HIIIII :D

13th Chapter of The Heirs is here and it is dedicated to @ALIFEYA :D

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OATS:

Oats are considered to be the healthiest grains on earth and are also incredibly nutritious and glutton free. I first came across oats when my aunt gave it to my grandpa, saying it was good for heart and it is because oats contain both soluble and insoluble fibre which reduces cholesterol and blood sugar level.

I happen to eat oatmeal every day after returning from work because it is known to increase a feeling of fullness. Since it's also rich in fibre, it also helps relieve constipation.

Besides this, oats are commonly used exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and clean pores.

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"There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception."
― Aldous Huxley

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CHAPTER 13 – LIGHTNING BOLT

"Their boat is heading towards our side," Skyla said as she watched Ash in the backyard playing with Savage.

Ash pretended to mock punch the Rottweiler who jumped and stood on his hind legs. Amongst the three dogs, Savage was the one who was more demanding and had an inexhaustible source of energy. Unlike Rowdy and Villain, Ash had brought Savage home when he was a two weeks old puppy.

The previous owner just couldn't tolerate his cries and Ash had rescued the puppy before he could be sent to some pet home.

"Cool," Ash said as he held Savage's forelimbs. They stared at each other for a while, until Ash let go of one arm.

"You have got twenty minutes before their boat reaches our banks. Sam is already outside" Skyla continued watching Acheron curiously.

"Tell him to come in. She wants a fight with me and that's what she'll get" Ash said calmly as he slowly showed his fist to his dog. When Savage moved his open jaws towards it, Ash raised his hand above his head, while the rottweiler leaned on him for support.

"She is a child," Skyla said in disapproval. Ash raised his head and cocked a questioning brow.

"Last I heard, she was not" Ash reminded.

He moved his fist again and this time, Savage clamped it between his jaws but did not bite on it. They moved around in a circle just like that and Ash chuckled while Savage jumped to balance himself.

"She turned twenty a couple of months ago, but she is still way too young to fight with someone of your calibre" Skyla frowned as Ash pulled his fist back from the dog's mouth.

"When she decided to come here, you know what her choice was. You should respect her choice" Ash said with a smug grin and Skyla wanted to slap him. When he noticed her clenched fists, his grin widened.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, praying for patience because there were several times when Ash taxed her patience even more than her prepubescent daughter did.

"Relax, I will go easy on her," he said standing upright as a panting Savage who liked the rough play too much repeatedly demanded Ash's attention

"Why do you even have to go at her? Why cannot you join hands with—"

The loud growl that emanated from Ash forced Skyla to stop mid-sentence. Sensing the tension, Savage stood on his fours and growled lowly, curiously watching his surroundings because she wasn't a threat to his master.

Skyla however tensed when she saw how stiff Ash's back was and how the veins in his hands were visible as he fought for composure.

She knew she shouldn't have brought the topic of Ash joining hands with Lysander. He hated the man and though she thought Ash was being unreasonable at times, there were times when she sided with Ash over Lysander because there were times when Lysander chose to go easy on his enemies, even when he shouldn't.

She cleared her throat, hesitant on what to say next.

"I know Lysander has helped you once, but it wasn't him who had brought the executioner to you" Ash reminded and Skyla growled at that unnecessary reminder.

Ash had kept his promise to her and had got her mate's executioner for her and she and Irwin had enjoyed chopping his fingers off before brutally killing the man.

"If it was up to Lysander, he would have told you to go for the king and not the executioner." That one statement by Ash reminded Skyla once again of the difference between Ash's cold personality and Lysander's calculative one.

While Lysander believed in overcoming hurdles and getting to the root, Ash believed in chopping off everything that came in his way to the root of the problem.

"I know. That's why even when I know Lysander isn't in the wrong, I still choose to support you" Skyla said flatly and Ash turned to look at her. His cold blue eyes met her brown ones before he gave a nod of approval.

"Does she have a team?" Ash asked as he tapped Savage's back twice before urging him towards his kennel.

"No. It's just her and her father" Skyla sighed.

Ash was surprised enough by this piece of information, to pause in doubt and Skyla chose that opportunity to make her point. "They don't have any backups, which makes me believe that they are not here for a fight but some kind of deal."

"I won't make any deals with that womanizer" Ash spat in disgust, before going back inside the house.

Skyla counted to ten before following after him. "I am assuming they are after a deal. Well, what if they proposed one and it sounds good?"

"I don't trust Lysander" Ash gritted out as he climbed up the stairs.

"I am not asking you to trust him, I am just asking you to consider what they might propose. Stop and just think for a while, see if it's good for you because we all know enemy's enemy is your best friend and Lysander is King's enemy as much as you are" Skyla tried to reason.

Ash stopped and whirled around to glare at her with eyes that were turning dark in fury, "I have no friends and I don't need any friends. My vengeance with the king will be complete and I don't need anyone to help me get it."

