17. Chapter Seventeen

After the meeting broke up, Ewan and I returned to our house with dozens of Taurus wolves trailing behind us. People brought covered dishes, and everyone ate while they milled around. It reminded me of the family gatherings my parents held on Sundays, but with a lot more guests.

And they all wanted to talk to me. At least, that was how it felt.

Some of the wolves regarded me with awestruck wonder, and they weren’t shy about it either. They whispered about me as if I didn’t have super hearing, which I found unsettling. Ewan received the same reverence, which he accepted more readily.

Just how much have you embraced Stavros? I wondered.

Not everyone thought I shit rainbows, of course. A small yet loud contingent stood in the kitchen, discussing my inability to give Ewan a child. By the way they spoke, it was like my existence was futile because I couldn’t spawn the pack an heir.

What I found most confusing was that no one blamed Ewan. I didn’t go to school for vampire genetics or anything, but I felt confident that neither of us was capable of reproduction. Pointing out the hypocrisy was unnecessary, especially since they weren’t brave enough to say it to my face.

Ewan remained by my side all evening, to both reassure me and make sure I behaved. The bloodlust flared up a few times, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Still, I was ready for everyone to get the fuck out of my house long before the crowd thinned. Despite being my father’s daughter, I really wasn’t cut out to be an alpha’s wife. Babies and potlucks weren’t for me.

We stood by the front door as the stragglers left, exchanging polite goodbyes with our guests until only Charlie, Birch, and Mrs. Wynn remained in my living room. I looked up at Ewan. “Are we hosting a sleepover?”

“They aren’t staying the night, but we do have more guests coming.”

Winter’s magic filled the downstairs, and then a portal opened in my living room and she and her parents joined the afterparty.

“Where’s Frann?” I asked when I realized the Ophiuchus wolf wasn’t with them.

Walter sat heavily on the couch, raising an eyebrow at the claw marks I’d raked into the cushion. “With Blue.”

“That thing you guys brought back from the Snake Mountains,” Winter clarified when he didn’t elaborate.

“Figured out where he’s from yet?” Ewan asked.

Colleen sank down beside Walter on the sofa. “Not exactly. Somewhere warm, maybe even tropical. That doesn’t narrow it down much, but we should know more once Essie examines him.”

I swallowed hard. “How did things end with my dad?”

Walter and Colleen exchanged glances before she said, “He might be more receptive after receiving the council’s order. My grandmother is back in Arcane Landing now. The Gemini fae are nearly as stubborn as your father.”

Mrs. Wynn cleared her throat to swing the attention toward her. “The Capricorns want to know your plans for tomorrow when we’re supposed to surrender the eternals.”

“We’ll send a contingent. A small one,” Ewan said. “No intervention, though.”

It took me a minute to understand the conversation, the parts they weren’t spelling out.

“Wait. What? We have to intervene. We talked about this.” I shook my head. “They’ll murder any captives. We can’t just let that happen.” My gaze strayed to Winter, who refused to meet my eyes.

“It’s too dangerous,” she said.

“Not for me.” I crossed my arms defiantly. “Immortality has its perks. Nothing can kill me. I’d have to do it myself.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake. According to the legends, eternals and protectors could only die by their own hand once turned. That wasn’t true, though. I had killed a risen eternal protector.

“We don’t know for certain Angelica’s death was an isolated incident,” Mrs. Wynn said.

“Ewan drank my blood, and he’s fine,” I shot back before I could stop myself.

“It’s too big a risk,” Colleen replied, her tone stern and motherly. “Even if the council can’t kill you, they must have a plan to incapacitate all of you. You are much too valuable to lose, Zara.”

My mounting ire swung to Ewan. His jaw clenched, a warning clear in his ruby eyes. “I’m meeting with the Taurus fae when we’re done here. Once I speak with their elders, I’ll coordinate with the Capricorns and, hopefully, the Ophiuchus.”

He pulled his cell from his back pocket to see if Drake had called or messaged. Ewan put it away without saying more, suggesting she hadn’t.

“Essie will want to send some of the Geminis,” Colleen said. “She’ll likely reach out tonight once she’s done in Arcane Landing.”

Ewan nodded. “Of course. The more magic users, the better.” His phone buzzed, and he frowned as he looked at the screen. “Elder Galrose. Head of the Taurus fae.” Scrubbing a hand down his face, he shifted his focus to Winter. “Mind opening a portal for me? That’s quicker than walking, even with vampire speed.”

