Chapter Sixty-Three
Castor Aegaeon
As we marched through the camp, warriors paused, their actions a testament to the reverence they held not just for my brother but also for his mate, our champion.
Of course, there were a handful of nods my way. I couldn’t blame them. The pair ahead was undoubtedly at the lead of this endeavor. However, I knew it was impossible to overlook the stunning brilliance that followed in their wake—me.
Skylar walked beside Daxton, where she would reside in power and governing station within Silver Meadows once we were no longer under Minaeve’s control.
I don’t believe Dax had shared this idea with her yet, but I knew he intended to declare her as his equal regarding our realm’s ruling seat of power, breaking the mold and setting a new tone for the bright future ahead.
Because of her, he dared to dream of a life beyond this day or the next.
Dared to dream of a better tomorrow for all of us, and she was the key.
The fact that Skylar was the alpha of her pack sprinkled the idea with complexity, but it only added to the unique nature of their mate bond.
Once the bond was sealed, Daxton and Skylar would become a united force to rival the Mother and Father above.
If I could predict the future beyond emanating threats of death, I would say that the Solace pack would soon reside inside Silver Meadows, with a potential war brewing with humans and Aelius alike.
The Gods truly had wicked minds when weaving fate’s design.
Glancing ahead, I couldn’t seem to pry my gaze from Skylar. Her shoulders were pushed back, her head held high—the power of an alpha queen radiating from every facet of her being. Despite her age, she had a sharp mind that I had helped mold, of course, but most of all, she was brave.
That bravery shone like a badge of honor, highlighted by the three mountain peaks on her shoulder. The newest addition was not missed by the watchful eyes of our gathered warriors, and thankfully, it appeared that they agreed with Daxton’s decision to award them to his mate.
A commanding aura glowed within Skylar. That blazing fire my brother fell in love with was beaming bright and true. Even with the midday sun shining in a cloudless sky overhead, she was the shining ray of light we were all drawn to.
The end of the camp rested along the base of a small hill that dipped into the landscape before the borderline of the wilt. Reaching the top of the hill, I noted Zola at the border, listening as Shaw spoke to her in a hushed whisper.
I didn’t envy the male.
When Zola shadow-jumped into the center of our camp this morning, she called out for Nyssa, who was enjoying a peaceful moment with me on the outskirts of the boulder field after we finished our breakfast. I was furious about the intrusion, but when she met Nyssa’s stare, a silent understanding passed between them that I didn’t dare intrude.
Well, almost.
They didn’t venture far from where Nyssa and I were sitting. I leaned back and focused my fae hearing on Zola’s questions, picking out keywords related to the topic: mate bond, Shaw, fallen attack, and the wilt.
I forced myself to pull away. Nyssa would have answers for Zola, but I wasn’t privy to Nyssa’s responses—not yet, not until she shared them with me herself.
I empathized with any male foolish enough to try and seek more than a single night with Zola.
She’d looked after me when Daxton couldn’t, raising me as her ward after Minaeve took control of our land.
Her shadows and daggers guarded a heart hardened over centuries.
Only a handful were ever granted access to witness her less prickly side.
I’d never known her to take a long-term lover, let alone desire a mate bond.
The wilt had changed her. It marked her in a way that darkened her soul, which was difficult to understand and relate to. Yet—then again—I knew of the violent history Shaw was forced to endure as a youngling from Skylar’s brief account.
Hmm, perhaps the mate bond held validity. But, at the very least, I empathized with the shifter.
On cue, I felt the familiar tug at my center that I could not deny or turn from if I tried. And trust me, I did try. With every fiber of my being, I tried to ignore this primal call, but in the end, I could not.
All right, gods-dammit, I didn’t want to.
I glanced over my shoulder, scanning the clusters of boulders to our left, where a High Fae female patiently waited amongst the debris.
I gazed ahead at my brother as his eyes locked on Nyssa before turning to me.
Daxton’s expression softened as he wrapped his arm around Skylar, silently granting me his approval to answer the call he knew all too well.
“Wait a second,” Daxton whispered to Skylar.
The first part of her reply was inaudible, yet the final words were as clear as day. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
And now she also knew.
“I assure you, it is not a joking matter.” My brother chuckled softly, pulling his mate to his side as the sun above their heads highlighted them in a natural spotlight.
Daxton intertwined their fingers as he held Skylar. The world around them disappeared for the moment. My brother’s touch, so often steeped in menace and violence, softened in her presence. Skylar was the one who pulled him back from the abyss that had turned him into a shell of his former self.
Their palpable devotion to each other, regardless of a sealed mate bond, was clear. It was… Well, beautiful would still be an inadequate way to describe it. With a tenderness I thought he reserved solely for books or his beloved plants, Daxton tilted her chin upward and kissed her.
“But—” Skylar stammered.
Daxton’s toothless grin was his only response.
I gave Skylar a playful wink before turning on my heels and marching toward the one soul who silenced the call of death and destruction, bringing me peace I never thought I would find.