-Arch-

"Okay. No matter what happens in the next twenty-four hours," Jack spoke after dinner when we entered Aurora's guestroom, "I do not care. This Champion needs a nap."

I laughed lightly at his words as I went to sit down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

He stopped to stare at me, his expression blank. I waited for a bit, but he just stood there...

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, I am..." he breathed out.

"Are you really? I mean... You got shot today," I said, and he finally came to sit next to me.

"I died today," he said, sounding... a little surprised. "But I'm fine. I think... It was... scary... but Fenrir was with me the entire time. He made sure I got up."

"Good. That's good," I said as I watched him closely, then looked away. "I should've protected you..."

"Don't... What could we have done differently? They were ready for us. Everything happened in seconds. Besides, I'm the protector here. You're the one who keeps reminding me of that," he said, and smiled. "And we kicked ass."

"But I'm the diviner! I should've seen it coming miles away!" I said, giving in to my frustration.

"I did think about that..." Jack muttered. "That place... Adam must've placed protections around it, or if it really is like the peacekeeper fortress, it's probably not even tied to our world. Either way, I don't think your vision can reach there."

"Well it should..." I mumbled, and he laughed.

"Come on. We kicked ass, as your Alpha so eloquently puts it. We surprised Adam just as good as he surprised us," Jack said, shifting a little closer to me.

"We did, yes... But you got hurt," I told him quietly. "I can't even imagine the pain you had to go through. Again. You've suffered so much already... And I couldn't do anything."

His smile turned softer, and he looked down at my hand. Slowly, he reached for it, and held it gently. I wrapped my fingers around his, and he looked back at me.

"If it helps, it was over fast. As soon as I got myself up, I healed. My body pushed the poison and the bullets out. And I was fine. I'm stronger now," he said.

I let out a breath, still horrified by how fast everything happened... How powerless I still had been against our enemy.

"Come on. Did you see how big I got?" he asked with shine in his eyes. "I could've brought down the whole place if I didn't have to worry about squishing you all."

I had to smile at his growing excitement. "You were magnificent. You are magnificent."

He stared at me, then looked away, his smile now shy. "So are you..."

I squeezed his hand gently, and he looked back at me.

"So... Do you think we are safe for now?" he asked.

I used my ability to see the millions of layers of web around me. I saw nothing concerning. The danger was constant, but I saw no plans to strike here.

"Looks... Calm. Whatever calm means these days," I told him, but continued watching the web.

"So it's all right if we sleep for now?" Jack asked.

"I mean, if your theory is correct, and I can't see Adam's fortress, I can't be sure about anything," I told him.

"Well, to be fair, I doubt Adam will want a rematch so soon. He needs to make new plans. And he, too, needs to recover after the beating Oliver gave him," Jack said, and lay down on the bed behind me.

"I would be surprised if he had the energy to attack already," I agreed.

"Therefore, we can sleep," he said while getting comfortable.

"I'd assume so, yes," I said, and let go of my gift to watch him.

He tried to close his eyes, but only seconds later, he opened them again and sighed. "You think Cameron will be all right?"

"So no sleep yet?" I guessed, while lying down as well, but the other way around with my head next to his feet.

"I feel so bad for him... He's a Champion, too," he muttered. "I can't even imagine what he must've been through. I mean, the shit I went through was bad enough, but..."

"Yeah..." I breathed out, the image of Jack's purple, bleeding fragment of a soul coming to my mind.

"He's suffered like that for hundreds of years..." Jack whispered. "You think he'll be all right with Jaden?"

"I think Jaden is the second-best option to house Cameron, yeah," I said. "He's..."

"...What?"

"I can feel a change in him..." I whispered, focusing on my connection to him. "Ever since he and Oliver connected, he's been growing. He was so restless and rebellious until he met Oliver. But now... He's... Don't tell him I said this, but he's becoming more like his father."

"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. I like his father," Jack noted.

I chuckled lightly, then let out a slow breath. "I guess this grown Jaden wouldn't mind hearing that. He's much calmer. Much, much more secure with himself. Like a true Alpha."

"I do have to admit I prefer this new Jaden. He was so fucking irritating and immature," Jack muttered.

"I think Tilly and I only made it worse," I said with a short chuckle. "I guess we all were restless and immature."

