Hello,

Chapter 33 is out now and it is dedicated to @Omuhle08 :D

Enjoy!

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ONION:

Dense with nutrients, Onion is particularly high in vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant to protect our cells. It also helps contain blood sugar for people with diabetes as specific sulphur compounds found in onions have antidiabetic effects. These sulphur compounds also reduce in breakage and thinning of hair.

They have medicinal properties that help in curing a cold, cough, or sore throat. For this, soak a finely chopped onion in drinking water overnight and drink three or four tablespoons of this water. Onion juice or pulp can be used to treat dandruff and fight lice infestation in your hair. But be sure to shampoo or condition once more to get rid of the pungent smell.

Onions are a staple in kitchens around the world even though they make a lot of us cry. They boost the flavor of the dish and so it's easy to add them to your recipe for their various health benefits.

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"My mother... she is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her."
― Jodi Picoult

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CHAPTER 33 – TWO MOTHER'S TALES

Setting the pen on the bench with a jarring snap, Minerva leaned back in her seat, ignorant to the looks her classmates gave her for already finishing the exam.

She had studied enough to score, and she knew she could get an A at the most. Her eyes flickered towards her wristwatch and she sighed. It was a rule in the college that no one could step out of the exam hall until the first bell rang which would take fifteen more minutes.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Minerva stared blankly for her mind was preoccupied with her conversation earlier with her mom in the car, when she had come to drop her at college.

"Cyane called me earlier today," Yolanda said as she brought the car to a halt near the college entrance. Her parents had insisted on picking and dropping her after she began receiving death threats from pack wolves because they were considerably more dangerous than rogues.

"What?"

"Since you have an exam, I told her to call you back afternoon" Yolanda smiled. "All the best, darling!"

"Thanks, mama" Minerva smiled back but did not step out of the car.

"Did Cyane say anything?" Minerva asked curiously. "About her family? Xanthos? She is still with him?"

"Yes, and she sounded happy with him in the Nest. He is her mate after all. I am just afraid of how she will react when she finds out Lysander had contacted her grandfather" Yolanda sighed.

"Her family doesn't sound so bad. I mean, Cyane never spoke badly about them. I don't think they would hurt her" Minerva reasoned.

"They wouldn't hurt her, but they would want to take her home. Away from her mate and being away from one's mate is—"

"Torture" Minerva finished with a whisper and Yolanda turned to look at her daughter, who had turned ashen in her seat.

Entwining her fingers with her daughter's, she held it tightly, "Gideon will come back."

"I know" Minerva tried to smile but tears slid from her cheek whenever she blinked.

"You have to stay strong" Yolanda encouraged, and Minerva turned to face her mom.

"You were kept away from Papa for eight years and you braved it all mama. You are so strong. Wish I had the same strength!" Minerva whispered chokily.

"You do Min. You are strong on your own. We can face any challenges life throws at us as long as we have a positive attitude, and I am telling you from my personal experience. I lost eight years of my life because of my own negative thinking. If I had stayed strong when it mattered the most, life would have been very different today" Yolanda smiled sadly.

"Do you really believe that?" Min asked curiously.

"I would like to believe so because that's all I can do now. Regret. It's still a negative attitude" Yolanda chuckled. "I do not want my daughter to have any regrets. Which is why I will stand by you always and protect you from any harm as long as I can" Yolanda swore passionately.

"I am glad I have you and papa beside me," Minerva said wiping her tears. "I know you are there to catch me even if I fall."

"We will not let you fall Min" Yolanda promised. "We have failed once but we will not fail you. Growing up, I had a complete belief that my father would protect me" Yolanda began reminiscing her own past. "But I should have known better. He left his pregnant mate for his kingdom, his pride. He would do the same to anyone else too."

"You never talk about your mom" Minerva whispered, in a stunned voice.

"That's because I never really knew her" Yolanda admitted. "She died when I was only three years old and I know she loved me because I have faint memories of her holding me close, but that's all! I don't remember loving her. To me, it was always me and my aunt, Daisy, against the world and when she fell sick and knew that I had no one... that's when she contacted father; so that he could finally take some responsibility" Yolanda chuckled mirthlessly as she remembered King Stanislaus arriving at her humble home when she was an eight-year-old.

He had seemed like a being from another world. So tall, so powerful but his eyes had been warm and tender when he had gazed at her. Hands firm and promising around her little ones.

"Father did love me," Yolanda said as tears clouded her eyes remembering King Stanislaus who had tried hard to win her love when he had taken her to the palace to live with him and his wife, who had immensely disliked her for being an unwanted reminder of her husband's past. King Stanislaus had not put up with the behavior of the then queen and had forbidden her from being around his daughter.

"He loved my mother too, but he had chosen duty over her and married someone his position demanded— a strong she-wolf and not an innocent human. There had been regret in his eyes that he had left his mate to die alone and so he made up for it by showering all his love on me until it twisted into possession of sorts" she shuddered. "I was his heir; his blood and he couldn't stop gloating about it. He had great plans for my life, and it all went pear-shaped when I met my mate— a Zeke, whom he had sworn to hate. Father hated the Zeke's because Xander Zeke, killed his parents; but that was because his parents had orchestrated the murder of Xander's pregnant mate" Yolanda said sadly. "Father wanted the Zeke bloodline to be wiped out because of the promise he made at his parent's grave. Never would he have imagined that his own daughter would be the one continuing the Zeke bloodline. When he found out about my pregnancy, he became cruel and lost every shred of humanity."

