Embers In The North
34

The resonating echoes of merriment and the clinking of goblets grated on Reyna’s nerves as a procession of maidens, donned in sombre black attire, guided her towards the grand hall.

They approached the archway preceding the cavernous hall, marked by imposing brass doors. With a gentle push, Reyna shifted her hair, parted down the middle, away from her face and adjusted the crimson cloak that draped down her form. The citadel’s architecture bore a striking resemblance to Egranox. The grand hall served as the central nucleus, with wings extending in all directions through ramparts and corridors.

On the right stood the stables, while the armoury occupied the right. From an earlier vantage point on the west tower’s rampart, she glimpsed Cridius’ warriors’ barracks nestled in the heart of the South Wing. If she had to guess, the throne room likely resided in the North Wing, which housed Cridius’ Tower.

Looking at herself again, Reyna wondered about the inexplicable taboo surrounding anyone else seeing her attire before Cridius. They had insisted on changing her outfit and Cridius had sent over this rather beautiful cloak. In contrast to the earlier purple dress, the current gown, with its red-shot hue, radiated even more splendour. She couldn’t help but appreciate her newfound femininity, accentuated by a plunging neckline that drew attention to her features.

Ariel stepped to her side in front of the hall’s imposing doors and Reyna looked at her.

“Milady. We will gather the information you seek while the ceremony unfolds,” Ariel assured her in a hushed tone.

Running her fingers through her hair, Reyna grunted in acknowledgment, sensing Cridius on the other side of the door. A surge of anxiety gripped her as she waited for his entrance, feeling him pulse through her like a guiding beacon. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of inevitability wash over her as she waited for him to make his appearance.

When the doors swung open fully, her escorts bowed, and her entire body tensed as their eyes met. A desperate longing welled up in her, making her struggle even harder to convey her animosity. She wanted him to feel her anger, but instead her heart melted at the sight of him because of that damned mate bond. His earnest brown eyes fixed upon her in a way that made her uneasy, making her palms sweat as he approached.

As he stepped closer, she noticed the way his pupils dilated, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized he was as affected by her presence as she was by him.

“Why isn’t her hair up?“ Cridius asked the maidens, but his eyes remained fixed on Reyna.

“I wear my hair down,” Reyna said, watching his eyes flutter.

It was a blatant lie. Revealing Cridius’ symbol wasn’t something she wanted to do, despite Ariel’s insistence that it was customary. In fact, she ordinarily loved wearing her hair swept up, most of all in a braid - but not this time.

Cridius stepped forward, taking up the minimal space between them. “You tempt Reyna,” he murmured.

Reyna shook her head, her gaze flicking over his stylish crimson-lined garment. “I assure you, that was not my intention.”

Her lips curved into a smirk as she noted how he seemed to drink her in with his eyes. Even he was in a different robe now, and the red lining matched her dress. She quickly gave him a once over and rolled her eyes as he continued to ogle at her.

“Do not forget,” Cridius said, leaning in closer, “the fate of your kind depends on how compliant you are.”

“Ahh,” Reyna said wryly. “It appears you have chosen the wrong female for such a role.”

The corner of his mouth curled upwards and he uttered the words, “Looks like I’ll have to spend the night teaching you your place.”

A shrivel of dread rose in her belly when she realized what he was implying. There was no way she could possibly keep up with him, not all night and not if he had his mind set on fucking her into submission. Acutely aware of his closeness, she watched with bated breath as he waved Ariel and the other females away. He then took her hand with a tight grip, tucking it under the crook of his arm.

“By the way, I know what you are, Reyna,” he said without turning his eyes in her direction.

Reyna took a deep breath as she glanced at him. His guarded expression gave nothing away, and yet she could feel the intensity of his emotions radiating in waves. Ever since the mate bond had settled between them, she felt like her heart was soaring whenever he was close. How come he was back to being so cold to her?

He swivelled to look directly at her, and his words took her by surprise. “My mind is a fortress,” he said. “Earlier, you responded to that and it wasn’t until later I realized I never said that. I only thought about it. You read my thoughts, just like you said.”

Attempting to free her hand from his grip, she asked: “What is wrong with you? That’s hardly surprising seeing as we’re mates now.”

Leaning down closer to her, he searched her face as his grip on her arm loosened. “I can see now that the mate bond has nothing to do with this. I pondered long and hard before making this realization: only a hybrid Luna who is anIcehelm, such as yourself could wield the Suncrest fire. Is that right?”

Reyna’s expression twisted in confusion. “Didn’t you already know that?”

“I’ve only just learned what this means for Kuntheas,” he said. Without waiting for her reply, he continued speaking. “We can’t keep our guests waiting - we must go.”

