Gwen eyes Katrina and I suspiciously throughout dinner. We made up some lie about how she had a vision about the rogues that planned to attack Axel, but it seemed like Gwen knew her sister well enough to know when she was lying.
If Axel and Cain could tell something was wrong between us, they didn't show it. Cain told us about his rounds, and said that he was only able to track the rogues so far before their scents disappeared. Katrina told him that if he found something that belongs to the rogues, her visions would become more accurate.
Cain seemed much more relaxed now that there was a Seer among us. Katrina had now saved his mate's and his Beta's life, and I suspected that Cain had a deep amount of respect for the strange she-wolf. And so did Axel.
"It's so cold in here," Katrina shivers, giving a pointed look at Cain, whom she did not seem to fear. "I get that you're like Mr. Fire Boy or whatever, but the rest of us non-elementals could use a freaking heater, you know."
Cain frowns at her words. Is it really that cold in here? He asks me through our mindlink.
Yes, I respond. Honestly, I had gotten used to the seemingly perpetual frigid air that is inescapable in Blood Lake. Even inside, unless you were right by a fire or covered in furs, you would always feel a slight chill.
Axel abruptly gets out of his chair, setting his fork down. "One minute," He tells her, and Katrina looks at Gwen in confusion, who just shrugs and shoves more food in her mouth.
When he returns a few moments later, he has a pile of fur in his arms. He drapes it around Katrina's shoulders.
Katrina smiles at him gratefully. "Thank you, that's very kind of you."
Gwen and Cain gawk at the sight. Why are you looking at them like that? I ask him curiously. Cain's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, and it was rare to catch him off guard.
He just gifted her fur, pup, Cain states, like it's the most shocking thing in the world. That's the Blood Lake equivalent of proposing to someone or claiming them as yours.
My mouth drops too, mimicking Gwen's. He just claimed her as his mate? I ask him in disbelief.
He shakes his head slightly. Not officially, no. But if she wears that fur anywhere, wolves will know that she's been claimed by a Blood Lake male and stay away from her.
"Thanks for, you know, saving my life," Axel scratches his neck uncomfortably.
"All in a day's work," Katrina winks at him, and he blushes.
Gwen looks like she's about to have a stroke, for once, too shocked to make a jesting remark.
You're going to catch flies in your mouth, I tell her, warning her to not look so surprised.
Gwen glares at me before looking back to Katrina. "So, how much longer are you staying, baby sis?" She asks her.
Katrina responds casually, "13 days."
The amount of time I had left before the eclipse, and the amount of time I had left to kill the Moon Goddess.
"That's a rather precise estimate," Axel says suspiciously, and he looks almost disappointed by her answer.
Katrina grins at him. "It's not an estimation."
Nobody questions her, because by this point, we have all learned not to question how she knows the things she does. I wondered if she knew what the fur symbolized. Her Sight is so scattered, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what she knows or doesn't.
When we finish eating, we sit around the fire with our drinks.
Gwen asks Katrina, "So, is there any truth to the rumor that your Alpha is cheating on his mate?"
Katrina shrugs. "How would you even know that?"
"I have my sources," She says with a wink, and I'm sure that source is a male that she's bedding.
Katrina laughs. "Yeah, I think it's true. I don't really see Alpha Reed much, he's scared of my Sight."
Cain's eyes narrow in suspicion. "What's he scared of?"
Katrina looks away, directly into the fire, avoiding eye contact with any of us. "Plenty of people avoid Seers because with one look, we can know their darkest secret. It's wise for those with something to hide to stay away from me."
Axel looks at her with pity, and even I feel something resembling the emotion for the girl. It must be a lonely life to live, having people avoid you because they're scared of what you could find out.
It's dangerous, too.
Axel offers the bottle of alcohol he's drinking to Gwen, who only has a glass of water. She shakes her head.
"Gwendolyn Parker, did you just reject alcohol?" Axel laughs. "I don't even know who you are anymore."
Gwen looks panicked. "I'm, um, on a diet."
Cain frowns, staring at Gwen intensely. His eyes flicker in recognition, but he doesn't say anything.
And I realize what Gwen's been hiding.
"You're pregnant," I gasp in surprise. "You've been sneaking away to meet someone and you're rejecting alcohol. You're pregnant!"
She looks at me guiltily. "I wanted to tell you, Ares. But you know..."
She didn't tell me because she thought I would be too jealous to be happy for you.
I throw my arms around her. "Gwen, I could never be mad at you for this! I'm so happy for you! Who's the father?"
Gwen's eyes flash to Cain's for a minute, and he nods. He just gave her permission to tell me, but I'm not sure exactly why he would need to give her permission.
"Leo," She answers finally.
In hindsight, I should have guessed, but I didn't. But her answer confuses me. "Leo, from Blue Moon?" I confirm.