"I honestly think you two made him better. I never had anything against you or Tilly. Hell, I actually enjoyed it when she broke my nose when Henry was possessing me. You won't believe how pissed Henry was because he couldn't do anything about it... It warmed my heart," Jack said, laughing lightly.

How was he able to laugh at a memory like that...?

"I don't know about making him better," I said, trying to smile as well. "We never stopped him from getting in trouble. I actually had fun getting in trouble with him."

"You rebel," Jack said, chuckling, but it died away soon. "I wish I could've been there... If my... If that bastard Thorn had let go of his anger... Maybe we could've been part of your pack all along..."

Now that hurt... He'd lost his childhood. He'd had to live his life in a miserable factory like rogues... And then as a slave for shadows.

"You are now part of us, Jack of Valhalla," I said quietly.

"Yes," he said, and I could hear his smile just before he took the deepest breath. "I am free now. The infestation is gone, and Henry's hold on me is fading."

"Yes, and I will make sure you'll get to experience life to the fullest," I promised.

"You mean, if we survive this war," he said.

"After we have survived this war," I corrected him.

"Sure..." he said, laughing again. "And... I can't wait."

"Me neither," I whispered.

We stayed silent for a while. I stared at the ceiling, letting my mind drift. I assumed Jack was falling asleep, but his breathing didn't change. I assumed he was doing the same as me, just watching the wooden panels above us. It was peaceful, though. I really enjoyed his company even when we were silent.

If only I could feel the bond he was still feeding after all this time...

"We actually kicked ass," Jack suddenly mumbled. "And so easily too. He and his army couldn't do shit to us. Except..."

"Except for Oliver's soul..." I said, the thought of having half my spirit torn away terrifying me. "I hope we can find a way to fix it. And fast. He keeps his brave face on but it's clear he's in pain..."

"And Adam now has the evil part of him..."

"I still can't believe he was able to steal it like that. That machine... It was so unnatural. It shouldn't exist."

"I hope I smashed it so hard he can't ever repair it," Jack said.

"I've been thinking about it. If he can make a machine like that, he can design an artifact to destroy other gifts from gods."

"We need that, whatever it is," Jack said. "We need those gifts. We can't let him keep breaking them."

"Agreed," I said. "Anyway... Should we actually try to sleep?"

"Sure..." Jack muttered.

'Before you do...'

I let out a small sigh when Fenrir appeared in the room.

"Twenty-four hours," Jack said sternly. "I will not care about anything in the next twenty-four hours."

His god smiled. "I only came to see how you guys are doing, don't worry."

"We're all right," Jack told him, sitting up on the bed.

I followed his example and took a better look at Fenrir. He seemed tired. His whole being was swaying a little.

"Are you all right?" I asked him.

"Have been better," Fenrir said. "Getting blasted through half the Spirit Realm is not an experience without a cost."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, getting increasingly worried.

"Let's just say I was stretched really thin," he said with a grin. "But I am recovering already, don't worry. I am more worried about you. All of you. What you had to deal with today..."

"We're fine," Jack repeated quietly. "It's Oliver who's not fine."

Fenrir's expression turned grim, and he sighed. "We will deal with that as swiftly as possible, I promise. For now, the remaining part of his soul stays strong. Well, both parts..."

"I wish I would've gotten up sooner. That way, I could've saved him on time," Jack said.

"Do not take that blame upon you," Fenrir said sternly. "You died and came back to life faster than most of the Champions ever have. And you were still able to fight. You did more than you should be capable of. You saved everyone. Oliver is alive because of you, and your friends are still free from possession."

"Yeah, yeah..." Jack mumbled with a light blush. "So... What now?"

Fenrir peered up at the ceiling, but I assumed he was looking at the Spirit Realm. "My cousins are running around, trying to find answers, but... I don't think we even have all the questions. Not the right ones, at least."

"You're speaking in riddles again," Jack noted.

Fenrir chuckled, but then sighed, his amusement fading. "Why is he doing this...? This is his world to protect, too. And I can't see corruption in him."

"If he burns this world like he wants, there will be nothing left for him, either, so why destroy it?" I asked.

We all fell silent. I had the feeling I knew what Fenrir meant by us having the right questions. We still had no idea what Adam's goal was here. But did it matter? Whatever he was set out to do, we needed to stop him.

"By the way, how did you get to us?" Jack asked. "You spooked the shit out of Adam."

