Chapter 192

Chapter 192
From Tobias’ contorted expression, Dax, and everyone else, knew that something was happening. But everyone had been shut out.

Dax stepped toward Tobias. The Bloodrayne Alpha’s eyes darted to Dax, and he glared at him.

“You…trick me? Twice?” Tobias snarled, his large frame lowering into a stance that meant only one thing in the shifter world.

“There is no trick here,” Dax retorted firmly. “We are here to talk, only that,” Dax continued quickly, keeping a steady gaze on Alpha Tobias, raising his own chest and back.

Showing with his pose that he was not reciprocating the Bloodrayne Alpha’s antagonistic movement.

“Then what this one has said is part of the ‘talk’?” Tobias growled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Dax’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Tobias swallowed involuntarily.

Dax eyed the Bloodrayne Alpha, as if he had read the shifter's very dirty mind.

Dax’s jaw clenched.

His eyes darted to his son, who gazed back at him innocently.

His lips parted.

“Alpha Tobias,” Dax remarked distractedly, his eyes darting from Reyland back to the almost equally distracted Tobias, whose eyes were too focused on Dax’s face.

Alpha Dax stepped sideways, back to where he had been standing initially, eyeing Tobias carefully.

“We have come for my son. To discuss a compromise. To form an agreement.”

“What agreement?” Tobias snapped.

“Your people. All of them. The ones we captured. They will be released to you. Across the river, tomorrow morning.”

“Your spellcaster, and your son, can return with you, tonight,” Dax continued in the same hurried, but calm tone.

Defusing the situation without showing his belly to the beast before him.

“Give us the one you hold,” Dax finished firmly.

“And my red wolf?” Tobias droned. “We had an agreement three nights ago, did we not?” Tobias said slowly, his eyes going from Dax, to Reyland, and resting on Marian.

Marian stared back at him.

Her face was pale, but that was not what Tobias had focused on.

Her hand was in Misha’s, and, her hand was trembling.

“What?” Tobias breathed.

“We came to talk,” Marian stated quietly, squeezing Misha’s hand in hers.

The Bloodrayne prince glanced down and then back up at Marian’s face.

“What?” Misha breathed, sounding almost like his father.

“We have an agreement,” Marian said quietly, “if your words were true, you and I would discuss your payment,” she stated, holding Alpha Tobias’ blue gaze as she repeated her words from the night she had taken his son back to him to get information to heal Reyland.

“I have not forgotten,” she continued slowly, tightening her grip on Misha’s hand.

Tobias did not miss the movement. He did not miss the haziness that crept into the red wolf’s gaze.

It was a look he had seen before, a thousand times.

“Someone, very recklessly, mentioned something that has been on my mind for the past three days,” she said, her voice softening.

Tobias’ bent back straightened.

“No,” Tobias growled, firmly taking a step forward.

“There has been a lot of fighting.”

“I said no,” Tobias snarled, his voice slightly shaky.

All eyes were now darting between Tobias and Marian, and the wolf who was standing far too closely to the red wolf, his face growing paler by the moment.

“Fa –” Misha called out to his father, his voice barely above a whisper, but something, someone caught his voice.

For the first time, since every being in the Lycan’s presence, Misha’s gaze held Reyland’s.

Both young wolves stared at each other, with barely a twitch in their expressions, but Misha swallowed.

His eyes were steady, he did not flinch, his brain simply acknowledged that someone was stopping him from doing something he wanted to do.

Reyland’s gaze shifted lazily from Misha to Alpha Tobias, whose eyes were now darting between Marian and Reyland.

Everyone else stared at the four shifters who seemed to be having their own meeting within the meeting.

Dorien had not moved a muscle.

Marian was still speaking.

“And a lot of loss, on all sides,” she said steadily, swallowing as she stared at the Bloodrayne Alpha.

“Stop this,” Tobias rumbled.

“I have considered my words to you that night, very carefully,” Marian continued, her eyes drifting to the ground.

“Little girl, do not play a game you cannot begin to understand!”

“I can understand it. My Alpha has played that game many times over,” she replied hoarsely.

Dax’s eyes widened.

“Marian,” Dax called out, a quiet warning in his tone.

“My Alpha,” Marian replied without taking her eyes off the ground, “let me make the bargain.”

Dax’s eyes snapped to Reyland.

The young prince nodded imperceptibly.

Dax’s lips parted. He stared blankly from Reyland, to Marian and back.

Something is up, Dax mused.

These young ones have a plan…or something close to it.

They are destabilizing the Bloodrayne Alpha.

Throwing words and offers and…threats at him in the name of negotiations.

Even I was not informed of this…

Even I cannot give their plan away…

Dax turned slowly to the white-faced Tobias.

Marian’s eyes rose from the ground and held the Bloodrayne Alpha’s.

“You want my Alpha’s head for our heir’s life. That is your offer.”

“This is ours,” she said respectfully, “Give us our heir. End of story. You will get your men, you will get your spellcasters. We close that matter.”

Misha’s arm jerked, but Marian held it firmly. He tried to step to the side, but his body would not obey.

Misha’s gaze snapped to Reyland again.

Reyland was facing Alpha Tobias.

He tried to squeeze Marian’s hand, but his entire body was frozen. He closed his eyes, controlling his heart that had begun to race.

He tried to reach his wolf, Aren was nowhere. His mind could not even go into itself. He could not link with any of his pack members. He was stuck, he was alone. He stared at the she-wolf beside him.

Marian was speaking.

“Then, for my promise to you for your help in waking our prince, we will keep your son, and you will gain access to a red wolf – under the supervision of my people.”

“We will share. We will learn. Together.”

“And –”

“I said stop!” Tobias bellowed.