Chapter 6 -- The Scourge Of The Sentinels

Julia POV.

FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

Days after the incident at Blackburn, I found myself wandering into Sentinel City. Not by choice or compulsion, but purely by chance. Just as usual.

The Sentinels were the most formidable wolf pack on the Planet. That is, whatever was left of the Planet by then. I had no way of knowing how many Sentinels survived the apocalypse. But rumor had it that they were relatively unscathed and untouched.

The primary reason behind that was their imposing border wall that was at least twenty feet tall and built of stone. Strong enough to withstand nature’s fury. Formidable enough to deny entry to roving rogues and invaders.

Behind that mountain of a wall lay Sentinel City. Built of iron and stone. There wasn’t a single glass structure in the entire town. Nor a single brick-and-mortar building. Sentinel City was designed and built like a giant fortress, massive enough to shroud its surrounding landscape in pitch-dark shadows, and scary enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine even in broad daylight.

The Sentinels were revered for their impenetrable defense and ruthless fighting abilities. They were more feared than respected. The general rule of thumb was to avoid a visit to that sinister place, much less get into trouble if you found yourself there.

And yet, on that fateful day, I found myself standing outside its enormous iron gates holding my kids in my left hand and my sword on the right.

I had no choice. We had walked dozens of miles without food or water for hours. There wasn’t any other habitat in sight. And the heat that day was particularly brutal.

We needed to eat and drink and rest up for a few hours before darkness set in. My kids needed it. I needed it.

But, above all, I had nothing to fear. Or, so I thought. Since Blackburn, I had been treated with respect wherever I went, addressed as the “Warrior Luna”, been the subject of gossip and rumors and the object of curiosity. Dozens of ordinary folk lined up the streets to steal a glimpse of me and my shining sword, always kept unsheathed whenever I visited a new town, always keeping troublemakers at bay.

In a world devoid of hope and humanity, the tale of a lone woman wielding a steel sword to protect her children soon turned into a legend. And that alone kept me and my babies safe.

Until I arrived at Sentinel City.

“You can’t carry your sword inside,” the security at the giant iron gate stopped me from entering. “You have to leave it here with us. You can pick it up on your way out.”

“I am just looking for food and water for my babies,” I implored them for mercy. “I will not cause any trouble. The sword is for that unexpected event of trouble finding me.”

“Alpha Claudius is very strict about people carrying weapons, especially visitors and strangers,” the guard said. “You don’t need a sword to find food and water here. You have to leave it behind.”

And so I did. I had no choice.

But before I could find food and shelter, I found my path blocked by two heavyset uniformed men, imposing in height and hostile in tone.

“Are you the Warrior Luna?” they barked at me menacingly. “Come with us. You have been summoned by the Alpha.”

Alpha Claudius? Why would he summon me? I accompanied them with apprehension and trepidation.

I felt helpless with 2 toddlers in my arms.

I felt naked without my sword.

Soon after, I found myself standing in the middle of an enormous room with walls made of black stone and the floor made of black rocks. The walls were adorned with skulls of every known animal species, alive or extinct. There was light inside the room, but no reflection of that light from the black interior.

It felt spooky and gloomy, and sinister as hell.

It was Alpha Claudius’s personal living room.

The two heavyset uniformed men who brought me there left promptly, but not before ordering me and my kids to bow and show curtesy to the Alpha as soon as he turned up.

Claudius did turn up soon enough. But I neither bowed nor extended any curtesy to him. I was curious to know why he had summoned me.

He was a giant of a man with a rainforest of a beard. He slowly stomped inside the room. He was at least a foot taller than me and wore a black robe with a golden insignia embroidered at the front.

His piercing dark eyes scanned me from head to toe. His long dark hair looked uncombed and unkempt. He blocked the only source of light in that room with his enormous looming shadow.

Only his white skin shone like porcelain under candlelight.

“Well … well … So, you are the Warrior Luna I have heard stories of?” He stood in front of me with hands on his hips. “What brings you to Sentinel City?”

“Hunger and thirst, dear Alpha,” I replied respectfully. “I am looking for some food and water for my babies.”

“And you shall have that, as much as you want,” he thundered in his boisterous voice. “Allow me to offer you food and shelter for the rest of your life.”

I was stunned. What was he talking about? Rest of my life? What did he mean by that?

“We appreciate your generosity, Alpha,” I spoke respectfully again. “But we don’t intend to stay here. We will leave after we have got something to eat.”

“And where will you go, warrior woman?” he shot back mockingly. “How long will you keep wandering the wastelands with your little pups? Why don’t you live here forever, in Sentinel City, under my protection? Your children will never sleep hungry again. You will never go thirsty again.”

I stared at his monstrous frame with suspicion and at his dark gaze with apprehension. What were his intentions?

“Pardon me, Alpha, but I would rather get going and build a home for myself elsewhere,” I responded politely but firmly this time. “Thank you for your hospitality and benevolence, though.”

“What makes you so arrogant, stupid woman?” he yelled in a voice so loud that it sent shivers down my spine and scared my kids instantly. “You are a lonely widow with two helpless children roaming in the desert looking for food and water. Carrying a sword does not make you invincible. You need a man in your life to protect you. And you have the most powerful man in the world offering you a lifetime of protection and shelter. Why can’t you accept?”

“I am sorry, Alpha … I … don’t understand what you want from me …” I stuttered in discomfort and fear. Damien and Pete cowered behind me, terrified by Claudius’s size and posture.

“I want you to be my Luna, what else?” he thundered again, his booming voice echoing across the room and bouncing off the walls. “My wife died of sickness last year before she could give me a child. And I have yet to come across another Luna either in my pack or any other. Seems all the Lunas have suddenly vanished or died. You are fertile, you are young, and you have already had two sons, so I could expect another son from you. I want you to be my Luna for the rest of your life.”

I stood speechless. His proposal was too surreal, too sudden, too difficult to comprehend. But it was his aggressive tone that sparked an instant feeling of animosity inside me.

“I have to respectfully decline,” I muttered the words slowly and carefully, aware of the fact that I was in his house unarmed, surrounded by his guards with no chance of escaping.

“I am not looking for a new husband or pack, Alpha,” I added hesitatingly. “I just need food and water and would then like to leave.”

“Leave? From Sentinel City? From my mansion?” he laughed hysterically. “Haven’t you heard of the scourge of the Sentinels, woman? Nobody ever leaves this city alive. Once you are in, you stay here for the rest of your life, alive or dead. Now, where would you like to end up? My bedroom? Or the graveyard?”

I stood petrified and astounded. I have faced numerous adversities before. But not blackmail. Claudius was forcing me into submission by threatening the lives of me and my kids!

“I need some time to think, Alpha,” was all I could mumble in response to his coercion. “I have to think about my kids first.”

“They will be taken care of,” he assured in a tone laced with pride and dipped in arrogance. “They will stay here and grow up here. They will never leave your sight. But they will never inherit my throne. You will have to give me a son who will.”

I heard him. I understood him. But I didn't answer him.