“Give it up, Silverwind,” Sikta growled. “They’re Rashti. They know nothing more than bloodshed.” She called upon her wolf and shifted just as the small pack of wolves lunged at us.
Sikta’s teeth buried into the first, spinning and sending the brown beast sailing through the air. I felt fangs graze my arm and I swung my blade with a hiss, my tongue pressed against my teeth as I fought them off. If this was how it had to be… If this was what it took to save Arii…
“Stop!” A sharp, fleeting cry broke through the roar of battle. We broke away, Sikta snarling where she stood, legs splayed and waiting for her next attacker.
Szarsa rushed up, his body trembling. “Please. You remember me, I know you have to. Please.” His voice was small, but he forced it to be stronger. “I was one of you, with pale eyes and a cautious heart. Please, recognize me.”
“Szarsa!” An older woman with hair the color of spun gold twined with silver stepped between the fighters, reaching for the man with a trembling bottom lip. “Oh, Hati, what have they done to you, my child?” She hugged him as tears began to flow, then held him out at arm’s length and looked into his face, into the pale eyes behind his mask of scars. “They did this to you. My son…”
“No, Mother,” Szarsa said loudly. “Kanzi did this to me.”
A collective gasp seeped between the pack members. Shock flared in his mother’s grey eyes. Szarsa stood tall, turning towards the crowd.
“It’s true. On a hunt, I befriended a young girl with golden eyes; one of Skoll’s children. She didn’t hate me, or wish me harm, like we’d been told. She was beautiful and gentle and we became friends. When Kanzi found out I was seeing her...well.” He dropped his head, collecting himself, before his gaze bore back into them.
“He slaughtered her. He tore entrails from her while she was alive and aware. I still have the nightmares. I can still hear her screaming, begging for mercy. He gave her none...and then he attacked me. He labeled me a traitor and left me to die in the woods. I barely managed to drag myself to Altehrei’s territory lines. They saved me. They could’ve let me bleed out. Kanzi would’ve, had the situation been reversed. You all know it’s true! You know how he was.
“Kitane was a fair Alpha. He took me in and he gave me a place in the pack. He was proud, strong, and loyal. And now I’m told that he’s slowly dying in Kanzi’s dungeon, of wounds teeming with infection. How is this fair? It looks to me like the Rashti are the cruel ones in the grand scheme of things.”
I placed a hand on Szarsa’s shoulder and addressed the other pack. I saw fear and apprehension in their eyes. Fear of what I’d do to them. Skoll… They feared me, just as much as they’d feared him.
“It’s true,” I said. “Now you have to ask yourselves: Do you truly want to keep causing pain and suffering? Do you want this to become a war? I don’t wish bloodshed on any of us—there has to be a way we can all live in peace. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I want this to stop. Please. Surely you want the same. Think about your past—family and friends you’ve lost. Think about your future—your lovers, your families and children. Don’t they deserve to live a peaceful life, without fear of a tyrant hurting their loved ones? Please, all I ask is that you try. Try to open your eyes and see. This world is beautiful, and if everyone just got along…it has the potential to be so much more.”
Szarsa clamped his mother in a hug and she clung to him, weeping. “Oh, my baby. I always thought something horrible had happened to you.”
He wrapped both arms around her, cradling her like he might a frightened child. Over her shoulder, he regarded the Rashti. “Something horrible did happen, Mother, but I’m alright now. We’re all alright. Give peace a chance. It’s all I ask. Trust me.”
His mother looked to me, offering me a tight smile that reached her watery eyes. Slowly, she dropped down on one knee and took my hand in hers. “Thank you, for helping my son,” she whispered.
I stared down at her, shock overwhelming me—I hadn’t expected such sincerity. But then I thought of my mother and my chest ached. I nodded. “I would do it a hundred times over.”
“Kia.” Szarsa’s voice came from behind me and I turned to look around.
Slowly, one by one, the Rashti dropped to their knees in the snow. Some people were crying, holding their lovers to their breast, kissing the tops of their children’s heads. Relief flooded through the pack, a waterfall of emotion, and I felt my tense muscles relax. It was almost over.
Almost.
