Thank you all for the 5k reads! If only you guys knew how much your support motivates me and makes me happy. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart <3
..............
"You seem very distant." The girl says. She stared at his muscular back, her mouth going dry as he shrugged his pants on. "Is everything alright?"
"It's fine." He says, putting on his shirt as well. "I have somewhere I need to be."
"How disappointing." She says, pulling the sheets down from her cleavage to expose her breasts. "I was in the mood for another round."
"Maybe some other time." He didn't spare her a glance.
The girl frowned, sitting up completely.
"You're not getting tired of me are you?" She asks disapprovingly. "Where are you even going?"
"Unless it has to do with sex, it doesn't concern you." He says, he didn't care much for shoes. Tonight, he wanted his feet to soak up every bit of the earth. It would be the only thing that would remind him that he was still alive. He swung the door open, the cool night air welcoming him with open arms. "What I do outside this room is none of your business."
.................
"You've gotten a lot stronger." Gerald says, as he hopped down from where Genesis had levitated him into the tree. "Just a few more lessons and you won't even need my help at all."
"You're just saying that." Genesis says, smiling brightly. "I almost tripped and I was only standing in one place."
"That means you're a natural." Gerald chimes, brushing the fallen leaves of his shoulders. "Once, I was trying to strike a rock and I thought I did it when I heard a sharp horn sound..."
Genesis raised her brow.
"You...."
"I farted." He says.
Genesis bursted out in a fit of laughter, her hands rested on her knees as she blinked back tears.
"You're crazy Gerald." She says, smiling at him. "Your presence is delightful. I know my parents loved having you within their inner circle."
"I can be quite charming." Gerald smiles brightly. "I know they are very proud of the Queen you have become."
A lump formed in her throat. Sadness filled her lungs and she wished that she had her parents with her to witness how strong she was becoming.
"Am I...." She trails softly, picking at her nails. "Becoming as great as they once were?"
"No." Gerald says, making her frown. He tilted his head towards the sky, as if he could see the dead that they spoke among living among them. "You're better."
Genesis blinked, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Gerald walked up to her, stopping her fiddling fingers.
"They may not be here, but, I am for certain that they are proud of you. If only they could see you now. It is surely a sight to see. You hold their power in simply being. You are upholding their legacy and creating your own."
Genesis smiled at him through her tears, wiping away the one tear that slipped down her right cheek.
"You're quite the charmer Gerald." She teased, smiling up at him.
"Oh, please." Madeline says, coming into view. They were on a secluded top of a hill, training above the other starkys in the valley beneath them. "I've seen bears flatter more than him."
"You must like me or something. You can't seem to depart from me." Gerald grumbles.
"I saw you smelling your pits this morning Gerald." Madeline deadpans. "Anyone will depart from that."
"Yet, you're still here." Gerald says. "Your actions aren't matching your hate speech."
"How's the training going?" Madeline asks, ignoring the old man. Ruth also comes into view, smiling brightly at her.
"She's ready." Gerald says, crossing his arms.
"What about the starkys?" Genesis asks. "How are they doing?"
"A bit rusty. Just a few techniques that they need to work on but other than that, the training is coming along nicely." Ruth says.
Genesis swallowed nervously. She had been on edge since she declared war on the krysters and Lycans in the northern border. She had to get them to be strong for battle and the thought of loosing these people that she tried so hard to save brought a chill down her spine.
She had never been in war before. Granted, she had seen Ezra engage in gruesome brawls here and there but it wasn't war. If there was anyone that knew about war more than her, it would be him.
"Excellent." Genesis says, clasping her hands together. "Keep on maintaining the training until we are sure that everyone is on the same level ."
Ruth nodded as Madeline and Gerald went back into the valley, the smiles on their faces and the willingness in their heart on their sleeve.
Genesis watched with an aching heart as her people laughed and fought, some with the help of the Lycans that were helping to train them to beat their own kind.
She couldn't afford to waste any more time in delaying for the preparation of war. As far as Ezra had told her, the Lycans in the northern border were enraged and already on the brink of violence. Primidoral Lycans never really stuck by the rules.
It was why they were secluded from all the other borders. The were cast out and set aside because of their brutality. Ezra had once told her that he never wanted her to see them. See that part of him and the remnants of what he used to be.
But luckily for him, she had already seen the worst of him. The part of him that was so tainted that it revealed the fragments of the beast that committed ruthless actions without reason.
Genesis was tired of being scared. She had her people to save. She was tired of tiptoeing around her mate and what he did whenever he left her to rule in Kamoyisland and Ireland.