With a sad smile on her face, Yolanda continued, "Aunt Daisy had honestly believed she had been doing what was best for me. Her family had always been poor and uneducated. They had no great wealth or power and to my aunt, King Stanislaus had been a perfect guardian for me. He was rich, powerful, and most importantly... my father. So, she gave me that stupid flower and sent me to the palace in the clothes I wore."

"Flower?" Minerva asked in surprise.

"An orange-colored daylily that always bloomed. It was the only treasure my aunt had possessed and it was very precious to her because a witch had given it to her during their war with the wolves and fairies, saying it would 'protect' her and her little sister" Yolanda scoffed.

"Where is it now?" Minerva queried interestedly.

"I ate it" Yolanda blurted out and astonished, Minerva blinked before chuckling. "I should have known it was useless because the flower failed to protect my mother and my aunt, but I was desperate."

"Will you be okay with it? Papa or me killing King?" Minerva questioned in a grave tone.

"Yes," Yolanda said without any hesitation. "As a teenager, I wouldn't have been okay with it because I was a daughter who loved my father more than anything in the world, but he killed that daughter the day he dragged me to the abortion clinic and today, I am a wife and a mother who wishes death upon anyone who tries to harm my family" she added in determination.

"I am glad to hear that because if an opportunity arises, I will kill him for what he did to you" Minerva promised solemnly, and Yolanda nodded.

The long, juddering sound of the alarm had Minerva tremble in her seat, and with a grimace, she picked up her stationery but when she noted the crowd hurrying to get out, she sighed and sat back in her seat until everyone was out.

Only then did she get up from her seat and walk out.

"First to finish, last to submit," the supervisor remarked as she walked past him, and Minerva smiled.

The long hallway was crowded as almost all the students were out.

"Manipulative bitch" one of the pack wolves hissed as she passed him on the way towards her locker. Minerva intentionally ignored his group because she didn't have time to deal with their toxicity.

There were several such remarks and she did not once bother giving them a reply.

"So, how was it?" Elliot asked wrapping an arm around her shoulder as she stuffed her stationery into the bag.

"Good" Minerva smiled pulling her bag out and slamming the locker door, while at the same time ignoring 'WITCH' written in huge bold letters at her locker door.

"It's written in Marker pen. It will be gone by tomorrow morning" Elliot promised shooting glares at other wolves who were giving her the stink-eye.

"What would I do without you?" Minerva sighed dramatically as she walked towards the entrance with her best friend.

Laughing, Elliot ruffled her hair for growing up together, they were used to being each other's backup!

'I have got a bad feeling' he murmured through the mind link as they made their way towards their car.

'Me too' Minerva admitted.

'There are several pairs of eyes on us. I have already informed your dad. He will join us soon' Elliot added as they got into his car and drove off from the college.

Minerva knew she was being followed when they turned from the University road and headed towards the main road.

"They are making it obvious which means they are prepared" Elliot hissed as he increased the speed.

"They won't attack us as long as we are in the main road," Minerva said, tying her hair up into a ponytail while her wolf growled, ready for a fight.

"Your dad told the same" Elliot chuckled. "Vicky and the others are in a car behind. So, we do have a backup, but something tells me they have weapons."

Sighing, Minerva took a deep breath and then brought out her claws when they turned away from the main road and into a road that led to Zeke's lair.

Through the rear-view mirror, she noticed that three SUVs were following them. One guy peeped out from the sunroof and Minerva immediately knew what he would do next.

"Stop the car!" she shouted at Elliot and he immediately kicked on the breaks while the guy from the SUV behind aimed his gun towards their car.

Before he could shoot at them, they climbed out of the car. Baring her fangs Minerva growled aggressively at them.

Bringing the SUV to a halt, the men stepped out of it and relaxedly stretched their muscles, and grinned at her. The malicious intent in their eyes was clearly visible to her and it made her wolf snarl ferociously inside her.

Minerva was ready for a fight, but the men weren't for two more aimed their guns at her.

Her other friend Vicky and a couple of other wolves quickly joined them and so some of the men aimed their guns at her friends.

"It's a shame that your father isn't here to witness this" one of the men sighed and Minerva glared at him.

He pressed the trigger, but Elliot lunged at her and they dropped to the ground. As the men rained bullets, they rushed to hide on the other side of the car. Her friends attacked them from behind and Minerva could hear gunshots followed by a groan and several furious growls.

She turned to look at Elliot and noticed that he was hit three to four times.

"Oh, God!" Minerva gasped as she saw him bleeding profoundly.

"I will be fine" Elliot gritted out as the men continued to shoot and destroy his car.

When one of the men walked to check on them, Minerva threw her shoes and slid a leg under the car, near the front tire. He stopped near the front passenger door and smirking, aimed his gun at her.

Snarling, Minerva slashed his ankles with the claws of her toes and as he bent over, snatched his gun, and shot him in the chest before aiming it at the other men, using the dead man as a shield.

Moving forward, she shot two more in the arm and stomach before discarding her shield and going for an attack. She aimed at the guy on the sunroof at the same time he did but before he could shoot her, the guy who was shot in the stomach pointed his gun at her and pressed the trigger.

Something unusual just happened then!

The bullet never hit her for she saw the same smoky aura before her and as lightning struck the ground, everyone was thrown away by the force of it.

