I snarl, stepping back and turning away. Let the others see this. Let them remember. I am their leader, and no one will challenge me without consequence.
No one moves. All eyes remain fixed on Orïon. Aeson and Zephyr release his team members, their earlier intent to separate us now abandoned. There’s no need. They’ve seen enough.
“He lost his eye for his stupidity. Let this be a lesson to all.” Without sparing Orïon another glance, I stride into the pond. The water is cool against my fur as I scrub his blood from my claws and arms.
Kaël moves to Orïon, reaching out to help him stand.
“Do not touch me!” Orïon’s voice is raw with rage and humiliation. He stumbles to his paws, weak and beaten, his remaining eye open wide.
I understand his anger. If I ever lost a fight, if someone ever forced me to yield, I wouldn’t be able to face my mate.
“Leave him be, Kaël,” I say, stepping out of the water. The droplets scatter into the air as I shake them off.
If I don’t stop this sort of foolish behavior, others might get the wrong ideas. My ears twitch at the quiet rustling to my right, and I turn my snout toward the sound.
“Mighty leader.” A nýmphá steps gracefully from behind a tree, her glowing form illuminating the forest like a shard of moonlight. Her bare feet leave no trace on the mossy ground.“Her Majesty summons you,” she says. “A man named Gregor is approaching.”
Gregor. Isn’t that the one my mate let be?
“How far?” I demand, closing the distance between us in a single stride. My shadow swallows her slender figure.
“Not far,” she answers, her face calm as she tilts her head to meet my eyes. “He is with other vólkins, being brought to her.”
My claws flex, itching to tear through him, to end the threat he represents once and for all. Loose ends are not good, and Gregor is a thread I’ve wanted severed since the moment I learned of him.
But Noël. If she knows he’s coming... I can’t act yet. Not until I understand why. I turn back to my team. “Continue without me. Finish this trial. I will deal with Gregor.”
They lift their paws to their hearts, and I waste no time. As my legs carry me through the forest, the trees blur around me, and the cool air slices against my fur.
How has Gregor found himself here again?
He is a weak, fragile male, a pitiful creature who aided in the attempt to destroy my mate. He isn’t worthy of her attention, let alone her mercy. Why did she hesitate? This human betrayed her, endangered her. Why let him draw another breath? Why take the risk?
As I approach the edge of the clearing, my eyes sweep over the familiar forms of my warriors. Their massive bodies stand tall. Their glowing crystals cast faint light across the darkened forest. The moment they see me, they snap to attention, paws lifted to their hearts in salute. Their discipline steadies my rage, if only slightly.
I scent piss and blood, and then I see him. Gregor.
He stumbles behind them, his body so broken and frail he can barely manage to stay standing. He looks even weaker thanbefore, a husk. He should have died with the other male. I should have crushed him under my claws.
Striding into the clearing, I nod once to the vólkins, but my focus is locked entirely on Gregor. The tension in the air thickens as my shadow falls over him, and I speak with a calm, low voice. “How did you end up here again?”
Gregor’s lips tremble, his words stumbling over each other like broken shards of bark. The vólkins exchange glances. They didn’t know Gregor and I have met before.
Gregor collapses to his knees. “I was caught. Tortured,” he stammers, his voice weak and whiny. “I-I managed to escape. I didn’t know where to go. I was just wandering through the forest, and then... then they found me.”
His words are pathetic, hardly coherent. He looks like a male who has been through the worst. But something about this doesn’t sit right. The timing. The location. This feels too convenient. “Did they harm you?” I ask, turning my gaze to the vólkins. My tone is calm, but my claws flex.
Ívar, the leader of the team, steps forward with a low growl. “We wanted to... but didn’t. This human said he knows Her Majesty.”
I flick my eyes back to Gregor, who remains kneeling in the dirt.
“How is it,” I say slowly, “that you happened to end up here?”
Gregor’s eyes widen, the fear spreading across his face. He’s shaking uncontrollably, his mouth opening and closing as he searches for words. But none come.
He’s hiding something.
I remain silent, and my warriors watch quietly as well.