“We should get back, anyway.” Colleen stood and nudged Walter. “Come on. Frann will be looking for you.”

Winter waved her hands and opened a passage. Ewan turned and brushed a kiss across my cheek, giving my waist a squeeze.

“I’ll be quick,” he promised.

I remained silent. We were both aware I was feeling miffed, though I suspected he didn’t understand the reason. It wasn’t just about his passive approach to the surrender. My issue was all the times he said “I” instead of “we”.

Maybe it shouldn’t have bothered me. He was the alpha, after all. In most packs, my position as his mate would’ve only afforded me status and not an opinion. So why did I have the urge to throw the fire poker at his back when he disappeared into the portal?

He’d called it “our” pack before. Foolishly, I’d believed him.

“It’s all new for him, too. Don’t forget that.” Mrs. Wynn’s voice broke into my thoughts. She started for the front door, calling over her shoulder, “I left something for you upstairs, Zara. Come along, Birch. Escort an old woman home.”

Birch followed her like a loyal lapdog, leaving me alone with Charlie, who made no move to vacate my house. Instead, he went to the kitchen and began clearing the mess of dishes and food containers.

“You don’t need to do that,” I said.

He waved me off. “I don’t mind. I’m the oldest of eight. Pretty used to cleaning up after a crowd.”

I blinked, stuttering when I repeated the number. “Did you say ‘eight’? Like, one more than seven?”

Shifters were fertile and all, but I’d never heard of a family with more than four children. Doubling that seemed excessive.

He snorted. “Don’t look so horrified. It’s really not that bad. I’m never lonely.”

A casserole dish caught his eye, and he paused to shovel macaroni into his mouth with a large serving spoon. Watching him devour the cheesy pasta like he hadn’t eaten in a week made my stomach turn.

“Being alone has its advantages,” I said, trying to keep my disgust to a minimum.

He laughed. “If that’s a nice way of telling me to get my ass out of your house, don’t waste your breath. Alpha’s orders. Until he returns, you get me.”

I had guessed as much. Ewan was reticent to leave me without protection, like I couldn’t take care of myself, which was ridiculous. Prior to turning, I wasn’t exactly helpless, a fact he knew very well since we had both participated in Lix’s fight club. While vampirism had seemingly rendered me incapable of decision making, I didn’t need a bodyguard or a babysitter.

“You aren’t nervous?” I flashed my fangs. “Kilbi was almost a snack.”

Charlie finished the pasta and resumed cleaning. “Yeah, but she sort of deserved it.” He shrugged sheepishly. “She’ll come around. After the funeral.”

I stopped mid-stride on my way to the fridge for a much needed bottle of blood. Ewan had mentioned holding a service for Angelica, and I hated the idea then just as much as I did now. There was a part of me that understood. Angelica was pack. The funeral was only right. Of course, in my head, I heard those reasonable thoughts in Ewan’s voice.

“Oh, fuck.” Charlie’s face reddened to match his hair. “You didn’t know. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He’s going to kill me. Literally. Like rip my throat out kill me. Or maybe he’ll let you do it.” He ran his hands through his and pulled the strands.

“Calm down. Nobody is murdering you. Ewan told me that he intended to give her funeral. I just haven’t thought about it since.”

The beta sagged against a marble countertop. “Gaia, you scared me.”

Maybe I should have felt bad, but I didn’t. A few seconds of fear were nothing compared with my centuries of hatred for the woman he knew only as Angelica.

I shrugged. “Well, you annoyed me, so guess we’re even.”

Charlie laughed. “I can’t believe you’re an alpha’s daughter.”

I frowned as I resumed my trek toward the refrigerator to retrieve dinner. “Why? Because I say what’s on my mind?”

“Well, yeah. Aren’t you taught to be, like, sweet and demure?”

Yanking the refrigerator door way too hard, I retrieved a bottle of Ewan’s blood mixed with all the extras and drank half before answering Charlie. “I’m a twin. When I was little, I didn’t think it was fair that my brother got to do all the fun stuff, and I had to wear dresses and hang out with my mother all the time. So, my father let me do everything Zach did—that’s my brother. As I got older and began to understand my duty to the pack, I realized that Zach and I were on very different paths. He would one day become alpha. I would marry whoever the council chose. I think my father felt bad for me to some extent, so he let me get away with a lot. You know, a sort of looked the other way situation.”

“And I’m guessing you took full advantage of that?” Charlie grinned like he approved.

