Chapter 13 WITCHES OF THE CULLING ARMY (2)
GALLAHAN'S POV
“Maliya,” Zuleika warned, shooting her best friend with a glare.
Maliya wilted on her seat with an aggrieved sigh, but she didn’t argue and simply let Zuleika continue the interrogation.
“Go on, Gallahan,” Zuleika gave me an encouraging nod.
Before I dared to admit anything more to my best friends, I emptied my glass once more, throwing my head back to let the drink flow down my mouth and throat as swiftly as I wanted. But the pleasant burn didn’t do anything to mask the dull but ever present ache that had been plaguing me since Willa left.
“I met my fated mate during the battle,” I confessed, letting my glass hit the table with a loud thunk.
“Don’t tell me…” Zuleika said slowly, her eyes wide and her pallor growing paler as her mind worked quickly to put the pieces together. “Oh gods… She is a Peacemaker, isn’t she?”
“Then I won’t,” I replied, slumping against the backrest of my chair. “I shall keep my mouth shut.”
“Was she…” Zuleika attempted to say, but she seemed to be having trouble weaving words together.
And knowing Zuleika rarely got off kilter, her reaction proved how jarring the news was. In fact, I could count with just one hand the times she had been this flustered and out of her depth in the fifteen years I had known her.
But Zuleika’s failure to say anything more seemed to have eaten all of Maliya’s patience because she huffed loudly and took over the conversation, boldly asking, “Was she that bad to be with?”
“No, Mal,” I quickly denied. “She was perfect. Truly, she was… She was beautiful. She had the kind of humor and wit that I appreciated. Her presence was comforting and safe. She…”
I sighed, the puff of breath doing nothing to ease the tightening of my chest as I thought and talked more about Willa.
“She truly was my fated one. I could feel it, and it wasn’t even just a physical attraction. It is how I was with her… I have never felt more at peace, more at home, more right.”
“But?” Zuleika egged on after downing her glass of whiskey. She seemed to have found her composure from the alcohol because she managed to add, “Surely there is nothing else worse than the fact that she is an enemy.”
“That is where you are wrong, Zee.” I forwent using my crystal glass and reached for the bottle of whiskey instead. I took large swigs, ignoring the concerned look from Zuleika and the judgmental one from Maliya. But I didn’t care if I seemed like I was slipping out of sanity as I drank like a parched man who hadn’t had a single drop of any liquid in days.
“Okay!” Maliya declared suddenly, pulling the bottle away from my lips. “It would be embarrassing if you suddenly die of alcohol poisoning and not valiantly in battle.”
I let her take away my drink, putting the nearly empty bottle out of my reach.
“So,” Zuleika chimed in, redirecting the conversation right back on track. “What is it, Gallahan? What is worse than her being a Peacemaker?”
“I am Gallahan Wick, the General of the Culling Army, son of the Alpha King. Meanwhile, she’s… Fuck…” I trailed off, running my fingers through my hair in a harsh frustrated motion.
It was hard to say it out loud. Because doing so would make the fact more real than when it was only in my head and when it was only a secret shared between Willa and I. Thankfully the whiskey was starting to kick in, helping me spit out my next words.
“She is not just a Peacemaker. She’s Willa Coraline Alfiero, granddaughter of our main enemy, Greggory Alfiero. She is also the second-in-command of the Peacemakers.”
Maliya whistled lowly. “Wow. Your beloved moon goddess must hate you.”
“Really helpful, Maliya,” Zuleika chastised with a stern glare.
Maliya only shrugged, not at all apologetic or sheepish. “If it’s any consolation, you are free to have a chosen mate, Gallahan. You are not duty-bound to be with her just because she is your fated mate.”
“About that,” I said slowly, suddenly feeling the need to drink more whiskey. “I bit her.”
“No, you didn’t,” Maliya and Zuleika said at the same time.
“But our bond remains incomplete. I didn’t receive a claiming bite in return.”
I closed my eyes and allowed my head to hit the inside wing of my chair, refusing to see the expressions they wore because of my confession.
“Damn. She hates you,” Maliya wryly said.
“Maliya!”
A bitter chuckle erupted from me without my permission.
“It is true, Zee,” I said, suddenly feeling exhausted from the conversation. Or maybe it was the fucking whiskey I chugged so quickly. “She left after round two.”
“Have you ever considered that maybe you were bad in bed?” Maliya jested.
“Very funny,” I replied, finally deigning to open my eyes again.
“Well… Set that topic aside. I have no desire to discuss anything that may pertain or allude to Gallahan’s bedroom activities… So let’s head back to the drawing board.” Zuleika turned her whole attention to me, meeting my gaze head on. “What do you intend to do about this, Gallahan? You are oddly on the calmer side of the water about this.”
“It’s because I already have a plan.”