Genevieve

Chapter 18: Escape

Last but not the least, there was the Northern Kingdom. The king's name was Tristan, and he was the eldest out of all the kings. Venturing into the last kingdom, the girls were very tired. The South was fairly easy to handle, but the East and the West gave them a very tough time. They felt home sick and travel-sick. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and it began to rain.

"It feels like I'm seeing the rain after ages. Oh, I've missed it's smell." Gen raved, while on the other hand, Bella's mood dampened.

"I didn't get my hair done for the rain to spoil it. Please keep my umbrella ready." She instructed the guards.

Gen ignored Bella and stuck her head out of the window to feel the cool raindrops on her skin. She loved how green it made the trees, the sound it made when it hit the ground, and even the sound of thunder. It lifted her mood, and she felt a new sense of vigor.

They saw a line-up of soldiers as they entered, ready to welcome them. They had a good feeling about this kingdom. A feeling that everything will go smoothly. They spotted the king at the gate from afar, but strangely he wasn't dressed in a robe or a suit. He wore a body armor and held a sword in his hand. He was very tall, broad, and muscular. He had short hair and a full-grown beard.

"That face is totally my type." Bella whispered to Gen, and Gen couldn't help but laugh.

"Welcome to the Northern Kingdom. I am King Tristan, and this is my pack. I hope you two had a peaceful journey, and that you'll have a pleasant stay in my kingdom." Tristan wished them.

Tristan- the name meant 'clanking sword'. Gen had heard about how he was a very stoic and just ruler. He prioritized the safety or his pack, so every male had to serve the army.

"I am Genevieve, and this is Bella." Gen spoke and Tristan observed the two.

Gen seemed slightly younger compared to Bella. Gen was drenched due to the rain, while Bella was in the perfect state. Tristan just thought of it as childish behavior at Gen's end, and mind-linked a pack member to get a towel for her.

"You'll catch a cold if your hair is wet." Tristan spoke in a concerned tone.

"Thank you! I'll go change." Gen replied as she received the towel and dried her hair. One of the pack members showed her the room.

"I told her not to shower in the rain, but she wouldn't listen." Bella remarked, and Tristan was intrigued by Gen.

"So, what do you two do for a living?" Tristan interrogated. He was curious about what women did the Central Kingdom where they were free to go out and work.

"We're lawyers. We work for the government of the Central Kingdom." Bella disclosed.

"Is she your assistant or sub-ordinate at work?" Tristan asked Bella about Gen.

"No, she is on the same level as me despite being younger. She's really smart and dedicated." Bella revealed and cleared the misconception in Tristan's head.

Gen came back and joined the two in the lounge area. Tristan couldn't help but notice her. He couldn't believe that someone so young would be at such a high position.

"Do you like your job, Genevieve?" He pondered, and Gen nodded. "Would you leave it if you were to get married?" This was important information for Tristan since he had to know and understand his potential mate.

"I would." "I wouldn't." Bella and Gen spoke one after another.

"Managing both would be such a hassle." Bella spoke, and Tristan understood her viewpoint. This was why women in his kingdom weren't allowed to work. To him, Bella seemed mature and sensible, and their ideologies also matched.

"Managing both is a balancing act. It will be hard, but not impossible. Men do it, women can too." Gen gave her opinion. Tristan liked her ambition but didn't agree with her.

Tristan decided to take the girls out for a tour and familiarize them with the kingdom. The kingdom itself gave off a very orthodox vibe, since the houses were old, they didn't have proper infrastructure, and everyone dressed identically.

"I feel like we're back to the stone age." Gen tried to whisper to Bella, but her whisper was loud enough for the werewolves to notice and turn their heads to glare at her. She felt conscious after that and decided to stay quiet.

"Our kingdom is in fact very old. We have monuments and artifacts that date to a thousand years old. Previously, all kingdoms were one and the headquarters were here. But later the administration became difficult, rivalries began to increase, and there were various wars which led to the formation of various kingdoms." Tristan shed some light on the history to break the silence.

They reached the army ground- a place filled with thousands of men, from various age groups. They were all in their shirtless, training and drenched in sweat. They had well-defined abs, veiny muscles, and an extra-ordinary physique.

"Is it just me or did the temperature just rise by a lot?" Bella remarked as she eyed their bodies. Gen had to admit that there was something about watching these men train that she wouldn't take her eyes off them.

Tristan observed the girls and coughed to break them our off their trance. It was slightly uncomfortable to watch his potential mates' eye other men, and he felt defensive.

"This is my army. And I can reckon that I have the best army and warriors." He spoke proudly and the girls were fascinated as well.

"It is mandatory for the male wolves after the age of ten to serve in it, and they train for twenty hours every day." He revealed and the details shocked the girls.

The girls waited till they were back at the pack house, so they could discuss about whatever they saw during the day. Gen was seriously disturbed when she heard that ten years old had to serve in the army.

"A ten-year-old in the army? That is just wrong. Imagine at what age they would have to start training themselves. This is the age to study and have fun, not pick up swords and fight." Gen vented out her anger.

"They train for twenty hours! Twenty! That means they only get four hours to sleep. That's insane. My nap lasts four hours." Bella uttered dramatically, but she did have a point.

Another odd thing about the kingdom was the absence of women. She had spotted men everywhere, and not even a single woman in sight. It made her slightly uncomfortable, but she decided to shrug it off. She decided to give her mind some rest and spend some time under the moonlight in the balcony. To her surprise, she saw a woman leave the pack house, which made her feel relieved.

But then all of a sudden a trail of women followed, and Gen was perplexed to see that. They all gathered in a group, and there weren't just a few women, there were plenty. Gen noticed the time and it was really late. Something was wrong. She went out of the pack house to see what it was about and managed to get hold of a woman to understand what all of this was about.

"This is our only chance to escape this hell. There is not much time, hurry up!" She urged and pulled Gen with her.

Before they could inch forward, they heard a loud thundering howl, which caused them to stop.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice pierced the sky. King Tristan and his army surrounded them, and they felt ambushed.

This kingdom was not as normal as she had hoped.