I looked at Szarsa and his mother. “Some of my people are being held in your dungeon. Can you release them?”
Her face flushed with sudden anger. “Of course. Come with me.”
Szarsa grinned at me as she took off at a dash. We started after her when a piercing shriek filled the air. My heart sunk. Six or seven wolves, the ones who refused to bow—perhaps Kanzi’s most loyal Betas—shot towards Sikta in a snarling rage. Sikta threw back her head in a war cry and met them head on.
I turned, my hand tightening on the hilt of my blade, ready to jump in and defend my people. Szarsa’s hand clamped around my wrist stopped me and he dragged me after him.
“Leave it. Arii’s more important—look.” He pointed and I saw Altehrei’s hunters burst through the underbrush, ready to back Sikta. I bit my lip and nodded, my heart clubbing at the thought of Arii. Please, Skoll…just let her be okay.
We slipped away from the sound of snarls and clashing bodies. Szarsa’s mother led us to a pair of wooden plank doors sealed into the ground, hauling back on the metal rings. They swung upwards and open with a loud squeal and she hustled us down the cement stairs. I felt my pulse jump and skitter, for a moment fearing she’d lock us away, but Szarsa trusted her. And the sincerity in her eyes? She couldn’t have faked that.
Lights buzzed from dim bulbs, casting the room in a yellowish glow. I heard a sharp hiss of breath being sucked in as my eyes adjusted. I saw her then, huddled in the corner, blood smearing her face and matting her beautiful hair. She looked at me, shock in her eyes, looking quite like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi.
“Arii…” My wolf reared his head up, nostrils flaring, alert under my skin.
She rushed towards me, coming as far as her chains would let her. I threw both arms around her, feeling the burn of tears trail down my cheeks as I held her close. “Oh, Arii.” Kanzi could’ve killed her. I could’ve lost her.
I pulled away, cupping her face in my hands as a smile blazed across my lips. Her eyes were liquid sunshine, warmth and need and love and oh, Skoll, I’d almost given this up. No words came to me, so I just hugged her as she cried noisy tears.
“Kia, I’m so sorry. For everything. I won’t lie to you again,” she whispered feverishly, her breath hot against my ear, but the thud of our hearts nearly drowned her voice out. I swung her around, a laugh bubbling up my throat.
“Don’t ever stop talking,” I said, kissing first her temple, then finding her lips warm against mine. “How are you? How is Aliel? Are you alright? Kanzi didn’t hurt you, did he?”
She pulled away and nibbled on her lip, looking worried, and my heart skipped a beat. My gaze raked across the dungeon, lingering on the form of her little brother. Aliel had a split lip and a bruise was blossoming across his broken nose, but he looked fine. Safe. I reached out to hug him too, to thank Skoll he was alright, but Arii’s words stopped me in my tracks.
“Kia. Your father.”
My head snapped up, eyes locking with hers. She frowned and pulled me through the dungeon. In the very corner, where the lights were the dimmest, my father huddled in rags. His skin was so smudged I couldn’t tell dirt from bruises. His left leg was missing from the knee down, wrapped in a dingy bandage that didn’t quite mask the smell. I saw the faint pink streaks of infection trailing up his thigh, and the garish wound on his shoulder was puffy and red.
But his head tipped back, his golden eyes strong as they focused on me.
I dropped Arii’s hand and fe
ll to my knees in front of my father. The man who had left when I was a boy—the man I’d hated growing up, despised for ruining my family. He’d come back, a man on a mission, and now, looking back, I couldn’t say I blamed him.
“Dad.” I reached out and touched his face, finding it burning with fever. He was in bad shape. Could they even fix him now? Was he salvageable? Fear lodged in my throat.
“Kia’la, I never thought I’d see your face again.” His hand reached out. His callous-roughened thumb brushed against my cheek and I felt tears burn my eyes. I let them loose and he rubbed them away as I cried helpless tears. I struggled to get myself under control as he murmured, “It’s alright. I’m strong. What about Kanzi?”
“He’s dead,” I said, sucking in a breath. This was almost over. I had to be strong. “We tricked him. Sikta killed him. I’m trying to convince the Rashti to choose peace.”
