The Dragon King's Heart

As the moon hangs high in the sky, Cordelia the witch slipped into the Blu Lunara Temple of the Moon. She used a simple cloaking spell to remain hidden from the Moon Maidens as she made her way through the many corridors. 

Her latest plan had failed miserably, and she was ready to pin the blame on one person. Because of him, Laina and Dante's relationship was still intact. It took her a while to track him down, but she found it. 

She had not expected the Moon Goddess to punish him in this manner, but it was well deserving. All the wolves who guarded the Temple of the Moon were kept in the stables when they were not on duty. 

Cordelia was certain that was where she would find him. As she entered the stables, she noticed some of the Moon Maidens were feeding the wolves. She kept herself hidden behind a wall while she watched them. 

"Where are you, little wolf?" She muttered beneath her breath as she scanned the area. 

Most of the stables were filled with multiple wolves. As the Moon Maidens handed out food, they would come up to them to get their pick of the meat. It was quick to note that there was one lone wolf who did not seem to do so. It was chained at the neck. 

Unlike the other wolves, its fur was covered in dirt and dust. It had scars all across its side. It looked over to the meat that other wolves were getting. Its mouth began to water. 

Seemingly in pain, the wolf still hobbled up onto its feet and walked over to the Moon Maidens. It looked up to the Moon Maiden, seemingly trying to ask for some food. The Moon Maidens did not spare it a second look.

When it tried to join the other wolves in getting some food, they bared their teeth and attempted to attack him. The wolf shrugged away immediately, keeping its tail between its hind legs as it backed down. 

One of the Moon Maidens felt sorry for it. She picked out a slab of meat to bring to the wolf but was stopped by the others. 

"But he looks so hungry," she tried to protest. 

"So what? Serves him right anyways," another Moon Maiden added. 

Cordelia chuckled. Seems like the once-mighty Alpha Werewolf King had fallen from grace. He was now a chained-up mutt. 

"But…"

"Fine, fine, we'll just give him some scraps. We don't want him to starve to death, now do we?"

After they finished feeding the other wolves, the Moon Maiden threw the lone wolf a few scraps that were leftover and left. There was barely anything left, just two pieces of bone with small bits of flesh peeling off it. 

Still, the wolf lunged at it immediately. It bit down on it as if it was the best thing it had in a long time. Once the Moon Maidens were out of sight, Cordelia revealed herself from her hiding spot. 

The other wolves wanted to fight the lone wolf for his scraps. Their shadows loomed closer to the wolf with each step they took, saliva dripping from their semi-open jaws. But as soon as they noticed Cordelia, they cowered away. 

Cordelia walked up to the lone wolf with a wide grin on her face. She reached her hand over and attempted to pet the wolf on its head. As soon as it realized someone was attempting to ruffle its fur, the wolf looked up while wagging its tail. 

"Aww, you're happy to see me? How cute," she said with a wide smile upon her lips. 

As soon as the wolf realized who she was, it took a step back. Kragen could no longer communicate with others, he could not even beg for mercy. He did not know why the witch was here, but his gut told him he certainly did not come here just to pet him. 

"Why are you moving away from me, Kragen? Are you afraid?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. 

She materialized a plate of meat before him and smiled. Seeing that there was food, his mouth began to water. Kragen could no longer recall when was the last full meal he had. 

No one liked him, for everyone knew who he used to be. He had made enemies with everyone. Needless to say, no one would help him. He mustered the courage to walk up to the plan, horrified to find a plate of rotten meat. 

There were maggots crawling all over it and the smell was rancid. Cordelia smiled, she could see despite how horrific the dish looked, the wolf was still contemplating it. 

"Tell you what, I'll sweeten the deal for you, Kragen. If you finish this plate, I will consider lifting the curse that the Moon Goddess had placed on you. How does that sound?"  Cordelia asked. 

Kragen looked up at her in disbelief. Though he could not voice his concerns, it seemed like Cordelia could read his mind. 

"Oh I assure you, I have the ability to do so. But… I guess it's also up to you to believe me, right?" She replied with a chuckle. 

She stretched her legs as she stood back up. Cordelia snapped her fingers. She materialized a chair for herself to sit on while she waited. 

She clapped her hands together as she said, "You've got to make up your mind soon, I don't have all day."

Kragen grimaced as he looked down at the plate of rotten meat. If there was even a chance what she said was true, Kragen knew he had to take his chances. After hesitating for a while, he began to eat the meat on the plate. 

The rancid stench made him want to gag, but he had also been going hungry for so long, that he mind it less. It even tastes good at one point. Cordelia was delightfully surprised to see the wolf eating away. 

Who would have thought the prideful Kragen would end up in such a situation. As he finished the last of the rotten meat on the plate, Cordelia could not help but burst out in laughter at his foolishness. 

Even if she truly had the power to reverse the curse, why would she do that? She walked over to Kragen and pat him on the head. 

"You're such a fool, Kragen. Did you honestly think I would help you after how gloriously you failed at doing the one thing I asked you to?" She spat at him, "Pathetic."

Kragen was humiliated. He growled and attempted to attack Cordelia. He protracted his claws and unhinged his jaw, ready to bite her. But he was no match for her speed, as she evaded his attack. 

"My my, just a little joke and now you want to kill me?" The purple-haired witch taunted him, "If you were still the Werewolf King, you might have stood a chance.. But right now, you better know your place, you mutt."