IRA
"We are having dinner with my brother," Dexter said while I got dressed.
I raised my brows. "That's interesting."
"I know he has not been the best with-" Dexter made to speak, but I shook my head, cutting him off with my words.
"I understand," I said with a smile. "He doesn't trust me yet. And that's understandable. I haven't given him the benefit of the doubt with how I've handled things too."
"But-"
"No buts." I walked over to him, dressed in a blue fitted gown. "We will be fine," I spoke reassuringly, despite knowing there was every chance that we would ever be fine.
"Don't be negative," Khanos snapped within me, and I smiled, glad to have a reminder of her presence every now and then.
The drive out of Dexter's wing was smooth. The entire palace seemed more packed than usual. There were more guards than the last time I was here, and there were a lot more people loitering around.
"The Academy," Dexter suddenly said
IRAThe next few days were spent training.I could tell that something was going on behind the scenes as Dexter would occasionally step away from me or leave me to go through the process while he handled business.Thanks to Dexter's constant presence and training, I didn't have as much time to worry about the outside world or the fact that I was hated and regarded as a monster.I woke up earlier than usual and decided to hit the homemade gym. Dexter had gone out of his way to ensure that I got everything I needed to train in and outside the house, which I couldn't be more grateful for.These days, I was a lot more strong and secure in my abilities, which was something I felt proud of. I could tell that Khanos was on the same page about my progress but she hadn't found time to compliment me.She seemed a lot more interested in conversing with our mates. A fact I was still deciding if I was upset or happy about.Nevertheless, I fired on
IRA"We cannot force them to fight," Elder Clawmark said to Eros as soon as we got to the palace grounds."They will fight!" Eros said, looking livid. "The tournament must be held. You said it yourself, we already have a plan.""We will be sticking to it."Dexter placed a protective arm around me as we watched Eros go at it with Elder Clawmark, who stood with Jade standing beside him.Jade was the only female who didn't forfeit the chance to fight in the tournament. While the other women dropped to the ground a while back, she remained standing strong."That is against the rules of this Kingdom," Clawmark said. "If you force them to fight, you will be going against the same rules that your fathers tried to keep.""The same rules that have been passed from generations before. We can't make rash decisions."Just then, Elder Nightingale stepped in, and Eros turned to him."Speak," he ordered, nose flared in anger.I
IRAThe field was packed.We were late. I sucked in a deep breath as I walked side by side with Dexter, who wore a permanent glare as he led us towards the crowd.Everything seemed to be going fine until the talks simmered and whispers began. I could feel the gazes of the others as Dexter led us to the stands where some guards were situated."He's not even here," I heard Dexter say under his breath, looking anything but pleased."Ira!" I heard a familiar voice say behind me, and my eyes narrowed.I turned around, and sure enough, Jade walked up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "How are you doing?" she asked, bowing her head at the sight of Dexter."Fine," I spoke flatly, unable to stop the anger that rose at the sight of her, and hoping she read the room and walked away. But of course, she remained."Good to know," she said. "I was a bit worried when you didn't show up. I even asked Billie," she paused, "countless times
EROSThings had taken a turn for the worse since Ira's incident.The people were speaking, words were spreading, and the Elders were making my rule unbearable. There've been a couple of attacks at the borders and my patience was hanging on a thread.Not to mention Inferno, my hot-headed hybrid wolf, who was currently giving me hell for being away from his mate for so long. Just this morning, I was jolted out of bed by the flame kindled by my own wolf.The rest of the night was spent working as well as making arrangements to put myself out of my misery and grant my wolf a moment with his mate before he decided to take matters into his own hands.Which was why I decided to call my brother in the early hours of the day and demand he brought along our little mate for the meeting I would be having later in the day."Never." Dexter's words made my blood boil in anger."It wasn't a request," I stated, but it didn't make it to his ears as he
IRA"Again," Dexter said with a blank look on his face, while I tried to get air in my lungs.Training with Dexter was bittersweet. I'd learned that in the past few days I started my martial arts training with him. He didn't hold back, which made me grateful and icy."I just need to breathe," I rasped, earning myself a snort from Khanos, who finally graced me with her presence this morning.Apparently, she was giving my body room to heal from the stunt she pulled during the fight with Lauren. Not to mention the fact that she annoyingly refused to say anything to me regarding how exactly I was able to turn Lauren into stone.I couldn't tell if it was an intentional act on her side either. What she did tell me was the fact I was too weak and needed to get stronger. Like I didn't already know that."You are hardly punching that bag, Ira," Dexter gritted from behind me. "You can do better than that. Again."I sucked in a breath, knowing i
IRA"You are never getting out of my sight ever again," Dexter said as soon as the door banged shut, pulling me into his form in an electrifying embrace.I let his presence soothe the turmoil within me and sucked in a deep breath, taking in his intoxicating scent as I tried to calm the storm that brewed within me.Khanos hadn't said a word since I woke up. I could feel her within me, but it felt like she was fatigued. I could barely feel her energy, and the fact that I slept in for the past three days while my neck healed was baffling, as well as concerning.What was going on with me?"Come on, let's get you to bed," Dexter said in a low tone, carrying me bridal style as we headed to his bedroom - which was by and large my new bedroom."I can walk on my own," I said, but made no move to get down.Dexter hummed but kept moving. I could tell he knew just how weak and disoriented I felt with everything that's happened, as I didn't bother