Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kyra

******

No one bothered me those next few days. I didn't go out much, if only to avoid the wary gazes of the Northerners.

Alpha Osyn's plan -- damn him -- had worked, and now the entire court distrusted me. Whatever sympathy they'd somehow ever managed to hold for me was gone now, replaced instead with contempt.

It didn't matter. I didn't want their respect. I just needed to save my friends.

Zion's screams continued to haunt my nightmares, and every day pass felt like another failure. Guilt and uncertainty alike were eating me alive, and at this rate, there would be nothing left of me. It had been an effort to get out of bed and attend the feastings. Sometimes I didn't go at all, if only because walking felt so difficult. In a way, I felt like I was under Azriel's control again, frozen like stone. Sometimes, it felt like I couldn't move at all.

So, when I got a letter from the Delta, telling me to meet him at the grounds at midday, I was quick to follow through. Pulling on my thick black cloak and combat clothes, I departed my room with an eager spring to my step. I had to train. I had to get stronger. I had to best Azriel.

I had to save them.

I expected the usual glares and sneers from the passers-by. What I didn't expect was to bump straight into a blonde-haired female, her blue eyes alight with surprise. We both staggered back in shock.

"Kyra! You're out," Azure said, her words more of a question than a statement.

"Training," I supplied, not really wanting to delve into my recent state of despair.

"With the Delta?" Azure stammered, then frowned at her words.

I breathed a humourless chuckle. "Who else?"

I expected Azure to laugh, but she didn't. Instead, she eyed me strangely, the colour draining from her face.

"Azure?"

"Oh, I got these for Raina!" Azure announced, changing the subject. She held up a bouquet of flowers to the light. White roses, I realised, their petals powdery and radiant in the sunlight. "I haven't seen her lately, and-- speaking of which, have you seen her?"

I started. "Raina? No. I assumed she'd be with you."

Azure grimaced. "So would I, but she's been very reclusive lately." She paused, eyeing me beneath long lashes. "I think the knowledge of what Azriel's doing had an impact on her. I was hoping these would cheer her up, but I'm not so sure."

I forced a smile to my lips. My insides recoiled at the action. "I'm sure she'll love them, Azure."

She returned a smile of her own. It looked as false as mine. "Yes, I do hope."

With that, we awkwardly departed. I frowned, thinking over Azure's words as I strolled through the palace. She'd seemed uptight. Was she hiding something? Did something happen between her and Raina?

I shook the thought away. It didn't matter. Not in the grand scheme of things, anyway.

Once I made it outside, I had to shade my eyes from the harsh sunlight. I glanced around the grounds, the grasses awfully bright as my eyes struggled to adjust. The pups were training by the tree line, duelling just as me and the Delta had. The small buildings dotted around the grounds chugged with activity, all synonymous like a collective life force. With quick feet, I made haste for the rickety log cabin.