Her hands slammed into my chest, knocking me back.
“He left to save his people. I can’t judge him for that. He put the many before the few. Sure, I grew up hating him at first, for leaving us behind, when I would hear my mom cry at night, but…I don’t know. I got over it. I’ve seen him and truly believe he tried his best.”
“Seen him?” Her eyes narrowed.
“I’m a seer. He’s being kept a prisoner to the Rashti. He was the one to tip me off about the fire.”
She jerked back as if I’d spit in her face. “At least I know who to blame now.” She spun out of my reach.
“Ever heard of the saying, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’? Because really, that’s what you’re doing.”
She shot me her famous death glare before striding off. I shook my head and moved past the charred remains of the Den, heading to the fire pit. I felt exhausted, drained of everything, and the wounds on my arms throbbed with each thump of my heart. I ignored the pain and tried to talk myself into shifting to howl for a meeting.
Kuska hurried towards me, a sweater wrapped around her slight frame. Her eyes flashed as she bowed, looking nervous. “Aliel’s missing. He’s been missing since last night.”
I knew this. I knew this and still, it rocked through me like a tremor. I took a deep breath to steady myself and she shook her head. Her next words sealed the deal.
“Arii went after him, but she said his scent got mixed up with Rashti wolves. She tried to get people to go with her, but she said they wouldn’t help. She went alone. You have to help her, Kia. They’re like my children.”
I stood there. The niggling voice in the back of my mind mocked me. ‘You dreamed it would happen and it did. Now she’s at the mercy of your enemy.’
I slowly shook my head, my heart feeling like it was going to bottom out like a rusty bumper and scrape the ground until it was bloody and raw. I pressed my knuckles into my eyes, turning away, trying to breathe. Panic flooded me, bile rising in my throat. No. No. No. Not Arii. Please, Skoll, God, whoever is up there, not her.
But it had already happened. There was nothing I could do.
I spun back to face Kuska, who gazed at me helplessly. “I’m so sorry.” She reached for me.
I nearly collapsed into her arms, tears burning the backs of my eyes. I wanted to scream, to sob at the sky, to damn Skoll for taking her. But that would accomplish what? Nothing. I bit back emotion and hugged her tightly.
“This isn’t the end. I’ll save her. I’ll save her,” I said, new resolve making me strong. “Thank you.”
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, determined to save his mate. My mate. God, she was my mate and I’d turned her away. Letting my wolf overcome me in a rush, I leapt onto the tallest log and threw my head back in a cry.
People gathered in flocks, glancing warily to one another. But I felt something new coursing through them—pride. The ones who had watched my little scrap with Sikta were proud of me as their king. As they closed in on me, I changed back to address them.
“I have a confession to make.” They stared at me, silent and puzzled, and I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Weeks ago, when the Rashti attacked, a man cornered me. He touched me, somehow, and it brought on visions. Visions that can come at any time; visions of the future. I can’t help but believe that I’m a seer.
“I saw my father. Kitane is alive. He’s being held prisoner in the Rashti dungeon. He’s suffered major wounds and I’m unsure if he will make it without immediate help. Kitane was the one to warn me of the fire. He warned me what the Rashti were planning, and that our Den might be lost, as well as our people. I regret not taking the situation into my own hands when I could—for that, I’m sorry.
“But Kanzi has done more than burn our homes to the ground. He has taken our people hostage. Aliel Umberlith is missing. His sister, Ariiantha, went after him. From the last vision I received, I think that Kanzi’s taken them.
“But I have to hold onto hope that they’re still alive. Unlike us, the Rashti favor those with Hati’s Sight. Arii and Aliel might be alright, but I don’t want to take that chance. We need to bring them home.”
I don’t know what I expected. For them to rally forwards, pitchforks raised, eager for a monster hunt, and we’d head off into the sunset. They just looked at me, surprise and shock mingling in their eyes, before a man stepped up. He was one of the guards.
“This would be a big risk for a couple of Omegas.”
I felt heat rush to my face, pure anger.