Gwen hesitates before nodding.
"But how did you even see him? We've locked the borders so no one in the pack could leave. How would you even-" My voice cuts off when I see Cain's guilty expression.
"You've been sneaking her out of the territory?" I ask him in surprise. "That's where you've been going?"
He nods, gauging my reaction, like he's expecting me to explode.
"But- why? Why not tell me?" I ask in confusion. I should be mad he's been keeping secrets from me, but given how many I'm keeping from him, I can't find it in myself.
"I thought you wouldn't approve of it, given your hatred for Thane and Blue Moon," Cain says quietly. "Gwen told me that in the letter, Leo told her that he loved her and wanted to keep seeing her despite the tension between our packs. She asked me not to tell you until she was ready."
He looks at me apologetically, and I go over to him, sit in his lap, and kiss his bearded cheek. "I'm not mad," I tell him. "I get it."
"I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!" Katrina squeals, hugging Gwen tightly. "Though I should kill you for not telling me already!"
"I thought you would know as soon as you saw me," Gwen laughs. "And then when you had your vision, I thought for sure you knew."
Katrina shrugs. "You know it doesn't always work like that."
I didn't know, but Gwen seems to understand. Axel scares at her stomach in amazement. "I wonder if he'll be just as demonic as you are," He says in wonder.
Gwen smacks the back of his head, laughing as she does so. "If I have anything to do with it, he'll be worse," She teases.
"Or she," Katrina says, narrowing her eyes at Gwen's stomach. "I can't tell yet, maybe soon."
"Have you told Leo?" I ask curiously.
Gwen cringes. "Not officially?" She says, though it sounds more like a question.
Cain glares at her. "You need to tell him." He was undoubtedly thinking about how much he would want to know if I was pregnant.
Maybe one day I would be able to tell him that.
Gwen sighs. "I know. I just don't want to scare him away."
Laughing, Axel teases, "Trust me, if you haven't scared him off yet, nothing will."
Gwen punches him, but it looks like his words offer some kind of comfort for her, and she smiles slightly. "You know that he'll want to take me back to Blue Moon, right?"
"I'll approve the transfer," Cain says immediately. I should be surprised by how accommodating he is about all of this, but he has always had a soft spot for pups and widows.
Even widows who kill their mates.
Rest in Pieces, Jax.
Gwen pouts. "You're not even going to fight to keep your Weapons Master? I always knew you hated me."
Cain rolls his eyes, but smiles. "A pup should be with their father. Weapons Masters can always be replaced, but your little one cannot."
Gwen's eyes shine, and soon, she's crying hysterically. Katrina holds her as Gwen has a total meltdown. "Oh my god the fucking baby is a nightmare on my hormones," She sobs, and Katrina strokes her hair soothingly.
"Maybe don't refer to him as 'the fucking baby'?" Axel suggests.
I laugh along with Gwen and the others, and I really do feel happy for her. I wished she had told me, but I understand why she didn't. I made my hatred for Blue Moon clear, so I understand why Cain didn't tell me either.
It wasn't nearly as bad as the secrets I keep from him.
Katrina's head snaps up suddenly. "You should get that," She says to Cain.
He frowns in confusion, but in a few moments, we hear the phone ring.
"Freak," Gwen whispers to Katrina.
"I would knock you out if you weren't pregnant," She whispers back.
Oh, sisters.
Cain sighs, and goes into his office to take the call. When he returns, I can see that his wolf is on the cusp of emerging.
Oh fuck, please don't be Thane.
"Who was it?" I ask, trying to sound indifferent.
"Alpha Reed. He just declared war on Blood Lake," Cain answers, shaking slightly from rage.
All of us freeze. "Why?" I ask in confusion. As far as I knew, Blood Lake had no issues with Iron Claw.
"He wouldn't say why," Cain snarls. "Just that the battle will take place in two weeks from yesterday."
Thirteen days.
I share a look with Katrina, who looks at me in horror. This is just as surprising to her as it is to me.
Reed is working with the Moon Goddess.
I suddenly remember Gwen's question, about if Reed was cheating on his mate. Since he's the Alpha of Iron Claw, he must be a descendent of Lucille, and therefore be cursed with two mates.
He might be more attracted to his human-soul mate.
Whatever she promised him, he must have agreed to declare war on us. Not just any day, but the same day that I was supposed to go kill Selene. He must be trying to occupy me so I can't do it.
"What do we do now, Alpha?" Axel asks seriously, his eyes dark as he goes into Beta-mode.
"I'll let the other ranked wolves know immediately. Early tomorrow morning, we have a meeting with the warriors. Tomorrow night, we will inform the rest of the pack," Cain answers, and I can nearly see fire in his eyes. The room is much hotter than it was.
"How do you want trainings to proceed?" Axel asks.
"All warriors will be going to war. Wolves under 18 who wish to participate must be approved by me first. Those that will be coming will train for ten hours a day, eight hours combat, two hours strategy," Cain answers stoically, and I am suddenly reminded that he truly is an Alpha, in every sense of the word.
Cain pauses. "Actually, Beta, you tell the other ranked wolves what's going on. I have to make a call."
"To who?" I ask in confusion.
Cain glances at me. "Thane and Killian. Both Blue Moon and Crimson Shadow have a war clause in our treaties."
My stomach drops. "Do we really need to call them? I mean, we could easily wipe out Iron Claw without their aid. Three armies against one seems excessive."
Cain shakes his head. "I won't be summoning their entire army. Only Thane, Killian, and a few of their top warriors. Their power alone will be enough to destroy Iron Claw before they even have a chance."
My mouth goes dry, but I nod. Fuck. This is very, very bad.
Cain and I go into his office, where he immediately begins dialing a number.
"What?" Thane's voice snaps angrily after the phone rings for a long time.
"It's Cain," Cain says simply.
"If this is about the rogue, I already killed the fucker," Thane says after a pause, laughing hysterically. Oh, no. He's drunk. He could tell Cain anything.
Cain looks surprised by the knowledge that the rogue is dead, and I realize that I never told him, because then I would have had to tell him that I spoke to Thane. "It's not about the rogue. It's about our alliance."
Thane pauses. "Are you ending it?"
"No. Iron Claw just declared war on us in thirteen days. I'm calling on our agreement in the treaty. I'm requesting you, your Beta, Gamma, and ten warriors to join," Cain's voice is tense. Perhaps he think Thane will say no. After all, none of us were on good terms at all.
There's silence on the phone for nearly a minute. "If I agree to this, our feud ends now. No more animosity between our packs. The rogue is dead, there's no reason for our packs to be enemies."
Cain's eyes narrow, and he looks to me for permission. He won't agree to that unless if I'm over Thane's betrayal. I nod slightly.
"Deal. When can you get here?" Cain asks, and my heart races. I would have to see Thane, there would be no way around it or to avoid him.
"I'll be there a week before the battle. Goodbye, Cain," Thane hangs up, sounding significantly more sobered up by the end of the conversation.
"One down, one to go," Cain grins at me. I can feel his happiness through the bond, and I realize that he's missed Thane and is relieved the bad blood is behind them.
Cain calls Killian next, who answers in record time, and I wondered if he teleported to the phone. "Ares?" He asks, and my eyes widen.
Oh, fuck.
"Why the fuck would my mate be calling you?" Cain snarls, clenching the phone so tightly I think it may break.
Killian gives an easygoing laugh. "Relax, Cain. If you don't want me to mess with you, don't be so damn easy to piss off."
I relax slightly when Cain rolls his eyes, accepting that Killian was just being Killian. It's a good thing Killian is a natural liar, although it reminds me of Katrina's warning not to trust him.
"Iron Claw has declared war on us," Cain says seriously, getting right to the chase. "I'm requesting you, your Beta, Gamma, and ten of your best warriors in battle."
"Requesting, or demanding?" Killian asks bemusedly, seeming unbothered by the prospect of a battle.
"Decide for yourself."
"When is the battle?" Killian asks, seemingly agreeing to it.
"Thirteen days," Cain's tone is clipped.
Killian pauses, undoubtedly realizing that is the same day as the eclipse. "Fine, but we finish them off quickly. I have plans that night with a particularly attractive female," He says suggestively, and I roll my eyes. He must suspect I'm listening.
"Arrive one week before battle," Cain instructs, and is about to hang up when Killian says something else.
"I will be taking spoils of war from Iron Claw," Killian states. Not asking, simply telling Cain.
Cain seems surprised by this. Taking spoils of war is an ancient practice, not something many packs do these days. "What spoils?" Cain asks.
"Don't worry about it. I'm merely letting you know that I expect it, and if anyone tries to stop me, I will kill them. Including you. Goodbye, Cain," Killian hangs up the phone.
Cain rubs his temples, already looking like he's aged from the stresses of war. When we go to bed that night, he passes out almost immediately, but I can't sleep.
I think about all of the chaos that is bound to arrive along with Thane and Killian.
Hi guys thanks for the well-wishes. I had my first surgery a couple days ago and have one more in a little over a week. On pretty strong painkillers so I'm just vibin rn. The next one is minor so unfortunately I will still have to be alive a little longer. Con: being alive. Pro: get to torture readers more. (that's a joke) (kinda lulz)
Anyways read the rest of ONYX and Lethal on my Patreon (link in bio). There's also 12 chapters of the next book in the series up on my patreon. (no I'm not telling u what the next book is about yet)
xoxo
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