Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Zaira's POV

"How did Xenos go?" Reah asked.

"Quite well." Aramis crossed the room with a litheness only a wolf possessed. "As you suspected, he has already made arrangements and has all packs drum up their officers and soldiers and gather together."

"How did you react to that?" A crease appeared between her brows and she looked at him doubtfully.

As soon as Aramis came up behind me, I felt his body heat transfer to me. A warm feeling formed around my heart and I became all tingly. I greedily inhaled his animalistic, masculine scent and leaned against his hard chest. He growled at that and wrapped his arm around my torso, pressing me even tighter to him. His mouth touched my hair and he kissed my head tenderly.

"Not as bad as I thought, probably due to Xeno's power and popularity with the packs. Most have agreed and everyone is preparing. They should all have gathered in a few days.", Aramis had stood up again and turned to Reah, but his arm remained wrapped around my body. "How about the Gis?"

"I've already notified everyone." That was true, while we had been waiting for Aramis she had written several letters and given them to small but agile and fast birds, which had then flown away with them. "Yes, I should mine tribe try to persuade themselves."

"I see it the same way. If your tribe is there, the others will follow." He tugged at my hair. "How far have you come?"

"Well... Not very far," I avoided his gaze and played with my hands. I honestly didn't think it would be that difficult to summon my powers, especially since I'd done it before. Yes Stupidly, I had been too naïve to see the reality, and the task of awakening Gaia and Luna now seemed impossible.

Aramis pinched my upper arm, then ran his thumb over it to ease the momentary pain. "It'll be alright, you don't have to go through this alone," the words were whispered so only I could hear them. He protected my pride from Reah.

If Aramis believed in me, so could I, or at least I tried. I sat up straight and fixed the deep green pools in his eyes. Challenging, not submissive. His chest vibrated from his deep growl and his eyes blazed. Then he grabbed my neck and gave me a quick, hard kiss.

A shadow crossed Reah's face and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of sorrow. "When were you going to tell me you were mates?"

I expected the dull pain that was about to hit. Already heard the words Aramis would deny our togetherness and refused to accept our mate band.

"I figured it would be far more interesting if you found out for yourself." A small smile tugged at his lips.

The brief shadow vanished instantly and she let out a whoop of joy. She hugged us both at the same time and hugged us tightly. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

Aramis was the first to wriggle out of her grip, while Reah was still hugging me. She smiled brightly at me. "Who would have thought, Aramis has a mate! Pledge the goddesses!"

Aramis pulled me back towards him by the waist. "As you say, my mate."

Reah released me laughing. "Men. Believe me honey, they're particularly possessive during the marking phase." She rolled her eyes. "But it'll settle down, trust me."

My cheeks got hot. Why did we have to talk about this topic so badly? His hand was still on my hip, drawing small circles on my skin. I shuddered. No, I think I like it when he blatantly gave up his possessions, as long as it was mutual. My wolf and I never had to worry about whether he wanted us or not, where we belonged and with whom.

"Oh and honey? Just don't let him get away with it, dominant wolves like to overdo it."

Aramis growled again, showing his teeth. "One more word and you will learn what dominant wolves like to do."

Although I would have trembled at such a threat, Reah's smile never twitched and she dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, okay, I'm going."

"Don't forget my words sweetheart." She winked at me and then disappeared from the cabin. Apparently she was meeting her tribe now, but something told me it wasn't going to be quite that easy.

"Do you think Reah will succeed?" I turned to him.

He pressed his lips together. “The Gis are difficult to get around. They distribute their trust carefully and if you destroy it, then that's it with the trust. There is no forgiveness and forgetting in a betrayal."

I thought about Arya and the way she looked at us. Her gaze had been cold and keen as a blade at our betrayal. "That means most gis won't join us in the war."

"No.", he shook his head. "But maybe they'll listen to Reah."

I was aware that he did not even consider that there could be no war. That we would prevent him. "But, if we heal Gaia and Luna fast enough, they could prevent a war?"

He sighed and touched my cheek with a finger. "I wish I could give you hope, but it's looking bad."

"What are you hiding from me?", Between Mates there were no secrets and lies.

"When I talked to Xenos, he told me that the demons had already reached him. We were wrong to think that they were only looking for us, they are already slaughtering weak werewolf packs." His jaw clenched. "The war is not yet to come, it has already begun."