“Just because they’re lower rank than you and me means they can suffer at the hands of the Rashti?” I gazed across the pack. “Do you all feel that way? Goddamn, they’re still our people. Just because they’re Omega, just because they have Hati’s Sight, this gives you the right to play God?”
I snorted, turning away. My mind spun. I had to save them, help or no help. But without help, I would probably get myself captured, possibly tortured or killed, and then where would we be? Back to square one. I shook my head and gazed back at them.
“You may not want to help a couple of Omegas,” I began, choosing my next words carefully. “But surely you would help your queen and her little brother.”
I nearly heard a cricket chirp, they regarded me with such silence. Shaking my head, I spread out my arms.
“Oh, I know, it’s a scandal…” My lips quirked into the hint of a wry smile. “But I’ve never spoken truer words. Ariiantha Umberlith is my mate, and as of now, she’s your queen.”
Pure silence. Then someone clapped at the back of the pack, a slow applause that spread like wildfire through the crowd. A few of the wolves looked too stunned to speak, but someone let out a shrill wolf-whistle and I felt a grin rise from within me, triumphant. I cleared my throat and my voice boomed through the air.
“We can’t let the Rashti tear us apart. We’re a pack. No. More importantly, we’re a family. And we protect what’s ours.”
Sikta stepped forwards, her dark hair wild in the wind. “I say we move as a whole, invade their lands and slaughter their people, cutting through them one by one until we reach that bastard.” A few people cheered at that, but I shook my head.
“No. I don’t want an all-out war if we can avoid it. We need to cripple the Rashti, sure, but Kanzi is the one we’re after. If we can remove him, his pack will crumble. They won’t fight us. Kanzi rules them because they fear him—take him out of the picture and most of them are going to step back.”
Sikta’s eyes flashed, furious. I stared down at her, a firm smile on my face as determination and strength flowed through my veins. At this very moment, I truly was their king. If you would’ve told me months before, I would’ve laughed in your face. But here I was.
Szarsa stepped forward, his scarred face shrouded by a veil of hair. He looked at me, nervous, and I nodded for him to go ahead. He tipped his head forward, addressing the pack, forcing his voice to be strong.
“Kia’la speaks the truth. Kanzi is a cruel master—he believes the wolves with Hati’s Sight, the wolves with blue or grey eyes, are gods. He worships them, if only to make them breed amongst each other. He wants to create an army of pale-eyed wolves. He believes that Skoll is the weaker god and that Altehrei will fall.”
He used both hands to push hair out of his face, showing off the mass of scars sliced into his flesh, jagged white lines. “Everyone here knows I was once part of the Rashti. I dared to befriend a wolf from Altehrei, a girl named Sadia who offered me a sanctuary. Some of you might’ve known her.
“But I was afraid. I was afraid Kitane would hate me for my Sight, that I would be treated worse than I already had it. Kanzi found out that I met with Sadia regularly and he killed her. He slaughtered her, and then he attacked me. He left me to die in the woods, just a teenager, alone and scared. I managed to drag myself to Altehrei’s bounds, where a kind woman saved me. Kitane allowed me to stay—he didn’t harm me. I realized that he ruled with kindness, and that his people followed out of loy
alty rather than fear. Many of my ex-pack mates would join our side if Kanzi was dethroned, I know it. Kanzi is unstable—he needs to be put down. And we’re the only ones who can do it.”
I rested a hand on Szarsa’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze and his resulting smile was relieved. To the pack, I announced, “I have a plan. I ask for your loyalty, your cooperation. Your trust. I need you to trust me. I may be half-blooded, I may only be half of a wolf to some of you, but Altehrei is my home. You are my people. And I will do everything to protect you.
“I love Arii, and I want to see her home safely, and if there’s a chance we can save my father? We have to try. I need your help. All of you. If you’re with me, please, step forward.”
Szarsa stood tall and immediately, Zephyr and Scythe strode up as well. They stood beside me, Scythe clapping me on the back, pride in his eyes. Melia was next, as well as the rest of the group that ran the marketplace. Her hand entwined with Scythe’s, her rough exterior softened by his presence, and I smiled as they bowed. Lyra and Chase looked to one another, and with them came all of the hunters, the warriors, and the scouts. One by one, people joined my side until only a small assembly was left behind.