With a firm grip on her arm, he guided her down a regal red carpet that traversed the grand hall. This silenced the once bustling space as everyone rose in a bow. As they moved, Reyna took in the opulent surroundings adorned with gold and emerald, her gaze drawn to a banner that hung proudly behind an extravagant dining table on the pedestal at the far end of the hall.

The grand table, resplendent in its ostentation, boasted an enormous gold throne at itscenter, flanked by four smaller ones on either side. Couples occupied both ends of the table, accompanied by two additional solo males, leaving an empty seat beside the Alpha’s throne.

Cridius spoke softly as he held up her chin. “Now if only your hair was up for them to see.”

The realization struck her – he wanted her hair raised to flaunt the mark he left on her. Why did it even matter?

A male at the table raised a glass, addressing Cridius, “AnIcehelm. She’s quite lovely, Brother.”

Turning to check out the males at the table, Reyna couldn’t ignore the stark resemblance they bore to Cridius. With his hand still on her chin, Cridius turned her to face him, a grin playing on his lips, sending her pulse into a frenzied race.

“Lovely? No, she shames the goddess of beauty,” he said.

Despite her recoil from his touch, Cridius took her hand again, leading her to a seat beside him at the lavish table.

There was a lot of back-and-forth between the males while she surveyed the hall. The event was chock-full of Fangs… warriors. In fact, as far as she could tell they were all warriors, and she and the two other females at their table were the only females in attendance.

“Iris will complete the mating ritual once she arrives.” Cridius looked over at her, but she kept her gaze on the door. “May I give you your gift now?”

Looking back at him with that sinister smile on his lips, she dreaded whatever it could be.

“Do I have a choice?” she asked.

“You do, of course. But I must tell you it will blow you away.” He leaned sideways toward her and Reyna caught a whiff of his scent.

In silence, she regarded him for a while, then noticed how his eyes dropped to the mark she had tried desperately to hide with her hair. His eyes went back to hers and narrowed.

“Hiding it doesn’t change the fact that you’re mine,” Cridius said.

“Nor does it alter the fact that you imposed it upon me, and I will never be yours,” Reyna retorted, eyeing him viciously before turning away.

She heard his low growl as he rose. “This isn’t a funeral,” he exclaimed to the hall. “Drink, eat, have a good time. With the Luna as my mate, let it be known that soon, the Redfalls, Highthaws, and Icehelms will be under my reign and I the Alpha of all wolves!”

Laughter and merriment echoed through the grand hall, and Reyna’s gaze lingered on the delectable feast spread before her. Although her stomach rumbled with hunger, the prospect of partaking in the celebration of this forced union left her appetite unsatisfied. The male beside her encouraged her to indulge, but her icy glare conveyed her unwillingness to partake in the festivities.

As the doors swung open, the attention of the hall shifted towards a black-haired woman entering, silencing the revelry. A group of men dragged in a battered Seth behind her, and a gasp caught in Reyna’s throat as she turned to find Cridius, a sardonic smile on his lips, observing her reaction.

This couldn’t possibly be the gift Cridius had mentioned.

“Alpha.” The female bowed as they reached the stairs that led to the throne, then she stamped her staff.

Taking a close look at her, Reyna noticed the female’s scleras lacked irises entirely. She had to be the Iris Cridius spoke of earlier. Even though a name like that seems a bit obvious.

“Iris.” Cridius stood and walked around the table, climbing down towards her.

As the warriors dropped Seth beside Iris, Reyna shifted her focus to him. Her heart pounded wildly as she watched him struggle to maintain his posture on his knees. Interestingly, Iris now stared straight at her as if she could see her. Reyna stared back, her eyes tracing over Iris’s staff. There was an inkling in her stomach that Iris was the priestess who had healed her. Questions flooded Reyna’s mind, especially about how Iris could heal a wound caused by Yggdrasil.

“I will begin the mating ritual now, Milord,” Iris told Cridius. The sound of her soft yet firm voice invoked a vivid image of the most beautiful garden in Reyna’s mind.

“Right after I get this over with.” Cridius gestured towards Seth, then looked at Reyna and she saw his intent to kill Seth flash in his eyes.

“Why are we doing this? What does killing him serve?” Reyna asked him.

Seth had done nothing to deserve this fate from Cridius. Locking eyes with Seth, Reyna felt a deep ache in her chest and swallowed. Her heart squeezed with sadness as she realized she was powerless to help. Reyna knew that any attempt to intervene would only provoke Cridius, and he would likely unleash his anger on her.

Seth struggled to utter the word “Reyna,” before Cridius kicked him in the face, throwing him across the hall.

“He is the descendant of Thorin the coward,” Cridius said. “I must remove all the other Alphas if I am to be the Alpha of all wolves.”

“Not you too.” Reyna scoffed, rising from her seat and walking around the table to meet him. She struggled to maintain her strength against the hunger that tore at her. “The obsession with becoming Alpha of Alphas serves no purpose! And if you have any integrity, you’ll raise the forge and duel them.”

