Chapter 159
DIMITRI’S POV
I couldn’t stop pacing in the large tent, the moment we got back after I had handed over Lyra’s blood and hair with mine to the wizards. A few of my trusted men were with me, and they looked on, surprised at why I had her hair and blood in the first place. The wait wasn’t long, but it felt like the longest in my entire life.
The white flames in the fire, with the blue smoke above it, were already my answer.
My child!
She was my child. She was a spitting image of her mother, Isla.
My shoulders shook, and I grabbed the nearest armrest in support before sinking into it and crying. It had been so long, I hadn’t even shed a tear when Isla died. I had vowed to kill every werewolf in the realm to bring her justice and our unborn child’s before mourning. And now, the same child was before me, all grown and powerful.
“She’s your blood Lycan King,” Malachi, the head wizard, spoke, and the men gasped in shock.
The goddess must have truly pitied me to let me witness this day.
“So, I was right. Only a Lycan would know how to deal with one, and all along, it was my own daughter. My flesh and blood,” I half cried, half laughed, it almost sounded like the noise of a madman.
“We are getting her back.” I stood up, my eyes meeting Varkas.
“But how, my Lord? She’s surrounded by formidable forces and the Alpha King, not to mention she is very powerful.” He replied with reasoning, and it made me pause to think.
“In that case, let's devise a plan to extract her and leave this blasted land,” I responded, turning to my men. We were on it for hours, but couldn’t come up with a plan. None of it was going to be in our favor. Not after the killings and annihilations we had left in our wake.
After a few hours, we decided to send emissaries telling them to release the Lycan in their midst in exchange for the end of the war. And just like I expected from a proud Alpha as Alpha King Ryker, he was not just stubborn but also proud.
He would never release his own easily. Desperate, I had sent the emissaries again, but I had been informed they were not granted entrée.
I was desperate, and now, I was here. Honored upon my arrival, but regarded as a huge threat the moment I stepped into their walls. I inhaled the rich scent of the air, sieving smells for her, but couldn’t find any before marching into the pack house where the throne room was situated.
The pack was eerily quiet, with armed men all in sight, and then it hit me. There were no women and no pups. It only meant one thing: that they had been evacuated. The immaculate planning was applaudable, and I briefly wondered if we had truly succeeded in annihilating the North with this Alpha King.
Soon, my men and I were ushered I with Varkas at my right hand, just a step behind.
“Alpha King Ryker,” I greeted with a smile, watching the young man for any sign of weakness. “Thank you for honoring my sudden presence at your gates.”
His eyes were unreadable, and his expression stoic and hard like a true warrior, a true leader. I was impressed.
“Lycan King Dimitri. You left me no choice, seeing as you came yourself,” His cold voice ran, and he gestured to his men at the corner of the wall, who came over and ushered us to seats they had placed perfectly angled to have a view of the men in the crowd and the entrance, and also enough to face him.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It looks like we are placed on trial, Alpha King,” I replied, signaling to my men as we all took our seats. I wasn’t here for war. I was only here for one thing.
My daughter.
“You came to my lands uninvited,” Came Alpha King Ryker’s response.
“Very well then,” I smiled and turned to look at him, my hand resting lazily on my chin while I observed him and tendered my case. “As I said in my letters, the second which you refused to bother reading, we Lycans have a standing rule. We punish offenders and do not take lightly to betrayal lightly. Ever since our last standoff, we have come to realize that we truly have our kind in your midst, and I would like to have that person back. In exchange,” I paused for effect, sweeping my gaze over the sea of men around. “In exchange for the end of the war.”
My gaze turned back to meet the Alpha King and noticed he was snarling menacingly.
“We all know there are no Lycans here,” He said, turning to his men and council, and they all nodded in agreement with a loud ‘yes’, before he turned his attention back to me.
“Now, King Dimitri. I have heard what you have said. What I would like to know is what you have not said, so we can cut this crap of a mole you’re on here yapping about.”
My men growled at the way he spoke to me, and I couldn’t help but smile, despite my jaw tightening. He was intelligent, I would give him that.
My gaze swept across the room and the sea of men. It was easy to take them down with my powers without distraction, that is, and that wouldn’t be entirely possible. T was already clear she had my blood, and her mother's. She also took part in her grandmother’s unusual teleporting skills, which I have, which is not as strong, seeing that that particular power is only more prominent in the women's side of my lineage.
I was desperate. She was the only living heir I had in all of my lives. I had only been blessed with a mate at such an old age, I was almost going mad with a lack of mate, and the women at court were no longer enough to keep me satiated. The council had pressed down on me for an heir, for stability, and had even offered marriage alliances. One of which I had accepted in the end, until Isla.
I had met her in the human realm when I took a short break from court. It was supposed to be a means to clear my head before my arranged marriage. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. The bond between us was electric; neither of us could stay away. That night was the most amazing night, and from then onwards, it had been blissful until it was time for me to go back. Then, I had to tell her the truth, but she had been so mad at me for lying to her and decided to stay away, not since knowing that I was soon to be married to another. But I wouldn’t let her go, and so I had kidnapped her and brought her back to my kingdom with me, broken off the marriage alliance, and made her stay by me. She was reluctant at first, but soon enough, the bond between us could not be denied, and she gave in.
But the problems that once could be solved via marriage became worse, and more issues started creeping up, from that moment onward. I had found my mat, but my kingdom was torn apart with so much civil unrest, and Isla was pregnant. Heavily pregnant at the time.
“My daughter. I have come for my daughter,” I stood up, meeting King Ryker’s surprised gaze.