Minerva groaned in pain when her back hit the passenger side of Elliot's car with a loud thud. Blinking, she opened her eyes and noted the Lichtenberg figures on the ground before looking at her surroundings. Her wolf trembled from the jolt while she gasped for air.

More groans and grunts were heard, and she saw that all her attackers were now thrown away from their vehicles and their weapons. Their bodies trembling from the jolt of the current.

Using this opportunity Minerva rushed towards them and slit the throat of two of them, picked up a gun, and shot at every single mutt who was not her friend while at the same time kicking one gun towards Elliot.

When she heard a gun being loaded, she turned towards the offender but gritted her teeth when she realized her magazine was empty.

"Bitch" the guy screamed as she harshly threw the gun away. When he raised his hand to shoot her, Minerva ran to take cover behind one of the SUVs. Her wolf, that was still a bit feeble from the current shock, paused for a second and so did Minerva with a frown on her face.

Another loud shot was heard followed by a groan and a thud of a body dropping to the ground. More triggers were pressed, and more and more shots were heard followed by groans and cries.

Hiding behind one of the SUVs Minerva glanced at Elliot, who was shooting her a questioning look. She turned her head to look at Vicky, who was hiding with a badly injured Letty and Trina. Neither of them was shooting.

She knew it wasn't her father or his men because her father did not deal with guns. At least not on this level!

When there was complete silence, Minerva glanced at Elliot who shook his head for he too could not see the person who had helped them!

'Can you see anyone?' Minerva asked through the link.

'Letty is injured and Pat...' Vicky choked, and Minerva closed her eyes in pain.

'Leave the moment I create a distraction' she commanded them for she couldn't bear to see them hurt anymore.

Loud growls could be heard and then sounds of bones crunching. Some of them had shifted into their wolves and with a feral snarl, Minerva lunged at one.

There was a howl and as Minerva broke the neck of one of the wolves, she grinned because she knew her father was close. At the same time, the sound of the engine coming to life made her look and she sighed when Vicky began reversing his car.

A tan-colored wolf jumped at her and pinned her to the ground but before it could cause more harm, it was shot in the head thrice causing it to collapse atop her. Gasping, Minerva shoved the wolf off her and sat up, only to watch the creature shift back and breathe his last. She deduced he was a wolf from the Nest when she saw the red-colored vulture's claw tattoo on his chest.

Hurdling over him, another wolf attacked her, and Minerva hissed in pain and fell on her sides when his claws scratched one side of her face. It would take a long time to heal because her wolf was not in her best mode.

The wolf snapped his jaws and moved towards her but before she could kick him, someone lunged at him and rolling over, wrapped his arms around the wolf and twisted its neck, choking and then instantly killing it.

Mate, her wolf cried before letting out a long, happy howl within her.

"Gideon" Minerva breathed out as he threw the body of the wolf aside and then rushed to attack another.

"Are you okay?" he asked kicking off the wolf before shooting it twice in the belly.

He was the one who had shot earlier too!

"You are free" Minerva gasped, stunned to see her mate, alive and unharmed and in front of her after three weeks. She kept staring at him in disbelief. How? When? She had so many questions but atop that was the relief that he was free.

"There are many more coming. We need to get rid of these" Gideon commanded as he fought two wolves at once before burying his claws on the throat of one and then shooting another in the eye.

Elliot shot the wolf twice more killing it, while Minerva killed the last wolf by punching it twice in the stomach and as she flipped the animal, Gideon emptied his bullets on its belly.

Loosening her hold around the wolf's throat, Minerva let out a breath and then stood up only to be engulfed in a tight hug by Gideon.

As she wrapped her arms around him and cried against his shoulders, he buried his nose on her hair and inhaled her scent. It felt good to be with him. It felt safe and her wolf jumped inside her, wanting to shift and nuzzle closer to her mate.

He cupped her cheeks and when he saw the long, scratch marks on one side of her face, he traced his thumb over it as his eyes darkened in rage.

"It will heal" she smiled shakily, reassuring him.

Placing a kiss on her temple, Gideon pulled back to stare at Elliot, who had stood up clutching his arm that was soaking in blood.

"Oh no! This is too bad" Minerva gasped hurrying towards her friend.

"Go... make a move now," Gideon told Elliot, clutching Minerva's wrist, and pulling her towards him. "You need to get to Lysander before these fuckers get to you" he added, and Elliot nodded.

"What?"

"We are not coming with you," Gideon told him and then turned to face Minerva. "We need to leave... now!" he said and then still holding her wrist, began running eastwards while Elliot headed North.

"Gideon, stop!" Minerva shouted as she kept pace with him, but her mate did not stop once and instead kept running and dragging her along. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe. If we stay with your parents, they'll attack us all tonight and won't let us attend the trial. We need to divide into groups and hide until then" he said breathlessly.

"Why?"

"I will explain everything. Just please trust me now!" Gideon begged and because she fully trusted her mate, Minerva decided to keep her mouth shut.

They continued running in the woods for few more minutes before she spotted a black two-wheeler lying on the ground. Gideon hurriedly straightened it and then hopped on it to bring the engine back to life.

Without any instruction, Minerva got on the backseat and then put on the helmet before he took off.

"Where is this safe place?" she asked tightening her hold around his waist, for it felt good to hold him close after being deprived of the privilege for weeks.

"Ash's mansion" he answered loudly, and Minerva let out a loud, nasty growl. "Trust me" Gideon implored and gritting her teeth, Minerva nodded reluctantly.

