Chapter 11 Hermes
NIKOLAI'S POV
I sat in the twins' trailer, half-listening while Hermes paced in front of us. He was ranting, as usual, about more shows, more cities, more markets to squeeze dry. I hated it. I hated the noise, the chaos, the fake energy of human crowds. Performing for packs was one thing, but performing for humans was another. Once Hermes realized there was human money involved, he stopped pretending we had choices.
"Listen, boys... I have marvelous news," Hermes purred, sounding far too pleased with himself.
"What? Am I invisible?" Ripley snapped.
Ryder snorted. "Well, you do look like a boy with your flat chest."
Ripley immediately shoved him into a headlock, grinding his face against her shoulder.
Lorenzo groaned. "Will you two knock it off and pay attention?"
The twins split apart instantly. They were more afraid of irritating Hermes than each other.
I wasn't paying attention at all.
My thoughts kept drifting back to the girl from the alley. The one with forest-green eyes and hair the color of fire caught in motion. She smelled like wild berries and early morning dew, fresh, bright, alive. Everything about her felt like a spark thrown on dry tinder. Wilder, my wolf, was still grumbling about her.
'Wildfire,' he moaned every time I pictured her.
"Nikolai!" Hermes snapped. "Are you listening?"
I grunted under my breath.
Hermes didn't appreciate that. The next second his hand was wrapped around my throat, lifting me a full foot off the floor. His eyes glowed a poisonous shade of purple, and the room's temperature dropped. Ripley stiffened. Ryder turned pale. Lorenzo froze completely.
Fear rolled through them so thick I could almost taste it. But I just hung there, watching Hermes with the same detached calm I always had.
Hermes, you see, was far more than a mere manager, he was a Greek deity, the God of Trade, travel, and thieves, a cosmic trickster of immense and ancient power.
He had orchestrated this entire tragedy years ago, presenting himself to my father, the Alpha, as a prophet. He spoke convincingly of a terrible famine that would soon devastate our pack, offering salvation for a hidden price. My father, entirely focused on his Alpha duties and the preservation of our people, eagerly signed the presented scroll with his own blood, never bothering to inspect the hidden fine print.
The pack was saved, flourishing under the guidance of my father, and two years later, my mother gave birth to me. That was when Hermes reappeared, coldly informing my parents that he would return to claim his payment on my eighteenth Moonday. It was in that crushing moment that my parents understood the severity of the contract: my father had unwittingly signed away the soul of his firstborn son to a Greek god.
They desperately exhausted every avenue, pleading with witches, consulting with mages, visiting every seer in the lands, but the answer was always the same, that my father had to yield, allowing Hermes to take my soul.
On my eighteenth Moonday, Hermes returned to collect his payment.
He placed his fingers on my jaw, leaned in as if to kiss my cheek, and sucked my soul out through my mouth. I remember collapsing, not from pain, but from the sudden hollowness. Everything that made me ME simply vanished. Emotions didn't die, they just stopped existing.
I still understood loyalty, but didn't feel the warmth behind it. I loved my parents, but only because logic told me I should. Pain registered differently. Fear didn't register at all. I lived, moved, worked... without attachment.
Hermes squeezed my throat a little harder. "I know you're soulless, young Alpha, but do not test me before your contract is up. I expect your full attention."
He threw me to the floor like a rag doll. Ripley winced. Ryder looked ready to bolt. Lorenzo stared, horrified.
I dusted off my shirt and sat back up without a word.
Hermes straightened his jacket. "You three try and keep him in line. I want everyone ready for tonight. This is our biggest show yet. A full stadium. Humans adore you. They'll scream for you. They'll buy anything with your faces on it. And they'll keep paying." His smile sharpened. "So don't fuck this up."
He vanished in a burst of violet light, leaving the air buzzing with leftover godhood.
Ripley exhaled shakily. "I swear, one of these days he's going to kill us."
"Not us," Ryder muttered. "Just him." He nodded toward me.
Lorenzo looked at me carefully. "Doesn't anything scare you?"
I leaned my head back against the wall. The memory of wildfire-hair and berry-sweet scent flickered across my mind again.
"No," I said. "Not anymore."
I was half-asleep in my trailer. After the meeting with Hermes this morning, I needed some alone time. My friends kept pestering me about my behavior. According to them, the more time went by without my soul, the colder and more detached I was becoming. I just didn't want to hear all of that, so I walked away.
My ears perked when the door creaked open. I didn't bother to look. Only one person had a key.
Ripley.
I was stretched out on my bed in nothing but boxers. I was shirtless with my arms tucked behind my head. She didn't waste any time, she climbed onto the mattress and straddled my waist. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to my mouth.
"Hi," she murmured.
I smirked. "Hello to you too, Rip."
Her fist came out of nowhere. She punched me across the face hard enough to make my jaw snap sideways.
"What is the matter with you?" she snapped. "Do you want to die?"
I exhaled and rubbed my cheek. It burned. "I was zoned out. It wasn't a big deal. Plus, Hermes wouldn't dare hurt me, I am making him too much money."
"But it is a big deal, Niko." Her voice cracked with frustration. "One more year. One more year and we're all free. Please don't tempt him. He's a god for fuck sake.”
"Yes, I know."
"Then act like it. And remember, you're not the only one living through this."
"I NEVER ASKED ANY OF YOU TO JOIN ME IN THIS MADNESS," I shot back. "You all volunteered."
It was true. I had been meant to be a solo act. But Lorenzo, my best friend and my future Beta, insisted on being my backup singer. He convinced Hermes that a band would make more money. Then the twins, my future Gammas, jumped in. Hermes practically rubbed his hands together as his pupils turned into dollar signs.
Ripley shook her head. "I know that, Niko. But you're not just our future Alpha. You're our friend. We love you. We weren't going to let you do this alone."
I pushed her off gently and got up. I grabbed my ripped jeans, yanked them on, and pulled a white T-shirt over my head.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"I'm going for a ride."