Chapter 25: Chapter 21

Adira

My mind was racing, my heart pumping out of my chest, and my skin was on fire. I felt the desire pulsing in my stomach and I felt like I was a second away from passing out. All of my resistance and fight went right out the window when his sinful hands found their way up my dress and danced across my untouched skin. His lips were like therapy on my mouth, pushing me past my anxieties and straight into heaven.

With his face buried in my neck and his warm breath blowing across my skin, I couldn’t think straight; I couldn’t form a single sentence. His fingers were still dangerously placed under my dress, caressing and stroking my hip, and his teeth were grazing against my earlobe.

“Zale.” I said his name, but I didn’t know what I wanted.

“Hm?” He hummed, pulling his face from my neck to lock his eye with mine, “What is it, Kyrre?”

“I’ll fight with you, if you’ll fight with me.” I said and his face lit up.

“I’ll always fight with you, Adira. If today was any indication, we fight together like we were made to do it.” He said, his voice soaking with desire.

“I’ve never been alone,” I began, “I had the Sparrow pack, the Warrior pack, and then the Archers on my side and I know that they’ll always have my back. But, I’ve never had a partner or an equal to fight with and I’ve never had more of a reason to fight than I do today, with you.”

Zale’s eyes lit up as they drank me in and I realized that I’d never been looked at in the way that he was looking at me.

“You look at me like you’ve never seen before.” I whispered.

“That’s because I haven’t,” Zale purred in a gruff voice, “I look at you in awe because I am. I’m in awe of everything that you are and everything that you are to me.”

“I love you, Zale.” I blurted out and he grinned wickedly at me.

“I love you, Adira. You have no idea how much.” He kissed me forcibly again and then pulled us both from the hood of the car.

“We should get going.” Zale said, looking disappointed.

“I need to call Aidian.” I sighed.

“We’ll head straight to the pack. I’ll call Tirian and get our best warriors together.” Zale jumped right into action as we climbed back into the car.

“I’m sorry about our date.” I frowned.

Zale laced our fingers together and brought my hand to his lips,

“We have our whole lives together for that, Kyrre. Right now, we have to take care of this.” With our entwined hands on his leg, Zale started the car and turned around to head back towards the pack.

The drive back to my pack was the longest trip of my life. Before we left, Zale had linked his Captain and he, Balin, and a squadron of warriors were on their way to the pod. They would beat us there by a long shot, so I linked Aidian to give him the heads up. He was distraught over his missing Luna and a quick link with Silver told me that things weren’t going well at the pack, at all.

That’s when I knew it was time to bring in the big guns.

Halfway back to the pack, I pulled out my phone and punched in the first contact on my emergency list: Effie.

“Addie?” Effie answered on the first ring and there was concern in her voice; she knew that if I was calling, something was very wrong.

I filled her in on all the happenings and she released a heavy sigh once I was finished.

“What do you need?” She asked immediately.

“Back up.” I said,

“Done,” She replied without hesitation, “I’ll send you a squad.”

Technically, I held the rank of Captain, but I didn’t lead my own squad. I was much more of a lone wolf; leading solo missions and undercover operations. I was never assigned a squad of my own, but as Archers always do, I had the support of my entire Base.

“Thank you.” I said,

“Have you called Cain?” She asked.

“Aidian did when he informed the pack and the Crown about the attack. I haven’t personally.” I grumbled.

Cain was the current Alpha of the Warrior pack up state, carrying on the tradition from a long line of powerful Alphas chosen through a series of trials. The first Alpha of the Warrior pack, Sal, created the Alpha Trials when he was ready to step down; rumor has it, even the would-be future King auditioned, although he didn’t get the job. That was nearly a hundred years ago, now.

Alpha Cain was in the same class of trainees as me. When the previous Alpha, Jenna, decided that it was time for her to step down, Cain was one of the first to sign up for the Alpha Trials. He’s the youngest Alpha of the Warrior pack to date. He’s fierce, powerful, smart, and, above all, loyal. However, he was also lonely and the Warrior pack currently operated without a Luna.