Pulling out a vial from his pocket, Gideon handed it to her and asked her to throw it in their earlier route. She noticed the silver sulphide in it and after randomly throwing it backward, she rested her chin against his shoulders.

'Min? Where are you?' Lysander thundered through the mind link concern evident in his tone.

'With Gideon. I don't know what's going on Papa, but I trust him' she replied through the link. She couldn't tell her father she was going to the lion's den because it would do nothing to ease his concern.

'Min!'

'I am safe Papa. I will let you know everything once I find out what's going on. Where are you guys?'

'We were coming to help you' Lysander answered in confusion.

'Go home Papa. Tell mama to return too. Be together tonight. Something tells me, tomorrow is going to be a big day for us' Minerva said solemnly and after Lysander agreed, she closed the mind-link.

They continued to ride in narrow mud roads until they came across the south side bank of the Lake Candor Depths.

As Gideon brought the motorcycle to a halt there, Minerva noticed two guys leisurely sitting on the speed boat. When she recognized that they were Skyla's brothers who had been guarding Ash's mansion, she growled while her wolf clawed inside her.

Gideon brought the motorcycle to a halt there and then hurried towards the lake. When he noticed that she had not followed him, he held her arm and pulled her along until she was sitting in the speed boat.

"Good to see you again," one of the guys remarked and she scowled at him.

"Did anyone follow you?" the other guy asked roughly throwing something over her head and only when the glass bottle cracked open on the ground, she observed the silver sulphide in the vial.

"No one. Now, let's go" Gideon told them and soon they drove off.

While she seethed in her seat, Gideon entwined their hands and then brought her palm towards his lips to place a chaste kiss there. Smiling, Minerva sat closer to him to reassure herself that he was here, with her.

"Am I going to meet him? Ash?" Minerva asked his men.

"Not today" the first guy replied turning to face her and then smiled at her, "Samuel" he introduced himself and she nodded. "My brother, Sheldon" he referred to the other guy who was driving the speed boat.

"How many were there?" Samuel asked Gideon.

"Some twenty but they were from the Nest and she handled them all" Gideon specified and turned to look at her with pride, "You were amazing" he added looking her in the eye causing her to smile hesitantly but the smile faded when she remembered Patrick, who had been badly injured.

"What is it?"

"Pat? I don't think he made it" Minerva whispered chokily as tears clouded her eyes. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Gideon pulled her towards him and whispered soothing words that did nothing to lessen the pain she felt at losing a friend.

"Every war has casualties. Innocents. Always" Samuel remarked looking at her and Minerva growled at him.

"What would you know about it?" she grated at him, causing his brother to frown at her.

"If I am where I am today, it's because I witnessed the death of an innocent and was unable to stop it," Samuel said flatly and that silenced Minerva. "The old geezer has fucked with many lives and it also looks like he has more control over the Nest than Ash originally thought" Samuel declared looking at his brother who nodded slowly.

"Will her parents be safe?" Gideon demanded from the brothers.

"Ash promised you, didn't he?" Sam countered and then turned back to face front.

"Does his promise mean anything?" Minerva asked spitefully.

"Ask your mate" Samuel commented.

Tightening his hold on their entwined fingers, Gideon shot her a reassuring smile, and sighing, she leaned back in her seat.

As she closed her eyes, she could see the same smoky haze and startled, Minerva opened her eyes.

"What is it?" Gideon asked pulling her close, while the two in the front seat too, looked at her curiously.

"The rogues" Minerva lied and then shot a nervous smile at Gideon, who promised her that she will be safe.

Minerva closed her eyes and suppressed any urge she had to blurt out everything to her mate. She couldn't do it in front of Samuel and his brother because they worked for Ash, whom she still couldn't trust.

But Minerva couldn't ignore the smoky haze she saw today, and it made her realize that the smoky haze had always been around her and not around Ash as she had initially thought.

But what was it? Why did lightning strike whenever she saw it? What was happening?

She needed answers but those could all wait until after Gideon's parents' trial. Her primary focus right now was to save them because she was guiltily aware that she had been the one who had trapped them!

•••

"They are all dead" Oliver confirmed after ending the call with an informant who had gone to inspect the scene where Minerva and her little gang of friends had been attacked.

"It was a failure then?" Saint growled getting up from his seat on the couch, besides his mother, Queen Marcella.

"Of course, it would be" Stanislaus agreed. "Which is why I asked you to send the wolves from the Nest" he looked pointedly at his secretary, Oliver, who smiled.

"Then what was the need for all this drama?" Saint snapped, slamming his hands on the table.

"Saint, my son, you have so much to learn," Stanislaus said kindly, and Saint frowned at his father.

"The attack's main purpose was to kill Minerva indeed, but one needs to have a contingency plan too" Stanislaus advised and then looked at Oliver, who clicked a couple of buttons in his laptop and turned it for Saint to see.

Lowering his head, Saint looked at the screen with confused green eyes that quickly hardened when he saw Gideon killing a wolf in it but turned into amusement when he went and hugged Minerva.

"I had placed a dashboard camera in all their vehicles," Oliver said smartly. "We got a live footage and so did the public."

"This was shared?" Marcella asked in disbelief.

"I have made a deal with a couple of Alphas' who are interested in Joshua Croft's pack wolves and they have already begun their attacks on his pack."

"They are subjugating his pack wolves?" Saint questioned with a chuckle.

