Chapter 45

The war was upon us. I could smell it in the air as much as I could hear the beginnings of something terrible. Lives would be lost this night. Blood would be spilled and many would mourn. This night would be one of devastation.

I walked along the empty corridor which led to the camp courtyard, and it was the pounding heart of my beloved that settled my mind and renewed my purpose. My brother would not destroy what I had worked diligently to build. There was already a time when I had stood and watched him strike down my heart, but since that night, I had made a vow to the stars that I would discard whatever weakness was left in me and stand tall in the face of adversity.

My brother would not destroy what I had worked diligently to build. I could hear the growling of the wolves in the distance. However, there was no ripping of the flesh or sounds of a busy battlefield, and I found it odd. I tipped my face to the sky and sniffed the air; there was a tension in the atmosphere, but nothing more, and when I turned the corner and entered the courtyard, I understood why.

The war, while certainly on its way, had not yet visited the wolf camp. I observed the wolves; some standing on four legs, others on two. They were tense with anticipation; all around the yard; some on roof tops, some on the concrete below. They growled and gnashed their teeth, while the ones who walked upright poised weapons and watched; watched our visitor. For an intruder had indeed descended on their camp.

I turned my eyes to the beast, for that is what he was; standing tall; his robes fluttering in the wind, his midnight black hair moving in unison and his piercing black eyes surveying the scene. There was a nonchalance about him as he stood there, surrounded by more wolves than any man could handle. His face was as smooth as alabaster, only partially hidden by the faint scruff that had come to grace his face.

He looked formidable standing there a top the building; a top the world. I looked away from him for but a moment and my gaze met the Alpha's. I shook my head and he ordered his pack to stand down. Their reluctance was obvious. They were craving a fight and this beast standing before them, unafraid and unruffled, was an enemy in their eyes; a foe who would try to disrupt what they had come to know, but I saw something else.

I turned my eyes back onto the intruder and watched as he tilted his head to sniff the air. A small smile crept onto my face. "Zahir." I spoke his name softly and when the he heard it, his eyes travelled over the group and came to meet my own.

The beast raised a brow and he too smiled. "Rien." He spoke over the growls and the shouts and the snarls. "I have found you. It has been too long brother." He said.

I nodded. Indeed.

..........................................

~Five years Prior~

"I can only liken him to that of a fledgling." The man standing by my side commented. We stood, hidden atop a roof overlooking the army's military base,camp or whatever name the humans associated these training grounds with.

The instructor had lined out their mentees, forcing them to stand tall, maintain their posture and look ahead at nothing in particular. The group was silent as the woman shouted at them; shouted despite the fact that such a raise in tone was unnecessary. Truth be told everything they did seemed unnecessary and completely dissimilar to the training of warriors in my coven, but if this was to help Tony gain some modicum of responsibility, then the unnecessary became a necessity.

I watched him now; my mate, as he stood among the other men and women. His heart was racing, his lips were dry and he was sweating through his clothes, but like the others, he did not move, he did not speak-he did not break the rules.

He was afraid. Perhaps at the thought of being here alone with people he did not know, perhaps because here, a lot more was expected of him, or simply because he was young and the young tended to fear their own shadows. I could not say, but watching him like this, knowing that he was not pleased to be here, left me with the almost overwhelming urge to swoop in like a fool and save him; yet again.

"I suppose in some ways he is a fledgling." I told my companion and he grunted in response, eyes narrowing as he studied my mate, no doubt trying to understand what it was about him that I found so completely irresistible.

"Is he anything like my Christophe?" he asked suddenly and I turned to him with raised brows.

"Your Christophe?"

He frowned "Do not tease Riener. You are perfectly aware of my desires as it relates to my mate."

"Your mate? Do you not think you have taken this obsession just a bit too far?"

His frown deepened and I smiled and raised a hand in surrender. "I say it not to tease, but simply because I wish to understand you and this hopeless situation you have thrown yourself into."

"Hopeless? Do you truly believe yours in any more hopeful than my own? Your father will never accept a human. You have said so many a time. It is why you have hidden yourself amongst these damned humans."

I smiled "Hidden is hardly the word I would use to describe it." I said good-naturedly and he shook his head.

"Call it what you will. Your love is just as depressing as my own. Though, that has not dampened my hope. One day I shall have Lord Christophe as my mate and ours will be a unity that cannot be trumped."

I folded my hands behind me and glanced back at the group below. "I admire your determination Zahir, but you have yet to build the courage to utter a word to the young Lord. How will you achieve such a thing if you are afraid to speak a few words in greeting?"

"I have no fear Riener." He said in as much frustration as he would dare to let show. "I am simply biding my time. I will speak with him when the time is right."

"Biding your time." I repeated; practicing the words on my tongue. "What do you think he will do once you have finished biding your time? Do you believe he will run to you with open arms?" I asked, not to seem cruel or condemnatory, but simply because it was something I truly had an interest in knowing.

Zahir sighed; a wholly uncharacteristic effort on his part, and closed his eyes for but the briefest of time. "You know he will not simply open his arms with acceptance." He said seriously. "His progenitors have poisoned his mind against the lower classes. He will not suffer a glance in my lowly direction unless I prove myself to be worthy." He said, not with self-pity, but with determination blazing in his eyes.