"Oh holy moon goddess!" I leaned into him and hugged his waist, my wolf whimpering for protection. His arms wrapped tightly around me. "How are we supposed to win?"

“Sooner or later, the Gis will come to their senses and realize that if their lives are important to them, they have no choice but to join us. In the meantime, you will continue to hone your powers and we will gather as many packs and tribes into one army as we can." He ran his fingers through my hair. He didn't seem in the least bit doubting his plan, or even just that to harbor a doubt, his will was iron and impenetrable as a wall.

My wolf sighed at our mate's strength and I snuggled even closer to him, feeling immensely safe in those arms.

"I won't let anything happen to you," his hoarse words sounded in my ear.

I pulled his head down and rubbed my cheek against his. "Why didn't you tell me that you weren't to blame for the red age, but that you were on the right side?"

"You seemed pretty sure of your guess." His gaze was cold, but his hands were warm on my body.

Maybe partly true, but that was no reason not to tell me, I would have hoped for nothing more than that it wasn't true, would have believed his words. I bit his chin. "Do not lie to me."

He growled. "If I had told you the truth, you would have tried to see only the good in me and not what I really am.", I wanted to contradict him, but he stopped me with a hard look. "Just because "I didn't stand by Serdas doesn't mean I'm good Zaira, because I'm not. I'm a monster, I've killed more innocent people than you've ever known in your life. You shouldn't see me any differently than than what I am. How else can anyone kill a monster without being one themselves?"

I shook my head vehemently. "That's not true! I know that you are not bad or evil. You're good and..." I broke off in mid-sentence when I saw that none of my words got through to him. They bounced lifelessly off him.

With the dexterity of a wolf, I immediately changed my strategy and let my Omega Being guide me. I gently placed my hands on his cheeks and pulled his head down to me. I looked deep into his eyes, making sure he kept eye contact because I wanted him to see the honesty in my eyes.

"I see you," I whispered, feeling my wolf emerge and resting my forehead against his. I could already feel her fur on the back of my neck. "I see you, clear and distinct." I rubbed my nose against his and then smothered his face in small kisses. The corners of his mouth turned up and his eyes flashed.

He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, my throat exposed to him. But my wolf did not submit, but trembled with desire. I'd wondered why he hadn't tagged me from the moment he accepted me as a mate.

Didn't he want me?

No it couldn't be, I refused to believe it not when he looked at me like that. The two of us have never been alone since the incident, yes, that had to be it. But now it was us, and I got instantly hot at the thought. Now the moment had come for which I had been waiting for so long.

Endless hunger was in his eyes and let a whimper escape me. He kissed me hard and demanding like he was starving for me. His hands rested on the chair either side of my hips, holding me captive, urging me much like a dominant wolf would his mate. In my subconscious, I heard footsteps outside the house, but I pushed the warning to the back of my mind. My body burned with excitement and passion and my wolf called for her mate.

I broke the kiss and arched my neck towards him, exposed myself unprotected in front of him and showed how much the woman and the wolf trusted him, because he could break our necks with one grip.

Arami's kisses stopped immediately. "Go."

"What?" I looked at him through the veil of desire, my head still a mess.

"I said go," his hoarse voice scratched my skin, making my hair stand up. A look from bright green eyes pierced me and the veil gradually unraveled.

"What are you talking about?" I wanted to snuggle up to him, but he growled warningly. I stopped. "Aramis?"

"Go away!" His voice cracked and his body trembled. I put my hand on his chest, the need to calm him so great that his dangerous growl left me cold.

"I don't want to go, though." I jutted my chin out defiantly and looked him straight in the eyes. Prompted him flatly, submissive wolf dominant wolf, mate mate. He had told me that he would mate me acknowledged that he wants me, now I had to trust those words.

I've never been so afraid of being disappointed.

"Is that how a submissive she-wolf behaves?" he hissed.

"I'm acting like your submissive mate," I countered, my voice firm and showing strength of will. He was mine, he was my mate. My wolf growled in agreement.

Aramis groaned and his eyes lit up. Then something crashed to the ground. I flinched and was about to turn around after the sound, when I saw the piece of wood next to my feet. His claws were out, breaking part of the chair apart in the process. "If you don't go now Zaira..."