“Call him.” Effie replied curtly.

I grumbled under my breath. I hated asking for help, especially from Cain, but Effie was right. Cain and I had a good relationship and we often called on each other for back up. He would send help in an instant, but the bragging afterwards would prove to be insufferable.

“Fine.” I mumbled.

“You’ll have as squadrion at the Sparrow pack within the hour.” She confirmed before hanging up the call.

My next call was to Alpha Cain.

“Addie, I heard what’s happening at your pack.” Cain answered abruptly.

“That’s what I’m calling about….” I updated him on Quarter and the Legion’s involvement.

“If that’s the case, then you’ll need all the support that you can get. From what I’ve heard from Effie, the Legion is nothing to mess around with. I’ll be there with my best.” He said without argument.

“You?” I was shocked, an Alpha shouldn’t leave his pack, especially to go aid in a battle that was so close to home.

“You’re family, Addie, and your pack is the closest to ours; it’s one of our last lines of defense against an impending attack. Of course I’ll be there.” He said, like I was silly for even questioning it.

“Thank you, Cain.” I replied for lack of a better response.

I was grateful for all the aid that was easily coming my way and, honestly, a little surprised. One never truly knew who was on one’s side until crisis hit and they were called to duty.

“See you soon.” Cain said before the call went dead.

“That’s back up from the Archers and the Warrior pack.” I told Zale who was stubbornly focused on the road in the event of another ambush.

“I’m not surprised.” Zale said,

“You’re not?”

Zale looked at me quickly with his crooked grin and stretched his arm across the cab of the car, running his hand over my braid,

“Of course not. People rally around what inspires them.”

“I think it’s just the threat,” I argued, uncomfortable with the focus being all on me, “They know what the Legion is capable of.”

“And what are they capable of?” Zale asked while still rubbing my braid between his fingers absentmindedly.

“Chaos.” My one word reply hung in the air around us like a thick fog.

“I didn’t think they were a threat worth any merit.” Zale spoke into the heavy silence.

“That’s what they want you to think. The Crown thought the rogues were nothing but a bunch of fanatics until they brought down the whole damn realm.” I said,

Zale stayed silent, apparently not having a response to that.

“The Archers have been carefully following their moves for years. They really started gaining power around the time that I entered the program and then I was asked to sit on the Table of the 6 Realms. I knew the dragon representative well, Princess Astoria, and she recommended me to sit on behalf of the werewolves. The Archers have been carefully monitoring the Legion for the Table and they are starting to see the full weight of the Legion’s capabilities,” I thought back to my meeting with the Table a few weeks ago, before I returned to the Sparrow pack, “The Legion just made a move in Louisiana that we’re still assessing.”

Zale glanced at me with his eyebrow cocked in surprise,

“I didn’t realize.” He mumbled.

“We’re trying to get a handle on it before telling the people. All of our monarchs understand the threat.” I said,

“They’ll never stop coming, will they?” Zale’s voice suddenly grew dark and serious.

“For me?” I asked and he nodded stiffly, “No, not until we end them. Being on the Table puts a target on all of our backs.”

His hand slid down from my braid to grip my hand and he clung to it tightly, almost to the point of causing pain.

“I’m in this with you. The entire pod is.” His expression was one of murder and rage.

“I know, Zale, I don’t worry about my own safety.” I tried to reassure him, but it didn’t seem to help.

“That’s what worries me, Adira.”

“I don’t mean that I’m reckless, I mean that I understand my strengths and the power that surronds me.” I clarified.

Zale squeezed my hand and nodded.

“Let’s just focus on getting your sister-in-law back and then we’ll figure out what’s next. But, Adira,” He said my name sternly and I was forced to look at him, “Promise me that you won’t go off and try to be some sort of sacrificial lamb.”

His eyes betrayed his terror and I felt his fear clench my own heart. If it were only about me, I’d give myself over to Quarter in a heartbeat to save Marcy, knowing that I was more capable of handling whatever torture they threw at me and of escaping than the human Luna, but it wasn’t just about me. Not anymore.

“I promise.” I declared and I meant it.

At the time.