Chapitre 26

Zelos swung the scarf around my neck and adjusted it until he was satisfied. I just stood there and let it take over me. I was wrapped up so tightly that I could hardly move. Sometimes werewolves were strange, but I had given up fighting against his caring streak.

It was useless anyway.

And sweet.

In addition, the winter blew its cold breath through the whole forest, so that the snow fell from the trees.

Zelos pressed a kiss on my forehead that made me blush. Luckily for me, the others were all busy getting ready themselves.

Kerberos looked in all directions, patiently waiting for us to be ready.

The door to the house creaked open and Edgar, the messenger, looked back and forth between us. The circles under his eyes rippled in his skin, but he tried not to let the exhaustion show.

"So what exactly is the plan?" Edgar asked.

Dana shook her head.

" You will do nothing but rest here until you regain your strength while we head for the capital," she said.

"Off the trail, of course," Astor said, wrapping an arm around his mate.

Next to us, Ulf was padding up and down in the snow. He couldn't wait to see his family again.

Alpha Eros might have taken the capital, but he couldn't control the whole pack. Astor knew every tree in Silverblood. At least that's what Dana said.

"But I have to come with you," Edgar replied before a yawn closed his eyes.

"I think there's your answer," Dana said, brushing the brown strands of hair out of sight. "You can come as soon as you're rested. My mother will take care of you."

The resistance died in Edgar's eyes and with slumped shoulders he turned around in the frame and disappeared back into the house.

In his place came Dana's parents.

The keeper looked out into the forest and wore a soft smile on his face. Her mother, on the other hand, looked concerned. Together they went to see their daughter to say goodbye.

Zelos put an arm around my shoulders.

"I promise you, when this is all over, you'll see your family, too," he said.

I nodded.

This trip was worth having Lia waiting for us in the capital.

"Is Talon still alive?" asked Davin, who seemed lost in thought himself.

"I guess we'll find out," replied the brute, who looked like a giant next to him.

"I can feel it," said the keeper with a gentle smile, "winter may be cold and dark, but it too must eventually give way to a new spring. We wish you all the best of luck and pray to the moon goddess that everything goes well ."

He got a thank you from everyone.

"Come on then," Astor replied. "Ulf will head to the village by the river, back home. The rest of us will traverse the woods towards the capital. Since Alpha Eros may perceive Dana and I as a threat, we will stand back and you give way."

He nodded to Zelos and me.

"As soon as Alpha Eros has received us, we will start the negotiations," said Zelos. "Of course he will want to get to know you."

The Wolfless and the Lycan approached each other and shook hands in a sign of friendship and trust. Dana approached me. She spread her arms and pushed me through the layers of fabric and fur.

"Good luck," I whispered, hugging her.

"You too... We'll see each other again for sure."

"Let's go," said Astor. "We'll start the first part of the journey together."

Dana nodded.

Then her eyes turned amber and I squeezed my lids shut. The snap of bones and ripping of cloth echoed through the wintry air. Zelos released his arm from me and similar noises sounded from all sides.

Even under the layers of fabric, goosebumps crawled up my arms. After all that time with werewolves, I should get used to it...

Kerberos barked three times.

I opened my eyes and saw the circle of wolves staring at me. Only Astor remained in human form. Zelos next to me was white like the snow below us. He towered over me even in this form.

Next to him, Roan was the tallest. Dana's wolf was the most delicate of the group, while Ulf's gray form shook once. Kerberos barked impatiently again and nudged me. He knelt for me and I stepped onto his onyx fur.

He got up and I clutched my fingers in his fur. Zelos snorted, the pointed teeth glistening in the winter sun.

"Well then, let's go!" Astor called and started jogging.

Dana joined him at his side. The wolves around us began to trot through the snow. Kerberos hopped off, a little too excited for my liking. I gripped the fur tighter with my hands until the giant dog found a steady rhythm. Zelos ran next to us and the snow swept away under the wolves.

The icy wind blew against my face and I was thankful for the scarf that kept it off my neck.

"How long will the journey take?" I asked, my voice echoing through the trunks to Astor, who turned.

"If we're quick, about a day!" he shouted, refocusing on the path ahead.

I turned to Zelo's wolf form.

"I hope this is the last trip we have to take anytime soon."