Fenrir laughed loudly. "The boats of Valhalla follow their master wherever he goes."

"The boats?" I repeated.

"The large ships I saw in the sky?" Jack asked.

"Those indeed," Fenrir said.

"I thought I was hallucinating," Jack said with a smirk, and turned to me. "You should've seen them! There were dozens of these large wooden Viking vessels floating past me in the sky! And I heard battle horns as they passed me by."

"Those vessels are tied to you," Fenrir explained. "Wherever you go, they can follow you. I just hitchhiked my way to you."

"That's actually really cool," Jack said, and I had to agree.

"I wish I could see them as well," I said. "Sounds really cool."

"I'm sure you'll have the opportunity to witness it," Fenrir said. "But are you two sure you're all right? Is there anything you need?"

"I could really use some sleep," Jack said. "But otherwise I'm fine," he added, giving me a questioning look.

"I'm all right. Not a scratch," I said reassuringly. "Just tired."

"All right," Fenrir said. "I'll let you rest now. Call me if you need anything, and don't worry about anything. Let us deal with this mess and try to rest. If anything changes, we'll let you know."

"After twenty-four hours," Jack reminded him. "Before that, I don't want to know."

"Of course, dear Champion," Fenrir said with a bow, grinning. "Have a good rest."

"You look like you could rest too," Jack noted, but his god had already vanished.

Jack let out a deep, relieved breath and lay back down. "Next person or being who bothers me will get thrown out."

"You really need to sleep now," I agreed.

He peered at me. "You need that too, you know."

I shrugged. "I guess, but I'm not that tired."

"Just lay down already," he said with a chuckle, patting the spot next to him.

I hesitated, and since I wasn't moving fast enough, he took his hand in mine and pulled me down next to him. Jack had to glue himself to the wall to give me enough room. It took a moment for us both to settle down, side by side.

"My, what a narrow bed this is," I muttered jokingly, then blushed a little and laughed awkwardly.

His eyes were so close to me as he watched me...

"Can you... still not feel the bond?" he asked quietly, carefully.

I slowly closed my eyes to focus on it, but...

"I feel a lot of things," I muttered.

"Right... I thought it would... I mean, it's been several days since Oliver got rid of my infestation... But it doesn't matter..." he murmured, his eyes not really meeting mine anymore.

"Hey..." I whispered, and waited until he looked back at me. "Maybe it's because I'm a Beta. It's harder for us to feel it since our bond should be with our pack."

"Yeah... That's probably it," Jack said, and it seemed like my words cheered him up. "You're still here, and that's all I care about."

I nodded and shifted a little closer to him. "I'm sad I don't have cookies with me."

"You and your cookies," he said, laughing cheerfully.

"Cookies never fail," I said, smiling as well.

He quieted down, but his smile didn't fade. He rolled to his side, facing me with a shy expression on his face. I turned to my side too so I could see him better.

"You know..." I said quietly, carefully touching his arm. "I think the bond is supposed to be there. I think it is there, but... for some reason... I can't feel it. Like... Like I'm malfunctioning."

"Malfunctioning..." he repeated and snorted in amusement.

"Yeah," I breathed out. "Malfunctioning."

"Right, right..." he mumbled, his eyes falling partly closed. "You know... I'm really, really sleepy..."

"Okay..." I whispered, and found the courage to rest my hand on his side. "You should sleep now."

He nodded, and after a short little moment, he closed the small gap between us, and rested his head on my arm. I smiled and held him close. He looked so happy when he curled up against me, closing his eyes, and made himself comfortable in my arms.

It only took a moment for his breathing to grow deep and steady, and his body let go of the last bit of tension left behind by what we'd been through that day. I couldn't close my eyes. I was too comfortable watching his peaceful sleep to do so. He was a handsome man with his silvery hair that hung past his eyes, high cheekbones, his soft-looking lips, his long eyelashes. I simply could not look away.

He felt so right in my arms. Soft and warm... His body was still small, smaller than it should be, but he was growing. His strength was already showing, both physically and mentally. And he had a nice scent... I couldn't put my finger on it, but it made me think of winter.

And again, I tried to feel the bond. I tried so hard to search for it in the middle of the thousands of webs, but all I could feel were the hundreds of bonds that tied us both to this world and the people and places in it. But it had to be there. Why wouldn't it be there? Why would I not want him as my mate?

Because this... Him in my arms... It was right.