74. What Letter?
Arthur had decided to confront the man he saw several times with his woman, "Hello... Robert." He greeted starting him as he hadn't known that anyone was closely behind him.
"Yes, how may I help you?" He asked, "yes, you may. I'm Winifred's soon to be husband." Arthur introduced cockily simply waiting for the man to make a little mistake so he could have an excuse to punch him in the guts for even daring to touch Winifred.
"Oh... the one who broke her heart and replied her letter to him with such demeaning and heartbroken words? That's you?" Robert accused immediately, although he also felt threatened by his presence and was hoping that he remained whatever stance he had written in that letter because otherwise, it would mean that he had no chance with Winifred anymore and he felt like they were getting somewhere already.
Arthur ignored his accusatory tone because he was confused about whatever letter he had gotten or anyone he even sent, "letter? What letter?" He asked.
"Oh right, you want to play dumb now, something along the line of 'I didn't write it?'"
"Just let me see the darn letter, please!" Arthur snapped and somehow, Robert handed it over to him, "I took it so I could burn it later because when she reads it over and over, her wound gets reopened each time she does." He said.
Arthur scanned the small letter quickly and felt a cold seep into him. He read it several times over before it began to sink in.
""Dear Winifred,
I have received your letter and I'd like to tell you congratulations on you having a baby and I'm so glad that you're well and healthy but it would be better if we part ways at this Junction. My people would never accept you nor our love and it would be better that we part instead of causing so much ruckus even more. Another thing is the fact that I am getting married soon as I am expecting a bouncy baby boy and the next Alpha King with my proposed Luna and everything is going on and well.
Peace and blessings to you dear and I hope you take everything easy.
Have a nice life."
“This is a huge lie,” Arthur told Robert quietly. “What?” Robert asked. He jerked around to face Arthur.
“I'm saying that this entire letter is a fabrication,” Arthur said. He sat down on a outdoor bench near. “I have no girl nor proposed Luna. I hadn't even chosen her, she was brought to me and things happened because I thought she was Winifred, I was intoxicated, tipsy and drowsy. I was weak even. I'm not sure I came.... I'm still confused about it. This is all a lie?"
“And the marriage?”
“There was no marriage, Robert. What kind of man do you think I am? I was grieving and searching for Winifred. All I wanted was Winifred. Winifred is the only woman I want.” The room was silent was several seconds.
“Then whoever wrote this, wrote it with the intent of separating you and Winifred forever,” Robert spoke, even though this was his rival, he knew he couldn't stand in the way of two people who obviously loved each other so much
“Yes.” Both men were deep in thought.
“It would be someone close to you. Someone who knew everything and didn’t want you together.” Seconds ticked by in the quiet room.
Arthur and Robert stared at each other. “Someone who doesn’t like Winifred. Someone who despises Winifred,” Robert reasoned. Arthur looked into the fire and then placed his head in his hands. He knew with a certainty who was behind it all. “Alice and Clover.”
“Who are those?”
.
“My younger sister and her husband.” Suddenly, it all made sense. Alice had never liked Winifred. And he suddenly placed Clover in charge of looking for Winifred when he should have known better, the man told his wife everything, every tiny detail. He had made it easy for the both of them to manipulate him, they never wanted a slave as a leader much more a human “Alice did this,” Arthur whispered. “She has written this letter of lies to separate me from Winifred.”
Then he thought of Winifred. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with him. She thought that he had a wife and son and that she was nothing more to him than a warm body. He felt an ache in his heart. Winifred. She must have been so humiliated when this filthy letter had first been read. She had been put aside for another woman and child while she was alone, waiting for him to return as he had promised. It was a mess. But it would be remedied. He must see her.
He had to make sure everything fall back into place. Clover, his most trusted advisor and friend, had done everything with his wife,my sister. They had probably kidnapped Winifred, he had sent the letter, and they had Arabella seduce him to impregnate herself with a son. It was all the both of them, like a serpent in the nest.
