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CHAPTER 44
~Solaris's POV~
Slade's smile split into his eyes as he lingered in the doorway, arrogance pouring off him in waves. "What, no welcome for your other half?" he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Welcome?" I scoffed dryly.
"Can't I pay my darling older twin a visit in his frozen palace?" His smirk widened as he stepped in, silver hair gleaming like spun frost in the firelight.
"You have your own sun-drenched pack to rule, Slade. You're not needed here."
Blaze wisely edged toward the corner of the room, though the smirk tugging at his lips betrayed his amusement.
Traitor. Always eager to watch the chaos instead of stopping it.
Slade's boots clicked against the tiles as he advanced toward my desk. "Still touchy, I see. What's the matter, brother? Reports piling too high? Or…" His eyes narrowed, a wicked spark flashing in them. "Is there another reason for your foul mood?"
My jaw flexed. "What brings you here at this hour?"
"Nothing much." He rolled a shoulder, casual in that infuriating way of his. "I overheard a little something. A conversation… interesting enough to drag me across a snowstorm. Care to tell me what you've been plotting?"
"None of your concern," I spat, returning my gaze to the documents on my desk that I had taken with me to my room, though my hand tightened on the quill until it nearly snapped.
A muffled chuckle escaped Blaze. I whipped my glare at him, heat cutting sharper than the fire. "What?"
He had the sense to shake his head quickly, but Slade, being the cunning devil, was already prowling, like a wolf catching the scent of prey. Nothing ever slipped past my brother's knowing eyes or ears—not words, not gestures, not weaknesses.
He shook his head, but Slade, being the cunning devil, simply smirked. Nothing ever almost slipped past my brother's knowing eyes or ears in this case.
"Tell me, Blaze," Slade said smoothly, stalking toward my Beta. "What exactly is my dear brother hiding?"
Blaze stiffened, alarm flashing across his face, but what was he expecting from Slade? I tsked softly, looking away. He had brought this upon himself.
Unfortunately, Slade wasn't having it, and I didn't bother butting in.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Slade unleash his aura like a blade drawn from its sheath. I turned just in time to see him hovering above Blaze, his red eyes glowing.
The pressure slammed into the room, suffocating and heavy, and Blaze's knees buckled as crimson leaked from his nose.
With how petrified-looking Blaze was, I knew he was being compelled.
"Slade." My voice was sharp, edged with warning. I let my own aura flare, Helios clawing at the surface, but Slade only pushed harder, red bleeding into his eyes.
Unfortunately, Blaze, who was only a beta, could not withstand the sheer force of our might and immediately backed down, but Slade didn't.
Instead, his lips pulled back at the side in a sickening smile as his gaze bore into Blaze.
"Tell me," Slade hissed, looming over Blaze. "What is my brother hiding?"
"I…"
Blaze choked, his chest rising in strained gasps. His eyes darted toward me, pleading. I clenched my fists, torn between saving him and letting him pay for his loose tongue.
"Slade, let him go," I warned, but my brother wasn't having it, seeing as he didn't back down. His grin only widened, wolfish and cruel.
"Slade, I said enough…"
His aura tripled, and I felt Blaze choke a little.
"Still hiding from me?"
Blaze squeezed his eyes shut and finally blurted out, voice trembling. "It was… a lady."
Slade's brows arched in intrigue. "Go on."
Blaze threw me a helpless, apologetic glance. I gave him none in return. He had chosen this. And since I didn't save him from my brother, I couldn't complain, but he should blame his talkative mouth.
"Alpha Solaris," Blaze stammered, "has eyes for a female werewolf… but she belongs to another."
The air thickened. Slade's smirk spread into a full smile, dazzling and dangerous. "Interesting."
He turned slowly, his fists coiling at his sides before his gaze snapped back to me. "This is the first time you've ever entertained me, brother. The coldest Alpha alive—smitten." He tilted his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"
My glare turned sharp as I looked at him. "Tell you what?"
"That you'd fallen for a she-wolf," he said, feigning shock, "when all these years I half thought you were gay."
"What?" My aura flared, the fire behind me roaring higher.
"Or maybe…" he drawled, his grin gleaming like a knife, "you've just been too damn cold to care about anyone."
"Save it, Slade." Power rolled off me like thunder. "There was no way I'd ever tell you that I had fallen for the last Alpha she-wolf alive. Or that she is Luna of the Bloodfang pack. And yes—" my voice dropped, low and dangerous, "I still want her."
