A GOOD FRIEND
ZARYA'S POV
"Mom!"
By looking at my brother's sorrow. It caused my eyes to produce plenty of tears running down my cheek. Even Hali was crying. I was expecting him to be a tough man. Perhaps, he loved Khal's mother more than a mother to him. I understand that he had no good relationship with Queen Haliana. I have seen them fighting uncountable times.
When I looked around many bodies were lying on the ground. The houses were burning, ruined, and disorganized. The women of the pack were gathered by Raide for counseling about morals and good conduct. They were crying as their husbands and brothers were dead. The prisoners at the dungeon were killed by them before the ings arrived there. Estimated fifty women were rescued. Most of their captives were women because they loved abusing them.
I did not recognize that Sera moved along with us after a few minutes of the battle. She brought the survivors men of their little community. Finally, she got her revenge, too, just like me. The only difference was she watched them doing it, she had no ability to fight.
Raiden's voice was cracked due to exhaustion as he commanded the guards, he was shouting the whole night for orders and what people should do. He did not command without thinking, he would also estimate where would be an arrow to fly. By the way, he is the fourth born son of Higher King Oswald, the second to the last younger than all of them. I could see a successful king in him.
Pyro, the Alpha King of Fire, was just standing while watching Khal cry. It was hard to hear his voice. I was amazed at his power, he was the reason why all of the houses were burning.
"Do we need father about this?" Hali asked Raiden as he stood next to him.
Raiden thought a little before answering him. "I was thinking yes, this pack has the biggest issue when they discuss brutality about women. He will be happy, knowing that this has vanished."
"Truly." Hali's gaze was drawn to me. He took a step toward me. I was surprised when he brushed my hair and kissed my forehead. "Feels good?"
I shook my head. "Not so much."
He embraced me using his two bug arms. He seemed sweet again? The unpredictable Mad King.
"I hope for a peaceful life for you from now on. Do you want to be with your brother in the Human World?"
"The Elemental King is now my home."
He sealed his mouth as he heard my lines. "I want to be a beta, like my father."
*****
I thought taking revenge would make me satisfied and content. I was expecting a light chest and a happy feeling. I felt guilty for killing those innocent women for making Prince Jace feel what I felt.
I was startled when I felt a hug from my back while I was washing the dishes. "King Water?"
"Hali." He corrected me.
I faced him, staring directly into his eyes. Since the night of my revenge, everything came back to normal. I did everything to occupy my mind, overworking for the whole day because I felt suffocation inside my chest. My brother, Khal, was still in grief. He could not go out from Raiden's chamber due to the Higher King roaming around.
"Do you want a walk?" His voice was sweet and gentle which made me curious. What makes him kind to me in the last few days until now? Does he need something?
"I'm fine, Your Majesty."
"Call me that way again. I'll punish you." The threatening was in his voice.
"Look." I settled my eyes at him. "I accomplished my mission, the agreement is not valid anymore. If you like to fuck a woman, fuck Seraphina."
I turned my back on him when I saw the gritting in his teeth. "If I want to fuck you, I will do it right here and then, even without your permission! You know my fucking power. I'll do whatever I want!"
"What do you need, then?" The irritation was in my voice. He did not love or even like me. He was always slapping it through my face. His actions made me think of there was, I hated it, as it would just give me a false interpretation about what he felt for me, but at the end of the day, he was just toying with me.
"Fuck you." He muttered as he turned around and stepped away from me. He was almost reaching the exit of the kitchen when I talked.
"Tell me, what do you need! I am not a fortune teller!"
He scoffed in disbelief and looked back at me while shaking his head. "Do I fucking need to tell you what I feel… always? What's the meaning of my action? You freaking low IQ!"
"What? You came here, hugged me without me knowing why you do such sweet stuff!"
"Am I sweet?" He scoffed for the second time. His eyes narrowed as the irritation could be traced to it. "You should go with your brother to the Human World. You have no place here!" He was about to leave me twice when I marched towards him and kicked his buttocks. He bit his lips as he glared at me, he was so annoyed.
"What is your damn problem!" His voice came back to raise.
I looked down as I was finding the answer to my own actions. I was so mad at him because I knew, he would not love me. He was just doing those gestures due to care, not for adoration. I could not hold back the tears in my eyes, therefore, I let them crawl down to my cheek.
"You took your revenge. I'm here to accompany you. This must be so hard for you." He held my chin with his forefinger and moved it up to gaze at his face. His handsome features made my heart pump overwhelmingly. "Things are always hard for you. From the acceptance of your brother, Khal's mother's death, and those nights you killed two innocent women."
He was right. It would always be brought difficulty for me. It was not me, I was supposed to kill Prince Jace instead, but because I wanted to make him feel the same feeling as mine. I did that.
He cupped my cheek, moved his face to me, and whispered. "You did no wrong. Revenge is sometimes using people around them, that's the consequence they got."
"Those were women, with a lovely face. I don't know if they are bad people or what. I heard Prince Jace saying to one of them that they did not yet see her family. What if they are prisoners, too? And…" The difficulty could be felt when I continued. "And Prince Jace just helped them to escape?"
"Your mother and brother were innocents either. They got killed." He removed the tears from my face. "You did what you were supposed to do."
I moved my head from the upright direction, agreeing with him. "You are here to be with me?"
"Hmm." He kissed the edge of my nose.
"Why? Except for accompanying me, why do you care?"
He kept his mouth silent for so long. I wired and waited, but nothing came out of his mouth. He had no other reason. I just hope one of these days, he would say that he was next to me because he needed me, he was deeply in love with me. So do I.
"A walk?" He offered his hand to me. I held his hand and intertwined it with mine.
"A walk," I repeated as I smiled at him, the sadness was written on the spark of my eyes. "Where's my brother?"
"He's with Zepjhyrus, fishing."
I smiled a little. I knew that Zephyrus would make him laugh no matter how devastated he was. That was a great idea.
"Zephyrus has no idea how to fish. Surely, he will swim in the water, catching fish." Hali laughed a little. "Khal will enjoy being with him."
"I agree."
"By the way, tomorrow's the choosing of beta player. Are you ready?"
Am I ready? The Battle Of The Next Beta will be a bloody one.
"It will take five years for you in the training, if you survive you can come back, if not, you will die there." Hali had no emotion on his face.
"Are you going to miss me?"
"Of course, you're my favorite hole."
I chuckled a little. We walked in the woods. I heard the birds humming and the intensity of winds dragging the branches and leaves of trees.
"Sometimes, you take my question seriously."
"You have no right to ask, but fine, I'll answer. Yes… because I care."
I nodded my head as the glow in my eyes was sad. He just cared.
"And we are friends, right? Even if I was the most annoying king ever or always making your head heat, or fucking you mercilessly. We are still good friends, aren't we?"
I gulped my saliva as I cleared my throat, trying not to be in pain. I managed to speak up in spite of my bleeding heart. "Yeah. You will never be forgotten."