Nicon

XXXIII

PREVIOUSLY ON NICON...

Nicon leaned closer to Syd's face until the stench of his fear was so great his nose twitched. "You will spend a month in the dungeon for this intolerable behavior. Maybe a few weeks down there will teach you some fucking constraint, you disgusting mutt."

    Turning back to Elysie, his wolf scratching the surface, Nicon stalked toward her like a wolf hunting his prey. She took a step back, then another, until she had nowhere to go.

    "I cannot have this happen again, Elysie." She didn't say anything, too scared to.

    "It wasn't his fault," she muttered weakly, quickly losing her valiant attitude as her fear paralyzed her and her terrified mind sympathized for a broken Syd curled in a fetal position on the floor.

    "I cannot let it happen again. Forgive me."

    She choked back a scream as Nicon's canines elongated and sunk mercilessly deep into her neck, his dark eyes the color of night plaguing her mind.

    ...

    "Killian did not return from his last assignment, Elysie. I am deeply sorry."

    Elysie had hoped that the pounding of her nervous heart had distorted Nicon's words but his expression made it clear that it did not.

    "He's dead." It wasn't a question but Nicon still nodded his head regretfully and pulled the girl into a hug. "I'm sorry for being so upset," she said as her eyes burned with tears, "Because I know you were closest with him."

XXXIII

    HE WAS FROWNING. Alpha Cayn was sitting directly across from him, and Nicon's fingers had found their way to his dagger as a means to distract from his murderous thoughts. The motions were familiar, and as he twirled it, it eased his mind. 

    "So tell me," Nicon began, noticing how Cayn's eyes were trained on the moving dagger. "Which of the villages were affected?" 

    For an Alpha, Cayn was awfully nervous and Nicon relished in the feeling. He could smell his perspiration and feel his unease like a vibration. Cayn leaned forward in his seat and tugged gently on the map lying on the table between the two men, dragging it closer to him. The sound of the paper scraping against the wood was as loud as a firecracker in the silent room.

    He pointed to three villages along the river, none of which was Elysie's old village.

    "You said it yourself, Your Highness, that perhaps a little terror would be good for the feeble creatures."

    At this point, Nicon did not know how to respond. He thought he was making himself clear, but it was evident Cayn had his own agenda. Nicon suddenly picked up the dagger between his forefinger and thumb and launched it into the shoulder of Cayn so quickly, the man didn't have time to react. 

    A shrill cry filled the room as Cayn slowly pulled the dagger from his flesh. The silver blade was painted crimson and small droplets found their way onto the wood table. The dagger represented all that Nicon wanted to say, but couldn't find the words for, and Cayn understood the message loud and clear.   

    The incident was not forgotten, and if Cayn made one more error, the next dagger thrown would go directly into the Alpha's heart.

    It had hardly been a meeting, as the only progress that was made was Nicon venting a small portion of his frustration. He was caught in his own mind, debating between two mediums. Embrace his mate and release his disgust for the humans, or engage in a war against the species without a Queen by his side. 

    He may have been one of the strongest creatures in the world, but even he was not able to resist the mate pull. In order for the pull to be fully forgotten, Elysie would have to die. Nicon prided himself on his strength, but he would not be able to kill the woman who had tangled herself in his heart without his permission.

    Nicon approached the wooden door he had been searching for and rapped his knuckles against the door twice. As the sandy haired man opened the door, his eyes cast a disdainful look. "The pup's neck is so dark it looks like I'm staring at darkness itself."

    The King looked at his warrior with an impassive expression, not appreciating the lack of respect. "How would you like to serve the pup's sentence for him?"

    Quentin bowed his head and apologized insincerely as he swung the door open. "My apologies, my King."

    Nicon's eyes darted across the well kept living space, clean and orderly. The smell of lavender was burning as a candle and as Nicon passed, he quickly waved a hand over the flame, extinguishing it. A small billow of smoke rose up into the air, emitting an even stronger scent.

    "Quentin!" his mate called happily, and as she walked through an adjacent door, the smile immediately fell from her face. "Your Highness," she addressed. Nicon noticed her stomach was incredibly large, as she was far along in her pregnancy. She would give birth any day now.

    "Where is he?" he asked, too impatient to deal with pleasantries.

    "If I may, that poor pup's been coming here ever since Killian's death for herbs to help him sleep. He didn't mean to hurt that poor girl—"

    "Where is he?" Nicon repeated, growing more agitated at the mention of Elysie.

    Victoria sighed and bowed her head in apology before turning her body in the direction of the door she entered through. "Asleep on the couch—"

    Nicon walked through the door and into a more relaxed area. The drapes were pulled and there were more candles burning, and luckily the assorted smells were enough to drown out the heavy lavender from the other room. 

    Syd was indeed asleep on the couch, his hands curled up underneath his head and his knees brought to his chest as if he were a child suffering from bitter cold air. His hair was messily falling over his forehead and on his neck was a mark of the King.

    His skin was deeply bruised a disgusting black color, as dark as darkness itself, and there were fingers etched into his skin as if they were drawn on. The King was not upset with himself for inflicting such an injury on the newborn wolf—he had inflicted far worse on others who had done far less.

    He didn't think Syd was punished enough for his actions.   

    Instead of waking him, he walked back into the kitchen, where Quentin and Victoria were sitting at the table together, their legs pressed against each other's and their fingers entwined.

    "What else has Syd mentioned during his stay here?" Nicon asked the couple. 

    "He's been spending nights here since he first arrived at the castle." It was Victoria that spoke, as Quentin busied himself by fingering the handle on his mug. He didn't seem the quiet type, but Nicon had never been one to personally acquaint himself with his warriors. "Recently he'd been doing so well," she continued, glancing at Quentin briefly, "but then Killian was killed and he—well, he hasn't been the same since."

    He was curious as to hear about Syd, but Victoria failed to mention the person he had been most anxious to hear about. "If I may, Your Highness, you'd been working him so hard, most of the time he'll come over at ungodly hours, but then he started coming back normal times, happier. Did you assign him a different position? He hardly talks to us about work."   

    In that moment, Nicon didn't have to be a Shifter to tell how the couple felt about Syd. They treated him as their own son, they cared for him, and they were genuinely concerned for his well being. They loved him. Syd thought he was alone, but he had a family right before him. 

    And in that moment, Nicon realized he wanted his mate. He wanted Elysie. He didn't have to give up a life of power to share it with someone he could love. He would taint his bloodline with something so rare and powerful, that the war against the humans would be nothing, but a mere memory, and those who tried to prevent him from his happiness would pay with more than their hands.  Why should he be deprived of this because the humans did not know their place?

    "There's someone I'd like you to meet."