Chapter 164 BLOOD SECRETS
Chapter 164 BLOOD SECRETS
LUCIEN'S POV:
It’s common knowledge that Lycans do not get drunk… In fact, our body’s makeup never allows it.
But that knowledge never stopped Loki… When we were younger, he’d whipped up some devilish concoction straight from hell, capable of getting the job done.
And now, the goblet in my hand is filled to the brim with Loki’s ‘special’ wine… We still have no idea of what exactly Loki put in his famous wine or what made it ‘special’, But no one bothered to ask… So far it got the job done. Ignorance is bliss and honestly… I’m not sure I even want to know what’s in it.
I had spent most of the day in the Harkin’s manor avoiding Malia...Not because I don't want to see her. That's actually the fucking problem, I want to see her too much...
But I ended up hiding here with my brothers...
It is quite rare for the four of us to sit together like this in the same room without some war plan spread between us or a mountain of dead bodies to tally…
“This is just like old times…” Loki says wistfully as he swirls his sixth bottle of wine, “Oh… Except Valir’s not here. Poor thing’s still locked in the dungeons.” He tilts the bottle and takes a big swig. “I guess I’ll drink in his place then… To Valir! Our dear but troubled brother.” He raises the bottle in a ‘toast’ then empties it!
“Go easy on the drinks, Loki…” I chide and he shrugs and leans back in his chair with a lazy grin plastered across his face as he gestures toward Viktor with his goblet. "I still can't believe it…” Loki chuckles, shaking his head. "Our grumpy war general... officially mated and taken off the market! I have to say, brother, I am proud of you… You actually claimed a mate! I was starting to think you’d die alone…”
I lean my elbow on the armrest, taking a slow sip of my wine… As tempting as getting drunk sounded, I need my wits about me when I go back to Malia. It was hard enough being around her sober, I can’t imagine what I’d do to her while drunk….
But I agree with Loki… I never thought Viktor would ever take a mate. I give his shoulder an approving pat, and he immediately stiffens.
”It is good to see you finally doing something worthwhile with yourself other than obsessing over the troop numbers and border patrols… Maybe this will be good for you.”
Viktor grimaces and his jaw tightens as he stares down into his dark red wine. He swashes the liquid around in his glass. “We’ll see…” He grits out.
"I still do not get the point of all this fuss over mates and breeders," Hylos mutters dryly. "During the harvest, I simply chose a female who was already pregnant because she would be much easier to ignore… Women are too much trouble.”
Loki rolls his eyes dramatically and lets out a loud groan. “Of course you’d think that, you have the romantic charm of a corpse Brother… I think the breeding program is to blame. It's so forced, so mechanical… Romance is meant to happen spontaneously you know, with passion and a sprinkle of chaos!"
Loki turns back to Viktor with his eyes flashing. "So come on, Viktor! Tell us how your new mate reacted when you marked her! Did she swoon into your arms? Did she weep tears of joy and gratitude?”
Viktor curses under his breath almost like he’s triggered by the memory, then he grips his goblet and drains it in one gulp. He looks almost sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck. "She uh… she screamed. And then she ran away from me… Still screaming.”
Loki bursts into a roar of laughter, but Viktor’s shoulders sag further. "I mean, I don't blame her…” Viktor adds quietly with a rare note of remorse in his usually stern voice. "She probably hates my guts for marking her without her consent. But... she was dying right in front of me. I had no choice… At least I saved her life."
“You did the right thing,“ I say smoothly, giving him an encouraging nod. "Even if she is furious with you now, the bond will settle her in time. She’ll know you did what you had to do to save her.”
"A true knight in shining armor…” Loki teases, placing a hand over his heart dramatically "Ah, look at us… Viktor is mated. Lucien is practically wrapped around his wild little Mate. And here I am... all alone and hopelessly single! The only brother left without a mate to call my own!"
Hylos looks up from his goblet and says dryly. "I am also unmated, Loki."
Loki snorts, waving a dismissive hand at Hylos. “Oh please… You don't count, Hylos! You're weird and creepy. You have a much better chance of finding a mate among those dead bodies you keep rotting in your cellars than in the living world."
Hylos merely shrugs at that, unbothered by the insult. “Fair point…”
As my brothers banter back and forth, my mind slips away from the room and the laughter around me fades into a dull buzz as my thoughts drift straight back to Malia…
I’ve been haunted the entire day by the raw, desperate light shining in her eyes when she told me she’d stayed behind for me… That she couldn't leave me. Kaesar has been restless in the back of my mind ever since, practically drunk on her words and insisting that she is finally yielding to us… But deep down, beneath the fierce pull of our bond, a quiet, nagging knot of suspicion lingers in my chest.
Why did Kieran leave without her? Why did she not go with him?
"Lucien?"
Viktor’s low voice breaks through my thoughts and I blink, bringing my focus back to the room. Viktor is watching me intently now with his eyes narrowed. "Is Malia okay? after last night…” he asks softly.