He gave me a wolfish grin.

The sun grew darker with every minute we walked, as if fate were trying to warn us of the path we had taken.

I sighed and closed my eyes to the wind.

This was going to be a long day...

I had to look like a scarecrow.

A scarecrow with bright red cheeks and parched lips. Each blink of my eyelids became harder. The silhouettes of Dana and Astor had disappeared into the snowy landscape.

The sun had already disappeared, leaving us in the darkness of the forest. Davin's and Roan's brown wolves were a blur somewhere in front of us, barely distinguishable from the gray snow.

Zelos snorted and his red eyes were directed at me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled.

We had already taken a break for me. Luckily for me, Kerberos was big and warm enough for me to lay my head on its back. My legs were wrapped around his stomach and my arms around his neck.

That's how I escaped most of the wind.

I closed my eyes, which thanked me with a burn. The snow crunched under our pawstorm and the panting of Kerberos lulled me into a doze. Every time I started to slide sideways, a shock went through my body and I adjusted myself...

A warm tingling slowly brought me out of meditation. I jumped up. When I recognized Zelos above me, my shoulders relaxed.

Orange sunbeams slanted through the tree trunks and I blinked.

"Good morning," Zelos said and grinned.

"Morning..." I replied and yawned.

"Ha Betty, I didn't know you could snore that loud," Davin said, and my eyes widened.

"What?"

Roan slapped the wolf on the back of the head, the force of which would have shattered my bones.

"Ow!" Davin exclaimed, rubbing his hair.

"Where are Dana and Astor?" I asked and looked at Zelos.

“They are hiding, visiting some of the unoccupied villages. The capital is not far away," he replied.

Excitement flushed through my veins and I scrambled to my feet. If Ephilia was really there, then...

"From now on we have to be careful," said Zelos with a serious expression. "We are in enemy territory and have no idea what awaits us down there. One thing is certain: Alpha Eros will not have come here unprepared... Stay from now on by my side."

I just nodded and watched Kerberos bark a squirrel up the tree. The snow crumpled under our boots and with every step we took towards the capital, the excitement in my bones grew.

Kerberos looked around as if he didn't trust the strange surroundings. The forest slowly thinned out.

"Wow..."

The golden rays of the winter sun illuminated a valley sparkling beneath the snow. The white palace towered with its roofs into the sky like a castle from a fairy tale. Small houses framed it, punctuated by fences, mills and arable fields. Only the gray streets leading to the Marble Castle were free.

A white puff escaped my lips.

"It is wonderful..."

"Don't let the beauty fool you," whispered Zelos, pointing down with a finger. "There are warriors everywhere... It's much too quiet-"

Zelos started to growl and I spun around to face him.

"What is it?" I asked and Davin lifted his nose and inhaled the scents of the wind.

I put my hand on Zelo's elbow.

"What's happening?"

His eyes fell on me.

"Nomads..."

***

"Alpha Eros really didn't come unprepared," grumbled Zelos.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Nomads?" I asked.

With the best will in the world, I could only see small dots in the snowy landscape, which Zelos was probably talking about.

"The reason no one would dare attack Alpha Eros. He brought some with him..."

"No wonder it's so quiet around here," Davin said, shrugging.

"What should we do now?" I asked.

Zelos opened his mouth, but his movements froze before the first syllable. His eyes began to glow like dark blood and he stood protectively in front of me.

Then I also heard the crunch of snow between the trees. The werewolves that emerged had thick fur of all shades of brown. Crouching down, they stalked us. I clutched Zelo's arm while the adrenaline spread through my body.

Kerberos growled at them, but that didn't stop them.

"Calm..."

The hellhound fell silent, but his ears stayed flat. Zelos was frozen in front of me and didn't move, just like Davin.

Two wolves in human form appeared between the logs. They wore thick animal skins that made their shoulders seem even broader. One of them had a thick beard around his chin. Their gazes were firmly fixed on Zelos.

That must be the nomads.

"Can't believe my eyes, or is that the Lycan?" the beardless one asked with sharp features.

"You can believe your eyes. I am the Lycan," said Zelos, but there was no emotion in his tone. "We are here to speak to Alpha Eros."

The other laughed into his beard while one of the wolves around us snorted.

