36

X E N O S

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I felt terrible. We'd been in the darkened conference room for three full hours now, with a massive ebony table at its center and facing a spread map, and yet all I could think about was that Arya wasn't with me. And with that thought the shadows rose again in my chest, traveled through my limbs, climbed up my bones and summoned the bloody memories.

Reah studied our plan. "So you really want to do this today?"

I pushed away the darkness and the feeling of not feeling Arya anymore and focused on the meeting. "Yes." There was nothing to change about that. I looked at each and every one of my finest soldiers who had come to the gathering to go into battle with me tonight. "We protect our pack and our country."

A unanimous growl and a fervent "Yes, Alpha!" could be heard.

"Xenos!" The door flew open and Devon stuck his head inside. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I growled. “Great timing Devon, as always. “With a challenging look at Reah, I said, "Now that you know how to proceed tonight, Reah will now explain to you exactly how the bond between Echinda and her victims can be broken."

Devon caught me in the hallway, one wall of which was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. "That snake has struck again."

I couldn't help but growl. "How many?"

"Five."

"Shit!" I swore, rubbing my hands through my hair in a sign of lack of self-control, but it was far too late for that. "When was it?"

"Two hours ago."

"And nobody noticed the attack?"

"No."

How could that be possible? We had patrols, had surveillance on every corner, and none of my pack members was alone for long. How could nobody know about the kidnappings?

"We'll get her back," I promised. “You should be in the meeting anyway, Devon. Where have you been?"

He scratched his head. "Erm... In fact, I was just on my way here."

"You forgot, didn't you?" I worried. Devon was still not well and I wondered if there was any long-term damage to him. “Come on, in with you. I'll explain everything to you again later."

I didn't tell him that I thought it would be better if he didn't take part in the attack. Devon was one of my dominant pack members, one of my beta officers, this blow would hit him harder than the head injury itself.

"“Ay, ay Boss”" he said with a grin, saluted and then held the door open for me.

I shook my head. 'I'll be right there. There's something else I should do."

"Alright." He closed the door behind him.

"You may come out, “kitten”." Her floral fresh scent of spring had betrayed her since I stepped out the door, and my wolf batted away the dark smoke with his paws, roaring for his mate.

She stepped out from around the corner. "I didn't want to listen."

I would have laughed if the shadows didn't suddenly crawl through my bones in full swing again, etching my laughter in my throat. "You wanted to."

She smiled and approached me. "All right, got it." The golden sunshine slid down her body as she walked along the windows, her dark, long hair sparkling like black diamonds. Her eyes never left me for a second.

Worry was reflected on her face as she stood in front of me. 'Sorry about what Devon just said. How are you doing?"

I sighed and looked out the window at the blue spring sky. "In the end, it was only a matter of time before she took on our pack."

She put a hand on my arm and the shadows lashed out at me, electrocuting me, coursing through my entire body. I flinched, not in pain but in surprise.

But Arya seemed to misinterpret my gesture. “Xenos, I can see how difficult this is for you. Talk to me."

But I didn't go into it. "Where have you been all afternoon anyway?" Reah was long behind, so Arya must have been back on Moonwater soil for quite a while. without coming to me

She silently let me go through my change of subject, but answered vaguely herself. "I was just in the forest."

My eyes traveled over her body, looking her up and down, ignoring the screams, the blood, and the dead, empty eyes swirling in my head. "You wiped off your paint job?"

She shrugged her shoulders effortlessly. "I just don't feel like it right now." Though she smiled, her sad features showed through and I spotted her reddish eyes. she had been crying.

A sight that shattered something inside me. I opened my clammy fist and forced myself to pull it against me. "What happened?"

Instantly, as if waiting for me to pull her against me, she snuggled into me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she laid her head back on my neck. "Let's go to the conservatory."

As soon as her body lay on me and I could take in her wonderful scent more deeply, a short circuit happened. As if the dark shadows were long, limbed eels, they electrified every corner of my body, sending out pulse after pulse until I could no longer think straight. Until I no longer knew why I had pulled her to me in the first place. "Go ahead, I'll follow."

