Aysel
By the time I came out of the apartment, Damon had left and Magnus’ men escorted me to the car which would convey me to Shadowbane.
The guards at the gate recognized me immediately or rather, they recognized the insignia Viktor had pressed into my palm minutes before.
It was a small bronze token etched with a crescent moon and crossed blades.
Apparently, it was enough to grant me passage through the outer perimeter.
“Alpha Magnus is expecting you,” one of them said, stepping aside.
“Follow the main path to the central hall.
Someone will escort you from there.”
I nodded, tucking the token back into my pocket, and walked through the gates.
The Shadowbane territory was different from what I’d expected.
For a pack that existed on the fringes of our society, their grounds were surprisingly…
beautiful.
Tall trees lined the main path, their branches intertwining overhead to create a natural canopy.
I followed the path, acutely aware of the eyes on me.
Pack members were everywhere, going about their daily routines, training in open courtyards, carrying supplies from one building to another.
And almost all of them stopped to stare as I passed.
I heard the whispers before I could make out the words.
“…Alpha’s guest…”
“…Stormborn…”
“…what’s she doing here…”
Some of the looks were curious.
Others were wary.
But a significant portion were openly hostile.
“That’s her,” someone muttered, not bothering to lower their voice.
“The one the Alpha’s been meeting with.”
“She’s from the northern packs,” another voice added.
“Probably here to spy.”
“Or worse, she’s trying to get close to Magnus for some political advantage.”
“Look at her.
She thinks she’s too good to walk among us.”
I kept my chin high, my expression neutral.
I’d been underestimated and dismissed my entire life.
This was nothing new.
If they wanted to whisper, let them whisper.
I had more important things to focus on.
A subordinate appeared at my side, a wiry man with sharp eyes and a permanent scowl etched onto his face.
“Ms.
Stormborn.
I’ll escort you to the sickroom.”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t respond, simply turning and walking.
I fell into step behind him, following him through a maze of corridors and chambers.
We passed through a side chamber, and that’s when I saw a beautiful woman because there was no other word for it.
She had dark hair following over her shoulders and eyes the color of warm honey.
She was speaking with another pack member, and everything about her radiated warmth.
I felt a pang of recognition, though I couldn’t place it.
Had I seen her before?
At one of the pack gatherings, perhaps?
She had the look of someone who belonged in the upper echelons of society.
Our eyes met for the briefest of moments.
“Oh,” she said, her expression lighting up with a polite smile.
“You must be the Alpha’s guest.
I’m Ivy.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She stepped forward, extending her hand.
I took it, noting the smoothness of her skin.
“Aysel,” I replied.
“The pleasure is mine.”
“How lovely to have you here,” Ivy said, her smile never wavering.
“I hope our pack has been treating you well.
We don’t get many visitors from outside the territory, so I do hope you’ll forgive us if we seem a bit…
curious.”
“Not at all,” I said, matching her pleasant tone.
“Everyone has been very accommodating.”
“Wonderful.
Well, I won’t keep you, I’m sure you have important business with Magnus.
It was lovely meeting you, Aysel.”
“Likewise.”
She inclined her head graciously and continued on her way.
I watched her go for a moment, something niggling at the back of my mind.
Then I noticed that the subordinate who had been leading me had a rigid posture rigid.
It was the way he was standing told me that this wasn’t about me but about her.
I filed the observation away without comment, but I made a mental note.
Whoever she was, she had clearly earned the contempt of at least one of Magnus’s trusted subordinates.
The subordinate’s demeanor only returned to normal once Ivy was completely out of sight.
“Sorry,” he muttered, seeming to realize he’d been less than professional.
“This way, Ms.
Stormborn.”
He moved on quickly, and I let the moment pass without comment.
The sickroom was located in a separate wing of the main building.
The subordinate stopped at the door, knocking once before pushing it open.
“The Alpha is inside,” he said.
“He’s expecting you.”
I nodded and stepped through the doorway.
The first thing I noticed was the scent of cocoa in the room.
Magnus was propped up against a lot if pillows.
His chest was bandaged, the white wrappings visible beneath the loose shirt he wore, and his face was pale.
But his eyes were as alert as ever.
“Aysel.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You came.”
“You asked me to,” I said, stepping closer.
“I figured it must be important.”
“It is.”
He gestured to a chair beside his bed, and I sat, taking the opportunity to study him more closely.
His injuries were serious, that much was clear.
The bandages were stained with a faint trace of blood, and the way he moved suggested even minor adjustments caused him pain.
“I heard you were attacked,” I said, getting straight to the point.
“I have to ask, why?
You’re the Alpha, aren’t you?
Who would be foolish enough to attack someone of your standing?”
Magnus shrugged.
“There will always be people who covet this position, Aysel.
Power attracts ambition like blood attracts wolves.
It’s simply the nature of our world.”
“And the people who attacked you?
Do you know who they were?”
“I have my suspicions.
But that’s not why I asked you here.”
I leaned forward slightly, intrigued despite myself.
“Then why?”
“Kael’s death anniversary is approaching.”
I raised my brow.
“My people have been tracking his lieutenant for years,” Magnus continued.
“The one who survived the massacre.
He’s been hiding in Damon’s pack, of all places, assuming we’d given up the search.
But he resurfaced recently, came to pay his respects to his old master, apparently.
My men captured him three nights ago.”
I felt my heart begin to race.
“Where is he?” I demanded, unable to keep the urgency from my voice.
“Is he still alive?
Can I speak with him?”
“Easy,” Magnus said, holding up a hand.
“He’s alive, and he’s being held in one of our secure locations.
You can speak with him whenever you wish.”
I wanted to leap out of my chair, to demand to see him immediately.
But something in Magnus’s expression stopped me.
He was watching me carefully, his eyes unreadable.
“Before you do,” he said slowly, “I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Are you sure you want to expose the truth?
About everything.” He said.
I understood that he was worried about what I might find but…
“Even if Celestine were my father’s illegitimate daughter,” I said, “does that justify what they’ve done?
Does that justify the attacks, the poison, the murder of innocent people?” I shook my head.
“I’m not naive enough to extend mercy to a murderer.
Whether Celestine is my sister or not, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is justice.”
Magnus gave me a look of admiration.
“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” he said.
“You know that?”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“I’m just doing what I have to do.”
“Perhaps.” He shifted slightly, wincing as the movement pulled at his wounds.
“I envy you, you know.
Being so certain your father would never betray your mother.”
The words hung in the air between us.
I hadn’t expected him to say something like that.
It was too personal and it made me think of the woman I’d just encountered, Ivy, and the way my escort had tensed at her presence.
Had I said something wrong?
Had I accidentally stumbled onto territory that was painful for him?
Magnus seemed to realize his slip.
The brief moment of vulnerability vanished quickly.
“My apologies,” he said briskly.
“That was inappropriate.
I shouldn’t have….”
“It’s fine.”
I said quickly because I didn’t know how to respond.
I’d never seen Magnus like this before, which wasn’t much considering I had only known him like yesterday but it also made me curious.
What had happened to him?
What had made him so certain that fathers could betray their families?
I remembered the strange beautiful woman I’d met on my way here.
Ivy.
I wondered if she somehow was connected to this… thing about his family.
I mean Magnus subordinate had reacted to her with such evident disdain and that only meant one thing, Magnus did the same.
But in all these thoughts and questions one burned brightly, just who was the man, Magnus?