Filed To Story: Luna Riannon and Alpha Brayden Novel
At the same time, here and now, she had to choose the right questions and the opportunities were limited.
Try to trick him into giving us more info, Nova suggested, and Astrea cleared her throat.
“You know my Teacher,” she said, hoping to start a conversation. “You know what he is.”
“Very nice try,” Fenrir praised her with a chuckle. “But that’s not a question.”
Dylar returned with more food. This time there were flatbreads and dips. After the soup, that could have been a slightly easier option.
“Very well,” she took a deep breath and broke the bread, dipping it and placing the piece into her mouth. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
The dip was far spicier than she had anticipated, worse than the soup by a mile. Her taste buds screamed in agony, overwhelmed with the intense burn. Her face flushed with colour, and a sheen of sweat appeared on her brow as she tried to remain composed in front of her watcher. She reached for a glass of water, taking a long sip before trying again, hoping to acclimate to the heat. But every bite only intensified the burn, causing her to tear off the scarf she had wrapped around herself.
A growl emerged from the Rogue King’s chest. She would have laughed if she wasn’t crying already.
“Just stop,” Fenrir ran his palm over his face. “You don’t have to-“
“Stop distracting me!” She growled, Nova healing her as fast as she could, but it was still too intense.
Nevertheless, with each new bite, Astrea felt the rush of endorphins, pushing her limits. Regardless, it was much harder this time because the insides of her throat were still sore after the first course.
“We are done with this stupid bet!” Fenrir growled.
“You don’t get to stop!” She hissed at him, searching for a drink. He quickly moved a cup toward her, and she was happy to realise it was cold milk.
The flatbread and the dip were done, the drink bringing her the relief she needed. Even if it was temporary. At least, she got another question.
“I have to say I am surprised you managed to sneak a few cows in here,” she said before taking another greedy gulp to ease the burning.
“Who says it’s from the cows, Fenrir scoffed, and her eyes widened as she spat the liquid out to her left, too afraid to ask where it came from.
“Would you relax?” The rogue handed her a napkin. “It’s camel milk. Nutritious and delicious. Just drink the rest!”
She did as she was told. After all, it was helping.
“Tell me what’s so special about your bracelet,” she pointed at the lines of colourful beads on his wrist, each different from the other, and noticed how his brows went up. He didn’t expect that question.
Fenrir studied Astrea’s face with curiosity in his eyes.
“This?” He touched a few beads, and a little smirk curled his lips. “My father gave this to me. It was a long time ago.”
But that’s not why Teacher wants it, Nova hummed
Nope, Astrea agreed. But I can’t tell him that.
“That’s not the only thing that makes it special, though,” she tried another approach. “Fenrir, I am not eating coals here for vague answers.”
“No, you are not,” he agreed with a grin. “You are eating them out of stubbornness.”
“Why is this bracelet special?” she repeated.
“It… stores things,” Fenrir replied after a few seconds of contemplation. “Each bead is unique and priceless.”
That was more like it.
“What exactly does it store?” she leaned forward, and so did he.
“That’s a new question,” the rogue smirked, and she groaned, returning to her seat.
“Third dish, please!” she called for Dylar.
“No,” Fenrir shook his head. “We are done here.”
“You don’t get to-” She was about to reprimand him when the air in the room shifted and got thicker.
“This is it for today,” he announced. “Your stomach must be on fire as it is! Sometimes I forget how -“
He stopped talking, and she rolled her eyes at him. She knew it was too good to be true, but she still couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“Then I am done too!” the Dragonfly declared, standing up.
She didn’t wait for him to respond this time and charged for the exit. It was the golden hour, and everything around seemed even more beautiful now.
“Astrea!” His resounding voice made her shudder, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk if he wasn’t going to give her new information. She already got some and needed to process it.
From the corner of her eye, Astrea noticed an ice cream cart and grabbed the cone prepared for another woman, pointing at Fenrir.
“He will pay!” she sneered and kept walking fast, knowing that the rogue would take care of it.
She tried to get lost in the narrow streets, devouring the delicious vanilla ice cream that helped her tongue and throat heal faster from the spice.
“You behave like a bratty child!” Fenrir caught up with her when she was on the bridge that went over the river. It was one of the smaller ones, and no one was there at this hour.
She licked her ice cream as slowly as she could, winking at him. Letting out a low snarl, Fenrir wrapped the scarf back around her, fingers lingering on the shiny chains on her chest for a few moments before he came back to reality.
Their eyes locked, and the cheerful expression she forced onto her face faded away.
“Well, what did you expect? I am trapped here! Should I have cried somewhere in the corner like a proper damsel in distress?” Astrea wondered
They stood like that for a few minutes, glaring and not saying another word.
“You are safe here,” Fenrir sighed. “Moreover, you are not trapped.”
“Oh really?” she let out a humourless laugh.
“Yes. You can leave now if you want the border of the city is right there,” Fenrir pointed to their left, and she tensed. “If you follow that road for about an hour, you will find yourself at the Solace’s border.”
Is he serious? She asked Nova, and her wolf hummed in response.
No way. This is some kind of test. What was the point of bringing us here if we were really free the whole time?
Right, Astrea agreed. They knew far too well that nothing could be this simple. The Firstborn Island taught them everything they needed to know about how life worked.
This must be another test, she suggested
Most definitely! Nova was or the same page with her.
“Will you give me a car?” Astrea glanced at Fenir with a raised brow
“No,” he shook his head. “We have a limited supply, so if you want to leave, you must shift and run.”
That was still reasonable. She could do it in her wolf form, of that she was sure.
Thoughts were racing through her mind under the pressure of making this very important decision. Her task wasn’t complete, and she couldn’t exactly return to Joran empty-handed. This would make her his slave forever, and she would rather return to the silver pit.
However, staying here for longer would be problematic too.
Nobody was covering for her, and her story was falling apart more and more with each passing day.
Her main task didn’t change. She had to kill him and get his bracelet. And they were alone now… The silver knife was safely strapped to her belt, and he was too relaxed in her company, underestimating her like many before him.
She could try it now, and no one would stop her. He was strong, stronger than her. She remembered how he killed four people without as much as straining himself. So, she would need to distract him. For example, if she kissed him
She had to kiss him.
That was the best idea that came to her mind now.