The smile that danced across his face was proud. “That’s my boy. I love you, son. I always have. I’ve never stopped thinking about you and Shae. Or your mother. Please, tell her I love her. I still love her,” he said, his voice thin as his eyes dropped to his wounded leg.
I shook my head. “You can tell her yourself. We’re getting you out of here. Szarsa, can you unchain him? Arii and Aliel too?”
Szarsa jumped to attention, but it was his mother that slid a loop of keys off a hook. She quickly unclasped their shackles. Aliel rubbed the redness around his ankle, shaking his head before looking up at me.
“He’s gone? Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“I was planning on killing him, you know.” He gave a sort of half-laugh, half-choking sound. “I was going to…convince him that he was my king, that I’d realized the errors of my ways. I was going to limp it out until he trusted me, and I was going to slip a knife between his fucking ribs.” His eyes flared, then the anger seeped out. “And then Arii showed up...”
Arii huffed. “I was trying to save your skinny ass.”
“You threw me for a loop,” he said sternly. I saw Arii’s lip wobble—a result of weakness and weariness—and I glowered at Aliel. He sighed and reached for his sister, wrapping his arm around her in a halfway hug. “But thanks, sis. I love you.”
I grinned. “Bear hug!” Aliel groaned as I hugged them both. I ruffled his hair in a noogie and he swatted at me. “Hey. C’mon guys. I’m ready to go home, what do you say?”
I got a chorus of animated exclaims, a little surprised when I heard Szarsa chime in as well. “Szarsa, can you manage my father?” I asked. Father. I had a father again, and I was going to keep it that way. “Do you think Dinah and her crew can fix him?” At the man’s frown, I guessed for myself. “Alright then. I need to take him to my world. We have doctors and specialists that can work magic.”
Szarsa gently lifted Kitane into his arms and I winced at the whimpers that came from the wounded man. Szarsa held him close, whispering words that I couldn’t quite hear. Kitane’s face eased from pain into a little more peaceful and I knew he was in good hands.
“Upward, ho,” I said with a motion towards the stairs. Aliel still had his arm looped around Arii’s shoulders. I offered a hand and Arii smiled that secret, innocent smile of hers and slid her fingers into mine. We headed back up the stairs and into the sunlight, the door slamming shut behind us. Hopefully for good. I felt a shiver trace down my spine and I straightened.
Back in the village, the fight was over. Sikta stood at the mast head, her chin jutting out in defiance and the blade still tight in her grip, staring down the mass of Rashti people who’d refused to fight. Their eyes shone with fear and uncertainty. Between them lay slain wolves, the warriors who had attacked us. I cleared my throat.
She turned to me, but her eyes were locked on Kitane. A ripple of first pain, then anger, flooded her features and she stiffened. “I see our lord is alive and well.”
“Sikta…” Kitane shook his head, his features softening. “I’m no one’s lord anymore. Least of all, yours.”
She opened her mouth to say something more, but I stepped between them.
“Later,” I said, surveying the crowd. Altehrei and Rashti stood apart from one another, neither of them trusting the other.
“I want to declare this needless war over. I wish to declare peacetime, but I can only do such if you trust me. People of Rashti, I want to offer you sanctuary among the Altehrei. I want to offer you peace of mind.”
I watched them as they looked to one another for reassurance. They were like lambs without their shepherd…and we were the big bad wolves. I went on.
“But fear—fear will keep us separated longer than hate. I understand. I want peace to last this time. For good. No more bloodshed. No more hatred.
“I think that you, the Rashti, should choose a strong leader, someone who wants peace truly as much as I do. I vote that you stay in your village, where you feel safe. If, one day, you are willing to combine packs? Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, consider our territories merged. You are free to hunt wherever you please and I encourage trading among our marketplaces.”
My gaze slid to Aliel, staring out into the distance, focusing on everything and nothing all at once. “And as of now, any bias either pack has towards eye-color—Skoll’s Sight, Hati’s Sight, and anything in between—is now officially moot. The only Omega in my pack will be only the ones who’ve earned that rank.”
Al’s eyes locked on mine, curiosity lighting them with blue and silver flames. I reached out my hand. “As of now, I’d like you to choose your own rank. Both of you.” I squeezed Arii’s fingers in mine and saw a blush creep across her cheeks. I swung her around and hugged her close. “I love you. So much.”