"You made this far with some help. Never forget that" Skyla warned with a growl of her own.

"And those who chose to help me have their selfish motives too. Never forget that!" Ash reminded with a cold grin and Skyla flinched because it was true.

Her phone rang at the same time and Ash chuckled when he saw the caller id, "Another one with a selfish motive."

Compressing her lips, Skyla answered the call, "What is it?"

"I had a meeting with the king today," the caller from the other side said in a hushed voice.

"And?" Skyla was uninterested.

"Saint and his friends had some girl with them at the time they were kidnapped. Some human girl. The king called us to the meeting because, in the autopsy reports, there was no dead body of a girl."

Skyla narrowed her eyes and looked at Ash, who was also listening in to the call.

"Karl, the other survivor mentioned that there had been a girl but Xanthos told the king that he hadn't seen any girl that day" the caller shared.

Skyla watched as Ash compressed his lips and turned to walk away. Was this the same girl whom Lachlan had mentioned to her two days ago? Her name Cyane something... Lachlan had warned her that she could be an unnecessary distraction.

When she saw Ash's tensed back, she realized that he wouldn't share anything of the same with her and if she wanted to know more, she had to get Lachlan to answer which was even worse because he was a tougher nut to crack than Ash.

"The king is suspicious of the girl. He believes she had trapped his son somehow and was with Johnny and his men. He had asked Xanthos and me to go to Crescere to find out about this girl because they couldn't catch her scent in the warehouse either. I made my excuse to Xanthos... he is going to visit Crescere alone but he is going to cover for me" the caller said gleefully and Skyla shook her head but knew better than to comment.

"Do you know anything about the girl? Did you catch her scent when you had gone to the building?" the caller asked curiously.

"No and no. But thanks for the update Grayson, as usual, it was very valuable" Skyla lied flatly and then cut the call.

When he recognized the sarcasm in her tone, Ash chuckled mirthlessly. "What do you think Xanthos is going to find in Crescere?" Skyla questioned.

"Nothing. He is going to find nothing in the warehouse. It will be pristine with no trace of anything. I had men clean it up and remove all evidence of my attack" Ash said smugly.

"Two days ago, Lachlan had told me about a girl that rattled you, is this the same one?" Skyla demanded.

"I didn't know you two gossiped" Ash commented.

"And I didn't know you would avoid answering," Skyla countered tartly. Ash growled at her and she smirked, before continuing, "Where is this girl now?"

Suddenly her eyes widened in realization and she spoke again, "Wait... Grayson told me just yesterday about a girl Miki accidentally kidnapped. A mute girl who is now staying with Xanthos. It's the same girl isn't it?"

When Ash walked away, Skyla gritted her teeth and followed Ash as he went back to his office downstairs. "It's the same girl—Cyane. She is with Xanthos. What the hell? Do you know what is going to happen to her if the King finds out?"

"And who is going to tell the king?" Ash demanded cocking an eyebrow. "Xanthos isn't going to tell the king because he wants the girl for himself."

Skyla was stunned by that piece of information until she grasped why Xanthos, the Hound, would keep this from his master. "Mates," Skyla said in a shocked whisper and her eyes brightened before she added, "Oh my God! She is—"

"Yes, and it was she who chose to stay," Ash said smugly. "She is not a mute though" he added as an afterthought.

"How do you know that?" Skyla demanded.

Ash knew because to keep him entertained Eleni would always tell him about her daughter's antics and how she believed Cyane would grow up to become a sass queen. However, he did not share that bit with Skyla because his memories with Eleni were the only good thing about his otherwise bleak childhood.

"Ash," Skyla said softly. "She is not safe there."

"She is Xanthos's mate and he is going to keep her safe" Ash murmured smoothly.

"Xanthos might have to stand against the king to do that" Skyla pointed out because if Saint woke up, then he is going to recognize Cyane. "He has already made the first move, hasn't he? He has lied to the king and his friends. This is good... this is so very good. When Xanthos stands against the throne, many more rogues will."

Skyla could already see it happening. She could also see pack wolves going against the king when they realize how their wretched king treated mated couples!

"You don't have to worry about Cyane," Ash said visibly irritated by the topic. However, he growled when he saw the distant look in Skyla's dark brown eyes.

"That poor girl" Skyla couldn't help but feel sorry for Cyane as she thought of what is going to happen in the immediate future. "She has no idea what is coming!"

Without bothering to reply and not ready to think about what is going to happen shortly, Ash turned his attention back to the computer screen. He quickly closed the screen with Cyane's photo from the screen before Skyla could notice it and opened the CCTV footages.

"They are here," he said with a grin when he saw the boat mooring towards the jetty on the coast.

Without wasting another second, he moved towards the cupboard and picked up the jute cloth and the voice changing device.

"I doubt she has heard your voice before," Skyla remarked.

"She might in the future" Ash shrugged as he covered his face with the cloth.

