Aurelia was lighter than he had expected.
She fit almost too easily in his arms, her body curled instinctively against her chest.
Mud streaked the hem of her dress, snow clung stubbornly to her tangled silver hair and faint scratches ran across her hands and cheeks.
Darius carried her out of the forest without breaking his stride.
The snow crunched beneath his boots while the cold wind whipped against his face.
Behind him, he could feel the weight of dozens of eyes boring into his back.
His warriors.
His Beta.
His Gamma.
They wanted answers.
Answers he didn’t have.
He knew the whispers would only grow louder once they returned to the manor.
They would question his judgment.
Question his loyalty to the pack.
Some would even think he had allowed his feelings for the mother of his child to cloud his mind.
Maybe they already did.
Darius lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms.
She was unusually quiet today.
Usually Aurelia would have been cursing him, insulting Elena or anything….
But not silence.
She simply rested in his hold, her breathing slow and uneven, her face pale with exhaustion.
Every now and then he felt the faint tremor that ran through her body whenever the cold wind caught her.
She looked…
…Fragile?
The thought was new to him.
He had never associated Aurelia with weakness.
Even after he rejected her, she had carried herself with a pride that bordered on arrogance.
Even when she stood alone against his entire pack, she refused to bow her head.
That woman…
Would never kill six warriors and then stand there denying it.
He was certain on one thing.
If Aurelia had spilled blood, she would have looked him dead in the eye and admitted it.
Whatever had happened in those woods…
She wasn’t the one responsible.
Also having her this close made his wolf stir.
Deep within him Kyle paced restlessly, drawn to her scent.
It was buried beneath mud, pine and snow, but it was still there.
That strange tropical scent that always clung to her no matter where she went.
Mate.
Darius ignored the restless wolf.
By the time they reached the annex night had already settled over the North.
The windows glowed with candlelight, casting a warm orange glow onto the snow outside.
He pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside.
The place looked…
different.
It was cleaner than he had expected.
The maids really cleaned this place.
He walked over to the sofa and carefully lowered Aurelia onto it.
She let out a quiet hiss as she leaned back, finally allowing herself to relax.
“Do you want some water?” he asked.
His eyes lingered on her pale face.
“Or would you rather sleep?”
When she didn’t answer Darius turned, thinking sleep finally caught up with her.
Then her voice stopped him.
“Why did you believe me?” It came out so soft he had barely heard it.
He looked back at her.
She hadn’t moved.
Her silver-grey eyes stayed on him, waiting for an answer.
“You’re not the type of person to deny murder.”
Then a small chuckle escaped both of them.
“I guess I’m not.”
The smile on her face disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
She slowly sat up, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder before fixing him with a serious look.
“I am also not the type of person to lie about Elena.”
“Aurelia…”
“That bitch is insane,” she cut him off.
“She threw something in my face, had her maid drag me into the forest and sent those wolves after me.”
She let out a bitter laugh.
“I barely made it out alive.”
Darius folded his arms across his chest.
“And you have no proof.”
“I know.” She looked away for a moment before meeting his eyes again.
“But it happened.”
Silence settled between them.
“You don’t believe me.”
“I believe you didn’t kill those wolves.”
It wasn’t the same thing.
“Elena isn’t that irrational…” he said.
The words sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her.
Aurelia stared at him for a long moment before letting out a dry laugh.
“Yes, she is.” She shook her head.
“And here I was thinking you were a great judge of character.”
Her grey eyes met his.
“But you’re not.”
“Aurelia…”
“No.” She leaned back against the sofa, exhaustion finally catching up with her.
“I’m too tired to argue with you.”
She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them again.
“Leave.” It wasn’t firm, obviously she wasn’t changing her mind “So very tired.
I need to rest.”
Darius stood there for a moment, watching her.
She refused to look at him again, her attention fixed on the wall instead.
Realizing there was nothing more to say, he gave a small nod.
“I’ll send someone with food.
And a doctor”
She didn’t answer.
He lingered for another second before turning and walking towards the door.
He turned again to say something but no words came.
So he left.
Outside, Nicolas stood waiting with his arms folded across his chest.
The Beta’s expression was unusually serious.
That goofy smirk he always wore had been replaced with something contemplative and slightly weary.
Darius stepped out of the annex, pulling the door shut behind him before making his way down the steps.
“You want answers too, don’t you?” he asked as he walked past him.
Nicolas fell into step beside him.
“I do.”
He paused for a while before answering.
“But I trust your judgement.”
Darius glanced at him.
Nicolas shrugged one shoulder.
“It’s just that now I have more work to do.”
“How so?”
“The pack is already talking.” He let out a tired sigh.
“Half of them think you’ve gone soft because of the child.
The other half think the witch bewitched you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Either way, I’m the one who has to calm everyone down.”
A quiet chuckle escaped Darius.
“Sounds awful.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“It is.”
Silence settled between them as they made their way back towards the manor.
Snow crunched beneath their boots while the cold wind swept across the courtyard, carrying with it the distant voices of servants still discussing what had happened in the forest.
As they reached the entrance, Darius’ eyes found Elena.
She stood surrounded by guards and servants, speaking to them with the same calm composure she always carried.
Every now and then she offered someone a reassuring smile or rested a gentle hand on a worried shoulder.
The picture of a Luna comforting her people after a tragedy.
Anyone looking at her would have thought she was incapable of harming a fly.
Darius found himself watching her.
Her smile, the way she moved.
Aurelia’s bitter words echoed quietly in the back of his mind.
That bitch is insane.
Did she really try to kill Aurelia?
___
The manor had gone quiet, the earlier buzz from earlier had winded down into a sort of charged silence, and I all of it Elena found herself seated across from her father.
A chessboard rested between them.
The fire crackled softly in the hearth, throwing long shadows across the room while the only other sound came from the occasional click of carved wooden pieces against the board.
Alpha Frisk moved his bishop.
“I didn’t expect her to kill seven grown wolves.”
Elena didn’t react immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on the board as she considered her next move.
“Mm.” She reached forward and nudged a pawn into place.
“Neither did I.” A small smirk tugged at her lips.
“I blew a sedative into her face myself.”
She looked at the board again, tapping one finger thoughtfully against the table.
“Those stupid mutts couldn’t even finish one drugged witch before ending up dead.”
A dry chuckle rumbled from Frisk’s chest.
He reached for his knight.
Instead of making the obvious move, he deliberately placed it where Elena could capture it on her next turn.
She smiled.
“So…” she murmured, lifting her queen.
“You’re sacrificing pieces now?”
“Sometimes,” Frisk replied, leaning back in his chair, “you lose a few to win the board.”
Elena smirked.
She took the knight without hesitation.
Frisk watched her for a moment before speaking again.
“This isn’t as bad as you think” His time changed to something darker.
“If anything…” He gestured lazily to the chessboard.
“This gives us another opportunity.”
Elena finally lifted her eyes from the game.
“Another opportunity?”
“To get rid of her.”
A slow smile spread across her face.
“Oh really?”
Frisk leaned forward, moving another piece with deliberate care.
“Tomorrow…”
He looked at her over the board.
“We instigate.”
Elena’s smile widened.
“Instigate?”
“We’ll let the pack do the work for us.”
He rested his fingers against the carved king.
“They’re already frightened.”
“The witch was already a threat, now dead warriors?”
“Give them till sunrise…” He smiled then leaned forward.
“They’ll be demanding her head.”
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