Chapter 25 #2
Despite herself, a faint smile tugged at her lips. Heat crept up her neck, and she turned her face slightly, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“What about Nik?” she asked. “Will he be all right?”
“He’ll be fine.” Leukos gave her a pointed look. “His presence soothes your sister.”
That surprised her. “He goes to see her?”
Leukos nodded. “Despoina told me he visits every day.”
“Despoina?”
“Nik’s cousin. Danaos, the general you met, is the other. They’re twins.”
She halted, brows raised. “The queen’s soulmate is Nik’s cousin?” That explained the uncanny resemblance. “Interesting. I didn’t realise Nik came from a noble family.”
“His family’s patron god is the Messenger, and his father was a Silver Shield, after all. What, did you think he was some scrappy orphan my family took in out of pity?”
She hadn’t really thought about it. “And Theo?” she asked after a beat. “Is he secretly a noble, too?”
Leukos’ grin widened—and by the Moon, that smile. It hit her like a gust of wind, sudden and disarming. Her heart gave a traitorous flutter.
“He’s a direct descendant of Andromeda,” he said. “Practically royalty in Argos.”
Unable to look him in the eye, Alena resumed walking, the corridor stretching ahead. Their footsteps echoed in the space between them.
After a moment, she spoke again—softer this time. “She was the previous Omega, you know.”
Leukos slowed, brow lifting. “Andromeda?”
She nodded. “The South Wind confirmed it.”
He stopped entirely, turning to face her. Surprise flickered across his features, but it vanished as quickly as it came. The playfulness from moments before gave way to something heavier.
“I see you’ve been busy,” he said at last.
Alena offered a faint, rueful smile. So much was unsaid between them, so much time unaccounted for—but her sister had to come first. “So have you.”
They continued beneath the colonnade, sunlight streaming through the pillars in golden slants, casting broken patterns across the path. To their right, a secluded garden burst with spring blooms, the white wolf bounding ahead, catching Danaos’ scent.
She didn’t know how to bridge the silence without cracking under the weight of everything she hadn’t said.
Leukos was the one to break it. “Are you going to tell me what happened in Dodona?” His tone was quiet but firm. “Where’s San?”
The name landed like a stone in her chest. The memories of the quarry were too fresh, too raw. “We can talk about it later.”
But Leukos stepped in front of her, gentle yet unyielding. “Alena.”
She froze. For a heartbeat, the breath caught in her lungs. Sunlight caught the angles of his face, and she was struck again by his beauty. Longing, frustration, confusion—emotions tangled, sharp and impossible to ignore.
Her heart clenched. She stepped back, putting distance between them.
“Don’t,” she murmured. The air between them thrummed with all the words left unspoken. “Or are you going to tell me how you lost control of your Gift, too?”
Leukos’ jaw tightened—a small betrayal of emotion. “How did you know?”
“The Cyprian told me,” she said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. “She said I was the only one who could help you.”
Loud cheers echoing down the corridor interrupted them. Alena seized the moment, stepping around him and following the wolves to the Great Hall.
The massive doors stood wide open, spilling music and laughter into the corridor.
Inside, the hall had transformed into a vision of revelry—long tables glittered with silver platters overflowing with food and goblets of wine.
Musicians played bright, lilting tunes while dancers in jewel-toned gowns twirled barefoot in graceful circles across the stone floor.
At the head of the table, Charis and Danaos sat on throne-like chairs, their hands intertwined, faces alight with joy.
What had been prepared for the queen’s wedding to Leukos was repurposed into a triumphant celebration for the new couple.
“That was quick,” Alena muttered under her breath.
“Soulmates are rare. Their bond is sacred,” Leukos said, surveying the feast. “I’ve never met any, but my father did. He told me only the gods could confirm the bond, and once the couple accepts it, their love deepens. A wedding follows within days. They can’t bear to be apart.”
Alena’s gaze drifted to Danaos and Charis, basking in each other’s presence. The thought of having someone who knew her to her soul—who would choose her without hesitation for the rest of her life—seemed almost too beautiful to believe.
What would it be like to have such a profound connection with someone?
A voice at the doorway pulled her from her thoughts.
“The Sea God declared another couple were soulmates as well,” Phoebe said, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Freshly bathed and dressed in a long, sand-coloured chiton, she looked wholly unlike the warrior Alena had travelled with.