She wanted to see it all, do it all.
The starkys lives were at stake. She couldn't save them if she continued to live in the shell of herself. And whether that meant putting her life on the line to save them or coming face to face with the most dangerous of Lycans to ever roam this earth, she had to be selfless.
Fear and terrors be damned.
...............
"I need escorts on the west wing and scouts on the east center. No one gets in without thorough background checks and gather as many casualties for malicious rogues as possible."
"Yes, my Lord." The first half of Lycans bow in submission.
Genesis watched as the Lycans shifted into their purest wolf form, their vicious growls echoed throughout the whole earth.
Genesis always sought to it that she would see Ezra off whenever he had to leave and travel to his many packs and deal with traitors, rogues, ruins and all the other things that his duties required.
She rarely came with him on them. She was too afraid to witness the violence, brutality and merciless measures that they had to execute on a daily basis.
Ezra stood in the center of the large group of Lycans, assigning and delegating what their posts were for the day. She watched him as the Lycans all listened attentively to their king.
He was the epitome of power. His presence and very words brought even the strongest man to their knees. The Lycans respect for him was admirable, they didn't vocalize it but they looked up to him and if need be, would do anything if it meant protecting both him and their queen.
An ache tugged at Genesis' heart.
"We head to the western border first. There is one specific issue that needs attention and action as of today and if any man falls behind and is in danger. Help him." Ezra says, his voice thick with his accent. The manor in front of the castle wasn't enough to hold the many Lycans that shifted as each group was sent off.
"The last group is with me. We will deal with more krysters that are sent from the north." Ezra says. "Save as many weak ones as you can and then return them to the south."
They all nodded before they shifted, leaving Ezra to be the only man standing. He turned and began to walk towards her with a calm coolness.
"Mo grá." Ezra says softly. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "I won't die as long as you're alive."
Genesis smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I won't die as long as you're alive."
The two always said that declaration to each other as as a confession of love and reassurance since they were separation. It was the Ireland tradition to do, words that held so much weight and promise for the uncertainty when going into dangerous territory or war.
Ezra kissed his little mate softly as she tightened her arms around his neck. He pulled away regrettably, smiling softly at her before he turned on his heel.
Here Genesis was staying in the castle like a coward while her mate went out and did what she should've been doing by his side. It didn't matter if she was unsure of what she would face. She was tired of being scared.
'No more.' She thought.
"I want to come along with you." Genesis blurted, making him stop in his tracks.
"You want to come with me?" Ezra asks, raising his brow.
"Yes." She says, biting her lips. Her eyes roamed the black wolves that stood on all fours behind her mate. Their eyes stayed strained on her, making her nervous.
"I'm tired of being scared to face reality. I want to be involved in it all. I want to see happens beyond these borders. I want to learn more about Lycans, the traditions, the culture, history and territories. I'm not just only doing this for myself. I'm doing this to be prepare both my people on what we are up against and learn the heart of the Lycans." She says, her eyes pleading.
She was prepared for Ezra to protest. To give her a speech about how he just wants to protect her and keep her out of harms way. How she wasn't ready to see what she was about to witness.
A glint of pride shone in his eyes before it vanished.
He could never deny her anything.
"Very well." He only says before shifting into his wolf form. His wolf then went in its hinges, beckoning to her to get on his back. It amazed her even when he was bowed to her that he was still the biggest wolf out of all his companions.
Genesis quickly went on and held tightly unto his rich dark fur. She looked amongst the other Lycans as they bowed respectfully before they all set off into the woods.
And as she rode along with them, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and confidence from not only her but her people, the dark wolves as they charged into the horizon.
.............
Genesis had fallen in love with the Lycans species all over again.
To the way they all spoke in Irish, to the loyalty they had for each other, to the way they cared for the many packs they sought out to tend. The fought with effectiveness and stealth, showcasing their skill and precise training. It was like they were a one big family, occasionally joking and showcasing their love through their duties.
"Your fighting skills are so bad you might as well be a rogue." One of them said.
"You're talking like you almost didn't have your ass kicked by that kryster because you were two busy chatting it up with an old lady to give you raisin bread to notice." His companion said.
Genesis laughed at their banter.
Her people. These were both her and her mate's people.
After meeting with High Lycan leaders of neighboring packs, Lords of war armies and Alphas, the rest of the day had been long spent with The Royals contacting their allies for assistance in the upcoming war and dealing with minor issues in the many packs that Ezra reigned in.