"You are the top ranking warrior in my army, you have fought for our coven more times than he has taken breath and you have proven your loyalty to me and our homeland again and again without fail, what more can you possibly prove to him?"

"Whatever I must...whatever it takes."

"I see." I watched as my Tony dropped to the ground with the others and did his pushups. He was a determined little thing; the smallest one there and fighting to prove that he was anything but. I smiled.

"They are grooming him to fight in your mating ceremony you know." Zahir interrupted and I regarded him briefly.

"There will be no mating ceremonies held on my behalf. I have found my mate."

"Do you believe that will matter to your father? When the time comes, he will call for your hand and the love of my life will fight for a place by your side. His blood relations will see to it. They have planned for that day and he knows this."

"I will only accept a mate of my choosing and I have already chosen. If father chooses to one day call for my hand then I will turn down his offer."

"You will not have such a choice."

I turned to him fully and his eyes found and held mine."

"Do you have no trust in my word Zahir?"

"Not particularly...not when it involves your father..."

I frowned. "If you were not my compeer I would have you whipped for your insolence."

He laughed. "Whipped for my insolence? Rien, if I were not your best friend, you would be miserable...that, and you have never ordered someone's whipping in your lifetime." His laughter continued and I could not help but smile, before I grew serious.

"You have naught to worry about Zahir. Lord Christophe will never warm my bed. He is yours if you can tame him and I have no doubt that you will succeed."

He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. "You do not understand Rien." He said then, all the laughter had fled his eyes. "The seed has already been sown in his mind. He has grown with the knowledge that he will one day be yours and that is not easily dislodged. Furthermore, he has been taught that those of lower status cannot walk the same path as he; my determination alone will not help me."

For a moment I could only watch him. "You seek my help." I surmised.

"Yes."

"Lord Christophe can hardly deny your status Zahir, the entire coven is aware of our close ties."

"That will not matter to him. I am but a familiar. I have no title, only the rank of a warrior and it will not be enough."

"Then what help can I offer?"

"When your father calls for your mating ceremony-" he began and I frowned. "When he calls for it Rien, because we both know that he will." he continued. "If it is as you say, and you do not truly want him for yourself, then I wish you to gift him to me."

"How are you certain he will even arise the victor; it is a fight to the death Zahir."

"He is a fine warrior. I have no doubt that he will." He said with complete certainty and I nodded.

"Very well. If the ceremony is called and he should arise the victor, then he will be yours."

He nodded slowly. "It is my hope that it will not come to that. I hope to woo him before such a thing comes to past, but if I am to fail and you do indeed gift him to me, I will work diligently to make him see that I am worthy."

"And if he does not?"

"Then he will be free to choose another."

"And it rip your heart out to watch him go." I said with certainty- my gaze once again coming to rest on my beloved.

Beside me Zahir nodded "My heart would not survive it."

......................................

~Four years Prior~

"He has already been with his army for a year, why is this necessary?" Zahir asked me from his perch on the rocks not far above me.

"He is still human Zahir. He is still prone to injury, disease and death. I need him to be kept safe. I need someone I trust to watch over him when I am unable to do so."

He nodded "And this undertaking is a necessity?"

"It is. Noah has requested my help and I will give it to him."

He shook his head. "I simply do not understand why you would fight with hunters. They have been nothing but a thorn in our side since the bane of our existence."

I frowned. "You have fought with hunters on many occasions."

"I have fought with Noah on many occasions...this goes beyond that."

"The blood-drinkers we seek deserve no loyalty from me. They have no regard for our livelihood. They only continue to put us at risk."

"And why must you always put yourself at risk? You need not always be the hero Rien."

I chuckled. "Do you not see the irony of your words brother?"

He smiled, but it was tinged with worry. "It is not the same. I am expendable, but one day when your father steps down, our people will need a leader and-"

"Kandane will fill that role." I interrupted, but he was already shaking his head. "And you are no more expendable than I."

"Kandane is no leader. No matter that he is heir." He argued, then his concern rose again in full force. "You have always been stubborn Rien." He paused. "If you believe this cause to be of consequence then I shall go in your stead. You need not put yourself in this position. I will fight with Noah again if it is what you need."

"What I need is for you to look after my mate while I am gone. Do not worry. I have no doubt that I will return."

"You always cause me worry... you are reckless."

"And you always argue...which is pointless."

"Pointless only because you are stubborn and I would rather appease you than watch you pout."

I grinned. "Does this mean you will do this for me?"

"Did you ever have a moment's doubt?" he questioned with a raised brow and I shook my head.

"I suppose not."

"This could take months...a year at most if you are lucky."

I nodded and we both looked toward the ocean. The sea was rough this time of year, but the waves rolled and broke against the sand, leaving the rocks upon which we were perched, dry, but for a sprinkle of its salt.

"Keep him alive."

His eyes met mine. "This is quite possibly the most difficult thing you have tasked me with brother...it is as though your mate is friends with danger...that or he is simply the clumsiest human I have ever encountered."