I heard a shout from behind just as something hit me hard in the back. I stumbled forwards, my palms scraping the icy dirt, and then heard the sickening thunk of an arrow piercing flesh. Arii’s scream drowned out my thundering pulse and I looked up to see an arrow sticking out of Aliel’s chest, a look of horror on his face, and whatever warmth I’d felt drained from me.
“No!”
Chapter Twenty
Aliel wavered on his feet, blood slowly blossoming out from the wound. I gaped at him, scrambling to my feet, but Arii was faster. She was at his side, begging him to stay with her even as he dropped to his knees in slow motion.
His eyes were focused on something in the woods. My head snapped to follow his gaze and Sikta did the same, barreling across the forest floor and lunging at the figure with the bow.
My body had gone cold, numb. Aliel had shoved me down. That arrow was meant for me.
Chills seeped across my flesh and I bit back a whimper. No. I had to be strong.
Then—”You fucking bitch!” Sikta snarled as she slammed the hooded figure into the ground with an untamed violence. Blood streamed down her shoulder from a fresh slice as she pinned the woman to the ground. The assassin’s blade skittered out of reach.
I saw a flash of silver hair and cold blue eyes. The seal grey wolf flickered to my mind, its gaze full of ice, and my heart stopped.
“Lyra…” No. Lyra, the calm, sensible huntress… She’d tried to kill me. She was the one Kitane had warned me about. Why hadn’t I seen it before? My head spun and I took a deep, gasping breath. I turned to Arii, who was hugging Aliel close, her face wet with tears. I had to get it together. They needed me now, more than ever.
“Sikta, hold her. Arii—look at me. Look at me.” I slapped her lightly across the face and shock flooded her features. “Pull yourself together. It will be okay. He’ll be fine. Open a gateway to my world. Arii, you have to take Aliel, Szarsa you take Kitane. Take them to the first hospital you find. Arii, please, focus.”
I cupped her cheeks in my hands. Light filled her eyes and she lunged to her feet, drawing her dagger and slicing her palm before I could tell her twice.
The gateway shimmered to life. Arii uttered a prayer and gathered her little brother up in her arms, his blood staining her sh
irt. She leapt through to the other side with no fear and nothing to lose. But Szarsa’s eyes were filled with nerves as he stepped forwards, and I clapped him on the shoulder. “Be safe.”
Kitane reached out and grabbed my wrist. “Kia, I don’t want to leave you behind.”
I smiled grimly. “I have matters to attend to. I’ll be there soon, I promise.” I glanced to Szarsa. “Thank you.”
He nodded, then pushed through the gateway as well. A moment later, it shimmered and faded away, leaving me with one thing left to do.
Sikta had Lyra pinned to the ground, her arms trapped above her head as the woman struggled, her eyes spewing hatred.
“Let her up, but don’t let her go.” I reached down and picked up the blade that had fallen and Sikta growled, but hauled Lyra hastily to her feet. Lyra lunged at me with claws outstretched and I grabbed her arm, jerking her closer. “What the hell?”
“Fuck you.” She spat at me. I wiped a glob of slime away from my cheek with a growl and she lashed at me again. Sikta stepped forwards, gripping her wrist and slamming it backwards. Lyra let out a scream of agony as bone crunched. She panted, still glaring at me. Chase rushed up, alarm registering on his face. This was his mate. The woman he’d trusted.
“Explain yourself,” I said quietly.
“We never deserved Tallys’s fury; wolves with pale eyes, they were sentenced to a life of hardship as Omegas. I was the lucky one—I was higher bred, my status secured, but Kanzi…” She grimaced and shook her head. “Kanzi deserved better than what he got. Tallys wanted him dead when his darling Brennekah was killed. Kanzi was just a pup. He would’ve died on his own.
“He had such strength, such determination—traits I admired in a male. And then you.” She spun on Sikta. “You had the gall to turn him down, time and time again. He adored you; he wanted to make you his mate, his queen. He was so blindsided by you that he never saw me. Never even noticed me, noticed the way I loved him. I loved him!”
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