Chapter 39

Amira’s POV.

We all convened in the meeting room, fully aware of the urgent need to address the situation, we uncovered more than we thought. Nikolas's anger was palpable, not directed at me, of course, but rather at King Erick and Queen Esra. It had been a long time since I had witnessed this side of Nikolas, the ruthless king, and it was undeniably daunting.

This time though, the fear wasn't for me; it was for the others. King Erick and Queen Esra would undoubtedly face the full force of Nikolas's wrath. Ever since he learned about the potential threat aimed at me, he had taken swift action, doubling his army's strength and entrusting our beta, as well as the skilled soldier James, to train them. James was a strong and great warrior, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who never once disappointed the kingdom.

A sense of impending conflict hung in the air, and I couldn't shake the feeling that war was on the horizon. I understood that it would inevitably bring forth a torrent of spilled blood. However, deep down, I yearned for a way to avert such a fate. While my desire for vengeance against them burned fiercely for what they did to my parents and pack. But I now realized that they would not wish for further violence. They had never been ones to respond to hate with hate. Perhaps, instead of seeking revenge, what they truly deserved was justice—an outcome that would honor their memory without perpetuating the cycle of violence.

I settled in my chair and took Nikolas’ hand under the table and squeezed it but nothing would calm him now.

“What’s the plan then?” Uncle Jacob asked, looking between the two of us.

“Well, it’s clear that they’re after the person with powers, after Amira,” Nikolas pointed out the obvious before continuing to explain, “They wrongfully led a massacre to Ocean Dawn Pack, the moment that news comes out they will lose any allies they might’ve had.”

Hearing the mention of Ocean Dawn Pack brought me chills. The memories of my old pack have faded, I can barely remember much but from others, I’ve learned how sweet, kind and helpful they were. They didn’t deserve to die just for possessing power others don't.

“So what’s the actual plan, Nikolas?” Uncle Jacob asked, much clearer this time.

“We will leak the truth about who she is, we discussed it briefly and Amira’s ok with that,” Nikolas began to explain. It was a quick plan we came up with when we were alone for less than fifteen minutes. Back then it all made sense but now I was slightly nervous about it. Then Nikolas looked at me with confidence in his eyes and suddenly the nervousness was washed away.

“She is?” Alpha Caine frowned then looked over at me, “You are?”

“My parents and their pack deserve justice,” I answered.

“I’ll plan out everything strategically and when the time’s right, I think in about three days I will let the news leak and we wait for them to strike,” Nikolas began to explain, showing them a piece of paper on which he wrote on. I assumed he planned to attack. Or defend?

“You have my support, man,” Ronan said without once looking at the plan, he put his full trust in Nikolas and showed how supportive he truly was.

“Mine too, King Nikolas,” Alpha Caine added and I felt my stomach clench for a moment. More people were willing to risk their lives for me? I now felt bad and Nikolas could sense that.

“I don’t want to drag you two into-” Nikolas was apologizing when there was a loud tsk coming from Caine.

“Nonsense, you’d do the same for me,” Ronan figured and it was true. I knew Nikolas well enough now to know he’d protect his friends because ultimately he didn’t have many.

“After saving my mate’s life I told you I’d forever be in your debt and I meant it,” Alpha Caine added and shrugged. I looked over at Mila. Was she ok with her mate offering this? She must’ve read my mind and just smiled at me and nodded her head.

“Then we have three days to get prepared, expect them to start a war shortly after,” Nikolas pointed back to his piece of paper, “Don’t expect them to play honest, they will use rogues, any wolf they can get for their war.”

“We will be prepared,” Caine gave him a subtle nod. Like he was waiting for this. I’ll admit, since he got his pack back together properly he surely focused a lot on his defense. It tripled when Mila went missing.

“This won’t be easy,” Chloe mumbled under her breath.

I interrupted my mate, “Nikolas, wait, I don’t want bloodshed, I just want justice.”

“Amira, they won’t go down peacefully, their egos won’t allow that,” Ronan frowned.

“Nikolas, at least try first,” I sighed, taking Nikolas’ hands in mine as I looked at him.

“How? How do you expect me to handle things peacefully ?” Nikolas scoffed. Violence was always his first answer and it made me chuckle for a moment.

“Well… You could start by affecting their money flow, they make use of our routes and contacts, and you can easily sway that with Erick. Esra’s doing business with King Benji, he’s known to be against rogues. If you publish the truth they will both suffer financially and that’s just a start,” Uncle Jacob and Aunt Andrea began to say, finishing each other’s sentences here and there. They haven’t ruled in three years but they sure knew everything still.

