The Wolf (Everdark Tales #2)

6.

Queen

A lex rolls off the mattress and tries to sneak out, thinking I’m still asleep.

“Another briefing?” I complain.

He freezes in place as if caught in a crime, slowly spinning around to face me. “You know how much I wish I could stay with you in this bed forever, but I’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he says all serious.

“Okay,” I respond calmly, but I don’t like his tone.

“Edwin’s been taking care of things while I was gone, and now that I’m back, I must return to my responsibilities.”

I turn on my side and prop myself on an elbow, more alert now. “So, what’s going on exactly?”

He sighs heavily. “We’ve been monitoring one of the hunter bases for a while, and we think it’s time to strike.”

As his words sink in, my heart tightens. I don’t approve of where this is heading even a bit.

“The full moon will pass exactly two weeks from today, and to have clear minds, we’re going to wait it out,” he continues. “We plan to leave after All Hallows’ Eve. This gives us enough time to prepare.”

I don’t even know what day it is anymore, and I need to take a second to do some calculations. After thinking about it, I believe it’s Saturday, October 14 th , but time doesn’t seem to matter around here.

“You guys celebrate Halloween?” I ask surprised.

“Samhain,” he clarifies. “Like many other pagan holidays, it made it into the Western culture, but it’s a festival to mark the end of harvest. And the witches are very vigilant about honoring their rituals.”

“I’m game as long as there’s no human sacrifice involved.”

He smiles in his wolfish way. “It’s more of a bonfire and a feast type of night.”

“Sounds great!” It genuinely makes me excited, but I‘m more focused on the other bomb he’s dropped. “And we can head out after the festivities,” I add, acting all casual about it.

He gives me a look, his eyes hardening just slightly. “No, Julia. This isn’t up for discussion.” His voice is measured, but there’s a subtle edge to it.

I realize he’s trying to be kind since I’d be a liability there, but I can’t help it. I’m not going to sit around and wait while he goes off risking his life.

I sit up in bed, fully awake at that point, feeling a rush of determination. “I’m going with you.”

He’s trying to hold it together, but I can see the struggle—the push and pull between his need to protect me and the growing frustration that I won’t just agree.

“I’m going!” I repeat, my voice cracks as my eyes get watery.

“No, the fuck you’re not!” he snarls, loud and emotional, his voice reverberating around the chamber.

I’ve never seen him this angry at me before. I startle and recoil.

He corrects himself immediately but stays firm. “I let you convince me once to your plan before, didn’t I? And it could’ve ended in a disaster.”

“You don’t have to be mean about it,” I croak, tears streaming down my face. But he’s right. I blame myself for what happened in Michigan. I put everyone in danger, though I’m not sure what would happen to my parents if we didn’t show up.

“You don't understand,” he mutters under his breath, pacing a few steps away from the bed, his muscles tensing beneath his fur. “It’s not on you but on me . I just can’t… I won’t be able to focus if I’m constantly worried about you.”

“Worried?” I scoff. “I saved you. Twice .”

That hits him harder than I thought it would. His golden eyes flash with something intense—guilt, anger, something more—and for a moment, I see him struggling to contain it.

“Yes, but you shouldn't have been in those situations in the first place!” His voice rises again, breaking with emotion. “Do you think I wanted you there? Do you know what that felt like? Being so powerless and seeing you in the middle of it all, knowing one bad move and—” He stops, turning his face away, his breathing more rapid now, his hand trembling slightly before he clenches it into a fist. “Damn it, Julia, I was fucking terrified! The most I have ever been. I can't go through that again. I won’t.” His voice is still restrained, but it’s slipping with each word, the outrage and fear mixing in his eyes. “I’ve lost you once. I’ll never again put you in a situation where your life is at risk.”

And then he shows me the memory of me fading in his arms. It catches me off guard, cutting deeper than I expected. I can feel all of the emotions he felt in that moment. His crushing pain is all-consuming, it overpowers my entire body, I can hardly bear it.