Slade's laugh was rich and mocking. "Good. At least Grandmother will be relieved you're not gay after all."
My jaw tightened. "You insult me again with that, and I'll—"
"Oh, don't be so serious," he cut in, his grin turning sly. "Maybe I just find it hard to believe a man so beautifully handsome has gone untouched this long. Makes me wonder."
"Does that mean you find me attractive?" I shot back, my voice a snarl edged with amusement. "Perhaps you're the one who's gay."
For a heartbeat, silence reigned—then Blaze groaned softly from the corner, rubbing his temples. "Moon above, you two are impossible."
But I didn't laugh. Neither did Slade. Our eyes locked across the firelit study, the tension thick enough to split stone.
"Looks like I'll soon be getting myself a sister-in-law, brother. But then, how do you plan on dealing with her Alphas?"
"None of your business."
Slade lightly tapped on his jaw as he glanced at Blaze. "He has a plan, doesn't he?"
Blaze looked away, but not before muttering, "He may have a chance now that one of them has killed her father."
I growled loudly, putting fear in Blaze.
"Cunning."
"Leave you two. I want my beauty sleep."
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~Author's POV~
—Starryskies Pack—
The study was quiet except for the faint scratch of a quill against parchment. Papers lay stacked on the carved oak desk, lit by the soft glow of lanterns.
A fire hissed lazily in the fireplace, but its warmth barely touched the cold tension that hung in the air.
Two men sat there, the Alpha's Beta and the Alpha himself.
The Beta, Xade, was dressed in all black, his ink-stained fingers moving deftly across reports, cataloging upcoming festivities, patrol rotations, and trade disputes.
The Alpha, however, wasn't listening.
He stood and walked over to the wide, glass-paned window, his tall frame bathed in moonlight.
Dressed in an immaculate all-white outfit—a fitted tunic, trousers, and a long coat trimmed with silver thread, his black hair, a stark contrast of his clothes made him look less man and more apparition, a dangerous phantom clothed in purity.
But instead of radiating authority like most Alphas, Xavier was humming softly, the tune playful, even mocking.
His hands were clasped lightly behind his back as though he had no care in the world.
Xade sighed and adjusted his reading glasses, but before he could speak, a knock came at the door. It opened before an answer was given.
A man in his mid-fifties entered. He had a lock of gray streaking his otherwise dark brown hair, which fell to his shoulders.
Dressed in plain black trousers and a collared black shirt beneath a long coat, he carried himself like the elder he was. His expression was grim as he bowed.
"Alpha Xavier." His voice was as stiff as his posture.
Xavier didn't turn. He continued humming, tapping his finger lightly against the windowpane.
The elder cleared his throat. "Another set of girls has been brought. Some from the human villages. Others—half-bred she-wolves born of betas. They are yours to choose from, for a Luna. It is time you considered producing an heir, and strengthening the pack's line."
Silence stretched. Only the hum continued, maddeningly out of place.
Finally, Xavier spoke. "Who needs a woman to strengthen a pack?" He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes glinting. "I've built mine well enough. Through strategy. Through conquest. By subduing lesser packs and winning lands from stronger ones. Not by bedding whoever you parade before me."
The elder bristled but pressed on. "An heir, Alpha. A Luna to solidify your reign. It is tradition. Your council, the people fear for your rule. Should anything happen to you, you would be without an heir."
"Tradition," Xavier repeated, the word curling off his tongue like smoke.
Xade sighed and set down his quill. "He's right. You dismiss too much. You play games while people begin to whisper. This isn't something to brush aside, Xavier."
At last, Xavier turned from the window.
The lamplight revealed his face—strikingly handsome, with sharp cheekbones and eyes too intelligent for the air of carelessness he projected.
His body was cut from steel, muscles tight beneath the white fabric, yet the beauty of his features made others liken him to his late mother. A face too perfect and too deceptive.
He gave Xade a cheeky smile, dimples flashing. "Always so serious, my dear Beta. That's why I keep you. To frown on my behalf."
Xade pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling through it. The elder, less patient, stepped forward.
"Be careful, Alpha," he warned, voice tight. "Your reputation frays. People are beginning to question your reign. Your—antics—make you look weak."
Xavier chuckled, clearly amused, but there was a flicker in his eyes, a glint sharp and cold as broken glass.
"Weak? That's what I want them to think. Let them laugh. Let them lower their guard. And when my enemies do, I strike."