office chair, gulping down coffee as Darius leans against the wall by my door, glaring at me. We have been in this sort of standoff for a few minutes now and my mood is already sour. I’ve had a shower and put some salve on the cuts I had gotten from The Deadlands to help the healing process, but I can’t do anything to help the aches throughout my body. I would rather be sleeping as my exhaustion is already over its limit, but here I am, getting ready to answer the questions I said I would answer. Kind of.
Josh is with me, as well as Taylor, Sebastian, Hudson and Colten. They all stand near me around my desk, Josh the closest to me as always. Zaide and Damian stand while Leo relaxes back in the chair across from me instead, his blond hair brushed away from his face as he watches us all.
I have no doubt his relaxed pose is just a facade though.
I sigh, putting my mug down on my desk before leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. I really don’t want to do this now, but it’s far better than them harassing my pack. “Go ahead, ask,” I say in a bored tone, waving a hand at them to start even though I’m dreading their questions.
“How long have you all been here?” Leo asks in front of me, looking around my office and out toward the window. I knew they would be curious about our home, but I didn’t think they would ask that right away.
“We were born here,” I lie, my face set into a neutral mask.
“That’s not possible,” Darius adds, shaking his head. “In the history of the Elites, we have been to every place in Vrohkaria. This wasn’t here, there is no way this has been here all this time. We would know.”
“How would you know?” I question him with a lift to my shoulders. “We are deep in The Deadlands. It’s always been here, you just haven’t ever come across it.” I don’t know this for sure, but Solvier told me he has always been here, and he’s hundreds and hundreds of years old.
“We would know,” Darius assures me, and I suppress an eye roll. “The Elites have access to all Vrohkaria’s history from the Highers. They are the keepers of knowledge. Their records would have shown this place existed, so I call bullshit.” He pins me with a hard, green glare, not backing down. Well, neither am I.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” I shrug. “We have always been here on our own. Away from everything in Vrohkaria and any civilization. We self-sustain and live peacefully.”
“If you live peacefully, why is everyone so scared then?” Darius questions, coming forward to stand in front of my desk next to Leo, glaring down at me.
I tap my forearm where my arms are crossed and think about how to answer him. If we lived here all our lives, why are they so scared? Shit, I didn’t think this through. “They had some… issues not too long ago.”
“What issues?” he presses, and I grind my teeth and look out of my window.
I don’t want to go into this, and it’s not my place to tell them either, but I have to give them something. “Look,” I start, before turning my head toward him and the other Elites. “I won’t betray their confidence by telling you their personal experiences. What I will tell you is that some shit happened and big scary men, well… scare them, okay? It happened, and it’s done, but mentally not all are one hundred percent healed from it. They get by the best they can and live peacefully here. However, since I brought you all here it’s causing issues for them, and I will have to figure out the best way to deal with that. I asked you to keep your dominance low to try and not frighten them as much. As you could see before at the gathering, it didn’t do much, but their reaction would have been worse if you had just let your aura loose.”
“Is that why your aura is like an Omega’s? You give off barely any dominance,” Damian says, as he walks over to my bookshelves and starts looking at the books I’ve collected over the years.
“That’s the whole point,” I state, blowing out a breath and trying to ignore that he’s touching my things. “Omegas are non-threatening. They are kind, and gentle, so we have always kept our dominance as low as possible to make the pack feel safe.”
“So, what you’re saying is something happened here, and since then you all keep your dominance down so the rest of the pack feels safe?” Darius says slowly, eyeing me to find a crack in my facade.
I nod, my face still blank even though I feel like he isn’t buying my half-truths. But what does he expect? I just spill all of our secrets? Not a chance. I need to find a way to keep this place hidden, to stop him from telling the Highers. But I honestly have no idea how. He’s going to take me back to the Highers one way or another, and I’ll accept that if I can reason with him to let the others stay here and Eridian’s existence be kept secret.
“You know you have already broken the law by murdering some of my Elite trainees, and injuring others.” Darius’ stare becomes cold. “You have also broken the law by not declaring your home and pack to the Highers. When my injured are healed, you will come back with me, face sentencing and your punishment will be in my hands. But before that,” he cuts off the protests of the guys at my back, waving a hand at Leo.
Leo pulls out something from the pack he has on the floor. It looks like just a small piece of crumpled paper in his hand, that is until he flattens it out, puts it on my desk and turns it over. I keep my face from giving any reaction as he slides it toward me and my heart stalls in my chest as I look it over. Dark, shoulder length hair, toffee eyes, a bright smile and delicate face. I force my brows to furrow as I look it over in confusion.
“Who is this?” I ask Leo, who’s eyes haven’t left mine.
“This is the reason we are in The Deadlands in the first place.” He taps the picture. “A woman matching her description was seen entering The Deadlands with another person. She was taken from her pack, and we have been tasked with getting her back.”
Rescuing her from her pack is more accurate. “How long ago was she seen coming into The Deadlands?”
“Just over two months ago,” Darius informs me. So they have been searching for her pretty much since we brought her here, and they still haven’t given up. Great.