I inhale sharply, trying to collect myself. “Alex, I—”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to yell at you,” he interrupts, softening for a second, rubbing his face in frustration. He lowers his voice, almost pleading now. “You’re too important to me, Julia. Please understand. I can’t protect you when I’m focused on completing the mission. I need to do this, too many lives count on me. Don’t make it difficult.” The storm inside him is still brewing visibly, unresolved.

“But I have something to fight for now, too.”

He approaches the bed and sits down by my side, caressing my naked thigh to comfort me. “Baby, for everyone’s sake, I can’t have you there. It would be too distracting for me. Trust me, it’ll be the most helpful when I know that you’re safe and sound here.”

“I won’t be safe or sound if you get hurt, either way! You die, I die, remember?”

“Exactly. Keeping myself alive means keeping you alive so you have nothing to worry about—I won’t get hurt.”

And I’m crying. “Alex, we didn’t even have any time yet!”

His arms wrap tightly around my waist, pulling me closer, while I sob into his chest.

“We will have plenty, I promise,” he declares with a hoarse distortion in his voice, burying his snout in my curls.

He cuddles me for a while longer before I get coherent enough to try to think of other ways to go about it.

“What if I turn?” I mumble, craning my neck to look at him.

That’s something that has been on my mind since the other day. And although the idea of sucking blood repulses me, I’d be willing to make that sacrifice.

“What?” He frowns. He doesn’t have eyebrows in this form, but I just know he’s frowning at me right now.

“Into a vampire. Penny can bite me, right? That way you won’t have to worry about me and I could help. I mean, I know I might stink to you, but—”

Shaking his head, he cuts me off. “First of all, vampires have the most weaknesses among all supernatural beings. I’d still be worried.”

“They are immortal,” I object.

“Only as long as they are lucky. It’s not a difficult task for a skilled hunter to kill a vampire, and it’s even easier for the rest of us.” His argument makes too much sense to try to dispute it. “Second, you aren’t able to change now that we’re already bonded.”

“Well, then maybe I can become a witch?” I quickly propose.

“No, you have to be born of a witch, and Farah is certain you don’t have any magic powers.”

“How can she be sure? My mom was only fostered by Nancy.”

“She tried to trace your roots to the Celtic tribe of witches, but with no luck.”

Ah, of course, they looked into that.

“So, I’m completely useless, is what you’re saying—just some peasant white girl next to Your Babylonian Majesty!”

“Actually, you come from the long lineage of royal bloodline,” he tells me with a trace of humor twinkling in his eyes. “One of your earliest known ancestors that could be identified was a notable Scottish princess from the 10 th century, known for her archery skills and fiery brave spirit, similar to yours.” He flashes me a little smirk. “You’re also distantly related to Mary, Queen of Scots.”

“Huh.” I blink repeatedly. “Alex, that’s not just some news you sprinkle on someone like that! It’s completely insane!”

“I’m sorry, I’m not the best at these things. Farah is happy to walk you through everything she discovered.”

I know he’s not the overly emotional or sentimental type and maybe he completely lacks a tact… I still think he’s cute, though.

“That’s fine. It’s not important right now.” I remind myself what the discussion was about. “Can’t I sell my soul to the devil for superpowers or something? Because I’d do that for you.”

“Well, the Devil you speak of lives in the Veil with us if you want to talk to him,” he replies as if what he’s saying is completely normal. “But your soul is already mine ,” he adds darkly, dragging his tongue across the length of my neck where his mark is.

“When you say devil , you mean…”

“The Leviathan,” he discloses, but I don’t think I fully comprehend the meaning of his words. “And even if you become the most powerful force, I still don’t want you anywhere near the danger.”

I manage to wiggle away, glaring at him. “Then what am I supposed to do? Sit here and wait with no job to do while you all go to war? You’ve ripped me away from my life—”

“Your life wasn’t truly yours, now was it?” he interjects, and he’s no longer cute with that nasty tone.

