Chapter 26: A New Headache

I breathed a sigh of relief as the last Nightfall Lycan came back to his senses after succumbing to the effects of the Dark Moon curse. The Alpha did not protest that much after I showed him the military order, and even asked us if we needed more healers.

I wiped the sweat off of my brow as Kieran and Lind lifted off the still-weakened Lycan off of the ritual table. With Augustus’ help, we managed to secretly ask for assistance from other border packs’ healers, under the guise of military orders.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the Nightfall Alpha stiffly said as he carried the pup we saved earlier, who turned out to be his daughter. “And forgive me if I had shown any prejudice earlier.”

I gently smiled and pinched the little one’s cheek. “It’s alright, I understand.  I’d be mistrusting too if I ever learn that the woman who wanted to heal my people was related to the very same people who hurted them.”

His face darkened. “Those Locke bastards… I want to avenge my people, yet I don’t have enough power to do so… Alpha Heron had been reshuffling seats within the Council. For the third year in a row, he refused to give me a seat, and said that I’m better off becoming a warrior than sit among them.”

I grimaced at the thought. I’ve grown around most of those Alphas seated at the Council, and I perfectly knew what he was saying.

The Lycan Society never cared for its marginalized. It only cared for glory, prestige, and wealth.

After thanking me for one last time, the Alpha walked off to attend to some of his people.

My body jolted when I felt a massive hand on my shoulder.

“My dearest Queen, what are you thinking right now?” Kieran whispered to my ear. “Are you tired?”

I shook my head before washing my hands in the basin he took with him. “I'm not. We need to go to the base immediately…”

Today marks the second day Castiel gave me. With the large population of Nightfall Pack, it was a surprise that we even managed to finish treating everyone before the sun comes down again.

Besides, this was the only way for me to forget what Kieran said earlier.

I've never told anyone about the four mate bonds. Let alone with him. While there had been a few Queens in the kingdom's history that had multiple mates, they usually came from a lower ranking than the Queen herself.

Mother said it was to prevent them from stealing the Queen’s power and controlling her position.

I've never read of a Queen being mated to powerful mates, specifically like them who held titles and immense power, that could sway an entire kingdom.

Besides, what would Kieran feel if he learns… that the people he despised the most were also my mates?

“There's nothing wrong with resting,” Kieran said. “I'll take care of your things. I can carry you if you want.”

After what happened yesterday, I couldn't help but to feel conflicted about Kieran's growing affection for me. My body and my mind has gotten so used to his antics that sometimes, I forget to even treat him as my mate and Vassal.

But after that, how could I even stop from thinking of him in an ungodly way? He was undeniably handsome, and I won't lie, I always saw myself peeking at him whenever the chance presented itself.

His mere existence was a distraction to me that I've messed up the cleansing ritual a couple of times. Kieran must've noticed, prompting him to drag Lind with him to help with Dion and the other men in bringing in the sick ones.

“Is that your devotion, Chief? Or are we keeping up appearances because your brother's here?” I asked as I grabbed a glass of water.

He glanced at Augustus, who was standing with Dion among a few other Nightfall Pack members. The corner of his lips curved. “Why? Do you want to make my brother jealous, my Queen? I can suggest a few positions that might drive him crazy.”

I coughed, choking on my drink. “Kieran White!”

His smirk grew wider as he glanced at Augustus for one last time. “It's probably worth a shot, Your Majesty.”

His face grew serious when Augustus cleared his throat and approached us. He

maintained a poker face, but his eyes…

They could never lie to me.

Those jaded green eyes held a degree of hostility that it could almost tear Kieran into pieces. It was a wonder how those eyes could hold so much pleading yesterday when he was holding me.

Kieran instinctively wrapped his arm around my waist, pushing his body in between the two of us. Augustus ignored him; yet, his jaw clenched as his jade green eyes glanced at his brother’s hand.

“It'll be night soon. We must make haste,” he commanded as he slammed a massive burlap bag against Kieran's chest. “We'll leave behind anyone who's going to lag behind. No exceptions.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m more than capable of bringing my Queen to the base. Alone.”

Kieran’s victorious smile said it all; he knew that he managed to push Augustus’s buttons. I didn’t lecture him. Instead, I walked away, grabbing my remaining things to pack up.

If I stay around him a little longer, my remaining energy might leave my body.

The air around Augustus was suffocating. I wonder if it was because of the melancholy around him, or it was something else.

Either way, I’d rather be far off than to let him send my mind into a frenzy once again.

It hasn’t been a minute since I stepped away from those two when a hurried Lycan soldier of a lower rank came rushing towards us. He could barely catch his breath as he stumbled before Augustus.

“Alpha! You need to return to the base immediately! The Reds will be marching on the third, not on the fifth! And our men… they’re growing more rabid! Please, Alpha! We need your help!”