"I would say it's recruiting" Stanislaus smirked. "Ajax is specifically interested in their fighters and he will get the majority of the wolves."

"That's brilliant father" Saint appreciated. "There will be nothing left of the Croft pack by tomorrow evening."

"And for that to happen, you have an important role to play tomorrow" Stanislaus reminded his son, who nodded firmly. "Of course, I will be standing right beside you and guide you, but you have to be firm. I do not want you to hesitate or stumble."

Colour marred Saint's cheeks as he remembered his humiliation but lowering his eyes, he nodded at his father.

"Good. There will be an unofficial announcement that tomorrow's trial will be held at six o'clock in the evening."

"Six? I thought it was—" Queen Marcella began but was interrupted when her husband raised a prosthetic hand to silence her.

"It will be held at four o'clock, but I want my enemies to think it'll be held at six so that they are unprepared. Now go, spread the news. Let it be known that the trial is open to the public. Let it be known the traitors will be beheaded. Let it be known that this is a warning. By dusk tomorrow, I want the kingdom to know the power my family has" Stanislaus stated leaning back in his seat with a cruel smirk.

He could already imagine how things would happen tomorrow and he knew what he had to do to make sure things went along with his plan.

"Whoever plans to hurt my son, must die" Marcella directed.

"Father, please let me kill the Hound and the girl. I can't just let that traitor live" Saint requested, setting his palms on the table.

"Of course, you will get the opportunity son. But Xanthos has to do something more important for me before that" Stanislaus stated calmly.

"That bastard is a fucking traitor" Saint shouted, and Marcella turned to look at her husband, hoping he wasn't furious with his son for venting out.

"If I said Xanthos will die, then it will happen" Stanislaus growled at his son in a warning and Saint looked away. "You need to learn to be patient. I survived this long only because of my patience and if you wish to do the same, then you too must learn patience."

"Yes, son, listen to your father" Marcella advised.

Gritting his teeth and giving a curt nod, Saint turned to Oliver and demanded, "How tight is tomorrow's security?"

"Ajax is overlooking the security of the venue. His pack wolves will keep Croft Pack wolves in check and five of them will guard the King" Oliver looked at Saint, who nodded. "The first batch of wolves from the Nest have arrived today morning. The second batch led by Dax will be here tomorrow" Oliver confirmed but then rubbed his temple in distress.

"What is it?" Stanislaus demanded when he noticed the gesture.

"I am unable to connect with our men there" Oliver muttered as he tried to make another call which failed to connect.

"Well, Nest always had network issues" Marcella reminded feebly.

"Yes. But I cannot reach anyone" Oliver stressed and Stanislaus narrowed his eyes.

"When did you last talk to Dax?" Saint enquired.

"This morning" Oliver replied absently as he made another call which too went unanswered.

Picking up his phone, Stanislaus called Xanthos. His eyes hardened when the call got canceled immediately.

Gritting his teeth, he glared at his assistant who was refusing to meet his eyes. "Did you discuss some particular time they had to be around?"

"I have had it known that they had to be here by tomorrow noon" Oliver admitted. "A van was going to pick them up and they had to be ready at ten."

"Then do the same" Stanislaus commanded. "Also, send a couple of men to the Nest immediately. I want to know what is going on there!"

"Sire" Oliver bowed his head and rushed out of the room.

"This... is strange" Saint muttered in confusion.

"It's intentional" Stanislaus corrected. "Someone doesn't want us to connect with the Nest."

"I can only think of one person who can do it," Saint said, and Stanislaus raised his lashes to affix marble green eyes on him. "Ash! He is the only one who has the means to do this."

"Yes. But why?" Stanislaus whispered and all he could think about was because of Xanthos or Cyane. Ash and Xanthos had been friends but that was a long time ago and his sources have made it known that there had been no connection between the two ever since their release from captivity.

Xanthos couldn't betray him like that. If he had to do it, then he would have done by this week but no, Xanthos had called him to beg for forgiveness and had informed him that Cyane was a fairy.

If the mutt was concerned about the welfare of himself and his mate, he wouldn't have revealed that truth to him. If Ash was not there for Xanthos, then it had to be for Cyane but Stanislaus couldn't make the connection and that bothered him very deeply.

Cyane.

She was the reason Xanthos was gone to the Nest and Stanislaus vowed to make her pay one way or the other.

Oliver knocked on the door and entered with a cat-like grin. "Two of the guards, Finn and Rhys, are already on their way to the Nest. They'll inform us any—"

"Cyane" Stanislaus whispered, interrupting Oliver. "She told me she was from Scevola. Find out about her family... her past. I want to know exactly who this girl is."

"I did send her photos to some of our informants from Scevola but got only two leads. One of them told me that he had sent a couple of photos to some rogues and was waiting for their reply but the other said that he thought some rogues from his pack were intentionally not sharing details about her" Oliver sighed with troubled brown eyes.

"Interesting" Stanislaus mused finding things highly suspicious and unnatural about Cyane. The girl has been a problem to him since day one and it was bad enough, he recognized it too late but not being able to find a solution either was infuriating.

"Did you contact the Lycorian's?" Saint questioned.

"Yes. Yes. I did. I sent the queen's office her photos and we can expect a reply tomorrow."

"Good! Keep following up with your leads from Scevola. Do not give up!" Stanislaus directed and dismissed them.

In the silence of his office, after the departure of his wife, son, and assistant, Stanislaus played Chopin's music in his caravan and began thinking of his contingency plan for tomorrow.

