Chapter 28 - A Secret Mission
Cedric Morgan was a greedy and ambitious werewolf. On the outside, he looked like an obedient and loyal general who would never betray his king.
But little did they know, this Alpha was already coveting the King's throne, slowly making a move in secret to achieve his goal. He was good at hiding his true intentions.
His selfish greed started to grow a long time ago when Dominique Silvano and his wife had difficulty bearing a child. Without a child, no one would inherit the throne.
A hearsay was going around the Kingdom of Phantasia that the werewolf king and his queen were being punished by the Moon Goddess for a reason they hadn't known, not allowing the two to bear a child.
Cedric found their misfortune as a great opportunity for him to become the next werewolf king. He worked hard and devoted himself to Dominique just to gain his favor because everyone believed that Dominique would try to pass down the throne to one of his loyal generals.
He almost thought he was already close to reaching his goal as Dominique treated him like a son, his youngest werewolf general. Other werewolves believed that Alpha Cedric would be chosen by Dominique as the next King.
However, all his efforts went in vain when twenty-four years ago the Werewolf Queen was finally able to conceive their child, not only one child but twins!
But again, another mischief happened to the King and Queen. The werewolf princess was taken away from them by a mysterious man whom they believed was a vampire. Cedric would be happy if Dylan was the one who disappeared, not the princess.
"What are you planning to do now?" Vladimir asked, snapping Cedric back to the present.
"Since the werewolf prince is coming here on his own accord, I believe you already thought of an alternative plan," he added, assessing Cedric's expression as he tried to figure out what he was thinking.
Vladimir's query was answered with a malicious smile plastered on Cedric's face.
"Like I said, this is a great opportunity to get rid of Dylan. We are going to assassinate him the moment he sets foot in this human world."
Vladimir nodded his head in agreement. He liked Cedric's idea but he still had a lingering concern as he couldn't deny the fact that Dylan was also a strong and powerful werewolf.
"Killing him is not going to be easy. We need to choose our strongest fighters to do this mission. But I'm still worried that Dylan will recognize them. It will be a big problem for us once they fail their mission of killing him," Vladimir expressed his opinion on this matter.
"Are you willing to take the risk? Do you really think this is the right time to eliminate the werewolf prince?" he sounded so serious when he asked those questions to Cedric.
Cedric fell silent for a moment, wrinkling his brows in a slight frown. He was put in a deep thought, analyzing the pros and cons.
"Vladimir, you were the one who always supported my decision. I could still remember the piece of advice you've given me before." Cedric smiled faintly as he reminisced about the past.
"I learned a lot from you. Until now, the Werewolf King trusts me wholeheartedly. But you know that Dylan is a different matter. He is always suspicious of me. Before he can shake and ruin my relationship with the King, I must kill him..."
"... I can't allow him to live longer and strengthen his power. I have waited long enough for this perfect opportunity to eliminate him."
Vladimir took a deep sigh. He understood Cedric. He had a point. Dylan might become a great hindrance to Cedric's goal. They should eliminate the rightful heir so that Cedric would get the chance to inherit the throne and become the next Werewolf King.
"Alpha Cedric, just give me your command, I will definitely do as you say. We still have one week to prepare for this mission."
Cedric put his hand on Vladimir's shoulder, satisfied with the support he always rendered to him. He knew that he could always count on Vladimir.
"How about the search for the missing princess? Should I pull out the team?" Vladimir suddenly thought of the werewolf princess.
"No! Don't stop looking for her. Even if we succeed in eliminating Dylan, we can't guarantee that Dominique will pass the throne to me. He will not give up on finding his daughter."
Cedric already knew how the Werewolf King's mind worked after spending his time with him for so long. Dominique Silvano could be stubborn at times.
It would not be favorable to them if the Shadow Wolf Team would be able to find the missing princess. They needed to find her first. The werewolf princess would be the main key in getting what he wanted.
Dominique promised to grant one wish as a reward to someone who would be able to find his daughter. If Cedric found her, he would ask Dominique for the hand of his daughter.
Marrying the princess would ensure that he would become the next werewolf king since the princess would become their queen, especially if Dylan was already gone.
"I understand, Alpha Cedric. We will continue searching for her. But what if she is already dead? The vampires might have killed her already." Vladimir still pondered as to why the vampires kidnapped the werewolf princess and didn't even negotiate with the Werewolf King.
'What is their true purpose for taking the princess? Are they going to use her as a hostage? But we never hear any demand from the vampire clan. Are they really the ones responsible for this incident or is there another group involved?'
Vladimir couldn't help but think hard about the possible motives of the person who took the princess.
He was still lost in his thoughts when Cedric spoke up, answering his last question.
"I don't think the vampire already killed her. If they did, they should have announced it to the entire kingdom as part of their revenge against the werewolf clan. But surprisingly, the vampire remained quiet for so long, hiding from us." Cedric shared his own speculation regarding the case of the werewolf princess.
"I guess… the vampire clan is plotting a big plan. They might use the princess for their counterattack. So I believe she is still alive out there…"
Vladimir snapped his fingers as an idea popped up in his head.
"Alpha Cedric, if the princess is being held captive by the vampires, should we make a deal with them?" Vladimir suggested out-of-the-blue.
Cedric chuckled upon hearing that. "That will be our last resort. But I won't take a big risk making a deal with our enemies. For now, we should focus more on our first goal. Killing the werewolf prince!"
"Okay, Alpha. I understand.. I will gather our elite team and brief them about this confidential and very important mission."