Eero's Perspective
The only word that one can use to describe Beta Octavio is shameless.
"You're a parent too. You should know what it feels like to be parted with your pup. How could you do this to your daughter?"
"I should be the one asking Aelice that! How could she do that to me? I'm her father. I gave everything to her. I made her the Luna Queen. She should be grateful to me!" Beta Octavio spat seething in rage.
"Grateful? Why would she be? Aelice didn't want to be a Luna Queen. She didn't want to marry the Alpha King. You might have given her everything, but can't you see? Your daughter was miserable the whole time. You made her a monster, you turned her against me!" I stood up straight and gave Octavio a deadpan.
"As the heir and the next Alpha of Regulus. I command you to bring back Vance into the realm or I'll behead you."
My blood boiled in anger even more as Octavio did nothing but chuckle at me.
"Why should I follow you? You might be the heir, but unless the other Alphas from the powerful pack confirm their support for you. You'd never ascend to Alpha Queen position." Octavio acted as if he was in deep thinking for a moment.
"Can you name one Alpha that has your back? Your power and authority won't be enough to kill me or even strip me of my current position as the beta."
"But mine can," A baritone voice announced after the door opened.
"Here comes another delusional shifter. What power and authority it is that you're talking about?" Octavio mocked.
My forehead creased in confusion. I looked seriously at Claudius and then on his left chest I found a familiar crest.
"The Alpha King's crest. He's wearing it. Claudius has ascended as the Alpha King," I said in a low voice, but enough for Beta Octavio to hear it.
"How did that happen? How can you be the Alpha King now when Eero here still exists? Who crowned you?" Octavio asked with widened eyes.
"We did. Eero, the late Alpha King Codrus' heir gave way for Claudius to ascend as the new Alpha King, and Claudius has our full support."
Beta Octavio shakes his head.
"No, that can't be. Eero wouldn't do that. She'd never let that cunning man be the next Alpha King. A betrayal happened, and all of you who should be Eero's allies betrayed her, you fucking traitors!"
Beta Octavio grasped my arm tighter, "Your Grace, these men are the real enemy of the pack. They betrayed you. They are a traitor, but you still hold an important position here in the pack. You can still protect me, and if you do that. I'll help you get back what was stolen from you. Just save me this once!" Octavio begged like a tamed puppy now that he's cornered and nearing his end.
Claudius forcefully removed Beta's hand from my arm and pulled me behind him.
"Let go of her. Did you think that you can manipulate her? To help you out of your impending punishment?" Claudius Beta Octavio was struggling to free himself from the delta that was holding him down.
"I'll go be imprisoned without a fuss if her grace can answer me truthfully."
Claudius turned to me.
"You don't have to mind him," he said, which I ignored as I stepped forward and dared Beta to shoot his question.
"Did you abdicate your right as the heir to this shifter? The same right that your adoptive father tried so hard to protect from his son?"
"Stop fooling yourself. Everyone in the realm already knows that Vance is a bastard. Be thankful that Eero was lenient enough to let Aelice live after she discover that Aelice cheated on the Alpha King."
"I'm talking to you, your grace. Did a cat get your tongue and you can't speak for yourself?"
"Claudius was once an Alpha of the powerful pack. I abdicated my right to him knowing that he'll be a better ruler compared to me," I said.
"Liar! That was a lie! I know that you're just lying and you didn't mean any of that!"
"What are you still waiting for? Bring that man to his prison cell!" Caspian ordered the delta who was holding Beta Octavio.
Claudius suddenly stopped the delta that was holding Octavio. He took the beta's crest from Octavio's chest.
"You were never deserving of this crest," Claudius whispered and then he handed the crest to Caspian.
"I guess you can say that you're back with your beta duties, Cas," Claudius said to his best friend.
The smile on Claudius's lips faded as soon as he tore his eyes off his best friend.
"All of you may go now. I need a moment with Eero."
"Of course, Alpha King. We'll wait for you in the Harren Hall." Every single Alpha that Claudius brought into this room obediently bowed their head to me.
"They were never that willing to follow or respect me," I muttered unconsciously.
"When will be your formal coronation as the Alpha King, Claudius?" I asked with a smile on my lips.
Claudius pulled me into a hug.
"The deltas have found Vance and his father. They are on their way back here." I nodded my head at him.
"You must be so shocked that I had become the Alpha King in a blur."
"I was," I admitted, "But what matters is that your sudden ascending to the throne helped me to punish Beta Octavio."
"We need to tell Perseus that I'm his father, so we can get married."
I beamed a smile at him, "Can we let him adjust to life here? I'm afraid that all these changes might take a toll on his mental health."
"Okay, I'll let you handle that matter." Claudius took out a pin. The centerpiece was a ruby shaped to look like a flower and was set to white gold.
"What's that?" I asked. Claudius pinned it on my clothes.
"This pin means that in my eyes, you're the Alpha Queen. Please wait a little bit, and I'll make the whole pack and every Alpha around the Regulus kneel at you," Claudius promised.