The Broken Crown

Pandora's Box

Perhaps this is madness, yet madness can always be back up with rightful reason. Losing sleep over this is the least of my concerns at this moment as I flip through the pages, trying to make sense of these thousands of words, endless paragraphs which never seem to end. At this point, it seems as if I have highlighted at least every sentence imaginable, the neon pink giving me a strange headache. Rolling back my shoulders, I glance over to the corner of the room, finding River passed out by my sitting area in my bedroom, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday as I have already changed into a fresh pair of jeans and sweater for the day just about to begin. As the AC turns on and a chill runs down my spine, I push the papers away from my legs and hop off the bed, walking over to the tired man passed out on my chair as I place a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. His cheeks are rosy, flushed perhaps as he stirs awake, mumbling as his eyes flutter open and come to meet my own.

"Already morning?"

"Seems like you got some sleep."

"And you?" River asks, stretching out his feet as he picks up the book in his lap, one writing by his great-great-grandfather documenting the government system of the Eastern Werewolf Kingdom and his own.

"I'll survive."

"Survive a meeting of all your alliances which could drag on the whole morning through the afternoon?"

"I doubt it will take long. They all want to strike Penelope hard and where it hurts," I assure, taking the book from River and placing it on the bookshelf. "Everyone agrees to attack and we just go for it with some planning."

"Some preparation? You make it seem like Penelope is not a great general of some sort. When you think of the finest battle strategists in the past few decades, Alpha Penelope is the one who comes to mind." I reassure River I know this already and that with people like Yusuf and Finley on our side, we can plot against her. Besides, with seven alphas including myself, we can take on one alpha who opposed us.

River glances over to the bed, the king-sized bed spread out with pages of the treaty crinkled up, highlighted, tagged, and marked as I have been searching and scanning for scanning for some form of loophole. "Any luck?"

"It is a well-written document."

"We will find something," River promises, placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it softly as he walks past me and to the bathroom as he begins to prepare for the day. Just three days ago did the news of Finley's betrayal reach my ears. He used my desperation in this war against me, he manipulated me and blackmailed me. Penelope once told me that alliances can become an enemy in the blink of an eye and this week, I learned that to be true.

The day Finley met with me in that condo was the day he analyzed me and knew exactly the weak alpha he was dealing with. I was wrong to judge myself as I have. I have always know I was not unbreakable and had flaws, but Finley read me like an open book and used those flaws within the moment he met me. He used my fears against me and my love for River against me as well. My love for River...

The words River whispered to me three days ago and I was too scared or in shock to whisper back. I can recall the moment he whispered them to me when I was on my desk, how he said them as if it was so natural and I was speechless. My tongue felt like it had been cut off or tied into knots. River acts as if he had never said it or as if it had never happened. To be fair, I act as if it had never happened too. Yet what if I am too afraid to say it now because of what Finley has done – using my love for River as a way to manipulate and blackmail me. What if Finley catches wind of what I have done with River, if he realizes my relationship with River has only been growing stronger and he uses that against me even more to get his way, and to accumulate power. I fear the more I let River in...the greater I could lose him.