Chapter 452: *Pledge allegiance*
He then knelt down where he was and said to Kevin, "My King, I failed in my duty, and I failed to guide him properly. If anyone should be punished, then punish me instead."
Raven’s eyes widened as he heard the elder of his clan plead for him, and then he whispered, "You fool, why would you... Fuck!"
He moved so fast that only Kevin and Axel could follow his movements, and he placed himself in front of the elder of his clan, between him and Kevin. Even if it cost him a lot to do that, he knelt down and said to their new King, "I am the only one responsible for my actions, and I will accept any punishment. I just wanted to protect my clan and the other Shapeshifters, and I knowingly agreed to let my Dragon take over my part of humanity; it was me who didn’t follow the teachings of the elders."
Axel suddenly appeared at Kevin’s side and said with a smile, "Get up; no one will be punished."
Kevin nodded and motioned for them to get up.
When Raven got up and reached out to help the clan elder up, he couldn’t help but say to him, "Why did you do that? Just an hour ago, I tried to kill you; are you already going senile?"
The elder of his clan, who didn’t look older than 40, patted him on the cheek and said to him, "You’re a brat; watch your mouth."
He then smiled sadly and told him, "I’m so sorry, little one; I let you down this time, but I won’t ever make the same mistake again. It’s because of my incompetence that your Dragon decided to act. As long as Xander was in power, everything was fine, but when his brother took over the throne and all the resources of the kingdom, and that he ostracized us from society by calling us freaks, it was already too late to take action against him."
Kevin then approached them, followed by Axel, and he put a hand on Raven’s shoulder before asking him by looking him straight in the eyes, "Have you managed to regain control over your Dragon?"
Raven looked at him and Axel, and then he told him, "It’s more complicated than you think. To appease my Dragon, I have to make sure that the Shapeshifters will have their place among humans again and will be treated well and fairly."
He then added, "The only solution my Dragon had found to protect the different clans was to conquer the territory of the humans, but when he saw your strength, he gave in and agreed to give you a chance."
Kevin removed his hand and said, still looking him straight in the eyes, "I see, then I won’t disappoint you."
Axel could feel that Kevin was confused, so he told him, "Raven is telling the truth; his Dragon is still agitated because it is not sure that you will keep your words, but I can also feel its hope for a better future."
Raven and the elder opened their eyes wide, and it was the elder who asked him first, "Axel, you are a Wolf; normally you should not be able to feel the emotions of Raven’s Dragon... Wolves are known for their highly developed senses, especially their sense of smell and hearing, but this is different... You’re not even a Dragon, so how can you feel its emotions?"
Kevin then looked at Axel and said to him, "I think it’s the right time now. Raven’s Dragon still needs to be reassured, so you need to show them that the Shapeshifters will always have their place with the humans from now on."
Axel nodded and placed a quick kiss on the top of his head before telling Raven, "Tell your men to regroup with the rest of the Shapeshifters; the fight is over, and the only consequence will be that you will have to compensate all those who suffered because of you."
Raven could feel the pressure Axel had just put on him when he hadn’t even activated his Werewolf bloodline, and even though he thought it was strange, he turned to his men and said to them, "You’ve all seen it with your own eyes; I lost this fight, and this human is indeed our rightful King. He came with pure intentions, and he and his husband want us to go back to living with the humans."
Raven sighed when he saw his men hesitating. It was all his fault, so he told them, "We will all talk about it, but now is not the right time. Please, everyone gather together and pledge allegiance to our new King."
Kevin immediately tensed up when he heard Raven say this; he really hated all these formalities, and he had never wanted to be a King to begin with... But then he heard Axel’s voice in his head telling him, "Raven has a lot to apologize for, so let him express his gratitude as he can."
Kevin finally nodded slightly and relaxed.
When all the Shapeshifters had gathered in one place, Raven took a few steps forward and brought out his sword. Everyone then held their breath, but Raven didn’t waste time; he held it horizontally, one hand under the pommel and one hand under the blade, and he knelt down before saying loudly, "From now on, my sword will only serve justice, and I vow to fight by your side and be loyal to you."
Kevin and Axel then bowed their heads to show that they accepted his allegiance and to show their respect for the one who was at the head of the Shapeshifters. And when Raven stood up, he raised his sword in the air and said, still in a powerful voice, "Long live the King."
All the Shapeshifters then took out their weapons, and very happy with this outcome, they also took an oath by raising their swords to the sky.