"You will go easy on Minerva?" Skyla asked when he was done covering his face. Ash raised his head to look at her and gave a twisted smile. "When I used to visit Lysander's house, I remember seeing her. She was the same age then as Izara is now. No matter what you think of her father, you have to agree with me that Minerva is innocent. She got dragged here only because you chose to hurt her mate."

"No. She got dragged here because she decided to become the queen!" With that said, Ash walked out, leaving Skyla all alone in the room.

Sighing, she sat in the chair opposite Ash's desk and turned his laptop towards her so that she could see what was happening outside.

Skyla knew why Ash wanted his revenge, she completely understood it but she could also sympathize with Minerva's pain because she was a she-wolf fighting for her mate. It was a fight where no one could be the winner or loser and Skyla hoped both the parties would realize it sooner rather than later.

___

With hands tucked inside the pocket of his sweatpants, Acheron stood at the balcony and watched as Minerva, who was sitting on the back of her father's wolf approached towards his estate premises.

Lysander's wolf was grey and Ash was surprised to see it because he was a grey wolf himself. Though he did not have black fur on his back as Lysander did.

His wolf growled nastily and with herculean effort, Ash pushed back his wolf refusing to shift at such a crucial time.

The moment they stepped into his estate, his dogs barked furiously and Ash smiled. They were in their kennels on the backyard but the moment they caught an unfamiliar scent they went into beast mode.

Skyla's brothers Samuel and Sheldon stopped them near the entrance on Ash's command. Minerva got off her father's back and glared at them like a haughty queen, she no doubt thought she was.

Sam and Sheldon refused to budge and Ash smirked because he couldn't have asked for better guards for his estate. Only one of them was allowed to step into the compound and Ash very much hoped it was Lysander because that would give him the chance to tear the other wolf into pieces.

He was however disappointed when Minerva moved ahead, while Lysander growled and snapped his jaws at Skyla's brothers. Running a hand over her father's furry neck, Minerva hugged him and pressed her forehead against his head.

Ash frowned because he had never seen that kind of affection before. Eleni used to talk about her daughter lovingly but he had never seen how they interacted. He hadn't got any affection from his so-called parents and he still remembered their screams when they had watched him shift for the first time. They hadn't known what he was and before that day, neither did Ash know what he was.

When she turned back to face Sam, there was a fierce determination in her eyes and Ash smirked because he liked that. With the smirk still on, he climbed down the stairs and stood near the entrance of his mansion.

Once Minerva was inside the compound, Sam closed the iron gates and nodded at Ash, who nodded back. Sam and his brother would make sure Lysander wouldn't act smart because if she tried anything, then Ash's men who were spread all around the island wouldn't hesitate in killing him and that would be a disappointment to him because he wanted to be the one to kill Lysander.

It was only then that he allowed himself to have a proper glance of Minerva. She was a beauty just like her mother, with dark brown hair curls and a heart-shaped face. However, her eyes were a piercing blue like her father's and Ash had noticed that difference from a distance.

She was tall, lean and trained because there was a certain way in which she carried herself that made her stand out.

His wolf who had been growling when she had been afar, now sat back and assessed her thoughtfully.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said graciously and she cocked an eyebrow. Ash understood why because there was nothing humble about his mansion. It looked it's worth even from the outside but for him, this wasn't his home. This was a hideout place and at the moment, he was on the process of building a real home because he was turning twenty-eight soon and was getting closer to finishing his enemy and once he fulfilled his revenge, he would officially make himself known to the world.

"You have men even in the docks," Minerva said instead and Ash smirked.

"I thought it was obvious, I wouldn't just let anyone come to my island" he stated with a shrug.

"No. Only those who you think are worthy."

"Correct."

"But I am not worthy enough to see your face?" she demanded and when Ash smiled, he saw the way her eyes hardened and knew, it was difficult for her not to shift into her wolf at the sight of him.

"No," he said flatly.

"Or maybe you are just hiding?"

"How the hell am I hiding when I am standing right in front of you?" Ash demanded cocking his eyebrow.

"But not in front of my dad. You are not ready to face him yet" she said with a careless shrug and while he growled, his wolf didn't even bother enough to respond.

"Trust me, princess, I wished very badly for him to be the one to step in. But he is a coward and as usual, chose the easy way out."

Ash waited for her to lunge but Minerva surprised him by simply saying, "No. He is a man whose ego won't be wounded when a woman decides to step forward."

"Oh! My ego is not wounded at the thought of fighting a woman. Instead, I am excited to fight with a woman who has been trained by Lysander himself. Heard he was a pro once upon a time" Ash said with a grin.

"He is still a pro and with every punch that I land on your masked face, you will regret making us your enemy" Minerva swore passionately.

"When you come between me and the king, you automatically become my enemy" Ash gritted out and she frowned at him.

"Whose side are you on?" she asked shaking her head.

"I don't do sides. I stand on my own and it's up to people to either stand beside me or get out of my way" Ash spat out the last few words.

