DEARON“I believe we're making a huge mistake,” Sungur grunted as he scratched his gray beard. “What if we lose too many of our warriors in this battle?”“We might not have a choice,” Garbhan muttered, staring at the large map in my study.I had gathered the Generals and moved away from the audience hall, leaving the council to deal with the Farindorian officials and Auretta. Of course, not everyone was pleased after I had rejected her offer, but I knew this help would have its cost, one we were not ready to pay.I could have used Torin's help right now, not that I regretted sending him with Kaira, but I needed someone outside the council to handle those Farindorian bastards, especially with Vulir and Morvan so eager to accept their every demand.“It'll take three days to gather enough warriors by the border,” Ameer said, pointing at the marked spots.“We don't have three days,” I gritted out. “Our scouts reported that the Eudoris army is on the move. “They should reach the Ardor Vall
KAIRA“Something's wrong,” Saura muttered as she lined up her horse with mine. I hadn't expected her to join our squad, but she'd insisted we needed to use every moment to continue our training. I'd wanted to oppose it at first, but then decided that having a witch on board might have its perks.I looked at Saura and saw her closing her eyes and frowning. “I felt a strange wave of energy. That energy felt… wrong.”My chest tightened. “Great.” I gave her a wry smile. “Just when I thought we could avoid complications on the road…”Saura shook her head. “That energy didn't come from here. It came from the far east.”I forced a deep breath, stretching my tightened ribcage. “Well, at least it's not from Sarendonia then.”Saura gave me a tense smile, letting me know that I should have taken what she'd said more seriously. But I couldn't, not right now. I had other matters to focus on, especially now that we had less than an hour of riding before reaching Narellia.Nazo and Rafe rode at the
I could hear my wolf growling in my head as I walked to the largest and most elegant meeting room Oryndale's castle could offer. I had asked the servants to escort Princess Auretta there. The rest of the officials would be received by the council members in the audience hall. I hoped I would join them soon, but first, I had to deal with the spoiled princess.I drew a deep breath and opened the door. My eyes instantly landed on Auretta standing by the large window with her back to me. She was dressed in a long, green gown embroidered with golden threads. Her light brown hair was left loose, falling down her shoulders and back in graceful waves.I closed the door and slowly walked toward her. “Princess Auretta.”She turned around, offering me a seemingly kind smile. She reached for the sides of her lush skirt and curtsied. “Alpha Dearon.”My one brow rose an inch. Did she think I could be fooled by her sudden meekness? I had seen her a few times while I'd been in Farindoria's capital, T
DEARON“I wish I could have seen her there.” Sohan leaned back in his seat and chuckled. “I wish I were there to see her victory.”“Kaira was a vision,” I told him, pouring whiskey into his glass. “You can be proud of your daughter, Sohan.” I walked over to him.“Oh, I am.” He took the glass from my hand and smiled.I grabbed my glass and sat in front of him. We were alone in my study. We had more than a few things to discuss before the Farindorian officials arrived. But right now, I couldn't focus on the upcoming tasks. What had happened between Kaira and Korad occupied my thoughts completely.“I heard you placed Korad under custody.” Sohan smirked before taking a sip from his glass. “That's a strong statement, one that won't be ignored by the council.”My jaw clenched. “I couldn't care less about the council. Korad went way out of line. He should be grateful I didn't sentence him for treason.”“You partially caused this. You know that, don't you?” Sohan gave me a wry smile. “You wer
Torin froze by my side, studying me as if he wondered if I had gone insane. “Kaira… Are you sure you want to do this?”“This is the only way,” I muttered before turning my gaze to the cocky Commander. “What will you say, Korad?”The dickhead burst into cold laughter, and half of those around him followed suit. “It's almost adorable you think you can win.”I shrugged. “I have to try. This mission is far more important than my ego.”“We're talking about one useless village,” he hissed. “I won't risk my warriors' lives—”“They serve Korendorr by risking their lives!” Torin roared. “And no matter if it's Narellia or any other village in this kingdom, they should be more than willing to protect it!”Korad rolled his eyes. “This village has no strategic value. It's meaningless.”I stepped toward him. “And what if your parents or your siblings lived there? Would their lives also be meaningless?” I snarled.He barked out a laugh. “Please… I come from a long line of Oryndale's wolves. Don't ev
“I'm coming with you.” Torin crossed his arms over his chest. “Don't even think about going there without me.”I turned to Rafe and Nazo, seeking their support, but they both looked away, telling me that neither wanted to join the family quarrel. I let out a long sigh before shifting my attention to my stubborn brother. “You're Dearon's Beta. Shouldn't you stay in Oryndale? The Farindorian officials are coming—”“Father will help Dearon, and I'm coming with you,” Torin stated.I narrowed my eyes at him. “And Father's OK with that?”Torin nodded. “He was the one who suggested it.”I held his stare. “Does Dearon know?”“Of course, he knows. If I hadn't told him I'm going, he would have sent me after you himself.” Torin chuckled. “He might trust you'll handle this task, but that doesn't mean he's not worried. He'd gladly send half of Korendorr's army to protect you, if he could.”A nervous smile curved my lips. I tried to be brave and confident, but even as I sat in my room, surrounded b