I chew the inside of my bottom lip. “You guys haven’t seen her?” I ask. At the shake of their heads, I continue. “Anyone that enters The Deadlands is as good as dead.” At Darius’ flat look, I scoff at him. “Apart from the Elites, clearly. But anyone else would last a few days at best. There is no way she is alive and out there somewhere.”
Darius tilts his head. “She isn’t here?”
“No,” I swallow. “Why would she be? No one has been here and we haven’t seen another person in the forest apart from you guys and creatures. How would this woman get here if you guys didn’t even know it existed?” He looks me over, and I hold my breath. My ice blue eyes clash with his light green one’s, neither giving anything away and neither backing down as we look for weaknesses. I don’t know if he believes me, but I know he definitely doesn’t trust us.
A knock comes to my office door before it swings open. Anna stops in her tracks when she sees us all in here before straightening her shoulders and looking at me. “Everyone is stable, but they will need to take a few weeks rest before any traveling is recommended,” she tells us, and I know she was reluctant to give us that information considering we don’t want them here. “Especially Jase,” she continues. “His rib is back in place, but his lung will take time to heal and shifting is not an option right now, for him or anyone else. They are too exhausted for the change. Kade is ready to move upstairs to his room. I gave him something extra for the pain to help him sleep, so he should be out until tomorrow morning.” Anger floods Darius’ face like thunder by the time she has finished talking.
“Thanks Anna. Rest up and head to the gathering,” I look toward my windows before looking back at her. “Dinner will be soon.” She nods and leaves as quickly as she came, passing the Elite with the plaited mohawk as she goes. He follows her, no doubt keeping an eye on her.
I’m glad Kade is ready to be moved to his room though. I want him close at the moment.
“She’s a blood witch, isn’t she?” Zaide states, the first time he’s spoken since he’s entered my office. His voice is quiet, but still strong. He’s the type of male who only speaks when needed.
I lean forward on my desk and clasp my hands together. “She is a blood witch,” I confirm, and they inhale sharply, all apart from Darius who looks at me with a curious expression.
“I knew she wasn’t a wolf, but I didn’t expect a blood witch,” Damian spits, finally coming over to us and leaving my bookshelves alone. “You’re harboring a dangerous being in your pack, Rhea. All blood witches are to be killed on sight.”
“That blood witch saved your men,” Josh growls from my right, coming around to the side of my desk.
“And whose fault is that?” Damian fires back, getting closer to Josh until they are almost touching. “You caused those injuries.”
Josh gets in his face, their height evenly matched. “And we saved the injured. If the others hadn’t died, she would have saved them too.”
“We have a right to kill her. She is not allowed to be left alive!”
I stand so fast my chair crashes into the bookshelf behind me. Everyone turns to face me as I growl at Damian, “You will not touch her. I will rip you to shreds before you even touch a hair on her head!” I feel Runa in my eyes, and my pupils dilate as a tingling sensation creeps up my neck as my anger builds.
Hudson comes up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I sensed it was coming, but I still flinch anyway. The tingling stops, fading away instantly and I manage to get myself under control.
“No one will touch her, Rhea,” Hudson tells me gently, while Sebastian, Colten and Taylor grunt in agreement. “They are in our territory, not theirs. Vrohkaria law doesn’t apply here.”
“He’s right,” Taylor adds. “They can’t kill her.”
Darius takes a hold of Damian’s arm and guides him back. “The Highers rule over Vrohkaria,” Darius tells me, his eyes roaming over my form.
“As I’ve already said, The Deadlands are not claimed by them.” I shake my head and move closer to Josh at the edge of my desk. “If you want justice for the men that have been killed, I agree to go to the Highers with you without a fight.”
“Milal–” Josh starts, but I cut him off.
“I will go, willingly, but I want something in return.” I keep my shoulders straight and head held high as I tell them, acting like going to the Highers is no big deal, when internally, I’m scared shitless. Edward told me to avoid them at all costs, and his reasons are understandable after what they did. So I agreed, of course I agreed. But if it saves my pack, I will go to them.
“Leave us,” Darius orders. When no one moves, he lets loose a dominating growl that almost sends me to my knees in submission. The windows rattle, the floor shakes and I’m stuck between awe and fear at the power that one growl holds. But I stay standing, even as the rest of the people in this room show slight signs of submission. I would be doing the same if I was a normal wolf, but normal I am not. And I don’t think he is either.
I eye Darius as my guys reluctantly shuffle out of the room at my nod, the rest of the Elites following them while Darius and I are locked on each other.
I’ve never been more captivated looking into another’s eyes as I have his.
As soon as he hears the door click, he rounds the side of the desk and stops in front of me. I hold my ground and lift my head to look at him, trying not to hold his scent in my lungs. A second later, his hand wraps around my throat and I’m shoved back into the wall next to the bookcase. A sound of surprise escapes me as my eyes widen, not expecting the move, and then they lower as I bare my teeth at him.
I will not cower.
“Who are you?” he demands, and my brows furrow.
“I already told you.”
“Why don’t I believe that?” His thumb runs along the side of my neck, the touch gentle compared to the way he’s firmly holding my throat.
