Filed to story: Luna Riannon and Alpha Brayden Novel
“Unless I kill you.” The words slipped off his tongue involuntarily, but he did not regret them. He didn’t want that pr*ck to know what kind of effect that deal had on him.
“There, there-” A deep laugh rumbled through the God of Vengeance’s chest. “If you could, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
He wanted to say something else, but the doors opened, and Alpha Forrest entered the room, eyeing them both suspiciously.
“Finally, I found you both!” he muttered, walking in without invitation. “We have a situation.”
“What is it?” Joran was happy about the interruption. He needed more time to think about everything.
“The Delegation from the Western Lycan Kingdom arrived,”
Forrest informed them.
“Excuse me?” The dragon’s brow went up. “We are not expecting any delegations from the West.”
Exactly
Salome couldn’t hold back her tears as she escaped to the front garden and sat next to Fenrir’s favourite fountain. The plan was so simple, but everything went wrong. Ever since Astrea left with the Serpent, she couldn’t find a place for herself. Getting rid of her rival was never supposed to feel like this.
She was miserable. It did not feel like a victory at all.
It did not help that all her friends seemed to know what she had done. And none of them approved.
Bash, who was initially on her side, couldn’t look at her anymore. Kara pretended she did not exist. Devoss stopped making jokes, which was probably the worst sign of all.
Of course, they all guessed what she had done.
A heavy hand lay on her shoulder, and she didn’t flinch, knowing it could only be one person.
“There is no use in crying now. What’s done is done,” Warg told her, taking a seat next to her on the stone bench. The witch couldn’t face him, so she only glanced at the water’s reflection.
“I only wanted to protect Solace and Fenrir,” she whispered, knowing that only a part of it was true.
“I’ll tell you something.” taking her tiny hand into his large one, squeezing it gently. “I know what he means to you.
And don’t think I do not know how it feels to see him looking at Astrea the way he never looked at you. I get it.”
She swallowed nervously as a needle of jealousy pierced her heart again.
“Sal, I am old enough to know a thing or two. So, listen to the words of the first lycan ever to exist. He will never love you the way you want him to, but don’t let that pain turn you into a monster. It’s an ugly feeling to want something another person has, and you have to fight it. Maybe one day you will stop loving him. Maybe you will love him forever-“
She sucked in a sharp breath, shuddering at the thought.
“But one thing is for sure,” Warg continued, “he doesn’t deserve all the horrible things that keep happening to him.
You know it, and so do I. Fenrir is a good man. He is a better man than most, even when he is not trying, and when he does… he builds civilisations. He has sacrificed himself so many times, and in this regard, even you must agree they are similar. She left so that the Solace stood untouched. We could have defended ourselves here for at least a couple of days, but she decided not to take any chances. She believed in him enough to step away from the safety into his brother’s arms. He will be back, and he will find her again. He always does. This is one constant I will always count on, but you know what?”
She avoided his gaze because he was right about everything, it was a hard pill to swallow.
Warg cupped her chin and made her look at him, wiping her tears away with his free hand.
“You are a good person, too, Salome,” he insisted.
“Not anymore!” She tried to turn away, but he didn’t let her.
“You’ve made a wrong choice, but it was just one day in your life. No one is perfect,” Warg said, and she finally brought herself up to meet his gaze. “Remember this day forever. Remember what you feel now. And make it count.
Work every day to fix this until you do, and never repeat it afterwards.”
“Warg,” another tear rolled down her cheek, “he will never forgive me-“
“This is where you are wrong. Fenrir is all about second chances.” The lycan smiled at her, and this was so rare for him that it made the corners of her lips tilt upwards, too.
“Warg, you are the only one who -” She wanted to tell him so much, but the air thickened, and she felt powerful energy swirling right next to them. The portal became visible in just a few moments, and Fenrir walked out of it with a chain wrapped around his hand.
“Tell him the truth,” Warg whispered while the wind settled down. “And know that I am here for you, no matter what.”
Fenrir looked around expectantly, and Salome knew who he was looking for as the disappointment painted itself all. over his face. The guilt settled at the pit of her stomach
“She is not here,” the witch said quietly as their eyes locked
“You’ve got some nerve to speak to me after all your tricks,” the Rogue King snarled at her.
“Fenrir, I’m so sorry,” she muttered, seeing how he clenched his fists and pursed his lips. “Astrea left with your brother.
He burned down Raja and-“
“And you betrayed me,” he interrupted her, watching the colour drain from her cheeks. She could see fire coursing through his veins.
“I thought-“
“I don’t have time for this!” The man ignored her, walking past her. She knew it was probably better than him lashing out at her, but on the other hand, it made her feel so… insignificant.
Kara and Devoss greeted him in the house with the latest reports of the recent event, which only made Fenrir angrier.
His lips twitched while he listened to how Astrea sacrificed herself to ensure Solaces safety and how the people remaining in Raja were slaughtered.
“Where is my son?” he asked dryly.
“Bash went to mobilise the army,” Devoss replied. “Rir, I am so sorry we failed you-*
“Only one person failed me-” He frowned, going straight into his office, where his friends followed him.
“At least we accepted everyone who made the cut before the breach,” Devoss tried to reassure him, seeing how he was barely holding back. “And now your brother thinks he broke all our army when it was just a fraction.”
“It’s still a loss,” Fenrir threw Gleipnir on his desk.
“Is that what I think it is?” Kara furrowed her brows, and he nodded in response, checking the beads on his bracelet. He was going to need all of them for this. A plan was already forming in his head, but he needed to review all the details before acting.
“We are going to get her back,” Devoss promised. “Rir, she is a tough cookie. You should have seen her-“
“If I saw her, she would be here with me now.” The wolf gritted his teeth.
“Listen,” Warg stepped forward, wearing his usual calm expression, “Salome-“
“Salome will have to search for a way to redeem herself before she shows herself before my eyes again,” Fenrir growled. “I banish her from Solace, and I am not punishing her harder out of my respect for you and for her previous achievements. But let’s not forget that a place in Solace should be earned. She just lost hers.”
Warg knew when not to push his creator, so he bowed his head and left
Neither Kara nor Devoss argued the decision, knowing there was no point
“We are going to the South, aren’t we?” The Valkyrie crossed her arms over her chest, sighing heavily.
“Yes, we are,” Fenrir confirmed. “They paid us a visit and took something of ours. We have to repay the favour and get Astrea back.”
“Sounds reasonable to me!” Devoss smirked. “That old fox needs new suits.”
“I doubt there will be any left after I am done with them.”
Fenrir chuckled menacingly.
They started strategizing, thinking of different case scenarios and trying to predict every possible situation, knowing this wouldn’t be a simple mission. They wouldn’t be playing on their turf.
Hours passed, and Fenir opened the top drawer of his desk in search of an old map, noticing an envelope that definitely did not belong there.
His hand flexed before he touched it as a familiar scent engulfed him. Astrea’s scent.