I laughed. "Perhaps it is the latter."

....................................................

~Two and a half years prior~

We spent the day amongst the ridiculous history books that I had shelved in my library. Ridiculous because they were written by humans who recounted nearly every event incorrectly. I suppose I only kept them to remind myself why nothing could be left in the hands of the mortal. Zahir had made sport of hopping across the tops of the shelves-his hands clasped behind his back, his posture perfect and his midnight-black hair which he had commanded me to saw off only the night before was still damp from his dip in the ocean an hour ago. I watched him as he came to the edge of one shelf and made a show of balancing on the balls of his feet, before he hopped to the next, where he soon grew bored-as expected- and finally sat with his legs dangling over its center.

"I do not know why I did it. It is as if I wish to punish myself for no reason than because I am here for the punishing." He was saying to me and I nodded in agreement.

"I told you to remain here. You should have listened to me...but alas..." I said the words dramatically for his benefit. "You never listen."

"I am but a man in love." He said simply.

"You are but a man obsessed." I corrected.

"That I could rip out my own heart and fling it at the universe...nothing would bring me greater pleasure."

My smile grew "Something tells me that to have Lord Christophe wrapped in your arms would be the thing to bring you the greatest...pleasure."

He shot me a murderous look, but just as quickly his expression faded into misery.

"Do not say such things Rien, you will only add fuel to my fantasies."

"Had you listened to me, you would not be so crazed with wanting him."

"I had not seen him for a month. I only wished to glimpse his face."

"And your glimpse transformed itself into conversation?"

He turned and lowered himself to his back, allowing his legs to dangle over either side of the shelf.

"Once I had seen his face I only wished to hear his voice."

"I'm sure."

He turned his head to the side and looked at me. "I swear to you that there was interest in his gaze Rien. Had that damned sibling of his not shown his face, I could have turned that interest into something greater."

I shook my head. "Twice he has rebuffed you and still you continue to fight for him."

"Twice only because his blood relations watch him as though he will melt away if not supervised, but twice there was interest and again today."

"Do you think you will ever give up?"

"Never." He said with vehemence.

"Then perhaps what you feel really is love...as I feel for my own beloved."

"Or perhaps it really is obsession...it is not an easy thing to decipher."

"Then we are both love-obsessed fools and there is nothing to be done for it."

He ran a hand over his face. "Yes, a love-obsessed fool tormented by the temptation of a life with my white-haired angel."

I laughed and very soon he too joined in...but though we jested, there was an undercurrent of seriousness that existed in our words. What we felt was not a thing to be taken lightly, for when our kind truly felt emotion...it was a thing that would not soon die.

Our eyes met and understanding passed between us.

................................................................

~Two years prior~

"Is it crazy to think that I will miss your mate?"

I smiled. "Not so crazy. Tony tends to grow on a person."

"Yes, watching over him these few years has changed my perspective of him since my first impression. He has grown. There is strength in him that I did not think I would witness in a human."

I would have been far more pleased with the news had this been a happier occasion, but as it were, the man standing before me, who had been a constant throughout my years, was to depart on a undertaking sanctioned by my father. There was no telling when he would return.

"Take care of yourself brother." He said seriously, his eyes piercing mine. "You take too many risks. I wish to see you whole if I am to return."

"If? Have you already forgotten your proclamation to one day woo your beloved?"

He smiled. "When." He corrected and when he reached out a hand with the intention that I shake it, I pulled him to me, wrapping my arms around him.

"Take care brother." I told him and when he finally pulled away, he nodded.

"Take care of him for me Rien." He said before turning to go and I had no doubt in my mind that he meant his white-haired angel.

"I will."

.....................................................

~Present~

"Had I not returned to the coven I would not have learned that you have settled in with wolves Rien." He was saying as he jumped from the building, landed in a crouch and straightened. "It is always something with you."

"And had I known you would be back so soon, you would have received a warmer welcome, but as it stands...we are at war."

He came to a stop not far from me and glanced around at the onlookers. "Yes... I left my company to fight in the upheaval I witnessed at our coven. I hear your brother is the instigator."

"So our people currently fight for their lives?" I asked him and he nodded.

"I would have thought he would choose to attack in unison. Why did you not stay and fight?"

"Because I have an inkling that you will need all the help you can get. Do you not sense it?"

Yes, I sensed it, I smelled it, I felt it. "Our war is coming." I said.

He nodded. "And something tells me it will be far greater than that which I experienced when I visited our home."

I looked around the camp, taking in the faces around us; all watching the exchange as though their lives depended on it. Not far away I could hear the pounding of my mate's heart; I could sense his anger. Across the way I could hear the steady beating of the Alpha's; I could sense his determination, and before me, I could hear the natural thrum of my compeer's. Despite my confidence two years prior, I had found myself wondering if he would ever return.

I stepped toward him and held out a hand in greeting. "Welcome back my friend."

He grasped it firmly. "It is good to be back brother."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I'M BACK! THANKS FOR WAITING AND THANKS FOR READING!

ENJOY.

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.