noun ~ the act of removing someone's doubts or fears

The next morning I felt slightly awkward when I woke next to Phoenix. Last night had been an incredible new time for me. The images of him between my legs were burned permanently in my brain, and Cel had been unusually quiet so I took it as a blessing. Her randy thoughts were kept at bay for now. Phoenix of course had acted like nothing had happened, just got dressed and guided me down the stairs so we could leave on time.

The pack had already grouped up outside and the King and Queen were waiting for us in the grand hall. We approached them slowly. Today I had decided to dress more like me and wore leggings with one of Phoenix's t-shirts. He didn't seem to mind, especially since he was the one who offered me it. I noticed the Queen eye my clothing when we bowed before them but I held my head high and tried to show that I didn't care. If Phoenix didn't care, nor any pack members, neither did I.

"Thank you for having us and thank you for giving the women refuge until their family arrived." I smiled.

The King eyed me with faint distaste, "Of course. A pleasure to meet you."

I chewed on my lip to hide the comment I wanted to escape so badly but nodded my head slowly. He didn't like me because I was just an enemy in his eyes, and Phoenix had marked me without the fights. He either saw me as a weak Omega or a witch, so I wasn't sure which was better. Thinking I had persuaded Phoenix with magic, was crazy. The mate bond was the magic, not me.

"What of the women with no family here?" The Queen wondered, "Are we to hold them here?"

Did she not know already?

Phoenix shook his head, "No, we are taking them with us, back on the bus."

"Very well. I shall be at the fights tonight, I am excited to see how it turns out." The King smirked, glancing at me briefly.

We exchanged goodbyes before walking away and once we were outside I let out the tension with a deep breath. I looked around to see pack members climbing onto the bus, and a few wolves in fur lingered on the driveway. Felicity was one of the girls staying behind, her parents now unable to make it by morning since they lived so far and her mother was heavily pregnant. So they were travelling to our pack since it was closer and I was glad I had more time with the little sprite. She had chosen to cling to Raven now and was in the seat beside Gaia.

I saw Sean climbing on the bus behind Prim, giving me a brief nod when he caught my gaze. Behind him was Calida, and I was proud to see she had come outside. She may be hunched over in a large blanket to hide and glaring at every single person, but she was climbing the steps into the large vehicle. I watched her walk down the aisle to settle down right at the back and shook my head in amusement. She was going to be fun.

"Running or bus?" Phoenix asked.

"What is the pack doing?" I wondered.

"Running, but don't you want to preserve your energy for tonight? They won't be stopping, they want to be back after lunch." He shrugged.

So three hours.

"Hmm, I'd love to run but my stamina isn't that great yet." I laughed.

"Yet." He winked.

I blushed, licking my lips in nervousness. The naughty images of him in my mouth, groaning about me were still so fresh and pure.

He chuckled at me and placed his hand on my waist to guide me forwards. I smiled at the pack as we walked through, and most of them bowed back. I caught my twin's wolf form along with my brother Leo, who was eager to get back to Molly. Leo nipped at my feet when I passed and I grumbled before shoving him back. He barked to Pollux who let out a wolfy laugh as he stumbled, dropping his stare down with the tree line.

Are you gonna be okay? I asked him.

His green eyes turned to me and he slowly nodded his head. 'You sense danger as much as I do right?'

I nodded, I do.

'Do you feel any danger?' He sat on his haunches.

I frowned, No. I feel nothing dangerous.

He barked. 'I will be fine, I have no bad feelings.'

Okay, just...look after my stupid brother. I chuckled.

He nudged his head into Leo's side and Leo retaliated with a growl before glancing at me. I ran my hand down his neck and he shook me off in distaste. He always hated when I petted his wolf, but I found it too amusing. His fur was dense and short, the deep brown a similar colour to his head hair.

'I'll be fine. I just want to get home.' He snorted.

Don't do anything stupid. I chuckled.

He licked at my wrist as a reply, and I smiled before walking away from them. I found Phoenix standing at the bottom of the bus steps, talking to Lyra who was already up them. They both turned to me when I approached, Lyra with a large smile on her face.

"You okay Nova?" She wondered.

"Yeah, just talking to my stupid brother."

Phoenix chuckled behind me but guided me onto the bus. It was rather empty now, only six of the females coming with us to our pack. Lyra's pack was going home in the other bus, some taking the trucks back too so all was covered, but she was riding with us for support during the fights. Apparently.

She gave us a small smile as she sat down and we chose to sit on the opposite aisle, a row behind. I settled into the window seat and Phoenix sat beside me, his jeans brushing against my knee. I was glad this was such a luxurious bus with wide seats because I would hate to think about how squished I'd be sitting next to him on a normal bus.

I turned my attention to look out the tinted windows, chewing on my fingers with nerves. I knew I had to train when I got back, and I guessed it would be Sean to train me, so I felt okay about that. I just didn't know what was going to happen; how many wolves were going to attend, who was going to challenge me... I watched in the distance as the pack wolves began to run away with a howl, entering the trees in the far distance.

"How come you aren't going with them?" I suddenly asked.

Phoenix wrapped his arm around my shoulder, the armrests between us now out of the way. "I wanted to be with you. Besides, we have to talk strategy on the journey, I'm afraid. We only have around ten hours until the fights commence and we need to be prepared."