“I can’t believe you just said that.” Tears push into my eyes again, not sure whether from hurt or anger this time. Perhaps the mix of both. All I know is that the honeymoon is officially over. It lasted way too short for my liking.

I push the covers off my body, get out of bed, and move to the closet to put on some clothes, ignoring his presence.

“I apologize if this is harsh to hear, but I can’t understand why you keep holding onto it after you’ve learned the truth.”

He just doesn’t get how it feels to completely lose an identity. In one short moment, the whole world as I knew it fell apart. And even if I pretend to be okay, there are still pieces of me that I need to glue back together to reshape into this new reality.

“I don’t like you very much right now,” I tell him, avoiding a direct answer because I honestly don’t feel like arguing about it at this time.

“Well, I’m not fond of you right now, either,” he barks back. “But you will do as I say.”

I stare at him in disbelief.

“Julia,” he whispers. I can tell he forces himself to be delicate, but it only makes his deep, unearthly voice sound more ominous. “I know you’re upset—”

“Get out of my head!” I snap when I realize he’s reading my mind.

He growls low in his chest, annoyed at my overreaction.

But am I overreacting?

I need to get some fresh air. I literally feel like I’m suffocating in here.

Without a word, I leave the chamber. Thankfully, he doesn’t stop me. I swear, if he doesn’t realize he was out of the line, I…

What exactly am I going to do?

I’m stuck here for the rest of my life, tied to him by fate.

We are stuck together. And I don’t mean the fun knotting part.

I love him and all, but he could be slightly more empathetic. To be completely honest, I don’t think I’ve even begun to process everything that has happened since the moment I saw his glowing yellow eyes fixated on me while I was masturbating in my room. And it’s been one trainwreck after another from there. The least he could do is try to be more understanding. Of course, I know he cares about me, but I just need a second to breathe.

I head downstairs and go outside to the gardens located at the back of the castle. The lush surroundings spread to the edge of the pine forest, which lines the walls of the Veil. A gentle breeze carries the sweet fragrance of flowers and the tempting aroma of ripe fruit, while the sounds of the river cascading downhill into a waterfall, accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds, create a relaxing symphony. Colorful exotic plants intertwine with ancient trees, their branches heavy with harvest, glistening in the aurora lights. Various wild animals wander freely, with predators and prey coexisting in perfect harmony.

I rub my eyes, convinced it’s only just a dream. Or perhaps I did die that day in Alex’s arms, and I’m in heaven now. Surely, a paradise like this cannot be real. But when I regain my vision, the garden is still the same, the fresh air fills my lungs once more.

Right in the middle, there’s a tree, bigger than all the others, unlike any tree I’ve ever seen in the real world. Curious, I begin to approach it, passing an elephant and petting a lion along the way. When I get closer, the tree appears to be… shimmering. I reach my hand to examine it but am startled by a huge snake slithering past my ankles and quickly disappearing out of sight.

Then I hear a regal baritone coming from behind me. “What did he do to make you upset already?”

As I turn around, my breath catches in my throat. By the rose bush stands a half-naked, fair-skinned, super tall man, perhaps in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, radiating an ethereal beauty that leaves me speechless. He’s smiling gently, but there’s a deep sadness in his eyes—the eyes that are in the lightest crystal-blue shade, almost glowing like platinum. The palest blond, long hair flows down in big, loose curls past his broad shoulders, and his chiseled face is a work of art—soft, youthful, and gorgeous. He has masculine features and a strong, athletic male body with carved muscles, exposed by the absence of any shirt over his torso and low-hanging linen slacks. Yet, he’s so utterly flawless that he looks androgynous.

I stand frozen in absolute awe, unable to form a single word, overwhelmed by the sheer aura of the figure before me.

“I come here to think, too,” he tells me after it becomes clear I’m too flabbergasted to answer. “It’s my favorite part of this place. I tried to recreate it to resemble Eden.”

In an instant, I realize who he is.