Sikta stared at me defiantly, arms crossed over her chest as she surveyed the small group of followers she’d collected with her stand. I looked at her. “Sikta. I know you’re angry, I know you hate me, but I can’t do this without you. Your pack needs you. You’re the one person Kanzi wants over anything else in the world. I have a plan, but I need your help. Do it for Tallys.”
Her lips rose in a silent snarl, but she stormed towards me anyway, a flame that lit the way for the rest of the stragglers. They slowly but surely came to my side and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I hopped up on the log and beamed at my people.
“Alright, everyone. This is how it’s gonna go.”
***
I knew the minute we passed over into Rashti territory. It became deadly quiet—the birds’ jovial songs turning sorrowful until then they sang no more. The trees, barren of leaves for the winter, swayed silently in the breeze that blustered across the snow banks, drawing puffs of white up into the air to scatter.
We moved in three segments. Sikta and I were the leaders, moving side-by-side although tension rippled between us. Behind us a few yards were our top-notch warriors, Lyra’s crew, and back even farther was the rest of the pack, awaiting command to fight or flee.
I glanced to Sikta, her brows furrowed in concentration. She wore no visible weaponry—all part of the plan. Still, I could see the way her hand clenched at her side, as if waiting to draw her blade. Her hair had been tied out of her face with a band and it cascaded down her back in tamed curls. I touched her shoulder and she leveled me a look.
Movement up ahead had my gaze jerking up, my eyes drilling into the form of a young scout with a sword at his belt. I raised my hand to signal Lyra’s group to wait, then crouched down in the underbrush.
“Sikta. Take him, but don’t spill blood,” I thought to her. The way she frowned told me exactly what she thought of that idea, but she didn’t voice her opinion. She leapt forwards with the grace of a tigress, one hand clapping around the scout’s mouth to stifle his cry of surprise and warning to the Rashti, and the other quickly disarming him.
She dragged him back to us, snarling something into his ear. His eyes were wide, frightened, and when he faced me, his cold-flushed face bleached white. Did Kanzi truly have them brainwashed to believe that the eyes of Skoll were deadly?
“Don’t scream. I won’t hurt you,” I said, gazing into a face not much younger than my own. He nodded fearfully and Sikta shoved him towards me. I grabbed his arm, keeping him from running, though by the way his knees trembled, I doubted he would’ve gotten far.
“Everything will be okay. Just keep quiet.” I handed him over to one of the hunters, Oria, who drew a blade. I shot her a look and she slid it slowly back into its sheath. “No harm.” I turned back to Sikta, I saw the fire burning in her eyes. Hurt. Anger. I reached for her.
“Sikta. You ready?” She gave a droll glare and I frowned. “Hey. We can’t do this if you’re pissed,” I said. “You have to put your anger and your pain inside, lock it away deep in your chest. We need you to be an actress. You have to play the part, Sikta, and that won’t work if you’re over here gnashing your teeth.”
“Fuck.” She spat into the snow and bunched her shoulders, turning a quick circle. I saw a flood of emotions cross over that beautiful face before she covered it with both hands. In that moment, I caught a glimpse of fear—just a sliver—and she looked like a wounded little girl who’d lost her family. An orphan, rather than the fiery woman that she was.
After a moment, she squared herself and took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
With those final words, she strode boldly into the large Rashti village, her blood-red skirt rippling in the breeze.
Chapter Nineteen
I crouched behind a scraggly bush, peering through foliage. Someone let loose a sharp cry, and a group of men and woman lunged at Sikta with blades drawn. Sikta backed up and raised her hands in defense, though I could tell by the jump in her step that she dearly wanted to fight back.
“I come in peace!” she announced loudly, keeping her arms high. “I have no weapon. I only want to speak with Kanzi.”
There were murmurs and whispers. The ones who’d seen her crimson eyes knew that she was the one their Alpha wanted. A man gripped Sikta’s arm so she couldn’t turn and flee and she managed to pull off an innocent smile. She didn’t flinch or punch the guy in the nose like I would’ve expected; she just stood there, seemingly calm. I wondered if her heart was racing as fast as mine was.
I recognized Kanzi from my visions as he strutted forwards. A tall man, he had a broad chest and a mane of rust-red hair. It was tied back away from his face. His two-toned eyes were wary, but as they landed on Sikta, a true smile spread across his lips.
“Oh, my Astridr,” he called, stepping towards her. The warriors around him stiffened and bowed, though I couldn’t quite tell if it was out of fear or respect.
Sikta bent into a bow as well, feigning loyalty. “Lord Kanzi of the Rashti.” Her eyes met his for just a moment before dropping back down to the snow-blanketed earth. “What a fool I’ve been…”
Kanzi cupped her cheek in his hand, curling fingers around her jaw and tilting her face up to his. He looked a little off-put, a little shocked, but very much pleased. Sikta offered a brave smile.
“I think I’ve finally figured out why you broke off from Altehrei all those years ago.” He lifted a brow and she let out a husky chuckle. “Did you know they’ve let Kitane’s half-blood son take the throne? It’s pathetic, really. I know when to cut my losses. I’m a big girl now, Kanzi. And this big girl wants to be queen.”
Kanzi’s lips twisted into a wry smirk. “Oh, beautiful goddess. I didn’t think you’d ever come around.”
“I’m long gone. The bastard child, he killed my father.” She dropped her gaze, eyes shadowed by her bangs. “Tallys realized his mistake. He tried to fix it, but Kia’la, he wants power. He’s mad with it. Give him a few years and Altehrei will be run into the ground.” She shook her head.
“So I came here…to beg forgiveness of the man I wish to lead beside. If you think you can handle my temper, that is,” she said with the smallest of smirks.
“My Astridr.” His words were a rough growl as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Her hands fluttered against his chest and she nuzzled into his neck—damn convincing. If I hadn’t seen the bloodlust, the fury in her eyes only minutes before, I’d have had to wonder if maybe this wasn’t an act at all.
I breathed shallow as Kanzi lifted a hand, dismissing his guards. They looked wary, as if they couldn’t believe their leader was so quickly taken.
“You will be my queen. Together, we wi
ll reign and our children will be born with beautiful eyes, heirs to the throne. We will make right what Skoll did, when he took you away from me all those years ago.”
“Of course, Kanzi. Now stand still and let me kiss my king.” She smiled and trailed her fingers down his chest, then back up again. Her lips met his—searing and demanding—and while he was preoccupied, she slipped the blade from her coat sleeve. I saw a glint of silver as the blade gleamed in the dappled sunlight, and then a spray of red as blood spilled from the tyrant’s slit throat.
He gaped, his eyes wide in shock and his hands still clamped on Sikta’s hips, caressing like a lover might. Sikta’s lips twisted into a cold sneer as she jammed the blade into the side of his neck and twisted it. Slowly, still gripping at her skirt, he sank to the ground.
Someone screamed. Sikta, blood splattered, the blade still in her grip, turned towards the crowd of Rashti warriors. Her eyes bled murder and the laugh that sounded in the air was almost sadistic. I saw faces twist into snarls as a group lunged forwards, but I was faster. Scabbard bouncing at my side, I skidded to a stop beside Sikta.
“Wait!” I threw my hands up. The Rashti hovered, half of them already turning into beasts with deadly fangs and claws. They had a howl waiting on their lips, calling for our blood. “Please, just hear me out.”
“Are you truly that upset that Kanzi is dead? He ruled you with an iron fist—he ruled you because you feared him. What kind of life is it, to live in fear of a man half-crazed by his twisted beliefs? He hurt you. I’m sure he hurt all of you.” I shook my head.
Growls rumbled up around us as the wolves bared their teeth, ears flat against their skulls as their eyes—pale, haunted eyes—flashed with anger. But I saw the uncertainty beneath it. I saw the fear. I frowned, my hand resting on the butt of my own sword. “This doesn’t have to end in bloodshed. We can find a way around this.”
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