"I will never stand beside you" Minerva hissed.

"Then you have to get out of my way," he said simply.

"If you wanted me out of your way, you shouldn't have kidnapped my mate." Minerva took a threatening step forward.

"I kidnapped him because he surprised me. Not only was he betraying the king, but he also made a new friend" Ash pointed out and watched her growl furiously.

"You will never get Cyane" she swore. "She has survived your attack and she has forgotten but the day she remembers what happened to her, she, herself will come after you."

It took considerable effort on Ash's part to shut his mouth and not set Minerva straight on certain things. Like Gideon, Minerva and her father no doubt believed he had attacked Cyane in the woods. He hadn't but someone else did and Ash intended to find out who but after hearing Minerva's words he realized she didn't know who did and she also believed Cyane had no memory of the incident.

However, Ash firmly believed Cyane was lying. She had convinced Grayson and his friends that she was mute, maybe she successfully managed to convince Lysander and his family that she had no memory either.

She was smart, Ash would give her that. But he was smarter and he has been playing games for a long, long time. He could outmanoeuvre Cyane easily but at the moment he had far more important things to do. Cyane was safe where she was!

"I am amazed you think I have so many superpowers," he remarked instead.

"Oh! You don't have any powers. You have come so far only by pressing the weak nerve of your opponents" Minerva taunted and Ash bared his fangs at her implication.

What the hell did this princess know about the struggle? What did she know about the hard work he had put at the initial stage of his career, about the sleepless nights, about rigorous training he had undergone to be prepared for physical fights? What did she know about the sweat and blood he had shed? How he had lived in hiding? How he had built his network? What did she know about him?

Before Gideon, Ash had never touched a mated wolf and if he had known that day that Gideon was a mated wolf, then he might not have kidnapped Gideon either. However, it was too late to have regrets or second thoughts and now that he had Gideon and knew he was betraying the king, he wanted to make sure Gideon wouldn't be a problem to him, which was why he wasn't letting Gideon go.

Though it was Cyane whom he wanted to grill, he had been sure she wouldn't come to the food court. He hadn't expected her. He had only found out Minerva was in the place and he had wanted to kidnap Minerva. Yesterday in the food-court, he had impulsively decided to kidnap Minerva but Grayson had informed him about Miki's plan and that was why Ash retreated because he knew Miki would make a scene. And like expected, Miki had messed up and picked the wrong girl!

However, he had Minerva now and he wouldn't be letting her go anytime soon. She would be trapped in the building along with her mate so that both can be happy and miserable together. Lysander would be a thorn though and once he had Minerva trapped, he would force Lysander into submission too, Ash thought with a wicked grin. Once Lysander was out of his way, he would make the required moves to completely trap the king and ultimately kill that old geezer.

While Minerva's eyes darkened, Ash noticed that he didn't have to push back his wolf because his wolf was sprawled in relaxation. His brows furrowed because that was unexpected. How can his wolf be so chilled out when his pets were jumping and barking like mad in the backyard?

"Do you want me to prove you wrong?" he asked instead, ignoring his wolf's reaction.

"If you can," Minerva said smartly and gritting his teeth, Ash rushed towards her.

She did the same and as he approached closer, he noticed something off about her scent. He shouldn't have been able to catch her scent because he had silver sulphide sprinkled all over his compound but there was something about her that had his wolf consider her as not a threat.

Ash believed it was her scent but he wasn't sure what it was. By then she had raised her fist to punch him. He leaned back and when she swung again, he ducked and moved away. She twirled and raised her legs to kick him in the face but he missed by a narrow inch.

When she snarled, he laughed and she raised her leg high and kicked him in the chest. As he fell on his back, he growled menacingly but his wolf simply sat back on his haunches, refusing to come at the forefront. When Minerva moved to kick him, he rolled over and then holding her leg, he forced her to fall on her back.

She groaned and he used that opportunity to stand up. Shaking his head, he watched as she gracefully jumped back to her feet and clenched her fists to glare at him. When her eyes widened, he noticed that she seemed distracted too.

She made a move to attack him and he raised his hands blocking her. She kept throwing hits, but he blocked them with his arms and one time when he blocked her, she used her wrist to push his arm back towards his chest and then kicked his shin. Growling, he slammed his head against hers and when her head fell back at the impact, he made a move to hit her stomach but hesitated because as Skyla said, she was very young. His wolf growled and Ash was shocked when he realized that his wolf was trying not to fight.

It was her scent. There was something off about her scent, he was convinced. Silver sulphide might have prevented them from shifting but it didn't stop his wolf from conveying his thoughts and right now, his wolf wanted him to step back.

Minerva used that moment of hesitation to bend sideward and slam her knees against his thighs and his stomach. Even hurt, his wolf refused to fight and Ash wondered why it was so. Minerva moved and then rammed her shoulders against his back twice and as Ash bent over she slammed her elbows against the back of his neck.