“Every guest here is hoping to find their destined match tonight. This celebration will last until dawn.”
Alena’s heart skipped.
They are not the only couple.
Her eyes swept the crowd, searching. Who else had been chosen?
“Soulmates share a powerful connection,” Phoebe went on, her gaze fixed on the dancers. “It is said they can even channel each other’s magic.”
“And what do you know of it?” Leukos snapped, his tone edged with frost.
Phoebe met his glare with an amused smile, utterly unfazed. “More than you might think, pretty boy.”
Leukos’ jaw tightened, but before he could reply, a booming voice carried from the feast.
“Phoebe!”
Pelagios lurched to his feet, sloshing half his drink down the front of a disgruntled Xanthos. “Ah, curse the Twelve—apologies, my friend,” he mumbled, patting Xanthos’ shoulder.
Phoebe’s smirk faltered into a grimace. “Huntress, save me…” she muttered. To Alena, she said, “I’ll be back soon. Kaixo was fast asleep when I left, and Apollo’s keeping watch.”
With a sigh and a broad, diplomatic smile, she approached the table. “Pelagios, my old friend!”
Alena blinked after her, baffled. How many Megarians did Phoebe know? She hadn’t mentioned that during all those lonely nights on the mountain. What else had she kept to herself?
Leukos glared at the ’s back with such vehemence that Alena felt compelled to defend her. “She’s not that bad.”
He laughed—a curt, rough sound. “She gave me a sleeping draught and left me unconscious for slavers to find. The same slavers who took you and your sister.” He paused, casting her a sidelong glance, looking more unsettled than when she’d asked about his Gift.
“Seems the Grey-Eyed Maiden wanted us to meet.”
To what purpose, Alena wasn’t sure. Did the Maiden want her to join the rebellion? To ensure the Omega would be with the Achaeans when the time came?
“Omega, you’ve returned!” Danaos said, his voice carrying easily through the hall and drawing the room into sudden silence.
His usually hard features were softened by the festivities, though the disciplined posture of a seasoned general remained. The priest in amber robes stood beside the queen, a deep crease of disapproval between his eyebrows.
Danaos set down his goblet and levelled Alena with a sharp look. “How was your visit with your sister?” His eyes narrowed. “If you’ve come to ask for her release, don’t waste your breath. The answer is no.”
A hush rippled through the hall. All attention shifted to her. Phoebe, now seated at the table, offered a subtle nod of encouragement.
Drawing a slow breath, Alena lifted her chin and began the long walk down the aisle between the tables. Her wolves prowled ahead, their eyes locked on Danaos. The new king consort shifted uneasily in his seat.
When she reached the dais, Alena stopped, steadying herself before the queen, the general, and the watchful priest.
“My sister is unwell,” she said. “I ask for permission to remove one of the dampeners. With access to her healing Gift, she may begin to recover her mind.”
The queen’s smile remained gracious, but Danaos’ expression hardened. “Your sister possesses incredible strength. How are we to know she won’t try to escape?”
Alena didn’t waver. “Prince Leukos and I will see to it she doesn’t.”
Leukos, who had maintained a respectful distance beside her—tall, poised, every inch the prince he was raised to be—nodded in agreement.
His silent show of support soothed her nerves.
Danaos scowled. “Your sister is a Rasennan Praefect. She joined the very enemy we’ve fought for decades. Loyalty to blood doesn’t erase betrayal.”
Alena clenched her fists, refusing to be baited. “She is still my sister. And I won’t stand by while her mind is poisoned.”
“We heard the potion the Rasennans use is called Laran’s Tears,” the priest interjected.
“They are meant to increase one’s power.
” He looked to the queen, who hung on his every word.
“The Rasennans call her Laran’s Chosen. Others, Laran’s whore.
” His eyes gleamed with calculated malice.
“A threat to Achaea and your reign, Your Majesties. Eliminating her now would be prudent.”
Alena’s patience frayed. “She might have slipped into the city, but she hasn’t harmed anyone. Fear of what she might do is not justice.”
Danaos slammed down his cup, wine sloshing over the rim. “She was sent to help assassins find their way to our queen!”