This fight was getting bigger every day and so were his enemies. He decided that it was time for him to summon the old witch— Victoria!

•••

Standing near the window, that gave her the view of the rooftop of Ash's mansion, Cyane stood quietly staring at nothing while her mind was racing a hundred miles a minute. Though she had stopped rubbing her hair, they were still wet from the shower after which she changed into a baby pink cotton dress with roses printed on it.

It was dark outside but there was one bulb glowing from Ash's mansion. Today, there was no commotion coming from outside for everyone was trapped inside their homes. There was a certain sort of stillness in her surroundings and to Cyane, it almost felt like the calm before the storm.

Xanthos had severed all means of communication to the outside with some sort of signal jammer and though Cyane understood why he did it, she couldn't help but worry about Yolanda and Min. Were they safe? Where were they?

She wanted to fly away and look for them but worry about Xanthos and his friends kept her here because she knew the wolves of the Nest couldn't be trusted. They would attack his friends again the moment she was out of their sight.

Xanthos and his friends were good fighters, but they were vastly outnumbered by the extremely corrupt wolves of the Nest. She couldn't have them injured or worse, killed because of her!

If Mr Black had been here, then he would help but he was gone too and Cyane sighed. She needed to stay strong. She had belief in Yolanda, Lysander, and Min and she knew they were strong wolves who could brave it all. She had to think positively, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath.

Closing her eyes, Cyane prayed for their safety. When she opened her eyes, she sensed someone behind her and turned to look at Xanthos, who was standing near the staircase and watching her questioningly.

"What are you doing?" Xanthos asked stepping closer to her. The mark in her neck began to itch and she felt a strange sensation run through her body with every step he took closer to her.

Shaking her head, she turned to look outside the window, and Xanthos, who was now standing behind, followed her line of gaze.

"Planning another break-in?" he asked quietly.

"No. I don't trust myself around them because I think I might hurt them really bad if I go there again" Cyane admitted.

"For kidnapping Gideon or—"

"For pointing a gun at you as well as kidnapping Gideon" Cyane growled, and she could feel Xanthos's smile that had the hair on the nape of her neck stand upright. "How he managed to be a step ahead of me when he had no idea I was coming, baffles me," she remarked with a frown.

Cyane suspected Ash knew about fairies changing appearances but how could he guess it was her when she had painstakingly tried her best to cover her scent.

When Xanthos was silent, she turned her head to look at him, "You were friends with him once. What kind of person Ash was then?"

Xanthos was quiet for a while, pondered over it, before answering, "Good person. Probably the best amongst us!"

"It hurts the most when it's the good ones" Cyane sighed turning to look at the mansion again.

"Why?"

"Because they turn bad only after the last ray of light dies inside them. They are survivors who have nothing to lose and that makes them stronger and more powerful than before. Like a force to be reckoned with" Cyane said calmly thinking about Xanthos too, who according to Miki had become stoic only after failing that last attempt in escaping from his captivity.

"You seem to know a thing or two about it," Xanthos remarked interestedly.

"Darth Vader. Star Wars. Poppy loves that movie" Cyane chuckled but then shook her head and answered sincerely, "We were taught about it. There was a queen once... Cyrena. The first of the present generation."

"The Angel's daughter?"

"Yes."

"It's because of him you have the powers to manipulate thunder and lightning?" Xanthos asked, curving one strong arm around her waist, and pulling her against his chest.

"Yes again" Cyane smiled. "Everyone in my family can do that. It's what sets us apart and it's why the wolves stay out of our way" she pointedly looked at Xanthos as she made that last comment and all he did was raise his brows.

"Do you want me to stay away?" he asked cockily, rearing back to look at her.

Huffing, Cyane turned back to her view, refusing to answer because she liked being with Xanthos, held like this. It felt good and she delighted in that feeling because of how new it was for her to feel this attraction, this desire for a man, her mate.

When Xanthos got the answer he wanted, he slightly nudged his head against hers and Cyane tried her best to hide her smile. She was floating again on those fluffy pink clouds.

"So, what made the queen so special?" Xanthos brought her back to earth with that question.

"She was ruthless, dangerous and she was the one who wiped out the harpies from this planet. But what drove her to do that was that the harpies made her kill her own mother" Cyane whispered the last bit for that had been shocking to her when she had found out the first time too because it was Queen Magdalena, Cyrena's mother, who had wished for a daughter from the God Supreme.

A daughter powerful enough to fight and protect the kingdom from the Harpies. No one had expected that for Cyrena to gain all her powers, she had to pay a very high price.

"Why?" Xanthos asked looking at her.

"The harpies bit her mother, Magdalena. Tried to turn our queen into one of their own and so, on the command of her dying Queen and mother, Cyrena had to make the toughest choice. I believe her innocence died that day and she became this ruthless, badass queen that every one of us is proud of" Cyane sighed.

"I am guessing you figured the last part on your own" Xanthos tried to make light of the situation and Cyane grinned.

"It's my takeaway from that story."

"I figured out one thing too" he began casually, and she waited for him to continue. "You are related to the royal family of Lycoris."

Her smile faded away as she belatedly realized what she gave away by sharing Cyrena's story.

Xanthos stared at her quietly, calmly as she looked at him with wide eyes, neither admitting nor denying his claims.

When the silence in the room became too uncomfortable to bear with, Cyane blinked and looked away. Placing her trembling hands on the windowsill, to get some sort of support, Cyane took a deep breath admitting with a nod of her head.