Before she could repeat, he caught her wrist and then pulling her over his head, he slammed her to the ground. Growling, he raised his fist to knock her out but when his eyes met her wide blue ones, his wolf gave one long howl before barking.

"Do it" Minerva hissed and as Ash stared at her in confusion, she spat the words again.

"What the hell?" Ash muttered as he stood on his knees beside her.

Minerva rolled over and then sat on all fours. Ash watched with a scowl when she growled repeatedly and tried to shift into her wolf. The long sleeves of her maroon top began to tear apart as she struggled to bring her wolf out. She slammed her hands on the ground angrily when she failed for the fourth time.

It wasn't just the silver sulphide because when silver sulphide is used, the wolf does try to come out but is forcefully pushed back. Now as Ash watched Minerva's wolf refuse to come at the front like his own, he realized something else was the reason that had both their wolves refuse to fight each other.

She was of the Zeke blood. He knew the miserable couple who brought him up was not his real parents. His biological father had been a wolf and his mother a human. His mother's useless sister and her equally useless husband had taken him in when his parents had died. His biological father was a nobody in the wolf lineage. Their family name didn't pop up anywhere or was it some cover-up? Did his father hide some truth? He had no idea and since he doesn't remember the man, he had never been curious but now... Ash wanted to know more because his wolf refusing to fight the Zeke scion was just not normal behaviour.

Which family did he belong to? The royal Zeke family in Scevola was completely wiped out... was it true or another lie? Why did his wolf howl in happiness? What the hell was he thinking?

He did not have royal blood. He hated all the royals!

A punch to the face had him fall on his side and he turned around just in time to block Minerva from hitting him again. He blocked her moves again and then slammed her wrists, before pushing her back with his palms.

She stumbled backwards and then roughly sweeping her curls off her face, she rushed towards him. After preventing several hits, he tried to pick her up, but she wrapped an arm around his neck and then kneed him in the stomach. Before she could hit him in the groin, he tugged her hands off his shoulder and twisted it.

She screamed and as his wolf snapped his jaws, Ash let her go and took two steps away to help her recover. Gnashing his teeth, he looked up and found Samuel watching him from the other side of the gate, with a frown in his face.

When Sam's eyes widened, Ash knew Minerva was lunging again and quickly turning, he picked her up and threw her to the ground. As his wolf complained furiously, he stepped past her and breathing heavily, he wondered what was wrong with his wolf.

Who was this girl? Why couldn't he fight with her?

Flipping, Minerva got back to her feet and this time as she pulled her hand from her back, she held a dagger and smiling, Ash rubbed off the small sand particles, stuck to the jute cloth, that was prickling his cheek.

She moved it expertly in her hands before holding it defensively in front of her face. He ducked when she raised her leg to kick him and she swung her knife at him, but he jumped back just in time. Her eyes widened when she realized she missed him and Ash thumped her wrist with his own, but the hold she had on the dagger was tight and it didn't fall off her fingers as he expected.

Instead, she rammed the elbows of her free hand against his cheek and then tried to pierce his cheek with the dagger but he blocked her by holding both her hands and crossing it in front of her before roughly pulling it apart and then slamming his head against her face, before pushing her back by slamming his palm against her chest.

She fell back several steps and then lowering her head, she tried to breathe normally. When she looked up again, the hatred and confusion in her eyes mirrored his feelings and screaming in rage, she held the dagger as a sword and ran towards him.

He rushed to meet her halfway. Using a flower pot as a stair, she leapt high and with a war cry raised her hand high above her head, completely prepared to stab him. Her eyes glowed and as Ash growled, he realized his wolf was had finally stepped forward. As he craned his neck to look at Minerva leaping high to attack him, he saw something smoky before him.

A bolt of lightning hit them at the exact moment and as the current spread over their body, they fell miles apart, the ground between them marred by Lichtenberg figures.

Loud footsteps could be heard as Ash's wolf trembled within him by the force of the current that hit him.

As he struggled to breathe and keep his eyes open, he heard a deafening roar of the thunder and then everything went black.

•••

"Minerva. Minerva.... baby wake up, please baby. Look at me!"

With visible effort, Minerva opened her eyes and everything was blurry for her until she saw a figure on their knees. Blinking repeatedly, she tried to focus till Gideon's face was clear to her.

"Yes. Come on" Gideon encouraged and she groaned when she felt her head getting heavy again.

"What?" she murmured looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. She was trapped in a room that was painted white all over and there was only one window at the room and it was behind Gideon.

Her wolf howled in joy as Minerva stared at her mate, with wide eyes. He was kneeling on the ground and his hazel eyes were shining happily. His messy blond hair was sticking all over his forehead and his clothes were covered in dirt. She smiled but her smile turned to frown when she noticed that his hands were tied.

Growling, she moved to break the chains only to be held back, mere inches from Gideon. Her eyes rounded in disbelief when she noticed that her own hands were bound by chains.

