"Do you recognise the werewolf?"

Mason nodded. "He is a pack member."

The music stopped playing, and every single soul inside the castle froze. All that could be heard was their breathing, which had turned as erratic as their thoughts, spiralling out of control, inducing panic. They couldn't have heard right. With an indestructible security system maintained by the Imperial Royale pack, how did the member cross the border without alerting the guards?

Icarus looked at Mason with a blank expression, giving away nothing. Werewolves dying wasn't rare as the beast made sure to eliminate anything and everything that crossed its path. But the death of a pack member outside their territory was drastic, for this was murder.

Someone was warning him or challenging him.

He did not like it.

"Any note?" Icarus growled. The sound reverberated off the castle walls and shook its foundation, awakening others out of their terror-stricken state. They turned in his direction, watching his eyes blaze with barely controlled fury.

"Nothing."

Icarus noticed his reluctance in front of the onlookers, and he could discern why. He didn't trust them any more than his enemies. A tough truth Icarus had learned to accept after some of his loyal disciples ambushed him when he first acquired the throne.

"Let's go." He stood up from the chair and took a step ahead, pausing. He was about to break his promise to Anaya by leaving her vulnerable to the wolves. The very thought pained him. He faced her and curled his fingers through hers, torn between his obligation to his duty and his desire to ensure the safety of his mate. Call him whipped, but she mattered to him a lot more than he could express in words.

Anaya looked into his eyes, felt the conflict eating at him, and gave a reassuring smile. "I'll wait for you." Although her voice didn't waver, her heart did. She felt cold when his hands slipped out of her hold. She wouldn't be feeling so miserable if she were a werewolf. Humans weren't weak, but there was no denying that they would never be able to surpass the strength of werewolves, and for that reason, she was starting to dislike her kind.

"Your Majesty, we will go with you." 

Icarus shook his head. "Stay in and lock the doors and windows. Let Nicholas know if you require anything. I'll be back within an hour." The last words were for Anaya. He kissed her forehead, lingering for as long as he could, then he was gone.

She stared at his retreating figure until the door swung close. Immanuel approached her and threw an arm around her shoulders, turning her toward the crowd which was slowly dissipating.

"He will be okay, right?"

"Don't worry." Immanuel led her upstairs and into her room. "You should rest."

With a weary sigh, she nodded and climbed on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. Once she closed her eyes, he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He didn't realise that Anaya wasn't going to get a wink of sleep in Icarus' absence. He may possess the courage and strength to the likes of Gods, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him. How could she not? The man was her life. She'd come to care for him like she hadn't for anyone. 

She stared at the ceiling, tracing the carved patterns with her eyes. Being alone plagued her mind with different scenarios, and they weren't pretty at all.

"He is your mate?"

Anaya could recognise the voice without glancing at the owner. She pushed the blanket aside and sat up. Her stomach churned with uneasiness when she saw Casey lounging on the couch. "How did you get in?" 

Casey smirked. "I have tricks. Now tell me, is the werewolf King your mate for real? You didn't use one of your tricks?" 

Anaya wasn't a fan of violence, but at that very moment, she wanted to smack Casey for uttering nonsense. "Yeah, he is my mate." 

"Don't tell me you joined the Imperial Royale pack to be with him."

The incredulity in Casey's tone revealed a lot of things, only if Anaya could interpret and unravel the meaning of those words, she would know everything. "Of course, why else?"

"What about your task? You promised us."

Her eyebrows pinched together. "Which task?"

"When are you planning to kill the beast?"

To say Anaya was stunned would be an understatement. A shiver ran down her spine at the prospect of going anywhere near the beast. She wasn't crazy, and she didn't have a death wish. "What do you mean?"

"Girl, I know you're in love but please, you can't avoid your mission. You know how important it is for all of us." Sorrow reflected on Casey's face, a sense of desperation coating her words, and for reasons Anaya couldn't fathom, it tugged at her heartstrings. 

"Casey," she said, her voice coming out soft. "Explain."

"You don't remember?" 

"What?"

"Fuck...no-no." She jolted hard as if she'd been electrocuted. "I need to inform her." There was a flickering sparkle of orange before she vanished into the thin air.

Anaya blinked at the empty couch, shifting her gaze everywhere. She was having a hard time believing what she just saw. Since when could werewolves teleport? Nothing made sense anymore, and her mind was filled with questions. She let it slide for now as her concern for Icarus leapt tenfold. It had been more than an hour, and she was anxious for him to return. Pacing around the room didn't help, her eyes kept peeking at the clock, waiting for time to drift. Finally, when she was on the verge of leaving the room and seeking out Immanuel for answers, Icarus walked in.

Her relief turned into alarm seeing the gash on his chest. With tears blurring her vision, she gravitated towards him and flung her arms around his neck. "I told you to be safe!"

He felt her love touch him at a deeper level right then, enveloping him in a blanket of warmth. His heart hummed the tunes of joy, and a smile made its way onto his face. "It's nothing, I swear." He cradled her in his arms, nuzzling his face in her hair.

She stepped back, frowning. "You're bleeding, Icarus. Don't say nothing." She grabbed his hand, placing it over his injury, but the amber dust didn't shimmer from his fingertips as she expected.

"I can only wield it to heal others," he clarified. "Werewolves recover fast, so you need not worry."

"Did you find the culprit?"

"Arrows came out of nowhere and struck a few of us." 

How odd.

"Let me bandage it?"

"Not necessary."

"Please?"

"Fine." He felt too exhausted to argue. "Let me take a shower first."

Nodding, she collapsed on the bed, her thoughts going haywire. Casey's words swirled in her head, and she wondered if it was her who schemed the attack on the Imperial pack.

Another one of her tricks. Her inner voice echoed. She couldn't help but agree.

Hearing Icarus retch in the bathroom, her worry escalated. She scrambled to her feet and dashed to the door, prying it open. He was leaning over the toilet seat, trembling now and then. She reached over and rubbed his back to soothe him. His skin felt icy cold against her touch when he should have been warm. Werewolves were thermogenic for God's sake. "I'm going to help you, okay?"

He nodded just as a wave of dizziness swayed his balance. Something wasn't right, and he could feel it. Anaya made him lean against the counter while she grabbed a towel, wrapping the material around his hips. She wet another towel to clean the blood around the cut. That's when he realised it hadn't mended as it should have.

'What's going on, Cy?'

'I feel sick. I think we got poisoned by the arrow.'

Once inside the room, he collapsed on the bed, mumbling, "Summon the Healer." And then, he went limp.

Her body went rigid, and she felt her knees weaken as all the air whooshed out of her lungs. She told herself he would be alright and forced her legs to move in the direction of the door. She didn't see Immanuel enter until they collided and she went flying back. He caught her before she could fall; his eyebrows knitting in concern when she broke down in his arms. Sobs erupted from her and when she saw Mrs. Hans, she pointed her fingers in the direction of the bed, completely losing it.

"Calm down, Anaya," he whispered, watching the healer attend to Icarus. "No poison can deter my brother."

"P-poison?"

"The tip of the arrows were coated with Wolfsbane," he bit out the words, rage burning through him. "Our warriors weren't healing at a normal rate, so the healers checked them. That's how we found out."

"Icarus...his heart–"

"Wolfsbane tends to slow the heartbeat, but if dealt with on time, it cannot harm us."

That relieved her. He will be okay.