“And then some,” I admitted, thinking specifically of Liam.

That lapse in judgment could have cost me a lot more than my wolf, though at the time I wished someone would kill me. Charlie didn’t need to hear that story, and I most certainly didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, Ewan’s not a prince, but at least you love him. That’s something, right?”

“It’s everything,” I said. “And he isn’t a prince, he’s the King of Wolves.”

Charlie tilted his head to the side and looked at me like he wanted to ask me something but wasn’t sure if he should. I finished my bottle of blood and grabbed a second one in case the conversation took a turn that I didn’t like.

“What was he like as a fae?”

“Ewan? Well, he was Stavros then, and he was… arrogant… and gorgeous… reserved. He didn’t like to make a spectacle out of himself. So, basically like he is now.” I smiled as I remembered the first time I saw Stavros. My heart had belonged to him ever since.

“That’s disappointing.” Charlie clucked his tongue. “I had hoped for some good gossip.”

I considered all the “good gossip” I had about the great Prince Stavros. Everything I had told Charlie was true. It was what I hadn’t said. Stavros had the capacity for cruelty, something I believed he learned or inherited from his father. King Orrin was not a kind or good man beneath his public mask. I had witnessed Zosia’s interactions with him and felt her mistrust. After the games, she had grown to despise him.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” I shrugged, but then reconsidered another piece of gossip from the past. “You know about Stavros and Zosia and Illiana?” I assumed Ewan had told his friends something about our centuries old love triangle given everything that had happened.

“Yeah. A little,” he admitted. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Did I? Sort of. Ewan wouldn’t like it, though. Which, I supposed was fair, since he and I didn’t talk about it, and it hardly felt right to confide in his beta.

“The whole thing is so messy, and the way it finally ended still seems so surreal.”

That was all true and safe to say. I had yet to truly process Angelica’s death. In my dreams, Illiana was so alive and continually reminding Zosia that Stavros was hers. Hatred burned within me for that woman who had lived and died so long ago. Then, the guilt came. My blood had killed Angelica. It was my fault that she was dead. I couldn’t reconcile the two women in my head.

“Maybe you’ll feel better after the funeral, too?” Charlie shrugged one shoulder and pushed off from the counter to resume cleaning my kitchen.

“Maybe.” I would feel better after the funeral, it was the funeral itself that concerned me. I drank several swallows of blood from the new bottle.

I knew something was off immediately. My head felt woozy, and my vision swam. Hot, bloody bile burned my throat like the worst case of acid reflux ever.

“Zara, are you okay?” Charlie sounded a million miles away.

The bottle slipped through my fingers and shattered when it hit the floor, spraying the concoction all over my pants and filling the kitchen with a tangy, iron scent. My knees buckled. Frantically, I reached for something, anything to hold so I wouldn’t fall.

Then, Charlie was there, a firm grip on my elbow to support my weight. The glitches started, and the memories came rapid-fire. Stavros appeared in every single one, and none of them were pleasant.

Charlie tried to lead me from the kitchen, but I couldn’t move my feet. I was paralyzed. A whimper escaped my lips as fear took over. He scooped me in his arms like a child and carried me into the living room, where he laid me on the couch. When he leaned over me to stuff a pillow behind my head, the vein in his neck was right in my line of sight.

The bloodlust came over me so fast. Voices whispered in my head: Just a taste. Mortal blood is delicious. You can control yourself. You’ll stop before he’s dry. My lips parted and my fangs darted out, sinking into that sweet, pulsing vein in Charlie’s neck.

I saw the golden light in my periphery but was too consumed with the need for the beta’s blood to care.

“Zara, stop!” Winter cried.

Ewan’s rage erupted like Vesuvius in the bond. “Release him,” he roared, his voice both in my ears and inside my head.

No one touched me, yet it felt like invisible hands yanked my jaws apart. Charlie collapsed on top of me with a content sigh. His blood coated my tongue and throat, tasting all wrong because he wasn’t Ewan. My stomach roiled. I was too weak to shove Charlie off me. When his weight did life, Ewan’s murderous expression filled my hazy vision. I whimpered, terrified of him at that moment.

I curled into a ball on my side, stomach gurgling like the first night I got drunk and puked on Zach’s shoes. Which was exactly what happened, except it was Charlie’s blood not fae fire whiskey, and it went all over my coffee table and Ewan’s jeans. Luckily, I lost consciousness before my brain registered embarrassment.