She saw the cuffs around her wrist and snarled. Disliking the chains that trapped them, her wolf too growled aggressively because she was unable to touch her mate.

That's when it hit her on how she ended up here, in the prison cell with Gideon.

"He promised to let you go," Gideon said calmly and Minerva watched him with a frown on her face.

"Who brought me here?" she demanded as she tried to break the chains.

"Don't. Don't try to break it, it clasps tighter around your wrists when you try to pull it off the hinges" Gideon advised softly and she stopped trying to pull at the chains. "His men brought you here. You were unconscious for a while... what happened? They wouldn't tell me."

Truth to be told, she didn't know what had happened either. She had been fighting Acheron Zeke, when all of a sudden, she was struck by a lightning bolt that had sent her flying across the gates of his mansion.

"Dad?" she gasped as she wondered where her father was. He had been outside... did they hurt him too?

"Lysander is safe."

"Where is he? What did they do to him?" Minerva spat looking around the room until her eyes caught on the camera's placed on all the walls of the room. "Where is my dad?" she shouted looking at the camera and when she got no reply, she snarled while her wolf paced anxiously.

"Minerva" Gideon called and she looked at him again, "What happened? Why did you come here?"

"I came for you" Minerva's response was instant and when Gideon closed his eyes in pain, her wolf whined softly.

"Knowing the risks, you shouldn't have come here," Gideon said quietly. "Your parents need you more at the moment and so do mine. How are they?"

"Your mom cries whenever she talks to me and your dad is trying to be strong. They are both glad to know that you are alive" Minerva shared, watching her mate and all the dried blood coating the corner of his face. "I couldn't just let him keep you a prisoner here and blackmail dad. He was using our relationship against us."

"I know. But by coming here, you walked right into his trap. He has you where he wanted. What better way to control Lysander than trapping his daughter?" Gideon asked and Minerva paled because she realized she had given in to her anger and let herself get cornered by Ash. She didn't know where her father was now and Ash hated him.

"No," she said frantically. "No. He... I am going to kill you if you touch my dad" Minerva hissed glaring at the camera. "I am going to kill you" she shouted as angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Try connecting with him through the link" Gideon suggested and when Minerva tried, she closed her eyes and fell back in relief when she got a response from her dad's wolf. He was here... he was close!

"What happened?" Gideon pressed worriedly.

"His mind link is blocked but his wolf howled back" she answered with visible relief. "I hope he is okay."

"He will be" Gideon assured her with a smile and when she looked at him, tears filled her eyes because she missed him so badly. This past week had been hell on earth for her, not knowing where he was, how he was! Her wolf had been nervous and though she had tried to be strong, inside she had been crumbling because she hadn't known what was going to happen next.

"How are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I am okay." When Gideon plastered on a brave smile, more tears filled her eyes and she closed her eyes and let the tears flow freely. "Hey..." Gideon called her and sniffing audibly, she looked up, "I am proud of you and though I shouldn't be saying this, I am still glad you came here to fight for me."

Gideon gave his trademark smile and as her heart thumped in her chest, she chuckled before more tears filled her eyes. "I love you," she said after a while.

"And I love you," he admitted happily. When his wolf howled and tried to connect with her, she howled back immediately. The connection brought a momentary relief to their wolves and her wolf sat back on her haunches, relieved and now, ready to talk to Gideon.

She started by telling him how she came here and then told him about her fight with Ash, which must have occurred about an hour ago because Gideon shared with her that he had been trying to wake her up from past thirty minutes.

"Did he hurt you?" Gideon's eyes were wide with alarm. "Your clothes are torn."

It happened when she was trying unsuccessfully to shift into her wolf.

"No. He didn't hurt me" Minerva said sincerely as she remembered several times Ash held back from seriously hurting her. "His wolf... he seemed familiar" Minerva recalled her wolf's strange reaction to Ash's wolf. Her wolf simply didn't want to fight and it was only when she was reminded of her mate that she made a move to attack Ash. So out of sync was her wolf with her that she missed several punches and got distracted numerous times.

There was something about his scent or maybe it was the man himself, Minerva wasn't sure but there was something that was bothering her wolf.

"I swear, I haven't met him before today, yet there was something about his wolf that seemed familiar" Minerva shared, her eyes distant as she recalled the tall, light brown-haired man. With his physique and his height, he was hard to miss and if Minerva had met him before, she would have remembered him.

He had a strong, confident aura around him and it would have hardly gone unnoticed! Yet, she was also one hundred per cent sure that before today, she had never met him.

Who was Acheron Zeke?

"Familiar... how?" Gideon's brows were furrowed.

"My wolf didn't want to fight him," she said closing her eyes as she recalled the way her wolf never came forward, up until... Her eyes opened in a flash and she stared sightlessly.

"What is it? What happened?" Gideon asked worriedly.

"He has a protection around him. An aura of something" Minerva said as she recalled her wolf seeing a smoky grey exterior around Acheron Zeke. "The moment my dagger touched it; we were both hit by lightning bolts."

