Chapter 15 - He thought he could outsmart a god. He was wrong.

Kade's POV

I felt goosebumps all over my skin. I knew that winning this quest would require a great sacrifice, and to be honest, Hades' request was a very small price for salvation. It was cheap. Too cheap. And that didn't make any sense at all. Everyone knows I lost my mate years ago, yet he asks for the firstborn of the said mate. Does he intend to bring her back from the underworld into our world to collect his price?

My blood turned to ice.  My jaw tightened as anger and logic clashed. "That is so twisted."

"Obviously it is, that's what makes me who I am, Alpha." Hades remarked breezily. "That's how it works. Greatness only comes on the wings of a precious sacrifice, and what better sacrifice than the blood of a firstborn." He continued. "Now, the question is, how far are you willing to go?"

Nyra took a step forward, her eyes blazing with rage. "You can't expect him to do that. He hasn't even—"

Hades' rapt attention returned to her. "I can ask for whatever I desire. It is my place to make an offer, and you are in no place to tell me what to do." His gaze swept over her with an intimacy more obscene than touch, rather than lust. It made my skin crawl. "Besides, she might not be as far away as he thinks. Oaths and bonds have the ability to intertwine fate, including yours." His words trailed off, like silk encircling a dagger.

"Now is not the time to speak in parables. What do you mean?" Nyra asked. Ever so confident, she doesn't tame her tongue even before the gods. 

"You pretend to hate a fire, but you stand far too close to it", Hades said, taunting her. I didn't understand what he meant, but Nyra did. Deeply. Her face was pale with shock, and her chest heaved up and down, as though the room was void of air.

Breaking their conversation, I took a step forward. His familiarity with Nyra only made my anger burn hotter, "I'm not giving you anything. Neither my mates nor my child. Nothing. So, make me another offer."

Hades furrowed his forehead. "Then you have no business here. You're free to leave just the way you are. Broken. Feeble. Vulnerable to your father's enemies and powerless against the Wraithborn. Always troubled by what you could have been."

The room was so silent that one could loudly hear a pin drop.

"Who knows, maybe the lineage you're fighting to protect will become obscure after this war. What legacy would you leave behind? Not much different from your father's."

I buckled my fists by my sides, fighting the urge to punch a god in the face.

"And the people you left behind with a promise of power. What would you tell them when you get back? Imagine how Riven would feel when you announce your empty-handed return. What kind of Alpha would that make you?"

I felt the heavy burden of leadership. The same one my father had handed me after his demise. I wanted to say no. In that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to spit in the face of the god and walk away. But I couldn't. A lot was at stake.

I caught a glimpse of Nyra in the corner of my eye, her body still battered from the altercation, her jaw clenched, her defiance shaky under the weight of her concerns. I thought about my father. The mad king. I thought about his insanity, his people's reliance on him, and the never-ending list of enemies.

I spoke with caution. "And if I agree? What would be the fate of my people? Would I really be able to protect them?"

Hades' grin was piercing. "You're thinking like a real Alpha now."

Nyra's voice was rough and desperate as she gripped my arm. "No! Don't do it. Listen to me, Kade—

Hades, however, was already in motion. Before I could process what was happening, fire burned into my skin as he put a palm to his chest. It was a mark etched into my body, and the anguish was blinding. The air was heavy with the stench of burnt blood.

The mark seared itself into me, twisting, curling, a symbol older than the world, and I screamed in deep agony, my teeth bared. Then smoke rose from my skin as it cooled. Dark and alive, the mark glowed dimly.

Nyra gasped for air. As though a thread had suddenly been woven from him to her, something in her chest tugged tightly. My attention was drawn to her even though I didn't totally understand what was going on.

Hades glanced at her knowingly. "Oops, forgot to give you a heads up."

"What was that?" She barked.

"Don't bother your pretty head, princess. You would understand, eventually.

Still in pain, I stumbled but forced my eyes to meet his gaze. "Let her be. It's done. You got what you wanted."

"Not quite." With a kind, almost loving smile, Hades moved closer to Nyra. "Little wolf, you do a good job of hiding your hatred. But tell me, will you still want to stab him in the heart after you find out the truth? Or will the knife be pointed somewhere else in your own hand?"

Nyra hid it with a sneer, but her breath shivered.

Hades merely laughed as I growled and moved to stand between them. He reclined, with smoke-like shadows encircling him.

"Alpha, enjoy your gift while her fire burns. Every transaction has a cost, and you would pay the price when the time is right.

After that, he turned into ash, and the room began to shake violently. I held Nyra's hand in mine when I noticed she had spaced out, guiding her out of the Dreadmoor.

Her mind was heavy, I could tell, and I had my own fair share of internal beetles going on. So many questions, possibilities, and realities hit me all at once. But the biggest question, which I had absolutely no answer to, was, "What on Earth did I just do?