"Your mother?" Liam whispered.
Instead of replying, Cordelia backing away, looking behind Aiolos who knew who arrived. He could smell his mate, which was still very strange. His senses had heightened from the first time he turned to a puppy in the bathroom of his college.
"Liam." Zayn turned into his human form and approached his mate's side, tall and proud. "What the hell was that? Why did you disappear?"
"I didn't want you to get hurt" Liam whispered, watching his brother climb off a black wolf, realising it was Louis when the wolf turned into a human.
"Get hurt? You could have died!"
"I'm not dead yet" Liam said, staring at Cordelia with a small fire in his gaze.
"You will be soon" she growled, and for a moment, Aiolos thought she would turn into her wolf.
"No, he won't," Zayn growled back with a ferocious glare. "Was it you who tried to kill him?"
The other wolves changed and stood as humans, defending Liam. Ares handed his wife his t-shirt so that she could cover her upper half.
Eloise, Lilith, and Micah had followed after watching them take off in their wolf forms. They stood in the distance, watching through the trees.
"Yes. I'm impressed that I didn't succeed. Aiolos is pretty pathetic. I thought it would be easy to kill someone with such a weak mind."
"He's not pathetic!" Harry yelled and was held back by Lou.
"No, he's not pathetic," Zayn repeated. "You have no idea who you're messing with."
Aiolos sensed the pride of the wolves behind him, but he could barely feel it himself. At the moment, he felt empty and alone.
"I think I do," Cordelia smiled. "If I tried to kill you now, would he be able to keep you safe?"
"Yes," Zayn said with so much confidence, even his parents didn't have doubts.
"Shall we put that to the test?"
"No." Liam was influenced by Zayn's bold attitude. "Why do you think you have what it takes to handle so much power?"
"Because I'm better than you in every form possible. I have been around for many years, and I'm only just turning eighteen. I have so much life experience; it seems unfair that you have all of the power."
"Maybe he has it because he's not a horrible person," Zayn growled. "Fifteen? You're not even old enough to find a mate. You have no morals if you think killing is the right answer to getting what you want."
"And what is your definition of morally correct, Zayn?" Cordelia questioned, not backing down.
"You have no reason to kill him, Aiolos is as innocent as they get." Zayn was feeling very angry. "That in itself is very morally incorrect!"
"He doesn't deserve the power."
"How do you know?" Zayn demanded. "You have no idea who Aiolos is."
"I know that you could never depend your lives on him. He tends to lose himself to anxiety-"
"Had" Zayn interrupted, "people can change."
"He hasn't."
"You don't know me," Liam said, and Zayn had to hold his shoulders to stop him from edging forwards. "You don't know anything about me. So, you're a daughter of a God of the wolves, what does that make you?"
"I am a God too-"
"Nope" Zayn interrupted, following his mates lead, "you're a daughter of a God, who's trying to claim the fame because you are jealous. How tragic."
"I'm not-"
"Oh, come on, how stupid do you think we are!" Zayn pulled Liam behind him when an older woman landed next to Cordelia.
"I think you're pretty damn stupid" Cordelia said, "Isn't that right mum?" She turned to the woman behind her who shared the same blonde hair, piercing eyes, and chubby cheeks.
"No." the woman gripped Cordelia's arm, just when a white wolf appeared through the trees and turned into a man who was panting hard. The woman seemed to be much older than Cordelia, old enough to be her parent.
"I never wanted this, I told you. I only want peace, why do you never listen to me?" Cordelia's mother shouted at her child for arguing with Aiolos. "You're so childish. A female of only fifteen thinks she can rule the world. I need a better understanding of puberty"
"A-Are you Reyana?" Aiolos asked, shy and timid once again.
"Yes, and I apologise for the way my daughter behaved. I had no idea she was trying to kill you. Aiolos, I want to win this war as much as you do. My daughter will be on the right side when that choice comes."
"And how can we trust you?" Ares demanded, hugging his wife close to his chest.
"There will be a time when Aiolos depends on the other Gods-"
"No, your daughter almost killed Aiolos yesterday!" Zayn yelled. "If anything, you owe him."
The silence hurt their ears. The birds sounded panicked.
"I suppose you are right. Cordelia does owe you," Reyana said, unimpressed with her daughter.
"When the time comes, we will call on you to help us," Ares said, taking every little detail as an advantage. "Your daughter caused great pain and dishonour in our family. If you don't teach her how to respect the God of all werewolves, how will you teach her to respect you?"
Reyana gripped her daughter's ear, pulling at her lobe until it stung.
"You have some serious explaining to do young lady" she hissed.
"Aiolos, I can assure you that my daughter acted alone and didn't mean any disrespect with her attitude. I don't know what's going through her head, but it certainly won't happen again."
"Disrespect?" Ares scoffed. "You almost killed Aiolos. He almost died in a bath of his own blood, and you're saying no disrespect? We are far past that. Send your daughter home. You need a very important conversation with Aiolos."
"Samuel, take her home," Reyana said to her mate. "I have business to finish here."
Samuel nodded his head and pulled his daughter through the woods with a scowl, embarrassed and upset with her behaviour.
"What would you like to discuss?" Reyana asked, now alone in the woods.
"Are you an original God? Why is your child trying to go behind her own parent's backs to rule the Gods, to rule you? And how did you not notice that she had tried to kill Aiolos?" Vincent asked, attempting to keep his composure.
Louis subconsciously gripped Harry's wrist when he tried moving to stand with his brother. Louis pulled the teen behind him, protecting Harry from danger. For a moment, Louis wondered if he would defend Harry before his Alpha, but shook the thoughts quickly out of his head. It was not possible unless Harry turned out to be his mate.
Of course, they didn't share a bond, not at that moment, year, or situation.