"You want that, yes? What are a lycan, a southern wolf, and a human doing together on their way to Alpha Eros?" he asked.

"Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke," replied the other nomad.

"The joke gets even worse...", Zelos mumbled.

He was probably thinking about Dana and Astor.

"What do you think Alpha Eros will think if we let these three sad figures see him?" one asked, stroking his beard.

Kerberos barked.

"You forgot the lycan's mutt. I don't think Alpha Eros will have much time to receive such special guests," the other replied, a smile baring his fangs. The wolves around them did the same. "But there's still a nice spot in the dungeon You know your stuff, Lycan. You can wait there until he has time for you."

"Yes, that's no problem for us," said Zelos.

I blinked.

Did he really just say that?

Even Davin turned to him and stared at him, his face furrowed.

I bit back a snort.

Then, thanks to Zelos, he would have gone from prison guard to prisoner.

The wolves across from us seemed to relax a bit.

"No reply? No growls? Somehow I imagined the Lycan to be a little... more unruly."

"Would you prefer that I don't cooperate?" Zelos asked and I could hear the smile on his lips. The nomads lost their lightness. Zelos laughed. on condition that this is reciprocal. Davin here is from Mountainshade. And the human behind me is my mate, Elizabeth of Mountainshade, best friend of Alpha Eros Luna."

With that Zelos had given the nomads the last rest.

They looked at each other.

"I'm just too old for this," the taller one murmured. "I should have stayed up north..."

Even the wolves around us had given up their menacing position.

"Now don't act like that. We'll just take them to Ilja. Then he can take care of her," replied the other.

With that, their little fight was over and they turned back to us.

"A friend of Luna Ephilia?"

Luna Ephilia.

"Exactly. Back then in the shade of the mountains," I said.

"They can tell us the blue sky here!", shouted the other. "I say we take them to Ilja and he should decide."

"Follow us!"

Zelos gave me a look that let some calm flow into my veins. He squeezed my hand and I pressed my lips together.

The wolves came at us and drove us towards the city like sheep. In front of us the nomads strutted towards the white palace. Zelos stayed half in front of me while I buried my gloved fingers in his broad back. Davin walked behind us, along with Kerberos, who didn't detach his two outer heads from the enemy wolves.

We crossed the city walls and finally had solid rock under our feet again. The snow had been shoveled in small heaps onto the sides of the streets. Hardly anyone dared to go out on the street, especially not because of the werewolves.

An uncomfortable feeling occupied my stomach.

Was Lia even here?

Or Alpha Eros?

Who was Ilya?

Zelos glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered. I nodded, but couldn't get a word out of my parched lips.

If the nomads heard us, they didn't show it. Open fires flickered in the windows of the houses. Gray clouds blocked the sun and stole the palace's welcoming warmth before us. The pointed turrets pierced the sky and it cast its shadow over the city.

The wind blew through the alleys and I was grateful for Zelos, who was like a protective shield between me and the cold.

Snow-covered, harvested fields stretched across the landscape. We came to the wall of the castle, which must have been a splendor in spring, but not in the dead of winter. We passed the wall on the way to the gray monster.

To Ilya...

Zelos in front of me looked around in all directions. Even though he tried to hide it, he sucked in his breath and the thoughts he associated with the smells swirled around behind his eyes.

Instead of walking towards the palace entrance, the wolves led us around once. I tried to get a glimpse of the tall windows, but the black panes didn't let much light through.

"This way, come!"

Kerberos grumbled at the nomad's unfriendly tone.

Shouts rattled through the cold air and if it weren't for Zelos, who was comfortably walking on, I would have stopped.

"Training," he replied to my unasked question.

It matched the innumerable footprints and pawprints that ran in confusion on the snowy ground. I almost stopped a second time at the sight of the training .

I winced at the crack that echoed through the air. The fighters did not spare each other even in human form, the wolves even less in their duels. A huge nomad walked among the ranks, watching his warriors with stern eyes.

The rusty red hair gathered in a beard on his chin.

"Don't lose your balance!" he thundered at a wolf that had been tripped by his opponent. He shook off the snow and scrambled to his paws.

Even Kerberos was fascinated by the fighting.

"Ilya!"

The red-haired nomad winced at us, his eyes piercing our little troupe. He marched over to us. A gray animal skin was enthroned on his shoulders.

