Chapter 88

**Aelin's POV**

I just needed Beta Cassius to lunge at me. The moment he would and Ascian took his mouth off of me, I was a free woman and he was a dead man. As simple as that. Cassius was an intelligent and loyal. It would take a lot of work to get him to do it, but I knew there was one person that he cared about more than Arsen. Lia. If I managed to disrespect enough Arsen for him to forget momentarily about my role as his mate and to disrespect Lia right after. Not letting him the time nor space to even take a breath. He'd be lunging against me.

"Aelin, relax!"

"Or what, Arsen? You think you have anything on me?" I chuckle. "You're a poor excuse of a mate and an even worse of an Alpha."

Arsen growls at me. Cassius does too but even louder.

"You control what you're saying, Aelin. You don't want to deal with them once we're done with the bloodsucking creature you have by your side,"

"Who says you'll get rid of me?" Ascian laughs.

"Smell her good because that's the last thing, you'll be getting from her," Arsen speaks out.

"Arsen, shut the fuck up."

"Don't speak like that about my fucking Alpha, you whore!" Cassius begins to break.

"Call me that one more time," I taunt Cassius.

I can see the hesitation on Cassius' face.

"Go on, show me to shut the fuck up. But you're no better that your fucking Alpha, are you?"

Cassius spits. "Whore."

"Me and your mate aren't that different after all then, are we?" I barely could finish the word before he was lunging at me.

Arsen did exactly as I had 'told him'. He didn't lunge, but rather waited for Ascian to move me away from Cassius. In that simple movement, as Ascian's reflexes worked on only moving me away from the danger, he let go off me. Arsen didn't wait a second before he lunged towards Ascian, transforming mid air into his wolf form. Ascian, who didn't see him coming too focused on Beta Cassius, was soon captured beneath Arsen's huge wolf.

"*Sorry, sorry, sorry*" I mindlinked to Cassius. Since Arsen had pushed Ascian off of him, he had been quick to get back to me. Far more hesitation on his face but regardless, he still holds me captive underneath him. "*I promise I didn't mean any of that.*"

Cassius' wolf blinked once, twice, thrice. He opened them wide for me, soft, warm, round. "*You're a fucking idiot, you know that.*" He mindlinks getting off.

I smile. "*So, I've been told,*" I shrug as he gets off me.

The sound of the crack of Ascian's neck fill the air. I halt. Still, unable to move.

"*Aelin?*" Arsen asks through the link concerned. His tone is soft and warm. Home. Yet, for some reason this time, it felt empty.

I couldn't get myself to turn my neck around to face him, but most importantly, to face Ascian.

Arsen's black large wolf walked over to me. He didn't try to intimidate me, nor make himself seen. He walked over to me, slowly and quietly, much like he would do to a pray. Understanding me in ways I can't comprehend, he doesnt force me to look at him. At least not yet.

He sits besides me, leans over and puts his larger head on top of mine. I lean into his touch.

"*He'll wake up, Aelin,*" he informs me. "*Breaking a Vampire's neck doesn't kill them forever.*"

The knot that I had on my throat loosened. I finally had the courage to face Ascian's limp body. I peeked to see it behind Arsen's body. He didn't move a finger nor tried to stop me. That's when I saw it. I gasped the second I saw it. But surprisingly, that was it. I looked at his body and realized I felt nothing. I was more afraid at the reaction that I could have than actual his limp body. My heart rate went down and I felt as though my brain had been reset.

I look at Arsen. He wasn't looking at me and he wouldnt have unless I looked at him first. His eyes locked with mine. I smiled. A warm smile that both of us knew what it meant. I'm okay.

Soon enough, a bunch of warriors enterred into the small, chaotic room. Two sleeping beauties on its floor. They didn't say anything. They entered in a line of one and one by one they would do a small courtesy with their heads to me. I wasn't sure why, but they did.

They grabbed their bodies and swiftly took them away. Not one word was spoken. Everyone kept in utter silent, as I cuddled into Arsen's fur and they cleaned after this whole mess.

I knew Arsen was conducting exactly how the warriors would come in, clean and leave, in silence, using nothing but the mindlink, which I wouldnt be able to hear, to communicate.

"Can we go?" I asked out loud.

His wolf looked at me and nodded. I got up and walked outside, leading the way.

"*Shift,*" he commanded me. "You'll feel better."

He could see the hesitation on my face, yet with a calm tone, he added: "I need this."

It didn't take me another word, I just took off my clothes one by one, not wanting to rip them all off. Once I was just on my underwear, that's when I shifted. Smoothly, in one big breath, I transformed. Arsen walked over to me and began rubbing his body all over mine. I let him rub his scent all over my body. We both needed this.

"*Let's go,*" he commands, "*I don't want either of us to be near this place any longer.*"

I follow his lead and quickly catch up with him.

"*I'm sorry about the things I said,*" I apologize.

"*I know you didn't mean them,*" he replies.

"*They weren't nice to hear,*" I say, wanting to feel or at least admit to me what he felt. As much as he wanted to those words must've hurt. He's come to face the biggest fear that a werewolf could have, that your mate hates but even worse, that she'd prefer a Vampire over you.

"*The means to an end,*" he states.

"*I-I know it must've hurt,*" I tell him. "*When I couldn't bare witness to what I thought had been his death. Trust me, there's nothing I'd like more than to feel nothing but rage towards him, but I still feel like this mercy for him that I can't quite explain. I know it's not what you want to hear from your mate.*"

"*It's not,*" he answers.