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"I'm with Kao," Joaquin said. "You're not a prisoner, Kai, and you shouldn't be treated like one."
"But what other choices do we have?" Kai countered. "If I hurt any of you, I'll never forgive myself. I already attacked you once, P’Joaquin. What's to stop me from doing it again if I lose myself? At least if I'm locked behind silver bars, there's a better chance of me not going after someone else."
I wanted to keep arguing his case, to reason with Kai that he wasn't the monster he was painting himself to be. I didn't want him to be locked up down there. He didn't deserve that. If I couldn't reason with everybody, then I would take him and run. I wouldn't have my brother treated like a criminal. I opened my mouth to say as much, but someone else cut in.
"Kai's not the monster," Rosie said, finally speaking up since the start of this conversation. "It can't be him."
"Really?" Del tilted her head to the side. "Why do you say that? I mean, I know you love him, Rosie, but even you have to be reasonable about—"
"I saw his death," Rosie countered. "Along with everyone else's corpse, I saw Kai's as well. He had a big ass hole in his chest where his heart should've been. The monster Lycan can't be Kai if he also died."
Gruesome description of Kai's death aside, I wanted to kiss my mate for coming to Kai's defense. When she wouldn't say anything, a part of me was hurt thinking she also deemed Kai a monster. Clearly, I was wrong, both for assuming the worst, and for doubting her. Rosie's statement silence everyone for a long moment. Kai's hand went to his chest where his heart was beating, but aside from that, he relaxed some.
"I see," Roxanne muttered with the cigarette between her lips. After inhaling a hit and puffing out smoke, she held up a finger. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that Kai's double powers don't pose a threat."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean that if Kai isn't the monster, and he dies in the future Rosie saw, there's a chance that not only his Wolf Moon's gift can be extracted from him, but also the berserker rage. If someone kills him, that means whoever it is will have both powers and could be the one who kills everyone."
"Someone like Pierce," Rosie said the name like it was forbidden. "Kai fights the berserker rage, but I don't think Pierce would do the same if he got his hands on that power."
"No, he wouldn't," Joaquin agreed. "Pierce is always in search of power so he could be number one. With both of Kai's abilities, that demented dream of his could end up a reality."
"Not to mention if he kills Rosie too," Roxanne added. "Remember, Rosie's the Queen of Wolves. While your mates have fragments of the Wolf Moon's gift, you're the Wolf Moon's Chosen. You alone can influence any shifter. With that and Kai's berserker rage, Pierce could be the strongest shifter alive."
"So, it's not just Rosie we need to protect." Byron's eyes went from Rosie to Kai. "We also have to keep Kai away from harm as well."
I never felt so petrified in my life. On top of my mate, now my twin brother's life could be in jeopardy. One with a gift, another with a curse. Both of which could be the result of our end. What could we possibly do to protect them both? We knew we had Pierce to deal with, and an army of wolves from his pack along with rogue wolves who don't play by the rules. But Byron mentioned another guy, one who was working alongside Pierce.
"What about this Mordred character?" I looked to Byron. "Is there anything you can tell us about him?"
Byron shook his head. "Nothing that I haven't already said. I've only seen him a couple of times, and he's as much a mystery now as he was when I first met him. There's something dark about him, but I don't know what."
"I don't like the fact that we have an enemy we know nothing about," Rosie said.
"It can't be helped." Del pulled her blue hair back and tied it in a ponytail. "Instead of fretting over someone we know nothing about, lets focus on the things we can control right now. Rosie, you're expecting another meeting tonight, right? As soon as you figure out how many are joining your pack and how many will be leaving Kingsrose, we can devise a defense plan. You should tighten up border patrols around Kingsrose to make sure no intruder enters here without someone spotting them."
"Your pack should also prepare for combat," Javier added with Raph agreeing. "Kao's been training with Raph, but he shouldn't be the only one. Everyone should get into fighting shape."
"Which includes you learning to master the Wolf Moon's gift." Rowan rested a hand on Rosie's shoulder to get her attention.
I was feeling better now that we’re planning for what our next moves would be. More importantly, all the attention that were directed at Kai were long gone. My brother stood beside me, staying quiet while he listened to everyone scheduling time for training and how to best handle security details. I nudged him with my elbow. "Hey, what's on your mind?"
Kai huffed out a breath. "Nothing."
"Khn koh¯k."
"I'm not lying." Kai frowned, then softened his features. "Okay, maybe I am. I... I'm a little overwhelmed. I knew this curse of mine was dangerous, but I never thought that someone else could potentially use it to hurt the people I love."
Typical Kai. He wasn't bothered about his life being in peril, but more so that anyone who steals both his powers could then use it against us. As selfless as ever. "Don't worry. We'll make sure nobody can get their hands on you, or your powers."
Kai didn't look confident about that. "I sure hope so."
Me too. We had three months until the Wolf Moon was up in the sky, and there was no telling when Pierce and his goons would show up. Roughly three months for all of us to prepare for the fight of our lives, where not only the fate of our lives were on the line, but the lives of all shifters. Because if we failed, nobody would be safe from Pierce's wrath.
11
ROSIE