Alena stilled. Her gaze darted to Leukos, and the gravity in his eyes confirmed it. Her chest tightened with dread, the weight of her sister’s choices pressing down on her.
Stars be cursed, what was Katell thinking?
Even so, she couldn’t give up on her. Not yet.
Drawing a ragged breath, she softened her voice. “Please. She’s my sister. Whatever her choices, I beg you—let me heal her, and I’ll make sure she leaves without causing harm to Tiryns. I give you my word.”
A cold smile curved the priest’s lips. “When one seeks mercy from the queen,” he murmured, “they usually do so on their knees.”
Alena faltered, and a thick silence descended on the Great Hall.
On the dais, Charis shifted, her gaze flicking to Danaos, uncertainty clouding her expression. But the general merely rested a firm hand over hers, silently urging her to hold her ground—to see what the Omega would do.
By ordering her to kneel, the priest was challenging the very authority the gods themselves had bestowed.
Remember, the Mother Goddess chose you. Do not let any mortal forget who you are, the Maiden’s words echoed in her mind.
And yet, here in Tiryns, they expected her to bow as if she were no more than a petitioner.
Every eye in the hall was on her. The priest likely saw this as a test of wills, but Alena cared little for court games. Proving herself meant nothing compared to Katell’s safety. If kneeling would help her sister, she would spend all day on her knees.
Heart pounding, she stepped forward. The triumphant gleam in the priest’s eyes made her stomach turn.
But before she could kneel, a jolt of ice brushed her arm, stopping her.
“No,” Leukos said, his voice a soft but commanding growl, his hand retreating to his side.
“You do not kneel. You do not plead.” His dark eyes burned with fierce protectiveness, a storm of emotion swirling behind them.
“You are the Omega—a goddess among men, a legend made flesh. You do not kneel before anyone. Least of all that worm.”
Gasps rippled through the hall, followed by a swell of surprised whispers. The priest sputtered, indignation written all over his face.
A fierce blush rose to Alena’s cheeks. Leukos’ words left her momentarily stunned. “Leukos…” Her pulse quickened. “I have to. They won’t be satisfied until someone is on their knees. I don’t care what he makes me do as long as it helps Kat.”
Leukos let out a sharp exhale, his expression unreadable. “Your sister doesn’t deserve you.”
Without another word, he strode to the dais and, to Alena’s shock, dropped to one knee, bowing his head before Charis.
The room seemed to hold its breath. Alena’s heart seized, disbelief flooding through her.
Leukos—the proud, stoic Megarian prince who had never bowed to anyone—had just humbled himself. For her.
Even Charis’ eyes widened, and a dozen court ladies craned their necks, murmuring at the sight of the prince kneeling.
“Your Majesty,” Leukos intoned, his voice carrying through the hushed hall, “I beseech you. The Omega was sent by the Grey-Eyed Maiden to join our alliance and fight against Rasenna. Now is not the time for petty grievances. Please grant her request. Allow her sister to heal.”
The priest flushed crimson with fury. “How can we be certain she was sent by—?”
“So be it.” The queen’s voice cut in, cool and final.
“When the Omega slipped through the barrier with her companions, I felt a sensation I hadn’t felt in years.
Acceptance. The barrier has repulsed many, yet it allowed the Omega and her guests safe passage.
It is the will of the Grey-Eyed Maiden. We cannot deny it. ”
A ripple of assent swept through the hall. The priest’s furious blush deepened, but he bowed his head in reluctant acceptance.
Danaos’ features remained hard, resignation etched in every line.
Alena’s heart pounded as Charis’ words settled over them all.
“Guards,” the queen commanded, “do as the Omega asks.”
“Thank you, Queen Charis.” Leukos rose, offering her a gracious nod. Without sparing Danaos a glance, he strode back to Alena’s side, his presence steady and grounding.
As they turned to leave, Danaos’ voice cut through the quiet. “We will hold you accountable if she tries to escape.” He paused, the faintest edge of sarcasm in his tone. “Though I suppose the prince could simply freeze her in place if necessary.”
Freeze her? Had Leukos lost so much control that his touch was now a threat?
Alena’s gaze shifted to him, but his eyes neither confirmed nor denied Danaos’ claim. He strode from the Great Hall without another word, and Alena followed, the guards and wolves in tow.