Chapter 17

Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

VALTOR’S POV

“I guess it's safe to say my suspicions were correct.” A hand on my chin, muttering below my voice.

The thick air of the night was getting to me…and so was a certain uninvited Alpha standing in the midst of my quarters.

Lyriq stood by the window, his eyes scanning the darkness outside, as if expecting the shadowed figures to emerge again at any moment.

“Remind me why you're here again?” I finally asked with an almost bored tone.

“If you must know, I'm worried.” He said in a whisper, still frantically looking outside.

I scoffed. “You? Worried? That doesn't sound right.”

He turned to face me, narrowing his eyes. “I'm serious, Valtor. I'm not here to pick a fight with you. We have only one thing in common and that's Indigo.”

“I'm asking why it had to be me.”

“Well, it was either you or prince charming. Besides, I’m here to figure out things.”

“Figure out things?”

“I know that you know something. I could feel it.”

Curse this mate bond. As far as I knew, very strong emotions can be felt through the connection. That's how the males knew that their mates were pregnant or hurt.

“Plus, I heard what you said just now, your ‘suspicions’? What are they?”

“Mind your business Lyriq.” I grunted. Just because we were bound together now didn't mean we had to team up or whatever he wanted this to be.

“Valtor,” he said, his aura turning cold. “I need you to tell me.” He moved closer with a cracked smile, “you’re not one to doubt yourself, Valtor, are you?”

Damn.
He knew how to piss me off.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my hands clasped tightly together. “The attack tonight… the shadow figures. You saw them as well as I did right?”

Lyriq nodded slowly. “I did. Their movements, their aura… it was necromancing.”

“Exactly,” I said, my jaw tightening. “But there was something… off. Something unnatural, even for necromancing.”

Lyriq stepped away to think, his arms crossed over his chest. “You think they were sent for Indigo?”

I exhaled sharply, my gaze fixed on the flickering flames. “I don’t think so, Lyriq. I know. They weren’t just there by chance. They were after her.”

“And what makes you so certain?” he asked, his voice low, cautious.

“Because,” I began, the weight of my realization pressing down on me, “it wasn’t just the way they moved or the necromancy they wielded. It was the energy they carried. It was targeted, precise. They weren’t lashing out at random—they were hunting.”

“Hunting, huh? That's something to think about, isn't it?” He chucked but I could sense hesitation.

“And not just that– those rumors, Winter wasn't the one who spread them.” 

“...Then who did?” 

“Riven thought it might be Lady Brooke but after approaching her, it seemed otherwise. I don't know who, but someone wants to bring Indigo down…at all costs.”

Lyriq was silent for a moment, processing my words. “If that’s true… What could they possibly want with her? Indigo is powerful, more than she will ever know and that's why the Sanctum wanted her in the first place. Yes, but why specifically?”

I stood, pacing slowly, my boots echoing against the stone floor. “If it’s about power, control… then whoever sent those shadows sees her as a threat. A threat that needs to be neutralized or bent to their will.”

“That’s what I fear as well,” he concurred.

My mind racing with the implications. “And if they’re willing to send necromancers, it means they’re desperate—or powerful enough not to care about subtlety.”

Lyriq glanced my way, his gaze intense. “What do we do, Valtor? We can’t just sit around waiting for the next attack, Indigo’s safety will be more and more at stake.”

“No, we can’t,” I agreed. “We need to be proactive. Strengthen our defenses, gather intel. We need every resource we have focused on finding out who’s behind this. And most importantly, we need to protect Indigo.”

Lyriq nodded. “She’s not going to like being coddled.”

“She won’t be coddled,” I said firmly. “But she will be guarded. Whether she likes it or not.”

He smirked slightly, though the seriousness didn’t leave his eyes. “You really do care about her, don’t you?”

I paused, the weight of the truth settling over me. “I do. More than I ever thought possible. And not just because of the bond. There’s something about her… something worth fighting for.”

Lyriq clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Then we’ll fight. Whatever it takes.”

I met his gaze, a silent understanding passing between us. Through his eyes, I knew as well. We were both willing to give up our lives if it meant keeping Indigo away from harm.

We didn’t have all the answers yet, but we had a mission. And we wouldn’t stop until we saw it through.

“I should leave right about now. It's getting late.” Lyriq announced contacting his Delta.

“Will you be going back to the academy?”

“Not necessarily…I have other matters to attend to.”

I walked him to the entrance of the pack house, leaning against the wall. “This doesn't make us friends, you know.”

He slowly turned, “never said it did.” With a smirk, he vanished into the night.

I slipped my hands into my pocket heading back to my quarters when a little wolven bumped into me.

“Ah–Sorry uncle Valtor!” The pup looked up at me with wide eyes, scared to death. I ruffled up his hair.

“It's fine child, where's your mother?” 

“She’s by the fountain, with my baby brother.”

“Move along then.” 
He nodded then zoomed off almost immediately. Rafen, my older sister's child. We hadn't spoken in so long despite living in the same pack house. I didn't hate her, if anything, I cared and respected her the most. She was absolutely stunning, but of course I'd never tell her those things.

“Scarlet,” I whispered, quietly walking up to her. She glanced at me with those deep red eyes before glancing back at the beautiful scenery. ‘The face of the sky met the water and the water reflected it back’, is what she'd always say.

“Did you spot Rafen?”

“Yes, he bumped into me and it seemed I startled him.”

“He loves you to death.”

“I know.” I sat next to her, watching as she snuggled my nephew, he was only a few months old.

“How are you holding up?”

“With the children or without a husband.”

“Both.”

“I would die for these children, I needn't care about myself much.” She gave a sad smile looking up at the sky. I placed her hand in mine.

“Don't say that.”

“Why did he leave then?”

“I wish I knew, sister.”

“Our family wasn't the best at having mates were we?” She chuckled.

“I…I have a mate, Scarlet.”
Her eyes shone.