I frowned but nodded my head in agreement. "How long is the bus journey?"

He stared through the large window as a wolf climbed his way into the driver's seat. "About five or six hours depends on how much fuel we use, we may need a top-up."

The bus rumbled to life beneath us and I settled more into Phoenix's arm. His hand curled around my shoulder to rub circles into my bicep. I inhaled his scent deeply, the earthy, subtle colours never failed to make me feel better. It was so...fresh, and easy to breathe.

"Where do we begin?" I eventually sighed after ten or so minutes of the bus moving.

I heard the click of his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he hummed in thought. "Well, I have only ever witnessed Lyra's challenge, as they are few and far between. That was men, so it was a lot of strength combat fighting. I think, for you, we need to go strategy. I'm going to need Cel to help out here. Lyra is here to help strategise things, being she has witnessed one more than me."

Cel rose to the sound of her name, and I allowed her front row access to our surroundings. She was sleepy still, sated by the evening and by the way she purred and wanted me to get deeper into Phoenix's embrace, I knew she was hooked to it.

I looked to Lyra, who was watching our moment of cuddles with a sad expression. I felt guilty, for hogging my mate when hers had died and in a matter of days, she would be with the man who killed her own. Lyra shook her head and looked out of the window behind me before her eyes focused on mine.

"What are your wolf's strengths?" She asked.

I paused and created a mental list, Cel eager to boast about herself. "She is large, strong, fearless...the King doesn't know I am Lycan, I think..."

"So we can use that to our advantage." She smiled, rubbing her fingers together. "Most of the wolves that challenge you, are more likely to submit once they realise your bloodline. It is highly frowned upon to harm a Lycan, being as your blood is the whole reason we exist and heal. However, that is not a law, and being as you are part of the fights, people may still challenge you for gloating glory. Phoenix is...a hot ticket. I have been fending women off of him for years. They are eager to be with a strong Alpha, and with his age they are surprised he has not mated yet."

Phoenix shifted slightly from beneath me and I took my moment to sit upright so I could talk better to Lyra. He frowned at the loss of contact but I gave him a reassuring smile.

"So, what you are saying is... I start like me, and then shift once all challengers are present?" I asked and she nodded. "How many are we expecting?"

I looked to Phoenix this time and I noticed the way he held his breath and glanced toward Lyra. I frowned, narrowing my eyes at his hesitance to answer. That could only mean he knew more than I did, or it was not good news. I chose the latter.

"Phoenix..."

He sighed, running a hand down my face. "I have twenty-five pack Alpha's requesting visits tomorrow. Around fifteen have announced they bring challengers, seven have said they are purely watching, and the others have not clarified either."

I swallowed, "So I could be fighting eighteen wolves?"

Lyra was quick to reassure me, "Most of them should back down!"

"But still... if they didn't, the bad side is I could be fighting up to eighteen wolves!" I shook my head, feeling my heart begin to race. "I am guessing they will all be trained or of a strong bloodline."

Phoenix cupped my face in his hands and through my hazy panic, my eyes drifted to his sweet hazel. I fell hypnotised, my instincts turning me into the mate bond from the moment we made eye contact. I felt my shoulders sag and I let out a deep breath to calm the racing thoughts.

"Nova. You are meant to be mine. There is no doubt, in my mind that you will win." He spoke softly. "That day on the training field, you beat all of my wolves par one. You have it in you, you just need to believe in yourself, in Celimene."

'He's right Nova. We can do this, we just have to come together.' She agreed.

I don't want to kill people Celimene. I replied.

She yipped. 'Then you need to accept that this is what is to happen. We can't lose Phoenix.'

I know, I know. I sighed, We can't.

I blinked back to focus my whole attention on Phoenix to find him smiling at me still. I nodded my head between his hands, clearing my throat as affirmation.

"You're right, I can't let them beat me."

"That's my Luna." He grinned.

I blushed and leaned up to kiss him gently on the mouth. I felt his surprise but he didn't retaliate and returned the kiss. I heard Lyra shuffle and make a fake gagging sound which had me pull away with a giggle. She smiled at us, glancing towards Phoenix.

"I really hope it works out. I have never seen Phoenix so...relaxed." She smiled.

"I have never felt more at peace." He shrugged. "I cannot imagine my life without Nova."

I snuggled myself back into his side, bringing my knees up to rest on the small recliner of the chair. I was scared to admit that I wasn't sure if I could do this. I know I needed to, but a part of me felt strange. What Pollux had said earlier was ringing through my brain. Did I feel danger? No. I felt something else, something sickening and frightful lurking in the dark. A danger waiting to be uncovered when the lights came on. I wasn't sure if it was my anxiety or the Lycan part of me. My mind was a frazzled mess, but I just hoped it wasn't a monster lurking in the shadows.

••••
Hi all, I forgot to update yesterday, it was a bit crazy as my kids Nans car got written off so we've been sorting all that out. She's ok, she had just gotten our before a lorry dragged her car backwards, the car is just...not haha

Hope you are all okay!

Question of the day:
What is your favourite thing to do?
Do you have a hobby?

I don't, I used to do loads, but depression gets you in evil ways lol. I suppose I could class the book as a hobby haha

Also we hit 5 million reads!!!! Amazing! Thank youuuu

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