The murmurs in the quiet hall drew her attention, and she realized it was to her disadvantage to speak against Cridius in his court. But what else could she do? Everything was going awry. He didn’t just kill Seth like this in her dream. In fact, he never forced his mark on her either. Perhaps things were deviating from the script now, and even her life wasn’t guaranteed.

“You are so ignorant of your roots,” Cridius told her. “It was never just three territories. The four kinds have been fighting for dominance since the beginning, and it drove the other three away. Unlike my ancestors, I intend to unite the wolves under House Triston and win this foolish old war once and for all!”

Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. “Triston? You’re Cridius of the House Triston?”

“The Graypelts have always been under the House of Triston,” Iris said from beside her. “But I don’t suppose that is why the Triston name shocks you, Moltenroar.”

No, he was the one the Elders tried to prevent her from mating with. Of course, it made sense now. As long as Aupheadia fell, Cridius would dominate and claim her as his mate. She should have seen this, figured it out, and found a way out of this predicament.

“Do you believe in the Luna?” she inquired of Cridius, who observed her with thoughtful eyes.

He shrugged. “Traditionally, Graypelts do not have Lunas. Alphas mate with wise women blessed by the gods to produce powerful heirs. But I suppose that isn’t why you asked me that.”

“In Aupheadia, Lunas choose their mates as a means to end the strife between all the Alphas. No need for bloodshed; I am meant to put an end to this fray. A mark is never forced upon them by an Alpha,” she spat at him.

He scoffed and looked at Seth a few feet away across the hall. “This is not Aupheadia, and this discussion is over.”

Reyna saw the change in his mood when he shifted his focus from her to Seth. She concluded that now was not the right time to take a chance and test how far she could push him.

“Fetch him!” Cridius commanded, and the Graypelt wolves beside Iris immediately obeyed, rushing over to retrieve Seth and hauling him back to their Alpha.

Seth was an impressive warrior with strength, skill, and speed, Reyna knew that the Graypelts had to be using some sort of sorcery to overpower him. She knew all too well that their magical powers gave them a certain advantage in this situation.

Graypelts.

She didn’t know anything about them, and Roth was the best source to learn what she needed. Another option would be one of her maidens.

Reyna looked in Iris’s direction when she approached. With an affable grin, Iris suggested “Why not take a bite? You’ll need your strength later tonight, Icehelm.”

Reyna was quite confused as Iris seemed to try to obscure her view of Cridius yanking Seth’s hair, though how she knew what was happening without actually seeing it remained a mystery. When the scent of bitterwood wafted from Iris’ staff, Reyna noticed the light white serpent skin, which, unlike the others, wasn’t on a cobra’s head.

“Cridius–”

“Enough out of you!” he barked at Reyna, abruptly cutting off her attempt to plead for Seth’s release.

A deadly rage filled her chest as the hall fell silent. With her hands pressed against her face, she held his glare. Her heart beat faster, thinking if she could… should fight him for Seth. Sensing her reluctance, Cridius looked away from her.

“You could grovel to me,Icehelm,” Cridius sneered, but Seth laughed.

“When hail storms the west,” Seth spat.

“Seth,” Reyna called, stepping forward, but Iris intercepted her.

“This is not a fight you can win, Luna. Let it go,” Iris’s voice resonated in her mind, the mysteriously blind priestess offering a vision of a tranquil garden with butterflies around a babbling creek.

Reyna understood; it was a gesture to spare her the gruesome sight of Seth’s death, but she heard it nonetheless. Swallowing back a tear, she composed herself, her heart throbbing in her ears. Once she heard Seth’s body drop, she realized she would never see him again, and she whispered a goodbye and moved away from Iris’s reach.

Seth’s lifeless form sprawled on the floor sent waves of pain and guilt through Reyna’s heart. As Cridius approached her, a sinking realization dawned upon her – she knew exactly what he intended to do.

His plan was clear: eliminate all the Alphas of Aupheadia and manipulate her as a pawn to compel the Icehelms, Redfalls, and Highthaws to accept him as their Alpha.

“Save the tears for your Redfall,” he whispered to her.

Reyna swallowed hard, her head throbbing in pain. Casting another glance at Seth, her thoughts went to Decker and Roth, and her jaw clenched.

Returning to her seat, she served herself a substantial meal, her gaze fixed on Cridius as he resumed his place beside her. With a wave, he signalled the feast to continue, and the warriors who had brought in Seth dragged his lifeless body away.

Lifting a tankard, Cridius said, “You’re quiet for a change. Don’t fret over your beloved Redfall, mate. I’ll make it quick.”

Reyna wiped her brow, picked up a spoon, and locked eyes with him. “Unless he kills you first.”

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