"I'm Cyrena's descendant. My family comes from her first child" she added quietly.

Queen Cyrena had three children. Two daughters and one son. Cyane's family, her aunts, uncles, distant cousins, or relatives she knew of were heirs from the eldest daughter. Cyrena's youngest daughter had no child; while her son had moved away for better opportunities when he had been in his teens. Through him, the line had continued and still existed to this day, but no one in her family knew where they were exactly.

"Powerful?"

"And rich" Cyane admitted with a small smile. Maybe she should just come clean and tell him she was the princess.

"I'm not," Xanthos said abruptly, arctic eyes cynical.

"Doesn't matter. I'm rich enough for both of us" Cyane said smartly because money really didn't matter to her. She didn't even know her bank account number or the balance it had.

Xanthos raised his brows as if surprised by her answer, and then as his mouth curved to form a smile, he looked away to hide his amusement.

Cyane's lips parted company and she stared at him in disbelief. "Are you smiling?" she asked in a shocked whisper as she bent sideways to have a proper look at his face because this was a moment, she knew she had to treasure.

"No" Xanthos denied flatly but light pink marred his cheeks and her eyes brightened when she noticed that.

"You are" she gushed clasping her hands against her chest and giggling like a little kid. "Theos! I need to take a picture" Cyane clapped her hands but before she could move, he curled a hand around her wrist and pulled her towards him until she was pressed against his chest.

She gulped but did not look away from those blue eyes that now shimmered like the Mediterranean Sea under the dazzling summer sun.

When he lowered his head, Cyane showed no hesitation for her mind went blank when she got trapped in his gaze. All she knew was that she craved the kiss just as much as he did and when his lips touched hers, she reveled in the feel of that kiss, giving as much as she took.

Nothing mattered but him and being in his arms, warmed her insides and fluttered her heart.

He turned so that her back was against the wall and as Cyane gasped, their tongues touched she writhed against him, delighting in the taste of him.

When his hands began pulling up the skirt of her dress, she felt the flood of heat building between her legs. Xanthos pulled back to catch a breath before fusing his mouth against hers once again. His fingers gently trailed over the inside of her thighs and any moan she made was swallowed by him.

Wrapping her thigh around his hips, he pulled her closer so that she could feel the hard heat of him, that made him all male.

Long fingers skated dangerously high to where she was unbearably sensitive and when they stroked her feminine folds, underneath the material of the thin scrap of cotton, she trembled and opened her eyes to look at him in shock and wonder.

Her body roared to life in excitement, sending every nerve ending into overdrive building up a burn low in her belly. He had to tighten his grip to hold her steady when she melted against his arms, at another touch of his deft fingers over her slick core.

Every touch of his long, lean fingers inside her had the sensation in her belly increase to an excruciating level and when it exploded, she shuddered in his arms and her screams of pleasure were trapped by his carnal mouth latched on hungrily against hers.

Exhausted and limp, she sagged against him stunned by the powerful reactions of her body.

He picked her up and cradling her protectively close, he moved and settled her down on the mattress spread out on the floor.

"Sleep" Xanthos breathed next to her ear.

Drained by all the activities of the day and unable to form any rational thought, Cyane simply closed her eyes with a serene smile on her face.

___

She woke up to the sounds of chattering and birds chirping. Rubbing her eyes, Cyane stared at the ceiling and pulled a face when she noticed it was very down.

Right... she wasn't at home!

"I'm telling you they are planning something big today. I have got this bad hunch ever since I saw Finn and Rhys creeping out after midnight from Dax's place" she could hear Grayson saying loudly from downstairs.

"I did too, and it all seemed highly suspicious because they kept glancing at this building" Jayson added.

"Isn't it obvious? They came here because of the network issue. Why else would the palace guards come here?" Carlos questioned.

"The trial. It won't be fair. His intention is to have Gideon's parents killed and he will do it" Grayson agreed.

Sitting upright, Cyane threw the blanket and crawled on her fours towards the railing to look down. They were all sitting around the counter and Cyane was glad to see Brody awake and eating his cereal with the rest of the gang.

"It's Lysander man! He surely must have planned something. There is no way he would let anything happen to Alpha Joshua or his pack, especially now that they are family" Brody remarked.

"Agreed on that. Plus, with the recent news of their involvement with Ash, I am sure Ash will also help them" Carlos muttered.

And Cyane thought about it. Was it true? Was Ash helping them? Why else would Minerva say that on the phone? Did she make some mistake by attacking Ash's mansion? Was he an ally? He did hate the king and so did his men? But... there were still some unanswered questions and the most important was why did Ash kidnap Gideon in the first place? Was it to make some deal with them?

"There are plenty of people to save Gideon's parents. It's got nothing to do with us" Miki said and Cyane frowned at him.

"That's true" Grayson agreed but before he could say something more, they heard a woman's scream coming from the outside. Everyone except for Xanthos and Miki stood up and rushed out.

Curious to see what the commotion was all about, Cyane flew downstairs and looked at Xanthos, who was still silently eating his cereal. He glanced up at her and as their eyes met, she felt her skin heating up as memories of last night engulfed her.

Xanthos's eyes darkened and Cyane knew he was thinking of the same, which just set her skin on fire. There was amusement in his blue eyes as he pushed a bowl towards her.

"They found two dead bodies in the doctor's home. Apparently, he murdered them and ran" Jayson said in a daze as he walked back in and Cyane stiffened, the brief moment with Xanthos, suddenly snatched from her.