"Look what we found in the forest. A southern wolf, a human, and the lycan!"

Ilya seemed completely fascinated by Kerberos.

"I've seen this beast as a statue so many times..."

Kerberos barked indignantly, giving the nomad a laugh.

My shoulders relaxed a bit.

"He doesn't like to think back to the time, neither do I," said Zelos and took a step forward so that they could meet at eye level. "You must be Ilja, the leader of the nomads."

Ilja raised his chin and looked at our figures.

"I am. The question is, what are you doing here?"

Behind him, a small dot padded toward us through the snow. Although he got closer, he hardly grew compared to Ilya. Nevertheless, he could hardly be overlooked through the dark red coat.

Golden hair shimmered in the last rays of the sun.

My eyebrows shot up to my forehead.

"Ephilia!"

The red line stopped, startled by my voice echoing across the plaza.

"Lizzy?"

Her voice could hardly be heard.

"Lizzy!"

Without thinking about it, I charged past the wolves.

"Lia!"

She sprinted towards me. A surprised smile lit up her eyes. My heart skipped a beat when we met in the middle. The force of relief slammed into my chest. Her roar of laughter was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Tears of joy.

***

Golden hair shone in the last rays of the sun.

My eyebrows shot up to my forehead.

"Ephilia!"

The red line stopped, startled by my voice echoing across the square.

"Lizzy?"

Your voice could hardly be heard.

"Lizzy!"

Without thinking about it, I rushed past the wolves.

"Lia!"

She sprinted towards me. A surprised smile lit up her eyes. My heart skipped a beat when we met in the middle. The force of relief slammed into my chest. Her roar of laughter was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Tears of joy.

Tears ran down my cheeks and I pressed my lips together.

"Are you really here?" Ephilia asked, leaning back to look me up and down.

Something had changed about her too. She seemed... more mature. The childish joy still shone in her eyes, but was a little muted in the winter sun.

"I could ask you the same thing," I said, smiling and wiping away tears of joy. "So much has happened in the past few weeks."

Lia nodded.

"What the hell are you doing here, Lizzy!" she yelled. "So far from home. Is Tommy here too?"

The questions just gushed out of her and I had no chance to stop her.

"What happened? And who is this ?"

Her gaze had found that of Zelos, who was coming towards us through the snow. Her eyes roved up and down on him as if she were examining him through his paces. Zelos lifted a corner of his mouth. I wanted to smack my forehead with my hand.

" I am Zelos, the Lycan. And you must be Ephilia of Mountainshade, mate of Alpha Eros."

Lia's eyes widened.

"The Lycan?!"

Her voice cracked and her smile couldn't get any wider.

"I think you owe me a big favor, Zelos ", she said with a pleased look in her eyes. He just put an arm around my waist and immediately Lia's expression transformed. "Are you guys mates too?! Ahh!"

Zelos winced at the volume.

I grinned

My heart was as big as the sun watching Lia's little show.

Poor Alpha Eros.

He must have been through a lot.

"You really haven't changed," I said.

Luckily ...

"What does that mean? I've changed a lot," Lia replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm..."

She searched for the right words, but couldn't find any quickly.

"Yes?" I asked, grinning.

Lia drew her eyebrows together and instead turned her gaze back to Zelos.

"You should thank me! I killed the primeval wolf," she said, pride sparkling in her blue eyes.

"You what?" I asked.

That beast with the saber teeth and red eyes?

" We killed it."

Lia and I jerked around to a new figure coming toward us through the snow.

"Eros!"

Lia's face lit up.

But his attention was only on her for a second before she jumped over to Zelos. The wolves looked at each other.

"You already know that you have to understand each other?" Lia said.

"Why is that?" asked Eros.

She put an arm around my shoulder and grinned.

"Well, because we're best friends, of course."

Zelos cocked his head.

Eros sighed and the cloud of ice that escaped his mouth dissipated like gray smoke.

"Ilja already told me that the Lycan made it here," he said and stretched out his hand to Zelos. He grabbed it and the wolves officially greeted each other with a firm handshake.

"Let's make the best of it."

Lia next to me squeaked like a little kid. i grinned She probably had to pull herself together not to jump up and down in place.

