Page 20 of Wolf Burdened


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"Come with me,” she said.

Yeah, I was being petty, but so what? Zeus was the last god that should be judging me. He was nothing but an arrogant, obnoxious tyrant like my father. I’d told Natalie I’d work on my anger issues… but not towards that man.

Hekate walked by me, her snake Ila eyeing both Zeus and me as she left the room. I turned and followed, listening with a growl of irritation to the crackling lightning bolts behind me as Zeus teleported.

The gods weren’t as perfect as they pretended to be. Especially the assholes like Zeus.

Power wasn’t just addictive. Without prayers and offerings, a god would lose a tremendous amount of their strength and abilities. And if they lost too much, they’d become mortal. Then everything they did would come undone.

So if a god of vegetation lost their power, that would mean all life on Earth would starve to death.

Sometimes the gods forgot that their very lives depended on the love of the souls who worshiped them, here and on earth.

Dragons, though created the same way as the gods, didn’t have the same weaknesses. And I, as a hybrid, could both pity and empathize with the gods and their selfish tendencies.

I took a breath in an attempt to calm my rage. Finally, Hekate and I were alone, sitting in a room filled with books, scrolls, and shelves of bottled potions, organs, and things I’d rather not know about.

"Did you really have to say all of that?" she asked, smiling slyly.

I shrugged, and her smile faded. She ran a finger along the snake’s head and body. “What happened to your mate was unfortunate, Rumir. And I’m sorry I haven't seen you to offer my congratulations."

Thankfully, she had enough sense not to mention Lucian also being mated to Natalie to me. It wouldn’t have improved my mood, and it wasn’t what I came to talk about. I had bigger issues to address with her right now.

“Tell me the truth, Hekate. What’s going on?”

Her snake draped itself over her shoulders like a scarf. “The less you know, Rumir, the better.”

“Are you serious?” I asked. “There is a virus going around that is a threat to everything in the realm, and that's all you have to say to me?"

"What I can tell you, Rumir, is that even though it doesn't look like it, we're truly trying to handle this. There are things you don't know about this—things many of the other gods don't know, either. But we’re working on it."

"What am I to do with that?" I argued. "It’s obvious you're facing a threat more powerful than you can handle. How is that possible?"

Ila hissed, and its eyes, identical to Hekate's, narrowed. From what I understood, the animal was an extension of Hekate, and its actions often reflected Hekate’s mood.

I took a breath while Hekate rubbed at her forehead, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. My mother was secretive as well. There were some issues that had to be left up to the Imperium, things they knew about that others didn't.

It meant a world of pressure was always on their shoulders, but the realm had never faced a threat like this, not that I knew of. Honesty on their part might cause a panic, but it could also save afterlives.

“Be honest,” I said, more softly this time. “Let people know what’s happening so they can prepare. Speak to the souls. If the Imperium addresses them, they’ll listen. The realm doesn’t have to fall into chaos if you do it the right way.”

She laughed. “You think the Imperium needs help?”

“It sure looks that way,” I answered. "You gods and your egos. Your pride will be the death of us all.” I took a deep breath and looked at her. “If the gods are ‘handling’ this, why were the Kruards called in? Why was my mate almost killed?”

She pulled back, appearing wounded, and I sat forward. “It’s not my intention to be hurtful, Hekate. I hope you know that. You’re one of few who even speak to me. But you have to look at this from my end. How many more souls will be erased before this virus is contained? What’s causing it?”

She looked away.

“How many have already been erased?” I asked. Her silence proved my speculation was correct. The wolf Natalie had killed hadn't been the first. “I need to know what’s happening so I can protect Natalie.”

"I understand your mate is a priority to you, Rumir, but she's not the only one at risk here! Every soul here and those alive on Earth are our priority!” She got up. “We’re doing everything we can! What you need to do is wake your mother. The council is incomplete without her, and trust me, the way things are proceeding, it’s only going to get worse.”

I was at a loss for words. Hekate wasn’t just angry, she was actually afraid. She waved her hand as she walked away, and Ila turned into black smoke and vanished.

I rested my elbow on the arm of the chair and stared down at the white tiled floor. It’s not like I didn’t care about the lives of other people besides my mate, though I could see how it came off that way. Every soul here was in peril, and that mattered to me, too.

As she sat behind her desk, something she said finally registered.

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