"The doctor who treated Brody and you" Carlos pointed out looking at Miki, who had gotten back to eating his cereal.

"Pay up" Miki extended his free hands towards Xanthos. "I told you no one would find out until eight."

Munching a mouthful of cereal, Xanthos passed on a five hundred bucks bill to Miki without any protest while everyone stared at them in disbelief.

Why did they kill those two men and dumped the body in the doctor's caravan?

"Why?" Cyane voiced out loud the question in everyone's mind.

"They tried to set his caravan on fire for helping us," Miki said with a smirk and then stood up. "But they didn't know that his help wasn't for free."

"What do you mean?" Brody demanded sharply.

"The doctor forgot one of his tools when he left" Miki shared as he drew his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a silver color piece of fabric.

Crouching in front of the sofa, he shoved his hand underneath and pulled out a spy device. Speechless, everyone stared at the bug as he flashed it to them before securely wrapping it in the RF shielding fabric.

"This, little bad boy, would have killed us all had Xan not blocked the signals," Miki said shaking his head.

"How did you...?" Grayson began and then turned towards Xanthos.

"He lied about being fired. Dr Zeke started practicing professionally ten years ago. She was in no position to fire him" Xanthos shrugged and Cyane blinked, stunned by that piece of information, which she should have guessed because Yolanda had mentioned to her that she had got into med school in her mid-twenties, after giving birth to Minerva.

"Damn!" Carlos muttered and then shook his head. "Your brain does function differently."

"Did the king do this?" Brody demanded with a frown.

"No" Xanthos replied and then shot a sharp look towards Cyane which made her tense. "It was Lysander."

"The doctor confessed before we forced him to leave the place" Miki admitted.

"Why did Lysander do this?" Carlos questioned.

"For me" Cyane responded in a whisper as Miki dropped the blocked bug into a Pringles can.

"He used Yolanda's name to pull you in and it worked," Xanthos said coolly and Cyane grimaced. Why did Lysander have to do this? Xanthos already hated him enough!

"Did he hear everything we talked about before you jammed the signals?"

"He knows we have disrupted the network and about our plans to kill Saint," Xanthos said calmly and Cyane sucked in a breath. That was a problem! A very big one.

"Shit! What do we do then?" Brody demanded.

"He will not stop us from killing Saint" Cyane said firmly and one corner of Xan's lips curved upwards. Lysander might have planted the bug, but Cyane knew he had no ill intentions. He had done it to know if she was safe and it did bring a tender smile on her face, knowing that they were still worried for her, despite having their own problems.

She also knew that Lysander wouldn't stop her from killing Saint, even though Xanthos probably thought otherwise.

"What time's the trial?"

"Six" Jayson replied.

"Alpha Joshua and his mate will be rescued by Lysander and his men. There will be chaos and that's when we attack Saint" Miki began once they were all seated across the counter.

"The king will be expecting an attack in today's trial so the security surrounding him and the brat will be twofold" Grayson pointed out.

"Before dying, the men told us that Dax and a group of wolves are leaving for the palace today morning" Miki shared.

"We need to breach the convoy," Xanthos said quietly and Cyane nodded, before taking a mouthful of cereal. When she looked up, she found every single pair of eyes on her and her shoulders slumped.

It wasn't that she didn't want to do it. It was just that she wanted to peacefully finish her breakfast.

"Fine" she groaned when they wouldn't look away. "What do I have to do?"

"First, you need to take a shower because you reek of Xanthos," Miki said in distaste and while others chuckled, Cyane turned beetroot red and squirmed in her seat.

Xanthos growled in warning at his friends when she sniffed and tried to catch her own scent which wasn't really possible. "Focus" he reminded Miki, who rolled his eyes.

As Xanthos and Miki narrated the remaining part of their plan, Cyane listened carefully and decided to do what they wanted. Her sole condition was that she gets to go for the kill shot and Xanthos agreed on it.

One way or the other, Cyane decided that she would get rid of that vermin from this planet, today.

Cyane stood up, ready to go for a shower. Clasping his hands around her wrist, Xanthos stopped her and as she looked at him questioningly, he got off his seat and stepped closer to her.

She looked up from his chest and maintained eye contact as the silence stretched between them. Her cheeks grew hot as she felt the strength of the electricity crackling between them.

She gulped and a slow, sensuous smile brightened his eyes.

"What are you still doing here? Go, take a shower" Miki shouted from the doorway, and blinking, Cyane took a step back. Being this close to Xanthos was not good for her rational mind.

"Hey, Jay" Miki snapped his fingers. "The moment she comes down, create a distraction, I will get rid of one of the men."

"Take this" Xanthos told her passing a small button and Cyane looked up at him. "It will help me track you," he said and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

Smiling, she looked at him and Xanthos cupped her cheeks, "Will you be, okay?"

"Not until I see fear in Saint's eyes," Cyane said with a sweet smile.

"You will get to see more than that" he promised with a wicked grin.

****

Okay, now I know you are all excited for the trial which will have a showdown but there should be some build-up. I mean, I have created so many different points of view and when they cumulate together, you should know what's going on in every end. This one's from King, Lysander, and Cyane. The next one will have Ash and the Lycorian's before the actual trial takes place :P

Next update on 5TH June :D

Please vote and share your thoughts :D

BTW, another picture of Cyane and Xanthos –

Stay safe lovelies :-*