My heart was beating wildly against my chest and the blood was pounding in my ears, not from fear but from intense desire. I braced my legs to back away from him, fighting any pain out of my voice, "Why?"

"Why?", he looked at me in amazement. "Why does she ask. I smell your excitement, your wonderfully sweet scent, while you trustfully hold your neck out to me and you ask why?", He groaned again and another piece fell shut with a crash Floor. Aramis closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and his wolf faced me. "How can you even believe that I could control myself so much? I'm about to throw you across the table and take you so hard you can't form a single thought."

"Oh..." I breathed out breathlessly. My cheeks flushed fiery red, but I wasn't ashamed of my next words. "Maybe I want to, too."

Arami's fangs shot out and his growl vibrated the whole hut. "If Reah even comes close to you, I will kill her. Anyone who looks at you I will tear to shreds and kill." There was nothing natural in his voice anymore, pure wolf and primitive instinct echoing.

I shook my head weakly. "You won't." But I knew better, seeing it on his face, on his body shaking with intense desire.

"Zaira, go now." He wasn't playing, he was very serious. I knew that if I refused now and gave in to our desire, there would be no stopping me. He would put his words into action and if Reah wasn't careful enough, he would murder her Wolves did not share, especially during the mating act.

I hastily slipped under his arms and ran outside through the plant curtain. After climbing down the tree house, I landed in front of Reah. I wiped my sweaty hands on my skirt and straightened my hair while my chest heaved under my frantic breathing. Thankfully, Reah wasn't a werewolf and had a keen sense of smell.

"So, how was it?" I asked her to distract myself quickly.

Reah's mine was crumpled, she sighed. "Not really good. They refuse to join us. They just don't see that it affects us all, if Serdas gains enough power he will bully us all!" she threw up her arms in anger and frustration. "Why don't you see that!"

"Because of Aramis right? Because they still think he and Serdas work together." My claws shot out at the thought of anyone thinking badly of my mate.

Reah nodded and shrugged. "I honestly don't know how many more times to tell them, they're just too stubborn."

"Once we've healed the goddesses, they'll come to their senses," I said, hoping to cheer her and myself up, although it seems hard to imagine this plan actually succeeding.

Her face lit up. "That's the right attitude Zaira.", she turned her head. "Speaking of which, where is Aramis damn it, we should hurry to the palace."

I bit my lip in embarrassment as someone cleared their throat and saved me from this awkward situation.

"I'm already there," said Aramis, jumping down from the tree house. His iron control was in full swing again and he showed nothing of the previous incident. My wolf snarled angrily. She wanted his mask off once and for all Tear and burn face.

"Well, I've already repeated the ward, so all we have to do is open the portal," Reah announced.

"Have you got the crystals?"

"Yep," she said, popping the "p." She then took several crystals out of her cloth bag and Aramis helped her place the stones on the ground in an image of several circles crossing each other.

"What pattern is that?" I couldn't contain my curiosity behind the fence.

“It is the sacred energy symbol of the Flower of Life. It creates a vibrational pattern that has a profound harmonizing effect on the whole environment. The vibrations then create an energetic portal to the Palace of the Gods." Aramis explained to me.

My astonishment must be obvious, because now he grinned at me. "What can I say, I'm a demigod."

I laughed at his arrogance and stuck my tongue out at him. "Well, we'll see, you have to take us there first."

"Give him Zaira." Reah shouted at me, hooting in amusement.

Arami's eyes flickered and in a flash he was standing in front of me. "You'll see, little wolf." His hand gripped my neck. Extremely dominant and possessive.

"We're good to go." Reah took a few steps back from the stone pattern.

Then Aramis closed his eyes and after a few seconds a powerful blast flooded the area. I gasped, but calmed down as soon as Aramis ran his thumb over my wrist soothingly. Then he mumbled something I couldn't understand a word of. His words grew louder and the crystals began to glow, emitting a golden light as the rays of light slowly began to coalesce.

Aramis put more and more of his power into his words and the stones began to glow so intensely that I had to shield the bright light with one hand.

The portal appeared out of nowhere. The rays of light from the crystals combined to form a large circular circle above the ground, from which clear, golden light emanated.

I became very warm and an inner contentment spread through me. Then Aramis grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the portal, eyes still closed and his tirade uninterrupted. Reah joined us and put her hand on Aramis' shoulder as we walked together into the golden light that closed around us with unconditional love.