"An aura?" Gideon was perplexed.

Minerva nodded, "Something around him to protect him. It's not... our kind doesn't involve in magic. He is different."

"He is a wolf" Gideon frowned.

"No. He is an adopted child, remember? That's all we know about Ash's past. He has kept himself hidden and no one knows anything about his origin. The magic around him... it's not normal. There was something ominous about the aura. It was like a warning!" she continued. "Cyane was right. There are other creatures out there and I... I laughed when she said that" Minerva finished bleakly.

"If Ash was a half-breed, it would have been known. There are wolves out there who have seen him as a pup. They can assure you he is not a half-breed" Gideon reminded.

"He is a wolf but whoever has given him that protection isn't" Minerva's blue eyes were fixed on Gideon. "It's not normal. For a second... for a second when my wolf refused to fight him, I thought he... he is... I thought we were of the same blood, but he is different."

"Whatever he is, whoever he is... he won't be staying incognito for long. He has plans.... He has plans to crush the whole kingdom" Gideon said hastily and Minerva furrowed her brows.

"The kingdom? Why?"

"He wants to kill the king and he doesn't want Lysander to interfere. He specifically hates your father for that reason alone. So... just... please warn your dad about this" Gideon whispered the last part looking around the room, fully aware that he was being overheard.

"Papa won't sit back and let him destroy the kingdom. You know it's wrong!"

"Yes. I know and I am trying to make him understand. He is... Acheron can be a friend" Gideon hesitated waiting for her reaction and as expected Minerva growled after she heard his words.

"How can you say that? He has kidnapped you, chained you here... took you away from me? How is he a friend?"

"When I talked to him... he seemed educated, smart and very, very cunning. He has it all planned. He knows what he is doing. He has been planning for years, Minerva. Years. Things might not have always gone according to his plan but he knows a way to turn it to his advantage. He wasn't the one who had kidnapped Saint. It was Johnny and his men. When Ash found out Johnny was taking his name, he decided to take advantage of the situation and—"

"He kidnapped you" Minerva hissed.

"Yes."

"Why only you and Alex, when the Hound was there too? Why spare Xanthos?" Minerva demanded.

"I had knocked out Xanthos. I had him down before Cyane escaped. Maybe Ash thought he was dead already... I don't know. Whatever the reason, we have to be careful about Xanthos because he has seen Cyane" Gideon warned.

At that, Minerva's eyes rounded in disbelief. "What? How do you know they have met before?" she questioned.

"What do you mean they have met before?"

She then shared with Gideon what Cyane had told her the moment she had seen Xanthos's picture.

"That's why he was watching her that day. We were all fighting and he was watching her... he was transfixed until I hit him" Gideon said with a frown.

The way Xanthos was watching her... Gideon could still remember it. Xanthos had been known to be focused. He was called hound because of the way he chased his prey, yet he had been ignorant of his surroundings at that moment. While people around him had been fighting, Xanthos had been calmly following Cyane's every move and making sure no one got to her while she had been beating up Johnny's men.

Were Cyane and Xanthos—

His thoughts were interrupted and Gideon furrowed his brows when he heard the white noise coming from the speaker. It went on for a few more seconds until Ash's voice rang out, "As lovely and sweet the reunion was, it has to come to an end. You have only five more minutes."

Minerva scowled while Gideon inhaled deeply before nodding.

"Five more minutes for what?" Minerva asked perplexed.

"Ash has agreed to let you go," Gideon said with a smile.

"Only me. What about you?"

"You and your dad. He is letting you both go on the condition that I stay here as collateral."

"No. No" Minerva shook her head frantically and gritted her teeth as she tried to break the chains. "No!" she roared.

"Minerva. Listen to me" Gideon pleaded when she continued to pull the hinges off the wall like a crazed woman and groaned in pain, while her wolf fought inside her to be let free only to realize she couldn't shift. Her growls were loud and furious. "Minerva" Gideon called out loudly and she flipped her head to look at him, brown curls flying off her face and she looked so beautiful despite the dust and sweat covering her face that he wanted to kiss her, only that she was so far despite being so near.

"Do you trust me?"

"You know I do" she replied and stopped moving the chains.

"Then will you trust me when I say that to win this war, we need Ash's help?" Gideon asked softly. Minerva inhaled sharply and stared at her mate. "We do need his help. He wants the king and only king. He will kill the king on his terms and all we have to do is get out of his way."

"You mean, papa has to get out of his way" Minerva stated and Gideon nodded. "I can't trust his words. He might have compromised you already and Xanthos... If he remembers you hit him, then he is suspicious of you too. You will be in danger, here and there. Your family will be in danger. How the hell do I trust him?"

"I can take care of myself. But my family and pack... please take care of them for me" Gideon pleaded.

"You know I will. I will protect them from the king" Minerva stated in determination.

