Ohnai | bxb

50. War begins

The arrow that Viridian missed was hit with a cloth tied to it. And on it, was one word--'war.'

"They sent us an ultimatum." Jashin spoke up, leaning against the wall.

It has been a week since the Pride Fest, and the Alphas and their Betas of Hayari's neighbouring packs have all received a treaty from the hunters and their allies--to kill Viridian Yari and Lyris Hatchet. It also said that if they didn't oblige, they would also be considered as enemies.

This discussion had been going on in Hayari's conference room for half an hour. There were around ten packs in the conference room.

"It would be easier to just kill you both," Damner, the Alpha of Tevendor spoke up.

Viridian scoffed and muttered. "We'd like to see you try."

Damner's nostrils flared up as he glared up at Viridian. "You don't want to put it to test, Yari."

Viridian, who sat beside Lyris at the head of the table, smiled at Damner with a boyish charm. "One snap, Damner, one snap."

Akaashi, who was also in the room along with Malek and Ralon, chuckled.

"Just because you're royalty doesn't mean you can get away with anything." Johan, the Alpha of Grey Hounds said with an annoyed sigh.

Kole groaned. "With all due respect, Johan--shut up."

Johan growled. "How dare yo-"

Lyris growled loudly, gaining everyone's attention.

"I appreciate that all of you have decided to open up the issue and attend this conference. The reason we're all here is because we are allies and that means something. Hayari has funded at least three expenditures of your pack, and we have also let you use our resources and training grounds. And at this moment, if you choose to stand beside the hunters and against us, again, that won't be a problem because Hayari, is ready for anything."

Viridian smiled slyly at his mate's outburst, feeling a sense of pride.

"And it is also clear that the vampires have Hayari's back. All of them." Ralon added. "We'd like to take votes as to how many of you are with us--Alphas, please raise your hands."

Jashin raised his hand without a second to waste, and so did Kole.

Five other raised their hands one by one, and soon, every Alpha in the room raised their hand except Damner.

Damner glared at Viridian and slowly raised his hand and muttered. "I'll deal with you later."

Viridian smiled in satisfaction.

"I'm glad we have a mutual understanding." Lyris grinned. "Now shall we send our reply to the treaty together?"

--

"You signed up for war?" Tolen gasped.

"I mean, technically we just used their own move against them." Viridian scratched his stubble.

Viridian was the one to deliver the news of war to his best friend in his room. Tolen was still on the road to recovery, but what he couldn't recover was his magic--no matter how hard he tried.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Tolen ran a hand through his hair.

"We have time to prepare." The half vampire stated.

Tolen glanced at him from his place near the window. "How long?"

"Three weeks."

"God, Viridian, are you nuts? That's not even a month!"

The half vampire shook his head. "If you're worried about our warrior members' lack of time to 'prepare,' you shouldn't. Virus and I have been planning this for a couple of months."

"No you weren't."

Viridian nodded.

"No we weren't, but we thought it at the same time."

Tolen shook his head in disapproval. "You're putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk!"

Viridian's face hardened. "Are you telling me and my mate to die?" He shook his head. "Like dude, who side are you on?"

Tolen sighed. "Trade me--use me as bait."

Viridian covered half of his face with his hands and groaned. "They have witches on their side too, Tolen."

"Then make something up! I'm tired of being useless as fuck!"

"I don't want you useful to be Tolen, I want you to be alive. What do you think those guys are going to do to you once they find out you don't have any magic? Sit down and worship you? They're going to kill you, and I cannot have that."

Viridian was trying to appear calm, but at the end of the day, he was also a bit human.

"Fuck you, Viridian."

"I don't know what you're thinking Tolen, but the only thing I know about this war is that we are going to win."

Tolen didn't say a word as Viridian left the room.

Tolen clenched his hand and looked outside the window and saw all his friends. All of them had Hayari's back. They had Viridian's back.

Lyris was sitting under the big Banyan tree in front of the pack when Viridian approached him after having a talk with Tolen.

"What did he say?" Lyris asked once Viridian sat down next to him.

The half vampire sighed and laid his head on his mate's lap. "He didn't sound too happy--asked me to use him as bait."

"He'll come around." Lyris mumbled, running his hand through his mate's hair.

Viridian gazed up at Lyris who smiled a small smile. Everything time Viridian looked at his mate an overwhelming realization that they were soulmates hit the half vampire at a breathtaking force. The half vampire didn't have a normal childhood at all. All he knew how to do was survive; he was best at it.

"I can't believe I dodged an arrow while kissing you." Viridian chuckled, playing with his mate's fingers.

"I'm your saviour then."

Viridian chuckled. He didn't know if his mate knew just how much of that was true.

"Indeed, you are."

Viridian tried his best to hide his barbaric side from his mate when they first met. After being with Lyris for a good while, there was no need to hide them because they didn't exist anymore. But the war is going to bring out the worst in everyone, and Viridian's worst was something he wished his mate didn't have to witness.

"Virus," Viridian's eyes glazed as he absent-mindedly fiddled with his mate's hand.

"Hmm?"

"I wish there was a way to stop everything--every bad thing."

"You know we can't." Lyris spoke softly.

"They want to declare war on us, Virus. Just because we're royals and we hold power, that's the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

Lyris rubbed between his mate's eyebrows.

"People hold thoughts in their head which is influenced by what they went through in life. They think things that make them do unimagineable things. Good and bad. They're like that because of the things that happened to them."

Viridian was slowly falling asleep as he spoke his next words.

"Then I'm glad you happened to me."

Vote • Comment • Share