"I really have to say thank you," said Zelos. "Without you, the primeval wolf would still be alive and I would probably still be trapped in this dungeon..."

"I think we should go inside. We have some things to talk about," Eros replied, earning nods from all of us.

This mess had to be solved with a lot of calm and patience.

"Lizzy, what actually happened? I was so worried about you! Suddenly this fox is reaching us!"

The joy died in her eyes and a tearful gleam took its place.

"Please don't cry," I said in a occupied voice. "It's all good. Silverblood attacked and... Zelos saved us all from certain doom. Tommy is fine, Theo is fine... It is everything's ok."

"You always said that," Lia replied. The fog lifted a little. "I didn't know what had happened. One morning I read this message. We thought that Silverblood had managed to take Mountainshade. We were with him primeval wolf and the hunters busy..."

"Hunters?" asked Zelos. "I thought they were all killed in the big turnaround."

"Not all," Eros murmured. "We've found another nest of them... Let's discuss everything else inside."

I looked over my shoulder only to see Ilya and Kerberos frolicking in the snow. Davin was chatting animatedly with one of the nomads, who made him look tanned. The wolves that had escorted us here had disappeared again, probably to patrol the forest outside the capital.

Lia linked her arm with me.

"Oh my god, you have to tell me so much! And me too! You won't believe what I've experienced! After we left Bergshade, oh man, it's been a few months..."

Lia told her story and hardly left out a detail. Now and then Eros growled when he didn't agree with her words. Then she just shrugged and giggled. I looked at Zelos and we secretly grinned at each other.

Together we circled the palace, where wolves were posted as guards at the entrance. Eros and Zelos had their own conversation behind us, but so quietly that the words flowed together in an incomprehensible murmur.

"Puff! And then the primeval wolf just dissolved... And what happened to you?" Lia asked as we entered the entrance area of the palace. The warmth surrounded us in the white marble and chandeliers gave us golden light.

"Not much," I replied and Lia playfully slapped my shoulder.

"Not much? You are in the capital of Silverblood! I never thought you'd set foot out of mountain shadows and now you're here? So how did that happen?"

I brushed my curls away from my face.

"Well, more bad than right, I would say. We moved to the mountains and then to Riverclaw. After that came the western forest and now here we are. The bigger question is how you got here. About the north, right?"

Lia sighed.

"Yes... After Eros saw how upset I was by the letter, he called the nomads and the pack together. Most were for attacking Silverblood. The northern camp was deserted anyway. It was easy to get to the capital. And to our surprise, there was hardly anyone here who could stop us... Not even Alpha Udyr."

"Yes... he's dead," I said, nodding.

"We thought so too, because the throne wasn't empty. Beta Talon was sitting on it," Lia replied, laughing. "You should have seen him. When he saw us, he was trying to flee."

"Where is he now?" I asked.

Edgar hadn't seen him again.

"In the dungeon. Ilya gave him a good headbutt."

"That's right," I murmured. "He tried to kill me..."

"He what?! Why don't you ever tell me the important stuff?" she asked.

We climbed the stairs to the first floor.

"Calm down, Lia. But now that I think about it... I guess he wasn't the only one. Delta Ivan tried it afterwards too..."

For the first time since seeing her again, I had left her speechless.

"Well, I hope that's it with the death threats," I said, shrugging. Lia blinked a few times.

She looked around at our companions, who were deep in conversation themselves. Then she leaned closer to me.

"I don't want to stay here. And neither does Eros. We want to go back north, but he thinks it's his responsibility to put everything back in balance here. Silverblood is just a mess, a patchwork quilt of Alpha Udyr's followers, enemies, and the humans standing between the pages just trying to survive...I don't know what to do."

I smiled.

"We may have brought a solution."

Astor as a son could reunite the whole pack.

Could ...

"For real? "I don't like this palace. It's too big and kinda...I miss the north."

We entered a spacious study with a fire crackling in the hearth. Eros closed the door behind us and plunged the room into silence.

"So..." Lia said. "What solution did you bring to the Silverblood problem?"

I looked at Zelos.

"We have found someone who could fill the role of Alpha," he replied. "Someone the pack has a connection with and also Alpha Udyr. Someone both werewolves and humans can connect with."

"Who is that supposed to be?" Eros asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"General Astor, son of Alpha Udyr."