***

We attempted to reason with King Erick and Queen Esra, striving to steer clear of war. However, their ambitions clouded their judgment, and they stubbornly refused to back down. We disrupted their businesses and cut off their financial support, hoping to send them a clear message. All we asked for was a simple apology and a promise to prevent any future atrocities like the Ocean Dawn pack massacre. Yet, they responded with disgust and officially declared war.

And so it began—the war, accompanied by a devastating loss of life. King Erick and Queen Esra fought fiercely, leaving no room for hesitation. We had the support of King Ronan's kingdom, who pledged their loyalty, as did Alpha Caine. However, others remained reluctant to join, feeling left out of the loop regarding my family's abilities. Some disapproved of the opposing kingdom's use of rogues but chose not to engage, unwilling to dirty their paws. I couldn't blame them. I wished we could have protected every one of our soldiers, but, like the others, we suffered losses.

King Erick and Queen Esra cunningly bolstered their forces with rogues, sending them as the initial line of defense, only to witness their swift and brutal defeat. Their regular soldiers, elite guards, and private forces followed suit.

The damage inflicted on both sides was horrific, though the brunt fell upon their kingdom. It pained me to see this, even as we gained the upper hand. This was not the outcome we had hoped for. We had envisioned a peaceful resolution, a chance for us all to coexist harmoniously. But perhaps I had been naively daydreaming. Now, my focus has shifted to protecting my loved ones and friends.

Initially, I remained stationed away from the front lines. However, King Erick managed to infiltrate our borders undetected, accompanied by his last remaining elite guards, luring me out into the open. It became clear that this was a fight-or-lose situation. Determined to bring an end to the war, I utilized my newly acquired powers to shield our people. They were innocent bystanders who did not deserve to suffer. We issued warnings and urged many to seek refuge in Caine's territory, but some stubbornly clung to their homes. I couldn't blame them—home would always hold a special place in their hearts.

I found myself in the hospital, wanting to get kits ready for our healed soldiers. Everything was a mess so I decided to do this myself. The hallways were empty and gave off an eerie vibe. I took a deep breath as I finished up the last of my wound-healing paste.

“You witch! You deserve to die!” Erick emerged from the doors.

I gasped, turning around to face him. He was covered in blood, with a slight limp on his face. I looked down at his hand and saw a gun in his hand, loaded with what I assumed must be silver bullets. I grabbed the first metal dish I found and threw it at him as I jumped out of the gun’s direction.

Erick redirected his gun and at that moment I used my telekinesis and swung my hand and the gun flew out the window, shattering the glass in the process.

“It’s fine, I’ll kill you with my bare hands, the same way they did to your pathetic father,” he said as he lunged at me. “The devil’s spawn doesn’t deserve a place on this earth,” he growled, fists coming close to my face but I dodged and countered back until I had this man on the ground. I punched and got punched back, I’ll admit, Erick was strong but not strong enough for me. Not when I was drunk on rage with his words ringing through my ears.

“You fucking asshole, my parents never did anything to you! You got scared of the power that was used for the good!” I yelled at him, grabbing him by the collar before pushing him back into the ground, using force.

“I tried to reason with you, but I now realize you deserve nothing less than death, a long, peaceful death,” I said as I shoved him into the ground once more, taking the wind out of him for a moment.

“Know one thing, Erick, it is your pride and ego that got you here,” I said as I pulled out the silver-bladed dagger I was gifted by Nikolas. I securely held the leather handle and brought the edge of the knife to Erick’s throat, the blade danced across his skin but I never slid his throat. Instead, I dragged it down to his chest.

“Beg for it,” I whispered, glaring down into the man’s eyes. Oh and he did beg, he begged and begged till it made me sick to hear it.

“Amira please-”

“Goodbye Erick,” I hummed before piercing the knife through his heart and leaving the dagger there for him. He decided what he’d do. Slow death or even slower death? I sat across from him and watched as he struggled and coughed up blood.

I bet my parents begged for their lives, begged for peace. But this monster never granted them that, did he?

“Amira!” Nikolas shouted as he bolted through the door, kicking Erick in an accident in the process. He had a worried look on his face but then he saw Erick and looked over at me with relief on his face.

“I guess… The war is over,” Nikolas said tiredly, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around me. The smell of sweat and blood covered him.

“Esra?” I looked over at him then our gaze shifted to the coughing man.

“She was killed by her people. Her people are begging for peace. The rogues were all dead, some fell back. Erick was the only one left. Him and his beta who James took care of,” Nikolas answered, his rough fingertips, soothingly stroking my arm.

“So the war is truly over?” I turned to look at him. I noticed the tiredness in his eyes, Nikolas was the type of king who prepared for everything, even wars. But I don’t think he ever imagined having to go through with it. This war drained him mentally and physically and I was just ready for my husband to feel free again, to rule in peace again.

“There’s no battle to win anymore, we already won,” Nikolas confirmed with a faint smile on his lips.