Chapter 4 Peace treaty
Dravik’s pov
The city stretched across us as we rolled through the streets. Garric my immediate younger brother sat beside me, looking tensed with his jaw tight…..always the serious one. Even in silence, he radiated authority, the kind that could crush men without a word.
“I’m not happy with this,” he muttered at last. “We’re not going in guns blazing? We should’ve stormed their gates and killed every last bastard who touched you.”
“Storming the gates sounds way more fun,” Jace the youngest leaned back on his seat, his cocky smirk never leaving his face. “They kidnapped you, Dravik. They deserve our wrath.”
I kept my eyes on the road. I was calm and precise, like always. My brothers never seems to see the bigger picture, which I have of course seen.
“Patience is our advantage. Today isn’t about vengeance, it’s about control. The council wants peace. Peace is what we give, for now.”
Jace snorted. “Peace? I don’t see how anyone can think of peace when they’ve humiliated you, Dravik.”
“Let them think what they want.”
My words were final and my mind drifted to the wolf less girl, as it always did these days. Auren. I hadn’t stopped thinking of her, her weird scent that gets my wolf excited, her naked body, what her blood represents. The pack that destroyed my life was hers by blood. The moment she told me her identity, a plan had been forming in my head until I wanted nothing else.
The car slowed down in front of Alpha Magnus’s mansion. It rose like a fortress, white stone shining cold in the afternoon sun. Guards lined the gates, rifles ready. They were expecting war. They thought they were prepared for the Demon King himself. I almost chuckled. They were like rats caught in a trap.
“Seems like we are not the only ones that had fighting in mind” Darek growled looking out the window of the car.
“Let them be,” I said.
We don’t fight today. Not with guns, not yet. We fight smart. Jace’s fingers twitched near his gun.
“One wrong move and—”
“Enough,” my voice roared now, letting my presence fill the car. “We are here with the council to make peace. We will go in, see what they have to offer and sign the contract. No fighting”.
I emphasized on “fighting” while looking at Jace. He is always the one to punch first and ask questions later which is always followed by Garric jumping in to defend him. I glanced at my brothers, studying them as I always did. Both handsome in their own ways….Garric with his dark, commanding allure of a born leader, exactly the reason he is my Beta, Jace with his blonde hair and easy grin that made men jealous and women melt. And me, the middle ground, the one they called the Demon King.
No one knew where the name came from, not even I could fully explain it. Something was inside me, something ancient and fierce. I had survived death, lost the love of my life, and now fed on vengeance. Auren’s pack had a hand in it and I would have my revenge, one way or another.
The gates opened, and some of the men froze, weapons raised and unsure. They smelled like fear before they saw me, and it spread like wildfire through the men. I didn’t need to move to command respect or fear. The council member stepped out of the first car.
“Relax. There is no war today. Alpha Dravik has come to end the feud, not start another.”
That seemed to calm them down. We entered the hall. The room gleamed polished floors, chandeliers casting stark light across us as we sat at a long table. Alpha Magnus, the Alpha of the Silverveil Pack fidgeted as he sat down, and I could see sweat shining on his forehead.
“I… I didn’t know my men kidnapped him. I swear. I wasn’t aware. I apologize.”
Pathetic. I let my eyes linger on him before they drifted to her…..Auren. She moved silently, carrying trays, her hands trembling slightly, performing her work with a quiet grace. She was favoring her left leg this time and I knew she got punished for something. The thought of Alpha Magnus’s hands on her made me boil. I considered killing all of them after all.
Before the council member could even speak, Jace lunged forward, and one of the other alpha’s betas mirrored the move. Fists and claws collided. As usual Garric jumped in hitting another on the face as they all tumbled to the floor. I rolled my eyes.
“Enough!” I barked, stepping between them. “Behave yourselves in front of the council”.
Garric’s hand itched near his weapon, his muscles tense, but he didn’t move. Jace’s grin was gone, replaced with annoyance. The council member raised a hand calling our attention.
“We are not here to fight. Today is about ending this feud, not escalating it. Sit. All of you.”
We obeyed, my brothers reluctantly settling.
“This place makes me itch.” Jace muttered under his breath.
I knew how much he wanted to fight and I have never being one to hold him back but today he just has to find another way to scratch the itch. Auren moved among us, serving drinks like a ghost. Our eyes met briefly and my gaze lingered. Her pulse flickered, I could feel it even across the room. The connection was quiet and electric.
A younger beta from the other pack shifted, sneering. “You think you can walk in here and—”
“Don’t,” I growled.
He froze. What’s with the amateurs today? Is he seriously trying to antagonize any of us some more? Jace leaned forward, his smirk returning and his fingers twitching.
“I wouldn’t blame him if he tried something stupid.”
I glared at him.
The council member cleared his throat.
“Alpha Magnus has been kind enough to offer you some lands to apologize for the mistake he made. The contract will formalize terms to stop the feud. All parties must sign.”
Pens scratched and murmurs filled the room. I leaned back, letting my eyes scan the contract. Lands for kidnapping me? Like I didn’t have enough. I wanted them all dead, their packs burned to the ground, their voices wailing begging for mercy for what they did to my dear mate. I took a deep breath calming myself as my eyes strayed back to Auren. Wolfless, yet Luna by blood. She didn’t know it, but she was the key piece now.
“I will accept the contract but I want one more thing added to it”.
Every eye turned to me and the room went silent. The other alpha blinked, his eyebrows raised. “What?”
“I want the wolf less girl as my wife.”
A sound of shock rippled through the room. Glasses clattered and every head turned toward the source. Auren.
Her eyes were wide, her lips parted in shock. I grinned as the whole room erupted.