“I will go to the Highers,” I tell him again, ignoring his question. “If you–”
“I find it amusing that you think you can bargain with me,” he laughs at me mockingly. Lowering his face, until his nose touches mine, as he looks directly into my eyes as I struggle for breath under his grip. My hands grab his bare wrist, trying to release his hold on me. When that doesn’t work, I lift my knee, aiming between his legs, but he moves, closing the little distance between us and pinning my hips to the wall with the tops of his thighs. “You are in no position to tell me what you will do, little wolf. You will pay for the deaths of my men, either from the Highers’ orders or from me alone. But never doubt that you will be coming back with me whether you’re willing or not.”
“I know that,” I choke out. “But leave the rest of Eridian alone. Tell no one of this place.”
“Eridian?” He tilts his head, his eyes still holding mine, and I swear I see them start to bleed black at the edges of his irises before going back to normal.
What was that?
“It’s what we call our home and the forest surrounding it,” I say in a rush as he eases his hold just enough for me to get more air in to speak. His fingers stay on my pulse, monitoring it as it beats widely. “There is no reason to tell the Highers about this place. We broke no laws.”
“This place needs to be recorded as there is life here. The Highers demand that all such places in Vrohkaria are known. It doesn’t matter that they haven’t claimed this as their territory. They never had to because it’s always been known as uninhabitable. It was pointless until now.”
I lick my dry lips and his eyes drop there for a second before looking back into my eyes again. “You can’t tell them,” I stress. “There is no point. What would it accomplish?”
“It would accomplish putting that look on your face again.”
“What look?” I stammer, trying to keep my face blank and failing.
“The look of pure terror that you had when I had the pup in my grasp. Why are you so adamant that you don’t want the Highers to know of this place?” he questions, then swings me around by the throat and slams me onto the desk on my back, my legs dangling either side of him as he looms over me. “What are you hiding, little wolf?”
I growl at the position he’s put me in. I try to get my feet up to push him off of me, but he’s just too big. He’s immovable, and I’m exhausted. He lets out a low chuckle as he brings his free hand up to take both of my wrists and hold them above my head in his grip. He feels the pulse at my neck again, digging his thumb in as it beats rapidly beneath his touch.
“Get off me, asshole!” I arch my back, wriggling to get him off me. When my efforts do nothing but exhaust me more, I slump back onto the desk and close my eyes, trying to breathe through the feeling of helplessness. Helplessness I swore to myself I would never let myself feel again.
“Are you ready to give me some real answers?” he murmurs, and I feel his breath on my cheek, so close, but not touching.
Why is he so close? And why do I want to wrap his scent around me like a second coat?
“I answered all your questions. I killed some of your men, I get it.” My eyes open and look him dead in the eye as I tell him my truth. “But believe me, I had no choice.”
His eyes roam my face like they did in The Deadlands. “Why?” he demands, his hold on my wrists and throat tightening for a second.
“You have seen my pack. They’re scared of outsiders. If you told the Highers, they would demand that we all go and declare we live here. They couldn’t go through being surrounded by powerful Alphas. They couldn’t cope with it, they are already frightened. To be forced to go to the capital of Vrohkaria to be surrounded by strangers?” I shake my head. “They wouldn’t survive it,” I whisper, my throat tightening at the thought. “I will fight anyone and anything every step of the way to stop that from happening. If I lose at the end, then I lose, but my pack will be safe. Kade will be safe.”
I’m out of my depth here. He needs to understand he can’t take them back, but how do I do that without telling them we take them from packs for their safety?
The Elites belong to the Highers, and you never trust a Higher. Unless you’re Edward.
“The pup?” He scoffs. “You so easily give away your weakness. I could force you to do whatever I wanted just by holding a blade to his throat. I should do that anyway for him attacking me.”
“You already know Kade is a weakness, so what’s the point in denying it? And give him a break. He’s just got his wolf, and he’s going through a lot.”
“Everyone goes through a rough time when they get their wolf. It’s the natural process.”
“It’s more than that with Kade, he’s hurting and so is his wolf.” I sigh and look at my ceiling. “He lost someone important to him, and his wolf is mourning.” I can feel him watching me, trying to sense if I’m lying, but I’m not. I need him to understand the struggle Kade has so he won’t punish him.
He finally speaks after a tense silence. “You will come to the Highers with me after my men are healed. I will decide when we get there if I tell them about Eridian.” I freeze, my eyes snapping to him. There’s a chance he won’t tell them? It can’t be that easy. “But it looks like you’re stuck with us Elites for a few weeks while my injured heal.” His slow smirk is cruel as he tells me. “We will continue to look for this woman in the forest while here. You better set up rooms in this cabin for my closest men. I won’t be letting you out of my sight, little wolf.”
He digs his thumb into my pulse one more time before he stands straight, staring down at me. His gaze tracks over me, not missing a single inch of my body, and my cheeks heat. He grunts, giving me a last look before he walks out of my office. I lay still, breathing through frustrated breaths and resisting the urge to touch my throat. It still feels like his hand is wrapped around it.
Our simple life isn’t so simple anymore.
And if Darius finds out I lied? We’re all going to suffer for it.