"I know and you are right. If Ash hasn't compromised me, then it's only because Xanthos has. I had knocked him out to let Cyane escape and... Ash claims he hasn't hurt Cyane and strangely, I find myself believing him."

"Cyane believes the same" Minerva shared with a frown. However, she refrained herself from mentioning about the other creatures out there or the barrier protecting Ash. He could overhear her and use whatever she said against Gideon.

"Trust her and please for my sake... just stay away from Ash. His plans for the king are coming to an end and until then... until then he wants me here to trap Lysander and I have agreed on the condition that he—"

"Let both of us go" Minerva whispered through teary eyes and Gideon nodded with a sad smile.

However, before she could say anything, Gideon trembled and when she screamed her whole body was also hit by the current from the chains and as her wolf trembled in pain, she closed her eyes and gave into the darkness.

•••

Sitting on his seat in his office, Ash watched Sam unchain Minerva and pick her up in his arms. She had collapsed in pain and as he heard her whine Gideon's name, his wolf stood up and paced repeatedly.

Once Sam was out of the room, Skyla turned in her seat to look back at him.

"An aura, really?" she asked Ash and he scoffed.

"I do not have any aura around me" he stated flatly.

"I saw you fight. You both are well trained, yet I felt like I was watching two kids fight" Skyla shared wryly and Ash's scowl deepened.

There was complete silence for few more minutes as they both watched Sam carrying Minerva to her father, who had already been tranquillized by Sheldon. After they were hit by lightning bolts, Skyla had ordered Ash to be brought in and she had let Minerva be chained in the same room as Gideon so that her wolf could heal faster.

It had taken almost fifteen minutes for Ash to gain consciousness after the impact and he didn't like being that vulnerable or unaware of his surroundings. It reminded him of the last time he had felt those feelings... fourteen years ago when he had been taken to the Crescere prison along with other pups.

"You may be a half-breed," Skyla said softly and Ash looked at her through the corner of his eyes.

"My biological mother was a human" Ash snapped.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he snapped again. "I was brought up by her sister and her loser husband. Both incapable humans who were a waste of space. Trust me, if theirs was a family of anything other than humans, I wouldn't have made it out of there alive when I had shifted into my wolf."

"Then what kind of protection is she talking about?"

"There is no protection or aura" Ash growled, angry that he had to even use those crap words.

"But it is true. The lightning hit you both only when she tried to stab you. You did not notice anything?" Skyla asked.

"No" Ash lied easily even though he had seen something smoky before him. It was his wolf who had seen that.

"Are your parents even your biological parents?" Skyla demanded and at her question, Ash paused to look at her with a frown.

"They are. I had a photo of them holding me when I was a baby. When my aunt wasn't drunk out of her mind, she would share details about her past and show some photos. The photo was of the first time they had brought me home" Ash shrugged.

"Is anyone in your family alive?"

"None"

"That's very helpful," Skyla said sarcastically and Ash ignored her as he turned his attention back to the monitor to watch Samuel wrap a blanket around Minerva and Lysander, who were both unconscious in the boat. After paying the helmsman, Samuel walked away.

"It is over" Skyla sighed. "I am glad everything fell into place. Now, we just have to hope Lysander listens to your advice" she added standing up. "You need to rest and I need to go, it's very late. Take care" she smiled at him and Ash nodded.

As Minerva and Lysander's boat sailed away from the coast, Ash couldn't help but recall the smoky thing he had seen.

He was not a half-breed and he was sure of that. His wolf did not possess any superpowers. Yes, he was a prodigy but that was the only special thing about him.

Yet, he couldn't shake off one particular thought out of his mind. This was the second time he was struck by a lightning bolt. The first time, was when he had escaped from Crescere.

At that time, the king's men had come to attack him and he snarled as he recalled the way they had come to kill him with swords and extended claws. The moment a soldier had tried to slice him with the sword, the lightning bolt had struck the ground between them and it had given him several crucial minutes that for a while had helped in escaping from the king's men.

Today, it was Minerva who had tried to kill him and the same thing had happened again.

It was not a coincidence.

He did have protection around him and he wondered, who had given him that? All his life he had thought he was unwanted but what if someone had wanted him?

A ping from his computer diverted his attention and he noticed that it was a message from his benefactor.

WELL?

There was only one word and he wanted information on Cyane. A smile crept on his face when he thought about Cyane, who was lying about being mute.

And despite knowing where she was, how she was, Ash refused to share the details with his benefactor.

NOTHING.

He typed in and closed the screen, refusing to chat more.

Xanthos had her and Xanthos will protect what was his.

A rebellion would soon start and it will happen only when Xanthos stands against King Stanislaus and for that to happen, Cyane had to be where she was the safest and that was with her mate.

****

Well, what do you think about Ash now? What is he?

I know this pops out more questions but it will be revealed gradually...

Please vote and comment. I love you all :-*

Next update on 28th July :D

Oh! And Pics of Minerva and Gideon....

Stay safe!