DAEMON
"Do you think the Matriarchy spoke the truth?" Shadow who had been hidden behind the curtains during Daemon and Zina’s confrontation said. "No matter how much I look at her, she and her wolf do not seem like they are the Deford."
Daemon began to put back the pieces clattered to the floor as Shadow appeared before him. Yaren rejoined them too, curious as to Shadow’s findings as well.
"Yaren, inform the Houses to keep an eye on her in the Arctic North." Daemon said, putting the last piece back on the Wolf Chess Table. "And for context, I do not believe Vessira spoke the truth. Her distraught for a woman of high rank herself seed too fake to ."
Yaren nodded grimly. "You think the sa right? She was way too forthcoming with telling us that Zina WolfKnight is an experint of theirs. Say what could they be hiding? And what is the Theta truly to them?"
Daemon shook his head. "What matters is that she ans sothing to them. I would prefer not to think of what it could be until we finish our mission at the Dry Lands."
Facing Shadow squarely, he said. "I want you to move South today to prepare our asures against the Tiger Wolf and set them in motion. I do not plan to dwell in the South for much longer than I have to. To be precise, I will be spending just three days there."
"But if you’re to beco the Alpha of the DireWolf Pack, you need to put asures in place that will reinforce your authority and that usually requires ti."
"That can be done in three days." Daemon enunciated to convey that he indeed didn’t plan on spending any more ti than he should at the Dry Lands. Maybe he was underestimating the challenge his maternal cousins and the Tiger Wolf would prove to be, but Daemon wasn’t planning on overestimating them either.
Shadow bowed. "Very well. I shall take my leave now and wait for you when you arrive."
Daemon nodded at the man as he easily disappeared from the tent the sa manner he had slithered in. Shadow’s ability to enter and leave any place like a wisp of smoke despite the fact he had no wolf would have been scary if the man wasn’t on Daemon’s side.
Daemon settled in on his seat and started perusing through the war reports to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything. With the astounding defeat of the Arising Rogues, the war had been won but with Zoric Sofyr missing, that proved to be quite the headache. Already, the best of his trackers were hunting him down, but they had made no headway.
The only reason that the rogue leader would have remained elusive despite the many skilled tracking him down would be if he was travelling with a very skilled Scent Cloaker... it only made Daemon wonder who could be helping him.
Yaren cleared his throat, causing Daemon to raise his head and look his brother over. He had been avoiding being alone in the sa room with the man for reasons they both knew of, but now it would seem as though Daemon couldn’t escape him
"What is it, Yaren?"
"It’s been five days already Daemon. I think it is ti to get a shut eye."
If Yaren was going the classic route of starting a discussion with Daemon by first pointing out his infamous insomnia, then their conversation was sure to not go well.
Playing along, Daemon said, "I will." Even though both of them knew that Daemon would not be sleeping anyti soon until exhaustion knocked him senseless. There were many reasons behind his lack of ability to sleep, and Yaren of all people knew to not bother digging into that glaring defect.
Going five days without sleep was not the longest in Daemon’s record, but it was still glaring enough to raise a few hackles.
Yaren, as if he was unable to restrain himself from the thing that gnawed at him finally asked. "Why did you accept the bond?"
Daemon blinked, gently lowering the report in his hands. "I find that if we are acquainted with the Theta, it makes a lot of things easier for us."
"Don’t give that bullsh*t, brother," Yaren growled angrily, losing the cool facade he managed to imitate without ease. "We have been planning this for years. No, you have been planning this for almost two decades. We do not need her, so why did you accept the bond when we should be taking her life instead?!"
"Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with , Yaren?"
"Hell I am!" Yaren scread. And suddenly, before Daemon was no longer his second in command but the young boy he had taken under his wing who had a huge chip on his shoulders. "I’ve always respected your decisions, whether it was when you said we shouldn’t take her life, or whether it was when you said it was fine if we’re sequestered away from ho for years! But I simply do not accept nor do I understand your sudden decision to accept the bond!"
Yaren drew back, breathing hard, his turquoise eyes darkening like thunderclouds. "Wait... this is not about what happened with Freya all those years ago?"
This ti, it was Daemon’s features that darkened as he slamd his hand against the table.
"Yaren..." He warned in a lethal tone. His brother was beginning to cross lines that he shouldn’t have in the first place.
If it were another, the person wouldn’t remain standing after uttering such words. But this was Yaren, and the infuriating man knew of the privileges he possessed for he didn’t stop there.
"That rejection was a mutual affair! I believe you two were quite in agreent so do not project whatever guilt you have left for her on Zina WolfKnight! That woman does not deserve to be in the sa room with you, talkless of being your mate!"
Daemon exhaled harshly, praying to the gods above for restraint. "Get.Out." He gritted with much difficulty, glaring at Yaren.
As if realising the extent of damage he had caused, his brother’s expression quickly turned sober. "Forgive brother." He apologised, his head bowed.
"No, just get out." Daemon gritted, managing to rein in his turbulent emotions.
"If you want out of your sight, fine. But I must say one more thing I will leave."
What? The man still had more things to say? Just when would this debacle end?
"What is it again? Is accusing of being guilt stricken not enough for you?" Daemon spat, doing nothing to obscure the anger that simred in his words. There was bitterness there too; try as he may, he couldn’t believe that Yaren had dug up a wound so old that Daemon tried his best to act like it didn’t exist much of the ti.
It only went to show Daemon just how much Yaren was against his decision. Which was new in fact for Yaren hardly ever objected to any decision he made. In fact, the man never objected to any decision Daemon made, so for him to object so harshly went to show just how much the man detested the current situation.
Yaren breathed harshly. "Zina WolfKnight will not be good for you. And I am not talking just as a mate, but she is not a woman you should keep by your side in any form."
"And why is that?" Daemon asked because he was truly curious to hear his brother’s thoughts.
Yaren gaped at him like had lost his mind which might be true. That night when Daemon had hunted her, he had finally co to understand why his wolf had been so restless. Because the more they gravitated towards Zina’s location, the more restless it beca.
And then at so point, Daemon could no longer track her and the hunt mark went dead on him. Like a mad man, he had relentlessly hunted her blindly until the scent of her blood wafted through his nostrils. Then the scent of her wolf that unmistakably tugged at his wolf followed after.
Like deja vu it happened. The words mate were scread by both of them, and all Daemon could think of was that he would never allow this woman out of his sight ever again.
As he sank his canine on her wolf, marking her, he chanted in his head; hate or not, Zina WolfKnight had always belonged to him and will always belong to him.
And as he stared at the mangled body of Xalea Borne confounded as to what might have happened, he chanted in his head; that her life would always belong to him, and no one else would ever claim it again.
He would not allow such a mistake to happen under his nose. He would make sure of it.
"I know that you do not believe in prophecies and such," Yaren began to say and Daemon already knew what he was driving at. "Maybe I don’t either. But perhaps you should not easily dismiss the prophecy that the Night Mages left you."
Daemon said nothing, resuming perusing through the war reports at a blatant act of dismissal. Yaren, knowing that his cup for that night was full, bowed and left the tent.
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