It was not to be believed. He must find Winifred. She must know the truth. She must be told everything and then all would be made right. “Where is Winifred?” He felt his heart race. He had to see her. “She went out for another one of her alone strolls, why?”
“I have to explain everything to her. She must know everything that has happened. I can’t allow one more day to go by without her knowing the truth.”
But as he was about to rush out in search for his lover, an older woman rushed towards them, "a werewolf have been sighted, and they said it took Winifred! We need to kill the beast!" The woman announced and upon hearing that, Arthur dashed, he knew who that wolf was, it was definitely Alice and he had to get there before she killed Winifred as he would never forgive her.
*******
Winifred waited to feel the pain of her throat being slashed through but only heard a slight thud and then flesh hitting flesh. She opened her eyes and saw a man dressed grappling with Alice. His fist collided with her head and then collided with her gut. She was getting a beating. She moved quickly away from the two fighters and then gasped. It was Arthur! Her heart soared. Both of them fought viciously as they shapeshifted into their wolves and threw words and punches at each other.
Arthur slammed Alice's back into the tree and the lady collapsed into the grass. The king held the glittering knife in his hand, but had no intention of slaying his sister. “You have been such a deceptive sister, a bad family and to think you even roped your husband into it too!” Arthur shouted.
Alice coughed. “Don’t you see? Are you so in lust with the witch that you don’t see her? She is a human, a slave.”
“She is also a woman. A beautiful, intelligent woman who loves me. She is the mother of my son!”
“No, no, no! You're such a weak man, probably the weakest king the lycan Kingdom has ever gotten, I would never understand why dad would leave the mantle in your hands. You do not deserve to be called our king, barely months after he dies and you are crowned king, you've managed to undo a lot of things that he had put in place, you've managed to break laws of our kingdom and all because of this bitch. If you won't be man enough to do what you're supposed to do, I will do you that honor and help you!" Alice snapped.
"Love conquers all! Why are you acting like this union has never occurred before, do you not read your history, Werewolves mated with humans once upon a time, it is not forbidden by the moon goddess, stop lying about doing this for my good or the good of the kingdom. This is all your selfishness, you do not want her to rule over you due to how you've treated deer right from time. This is all about you! But I love her, Alice and there is nothing you can do about it."
Alice snorted. “Love? Any harem girl can spread her legs.”
“Enough. This is futile. I will get you punished when we return back home but for now I would advice you to run while you still can, you can never win against me anyways.” Alice shook his head. “punished? For trying to eliminate a witch like her, someone like her belongs in hell!"
Arthur had enough. “All of this, everything you have done. You have betrayed me. You kidnapped her, you helped search for her, all the while knowing that you had orchestrated it. You wrote that letter of lies to tear us apart. You hide the fact that Arabella isn’t pregnant with my child, that we were never married. All of this for nothing! You are a traitor,” Arthur said. He then spit on the ground in front of his sister. His face showed that he felt pain and rage toward Alice and her husband, his trusted friend.
Alice was about to try again and simply bypass her brother to snap off the neck of the witch when people with arrows suddenly surrounded them and without wasting time, they started to fire at her, Arthur felt scared for his sister and so did Winifred, despite all that had happened, she didn't want her dead like this and then she wished that she could help her somehow. Suddenly, it happened, everywhere froze almost like time stopped. No trees moved, no human did, the arrows remained in air and only Winifred could move around in the situation. She was also confused.
She walked towards Alice, tapped on her shoulder and somehow, she unfroze, "run while you still have the chance to." She said to her and without wasting time, she took to her heels. Winifred walked back to Arthur's side and was about to touch him when everything suddenly went back to normal again, "where is the beast!" One of the men asked and another pointed in whatever direction and they all took to their heels in search of Alice.
"What was that?" Arthur asked Winifred as soon as it was just them both again and Winifred replied, " I don't understand either but I think it's my witch power or one of them."