Now she backed away and I was just able to prevent a sigh of relief when the electric shocks softened a little.

“You just disappeared the night before last. Then you promised me yesterday that you would come to me, but you're not!' A steep furrow between her brows. "You avoid me."

My wolf rampaged inside me and I felt its deadly paws slamming into the walls, scratching them. "No." My real claws sprang out, but my control was gone once and for all and I couldn't pull them back. "I have the duties of a king to perform."

She put her hands on my chest and looked at me determinedly. "Then I'll help you."

"Arya..." I moaned as she made things worse. The shadows traveled up into my head, clawing at the top of my skull and cruelly shredding every thought I tried to form.

"Don't you trust me? I thought I was your queen?"

Queen? Yes she was, yes she was. "So are you, never doubt it." “Or? “I grimaced as I reached for the scraps of thought - another agonizing electrocution.

"Then let me give you a hand."

I blinked the hazy haze from my eyes and saw her give me a conspiratorial wink. Shit she was so cute”.”

Another shock, this time stronger than before, and it took all my strength to keep from moaning.

Arya didn't seem to notice, however, and reached out for my hand. 'I'm pretty good at duties, you know. Whatever it is, trade deals, treaties, border crossings; I know how things work, trust me.”

Blood pounded in my ears and I tried to blink against the red haze of the past, but every attempt I made to gain clarity and master my thoughts fell flat. So I drew a lousy card that would spur her on to finally let go of me. "It's about the ball, though, and there are a few surprises I don't want you to know about."

Basically it wasn't a lie, but the words left a bitter aftertaste.

“No no no!”

I wasn't like that. I didn't lie, and especially not to her.

'I don't care about the surprises. Really not!” When I didn't say anything, a slightly desperate look came into her eyes. "I just want to be with you." Fingers clutching at my shirt like a drowning woman at a straw. A pleading voice that said, "I need you now."

She pushed me, tightened me. I had to get away from her. It was too much, everything was too much. My hands grabbed hers and pulled her away, but she clung to me.

"“Please”." She narrowed her eyes and rested her forehead on my chest. “”Please just don't leave me alone.”“

It hurt everywhere - my entire body and my wolf howled in agony. The sharp words just shot out of my mouth without me wanting to say them. Without my doing, escaped any control. "Jesus Christ, you really can't be that needy!"

She flinched. "What?" Now she was angry. "I'm anything but needy and you know that!" She stomped past me. "Now show me this mountain of duties, these oh “soooo”important duties that you absolutely must perform!" With a bang she threw open the door to the conference room and... froze.

I knew what she saw. A crowded room full of pack members gathered around a map. Aramis, Reah, Beau, Arrow, Joy, Devon, Cecilia, they were all there, and a whole bunch of other werewolves. Her hand clenched around the door and she slowly turned to face me. "You'd rather discuss your duties with your friends than with me?"

did I? “No, the answer was no”. I shook my head, wanting to burst that dull black mist that had clung irrevocably to me and was confusing everything. Still, I heard myself say, "Right now? Yes."

Arya snorted irritably and glared at me, eyes burning with anger. "I just don't believe that now! You're impossible!” She pointed at me with a trembling finger and hissed, “I really don't know what's going on with you right now, but you'd better find out before you dare lie next to me ever again!” Then marched she passed me with loud” “steps and disappeared around the corner.

Without stopping her, I walked into the conference room and locked the door behind me. Tomorrow I would make everything clear, but I needed a clear head until tonight. "Where did we just stop?"

Aramis looked at me grimly. "You should go to her."

"Can't remember asking your opinion."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't insist on it anymore. “Your mate, your business. Got it.”

“Whatever we're discussing in here. No word on that to Arya.” I took on each one. "Clear?"

"Yes," all agreed.

Hours later, I found myself still in the same room, skimming through each individual letter piled on the mountain of parchment. A cool, satisfying feeling settled in my stomach.

Every pack in my kingdom had answered me. I smiled. You would all stand by me tonight.

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