Upper Echelon

At the heart of a forest filled with tall trees with ever-green leaves, stood a large fifteen-story building and two other buildings of lesser heights. The walls of the building were made of glass and it had many compartments and offices. It was the middle of the night, so only a few lights in the hallway and some offices were switched on. A faint sound of howls and clanking chains echoed from far away giving the building an eerie feel to it.

On the fifteenth floor in one of the many meeting rooms, a small group of people sat around a large wooden oval table on executive chairs. The walls of the room were made of darkened glass that allowed one to see the things happening outside from the inside but not the other way around.

The clothes of the people were all expensive and custom-made and their demeanor was calm and composed. The air of the room screamed wealth and authority, a room an average commoner could only ever dream of stepping foot in.

The room was a bit noisy as some of them discussed in hush tones.

"Do you believe that he is back?" one of the men conversed with a man seated next to him at the edge of the table.

"It is impossible. He has been gone for almost a century," the second man said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Nicholas' eyes swept lazily across the room, he was bored and the look on his face said it well. He didn't wear his golden crown but he had a velvet cape decorated with stones around his shoulders. He turned to Sebastian and Integra who were discussing at the edge of the room. He could die of boredom.

They were the upper echelon, they all had the same status though his was slightly higher because of his title, so the people who would try to gain his favor by showering endless praises and engaging in pointless discussions were absent. That was more amusing than sitting idly.

He dropped his head on the back of his plush chair with a light thump and closed his eyes.

"An expression like that would make them think you are looking down on them, your majesty," Sebastian commented as he took a seat on his right. His shiny silver hair had been replaced by a dull black color and the gleam in his green eyes was long gone.

"Are they not below me?" Nicholas opened his eyes and raised his head.

"That is pride, Nicholas,"

"It is not pride if it is the truth," he replied and he received looks from some who could hear him.

Integra, the only woman in the group of men took her seat at the head of the table. She cleared her throat,

"May I have your attention," she spoke loud enough over the murmurings to gather their attention and she did. The murmurings stopped and they all looked in her direction.

"We are gathered here tonight to discuss the return of the previous werewolf king, Mael Dechen," she started.

"That's impossible. Rumour has it that he died," one of the men seated close to the center of the table spoke up.

"Who could have killed him, you?" a man mocked.

"You dare accuse me of such?" the man who had spoken earlier angrily demanded.

"All I am saying is that only the commoners believe rumors," the other man spoke smugly, bringing slight frowns to the faces of some.

"What are you implying?" the first man raised his voice.

Integra sighed tiredly, petty arguments always broke out during their meetings, and one would think that they would have grown tired of it.

"One would think we are in a meeting with children. You are too loud, Eduard, it's annoying," Sebastian's voice echoed and his green eyes carried a glare directed straight at the man which made him clear his throat and lean back into his seat.

"May I continue?" Integra asked and when all she got was silence, she continued, "The previous king recently awakened from a century-long slumber," she corrected the incorrect information.

"If the purpose of this meeting is about him, that implies that he wants a reinstatement," a man at the edge of the table voiced his thoughts.

"Yes," came Integra's reply.

"That's impossible. He can't disappear and appear as he pleases. The world isn't as simple as he thinks it is," one of the men who had never met the previous king before stated.

"All we have heard are rumors. We need proof of his existence," stated another man who had also never met the king before.

"I assure you that he is alive and I have also sent an-" Integra started but got interrupted by one of the men,

"A woman's word is not enough," he spat making her sigh again. She was getting too old to be dealing with their immaturity, to think this was the upper echelon, she shook her head internally.

"Haven't you heard the saying, there's no smoke without a fire," the man who had instigated the argument earlier stated.

"Still it would be better if he graced us with his presence," a man seated close to Integra spoke, "Did you not send an invite, Integra?" he asked, putting all the attention on her to find a fault in her actions.

Some members of the upper echelon were not content with a woman as their head, which led to frequent friction and arguments among them.

"If you had let me finish, I did send him an invitation and he would be making an appearance soon," she deadpanned.

"The rumors about the previous king's return have solved two cases of the rogue werewolves that had been seeming almost impossible for the council to solve," She read some information out of a document in her hand.

"And how are we sure that the cases were resolved because of that? Rogues aren't creatures to just disappear," one of the men stated.

"We all know that werewolves only respect those stronger than them irrespective of their nature. Their activities have reduced drastically since the word of their previous king's return got out," she replied.

"Rogues don't just stop their activities. They could be planning something for all we know." another man said and his words got Nicholas shaking his head. Some people didn't pay attention to the details.

"They haven't stopped completely, Mr. Wright, take note of the word, 'reduced'," Nicholas commented and the man's face turned slightly red in embarrassment.

"Judging from the successful rule during his tenure and this impressive feat, it can be safe to conclude that the reinstatement of the previous king of the werewolves would bring about great changes," Integra continued,

"We haven't even seen the man. How can we be sure of his capabilities?" a man voiced his opinion.

"I witnessed the previous king's rule so I can assure you of his competence," Integra assured.

"We need more than just your words, Integra," a man's words echoed through the room.

Nicholas raised his hand and said, "I also witnessed the previous king's rule so I can testify to his competence,"

"So do I," Sebastian said too and that brought an end to all questions related to his competence. He had the support of two of the most important people with the highest authority even among the upper echelon, which got the members curious about his abilities.

A few knocks were heard on the glass door before it was opened by an attendant on the other side and the long-awaited king's presence was finally made.