Both Hades and Nebraska could not believe what the Layan Commander was saying, with that peaceful face.
-My daughter is in danger and dying after every second. If taking her to save her is the option we will do it- Hades' voice was grave, his eyes turned into two small silver dots.
Vitore felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. Where the hell was his asshole alpha when he had to face his alpha's in-laws. Yeah, right, he remembered, still locked up.
-Kei please save me- he prayed inwardly.
He took a deep breath and focused again on the three wolves glaring at him and almost intimidating him with their scent. Luckily he was used to dealing with these situations if he wasn't the commander of his pack. Appearances were deceiving.
-Alpha Hades, queen. I know the anguish within you, but the Princess is now my alpha's mate. You can't just take her away like that. Besides, Layan is in a complicated and very vulnerable moment, only knowing that he has his she-wolf close by is what keeps him halfway sane. If they take her away we don't know if he can succumb.
And Victore wasn't sugarcoating the situation. Layan was literally not having a good time. They had thought that with how strong he was and with their separate consciences there was a better chance they could keep Liam at bay and be able to destroy him. But the damn thing had gotten too strong.
Layan's wolf at least wouldn't let him out, but one was fierce that wouldn't let anyone get close, not even let them into the room driving everyone out with his scent. Meanwhile in his head. Only he knew what was going on, but the few times in those three days that Victore had come in... he had noticed the winces of pain from the alpha. He wasn't having a good time at all and the commander was worried... that his alpha wasn't strong enough to hold his own against Liam.
Hades growled baring his fangs.
-That jerk, even at a time like this he's a pain in the ass. I knew I should have kept refusing the idea of him bonding with my daughter,- he protested through gritted teeth.
Victore smiled slightly inwardly, despite his intimidating appearance Alpha Hades was a pushover when quickly analyzing the situation. He hoped he wasn't wrong and that at least they would dispense with the idea of taking Priscilla, at least until their alpha had managed to finish with Liam. What he could do was to divert some attention, at least temporarily.
-Well alpha, if the princess hadn't bonded with Layan, she'd still have a suitor,- he said.
Hades instantly tensed his body.
-Who?- he asked plaintively.
Victore took advantage of the alpha's fatherly possessiveness and his gaze fell on Litus.
-My alpha had a very strong rival. Not so, alpha Litus.
The man's eyes widened accusingly. He had really done that to him. That was supposed to be between those who knew the situation.
-What does that mean, Litus? Hades began to move his toe in his direction.
Hades was even obsessive when it came to his daughter and partners. Victore still wondered how Layan had been able to hit the jackpot without dying trying.
-Hades,- Nebraska's hand suddenly caressed his arm and he instantly turned his attention to her.
-What's up, my love?- and as always, he changed his mood when he referred to his wife or any of his children, -Let's rest and then we'll talk later. Priscila came back to her senses. Let's sleep the hours she will be in bed- her voice sounded tired, but who was she kidding, well, if her husband, what she was avoiding was a confrontation, since she had already had years to assimilate Layan in some way, so that another wolf could enter the board.
Perhaps if it had been a good idea for her daughter to find a mate outside the pack, because she was sure that, if it was from the inner wolves, the poor thing would have no life. The standards for her children's mates were quite high. Example of this was with Rodrigo who had somehow become emotionally attached to Leoxi and there wasn't a day that went by that Hades didn't bring it up in his face. Hades was not perfect after all.
In the end the alpha nodded his head.
-But we can't leave Priscilla alone,- he said looking over his shoulder at the door.
-She'll be sleeping until the wee hours of the morning or more. I put her into a deep state of sleep. Now all you and I have to do is eat, bathe and rest so we'll be strong when she wakes up- Nebraska said that, but inside she knew that no matter how weak her daughter was it was easy for her to break her mind control.
And once they were out of the way her daughter would definitely go looking for Layan. That was something she couldn't avoid no matter how much she didn't want her pup to put herself in danger. And she knew she was lying to Hades again, yet something inside her told her that if daughter would be the key to Layan, she had felt it when she put her to sleep.
Hades put up no resistance and allowed himself to be dragged by his wife into the room continues. It was then that Litus focused on Victore.
-You want my pack to have to find a new alpha,- he raised an eyebrow, -I have enough with one.
-Then it won't make any difference if I throw you to the slaughter with the other one,- Victore smiled broadly and turned to head for his room.
Being temporary alpha of his pack, nurse and mediator of those testosterone-filled alphas was draining him. A few minutes later he opened the door to his room and stretched when he saw something that made him put on a shocked expression.
-AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH- he screamed, but out of excitement and ran in the direction of the bed where someone was sitting.
Kei didn't have time to react when he had the albino wolf on top of him, kissing both his eyelids, his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, even his mouth.
-Kei, Kei, Kei, Kei - Victore couldn't stop crying as he distributed kisses all over his face and his arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
The beta was still in a bit of a daze, first from waking up in a room that wasn't his, then from his somewhat confused and tangled memories, then from the guilt of what he had done that somehow kept replaying in his head and now, from having to hold a wolf who always remembered him harshly or just teasing him, now crying disconsolately against him.
A bead of sweat trickled down his temple not knowing how to react, but his body moved on its own and he cradled it in his arms pressing it against him. The sensation felt familiar, though he couldn't remember ever hugging Victore like this.
He only knew that his body began to tingle and the wolf's disconsolate sobs soon stirred something strange inside him, like a vague memory of a whimper and an image of Victore beneath him, legs spread wide and face just as red and tearful, only begging for more.
The shock made him push the Commander so hard that he almost fell off the bed.
-What the fuck is wrong with you,- he said between sobs and indignation rubbing his eyes, -I... taking care of you without being able to sleep, going crazy to know when you would wake up and you treat me like this,- he sat on the bed with a huge pout when he noticed something strange in the other wolf.
Kei's face was by nature serious, absent of emotions, but what he saw now was a noticeable blush that covered even the blond beta's ears and that hand notoriously squeezed his lower area wanting to hide what was there.
And Victore stood still. Apparently someone had remembered some of their encounters where the beta always ended up drunk. Knowing him, that would be a hard thing to explain.