"Thank you mister Lycan sir." A little girl says as Ezra handed the last piece of bread and fig cakes to her mother. The little girl smiled brightly and gave him a big hug on his leg before her mother scolded her.
"You cannot just spring upon on The King like that Belle." The mother hissed.
"It is alright." Ezra said, rubbing the little girl's back. Genesis smiled at her mate's affection towards the small girl. She pulled away as she held unto her mother's hand. "Enjoy the food. There is enough water at the well for refilling. Don't stay on the streets too late."
"Of course my Lord." The mother says bowing. "Thank you."
Genesis smiled as the two walked away, placing the last bucket in the carriage. To the outside world, the acts of Lycans were frowned upon. What the outsider failed to see was the way their cared deeply for their people and how well they were taken care of on a daily basis. No matter the many packs they had to visit. They were both dedicated and headstrong.
"Tired my love?" Ezra's voice took her out of her thoughts. "You used a lot of your powers to take down those krysters and heal them today."
"Just a little bit." Genesis sighs. "And you do this everyday? Yet, you come home with more energy than a jester at a party."
Ezra chuckled.
He walked towards her, wrapping his arm around her waist. He slowly brought his lips towards her right ear, making her involuntarily shudder.
"It's one of my many Lycanic prowess." He purrs, causing her to flush in his arms at the double meaning behind his words.
A whimpering noise cut off their playful banter as they turned to see a kryster stalking towards them.
"May I have some food?" The kryster asked, its gaze steadied on Genesis. It pointed to its mouth in expectancy. The animal was malnourished and shaking, making Genesis look in weariness.
"Extra food is finished." Ezra says, standing protectively over his mate.
"There's a crumb on your arm." The kryster said. "Anything will do."
"It's a weak kryster Ezra." Genesis whispers.
"We don't feed krysters." Ezra says coldly.
Genesis looked at the kryster closely, studying the way it breathed, the way it moved, the vulnerability it tried to portray.
There was one thing weak krysters did differently from the normal ones. The weaker ones whimpered and limped, they were mostly afraid, scared because death stood beside them as their life was to come to an end because of their desperate need for healing. The normal ones held their own, refusing to show their weakness in limping and their blood lust made them malicious and disrespectful towards anyone.
Especially a starky.
Genesis watched as the kryster kept looking at her arm, the 'food' that it wanted written clear as day on its face.
She then looked at the kryster's leg. It stood on all fours, proud and unyielding.
It wasn't limping.
A chill ran down Genesis' spine.
It was a normal kryster. Pretending to be a weak one.
As if the kryster realized that its charade was exposed, it took off running into the nearby woods. Genesis and Ezra wasted no time and followed the kryster, not wanting it to get away.
It needed to die.
Die for trying to deceive them.
Other Lycans followed suit, gaining on the kryster as it neared an into a thicket of trees that it made it impossible to see due to the darkness that surrounded it.
Soon, the kryster disappeared into the thicket and all the Lycans halted as if something was stopping them from charging on.
"Why did you stop?" Genesis asked breathlessly. She walked towards the thicket and just as she was about to walk through it, an invisible border pushed her back with so much force she stumbled back into her mate's arms. "Why can't I get past.."
"Visitors." A female voice says, sultry and seductive. "To what do I owe this pleasurable visit?"
The woman emerges from the dark, smiling brightly as her eyes surveyed the Lycans and then her mate. Her green eyes darkened as she beheld Ezra.
"Ezra sweetie, it's so good to see you again. However, I wish I was able to see more of you for old times sake." She says sweetly. She moved closer to him, her fingers trail against the shield as a lover's caress.
Her fingers trail down his torso and then to his waist. Had the shield not been there, her fingers would've touched him.
Fury burned in Genesis' blood.
She wrapped her hands around her mate, making the woman halt in her movements and frown at her.
"And who is this?" The woman asks.
"She is my mate." Ezra says, his tone void of emotion. The woman hums in disinterest, failing to acknowledge her.
Genesis chuckled in disbelief.
"Who is this?" She motions lazily with her hand. She glances up at Ezra, his gaze stayed trained on the woman with dirty brown hair.
"This is Veyara." Ezra says only, his cold tone sent a chill down her spine.
"And she is...." Genesis trails.
Veyara smirked.
"I am Ezra's first."
••••••••
Don't you just hate when another woman tries to steal your man? It's so annoying! (I don't have a man)
Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! I missed last month's second update because I've been stuck with a little writer's block but I think I'm good for now.
You are doing far better than you think you're doing. I just feel like someone needed to hear that.
See y'all next time.
~Kam.