"I am not sure…” I admit honestly, "I cannot quite understand her yet."
Viktor sets his empty glass on the table with a thud and his expression turns grave. "Speaking of last night... I have news, brother. I have information on the contents of the strange red vial we retrieved from the Crescent pack during the raid.”
My posture straightens instantly and beside me, Loki stops laughing and with his eyes lock onto Viktor attentively. Even Hylos leans forward.
"What was inside it?" I ask and Viktor reaches into his pocket and pulls out one of the vials.
"It is a complex mixture…” Viktor explains and his brow furrows. “The alchemists who analyzed It said it’s made from Werewolf blood essence, mixed with blessed silver…”
Loki frowns. “What the hell… Werewolf blood and blessed silver?? What kind of insane combination is that?"
“I had the same reaction…” Viktor says gravely. "Which is why it makes no sense. Unless... it was some kind of secret biological weapon the Crescent pack was secretly developing before we struck them down. Think about it, Lucien… We have lost several of our men over the last few days to strange, sudden attacks… What if this mixture was what they were using? Some secret weapon?”
Silence settles over the room. Werewolf’s blood and blessed silver…. What does that even do? Whatever it was it was definitely deadly… A weapon like that in the hands of the werewolves?…
I look Viktor dead in the eye and my tone turns grave. "Find out exactly what that mixture does, Viktor… Test it on something if you have to… Trace its origins. I want to know what the Crescent pack was planning to use it for, and I want to know as soon as possible!”
Viktor nods firmly, pushing himself up from his chair. "I will let you know the outcome of my findings.“
As Viktor turns to walk toward the door, Loki calls out after him. “Don’t forget all about your newly marked mate though… Since she's still furious with you, getting her a nice bouquet of fresh flowers would be a great start!” He tuts and shakes his head. “He’s such a workaholic…”
Viktor hesitates at the doorway with a grimace on his face at Loki’s words, but as he turns away, I catch a tiny, subtle glint in his eyes…
Well, what do you know… My stoic brother might actually be smitten with his new mate.
Viktor slips out of the room and the moment the door clicks shut, Hylos steps out of the shadowed corner where he was seated and his pale, unblinking eyes land directly on me.
"Have you noticed anything strange about Malia? Has she been acting… unusual?“ He asks suddenly. His voice is flat yet there’s something cryptic about the way he asks the question. But then again, Hylos always sounds cryptic.
My eyes narrow. "Yes," I reply slowly, watching him carefully. "She has… How do you know that, Hylos?"
As expected, Hylos doesn't answer my question, he simply pats my shoulder. "No matter what happens, Brother... do not lose her."
Before I can even demand a real explanation, Hylos turns on his heel and glides quietly out of the room!
"Well," Loki sighs loudly, leaning over to grab his seventh wine bottle and pouring himself another overflowing glass. “That’s not creepy at all…”
I rub my temples, feeling a sudden headache brewing behind my eyes. Maybe I’ve had enough ‘special’ wine for one day. "What the hell was that even supposed to mean?"
Loki shrugs, watching me over the rim of his goblet with sharp, perceptive eyes. “No one ever knows with Hylos… But maybe It means it's late, Lucien… And you've been hiding away in my manor all day, drinking my good wine just to avoid facing Her."
I raise a brow at him but my body tenses up and Loki smirks.
"You're stalling…” Loki says smoothly, pointing a finger at me. "You’re dreading going back to Malia because you don't know what to make of your feelings for her, and her feelings too… You don’t believe you’re worthy of her affection and you don’t believe she loves you… Why not go to her! Stop running away like a coward and go get your answers from her! She’s your mate!”
Loki stands up, walking over to clap my back rather roughly… Shit, He’s more plastered than I thought! What the hell is in that wine…
"Look into her eyes Brother… talk to her, and for fuck’s sake, tell her how you actually feel… Honesty works wonders, brother. Even on stubborn little wolves like her.”
I bite back a sharp retort, but deep down, I know he is right. I am conflicted… I am torn between my desperate desire to trust her and believe she’s being genuine and my own insecurities… I simply couldn’t believe it.
Loki scoffs and caresses his wine bottle. “Why do you all overcomplicate romance? If you love a woman, you fucking tell her! If I found someone I loved, I’d never let them go, ever…”
“Fine," I growl quietly, standing up from my chair. “I’ll do it.”
Loki brightens up at that. "Come on then, I'll walk you out…” Loki offers, draining his glass and tossing the bottle casually.
I almost tell him not to bother, but I end up changing my mind… he definitely needs the walk with how much wine he drank.
We step out of the Harkin’s grand estate together and the crisp evening air hits my face, clearing some of the fumes of wine from my head.
But as we cross the courtyard towards the gates, a sudden commotion catches my attention... bringing me to an abrupt stop!