Shame. All my life people praised me—everyone except my father. I was a good son: strong, born to lead. My pack loved me and held me in high esteem.
Shame is not a feeling I've ever been familiar with until a month ago when Silas blazed into my life. The mark on my throat was evidence of this shame. The ruined room that was now being repaired in the academy was another testimony to my disgrace.
I hid the scar under high collars and heavy robes because I couldn't bear anyone, especially my father, seeing it. Kael was the only one who'd seen it. Now I wore a robe that exposed it in front of him.
Kael had been the one to find me that night. He was almost mad with fear when I stumbled from behind the tree that Silas had pressed me. Kael nearly collapsed when I told him what happened. Since then, he's glued himself to my side. He was my beta, he always had my back but his fear ran deeper than duty. I was his friend and brother.
The image of Silas slapping Kael across the room flashed through my mind and I winced. Silas owed me one.
"Your father would be angry," Silas said from where he was sitting at the small reading table in my new room. "He didn't send you here for this. You're supposed to befriend the vampire prince and learn of his weakness. He is his father's pride and weakness,"
I snorted before wrenching my hands that were covering my face away.
"Like I could ever be friends with Silas," I said, spitting the name like it was poison on my tongue.
"You'll have to do so eventually if you want to please your father."
"The alpha king can go befriend the vampire king if he wants to learn of his weakness. Why must I do his dirty work?" I snapped, anger rising within.
I was so tired of hearing everything my father wanted me to do. My life was arranged for me even before my birth and my father had been the one controlling it. I was like a chess piece in his hands. I've never for once gone against his word before. Until now.
How could he ask this of me? How could he tell me to go be friends with a bloodsucking demon I was trained from birth to see as the enemy? A bloodsucking demon I could not stand the sight of? One I wanted to kill with my bare hand and the light left his eyes.
"Riven, you need to calm down." Kael said, eyeing me warily.
I drew in a long breath, held it for a few heartbeats, and released it, yet still no calm followed. I wanted to go on a rampage and destroy anything that would dare to stand in my way. Or better still, I wanted to find Silas and end him. Was that too much to ask?
"You cannot, for any reason, fight with Silas again,"
I slowly raised my head and calmly met Kael's eyes. He flinched, quickly looking away.
"Is that an order?"
"Alpha, you know what I'm talking about," he rushed to explain, "Silas is over six hundred years old while you're just thirty. You're like a child in his eyes."
I growled at the implication of Kael's words but that did not stop him from speaking.
"He's had centuries to gain strength. I don't think you can ever beat him in a fight." Kael slowly explained like I did not already know this. I don't just care. I don't like him. I wanted him gone and I'll find all means to eradicate him.
"He was not nicknamed the War-god for no reason." He continued, "It's better to avoid him. We both know he's holding back from actually hurting you,"
The scar at my throat throbbed and I stopped myself from reaching up to touch it.
"I don't think he used just his fingers to give this to me."
Kael's eyes dropped to the scar and he studied it. "Finally," he said. "I thought so. I didn't want to say it before. I think his touch was laced with something. Poison or ritual. That's why it won't fade."
That was the only explanation for why the scar has refused to clear completely. The only scars I have are from poisoned blades tearing into me. Or from the whips my father dipped in wolf's bane before using them on me.
"He said I'd remember him." My voice came out quietly and this time I couldn't stop myself, I reached out to rub the scar.
"This is just another reason to avoid him completely. Maybe he has an agenda,"
"He does have an agenda. There is a reason he decided to attend this year's session."
Seeing him had been a huge surprise. I was not prepared for it in any way because I was expecting him to ignore the Seven- Elders order as usual. This was not the first time he was disobeying them anyways which strengthened my belief that he was here for something. The question now was what's the reason? I intend to find out.
"Do you think he would want to be friends if you tried to befriend him?"
Kael had such an open expression on his face, I wanted to laugh.
"No. The blood that's been spilled between us could never make us be friends."
My father was a fool for even suggesting it. Does he think the vampires were foolish? The Seven-Elders were foolish too for thinking the fight between the vampires and werewolves could stop anytime soon just because they commanded it. The old treaty did nothing so their words were just air.
"Maybe you should avoid him."
"How would I find out what his intentions for coming here were if I avoid him?"
"Maybe you don't need to find out. Maybe he will come for you and reveal it in the process."
"Maybe." I said, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth.