. It's what I was listening to while writing this chapter and the next!

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<strong>AARYN</strong>

Aaryn held his breath, his chest pumping with the emotion coursing through him as Elreth held his eyes and signed, 'All hail the disformed.' Aaryn wanted to rush to her, but he couldn't. The tradition. It had to be fulfilled.

His chest squeezed with both pride and more than a little grief as Gar, his brother of the flames, approached their Queen, Aaryn's mate and, brimming with Alpha power, shaking with restraint, knelt before her in submission.

Behind Aaryn the disformed watched, none of them moving or breathing. All of them leaned in, their ears perked for every sound, every word.

"I am Alpha of the Disformed," Gar said, somehow managing to convey both pride and humility in the statement. "The Disformed submit their will to the Queen. We are Anima. Do you judge us true? We would be called to join the tribes. Would you call us?"

Elreth, her eyes filled with tears, tore her gaze away from Aaryn and looked down on her brother.

"Yes," she said with a strangled laugh as the rustle and murmur of voices in the crowd began to rise in excitement. "Yes, I judge you true. Yes, I will call your Tribe. Anima, attend!"

Voices began to call, applause crackled through the bowl, but Elreth only beamed at Aaryn, tears running down her cheeks as she turned to face the established tribes first, one by one.

"Leonine stand, address your brothers! Equine on your feet to acknowledge your sisters!"

One by one, Elreth called the tribes to attention and any who weren't already, got to their feet—most in celebration, a few reluctantly—all of them calling, croaking, howling in their tribe's tongue, raising the new tribe to the Creator.

Then, when all of them raised their voices, Elreth turned and roared, "I present to you, Anima! Your new brothers, your new sisters. Stand and acknowledge the defenders of the Anima, the sword of our people, the Protectors!

"Raise your voices, raise your eyes! I name them Protectors and they stand in our ranks from this day forward, the Creator smiles on all the tribes of the Anima of which we count the Protectors one!"

A great, booming roar shook the Hallowed Grounds as all of the people, caught up in the thrill of unity, raised their voices. Roars, howls, growls, chirps and calls echoed out of the bowl and across the WildWood, startling the night birds from their perches, and flattening the rodents to the ground in their flight.

"The Protectors are here! They stand as the Sword of the Anima against invaders, against the darkness of other worlds. They are the Keepers of the True History!" Elreth called, her voice cracking with emotion as the people responded to her joy. "Only through their knowledge and leadership will all of Anima survive the coming invasion. Hail your brothers! Hail your sisters! The Protectors are Anima, and Anima welcome them! Protectors, we welcome you!"

Aaryn was overcome, tears choking him as he and the rest of the disformed—Protectors!—rushed forward to joint the tribes.

Never in his life had Aaryn seen arms open to his people. Never had he seen pride on the faces of the Anima. But he saw it now—families who pulled their children, their cousins, their aunts into welcoming arms.

Pain speared through his chest as he looked to the wolves to find his mother, and it hit him all over again that she was gone. His father too. That his family was… that he was all that was left. But then Elreth appeared in front of him, sobbing, and threw herself into his chest. And all the joy of the moment rushed back. He held her so tightly he was afraid he might hurt her, but she only squeezed him back and sobbed again and again how proud she was. How he'd done it. How they'd done it, they'd finally done it!

And when he pulled back to take her face in his hands and try to find words to express the gratitude that threatened to overwhelm his ability to speak, instead he found her eyes shining with pride and she opened a hand towards the people.

"Look, Aaryn. Look. They're being embraced."

He turned then, his face slack with disbelief, as he watched leaders, masters, and Alphas  approaching his people and nodding their acknowledgment.

Alphas and… and Kings.

Aaryn's breath caught as Elreth turned and stepped to his side while her parents approached, obviously just having celebrated with Gar, now they walked towards him, Elia's arms around Gar and her face beaming with joy.

Gar caught his eyes and smiled a wobbly, emotional grin as Elia released her true son to come to him then, running forward, sobbing his name. She threw her arms around his neck and he lifted her off her feet, turning her around, both of them weeping.

"You did it, Aaryn," she whispered. "She would be so proud. She would be so proud of you. I wish she was here. You did it!"

Aaryn squeezed his eyes closed, tried to hold himself together, but Elia was sliding out of his arms and turning him, urging him. And when he opened his eyes he found Reth standing in front of him, eyes shining and jaw tight.

They stared at each other for a moment, and Aaryn's heart pattered, yearning for… what? He didn't know.

But Reth did.

Reth stepped forward, clasping his hands at the back of Aaryn's neck and pulling him in close so they were almost nose-to-nose.

"I knew your father, Aaryn," Reth rasped, his voice hoarse and broken with emotion. "He was a good male who loved his family. He would have been… overjoyed to see this. So proud. And so certain of your strength. He wanted a world for you that would let you do so much more than you were given opportunity. He supported my mate because of her love and care for the dis—for the Protectors. He would have celebrated with you today. And… Creator's Mane, I pray you'll let me celebrate for him. Aaryn… well done. Well done, son. Well done."

Aaryn fell into his chest and wept.Â