Fight For Her

Lilac

Lilac couldn’t believe Kyril was leaving her.

She watched as he packed his bag, went downstairs, and loaded the car. Around them, swarms of wolves were mobilizing, preparing for the journey.

She saw Jon kissing his new mate, Adhira, goodbye. She saw Zion being escorted to Jon’s car in chains.

It felt like they were going to war. Before Kyril could get into the car, she grabbed his arm.

“Take me with you,” she begged.

“Lilac, we’ve been over this,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous where we’re going.”

“But, Kyril, you need me…”

“No, Lilac,” he said sternly. “I have to do this on my own. I have to fix this.”

She could see the torment swirling in his eyes. For the first time, it was as if Lilac could read ~his~ mind.

~This all falls on me. This is all my fault.~

“Stop it!” she cried out. “You need to stop blaming yourself, Kyril.”

Kyril looked surprised by her outburst. It was a more powerful, burning tone than she had ever projected before.

“If it’s true, if she’s alive, then you didn’t kill Serena and you have nothing—”

“My actions still allowed all of this to happen, little flower,” he said more calmly, stepping toward her. “Even if she is alive, what kind of life can it be? As a slave to a vampire? Look what’s become of Zion. Lilac, I know you mean well, but this is my burden to carry.”

Lilac felt tears brimming in her eyes.

“Don’t you see? You’re falling apart, and you won’t even allow me to pick up the pieces.”

A single tear trickled down her cheek, and Kyril sighed, wrapping her up in his arms.

“I know how it must seem,” he said quietly into her ear. “But if I can make this right...if I can undo what I did years ago...I have to try, Lilac. On my own.”

“I wish you could see what I see when I look at you, Kyril.”

He looked into Lilac’s brown eyes, staring into his blue ones, imploring. “What do you see?”

“A good man. A good wolf.”

And then he looked away. The hate Kyril harbored for himself was toxic, and it broke Lilac to see him like this.

“I’ll let you get to your men then,” Lilac said, trying to free herself from his arms.

“Wait.”

She stopped and looked at Kyril, surprised to see that he was smiling.

It was a strange, secretive smile that seemed completely out of place. She was mad at him, after all!

What was he doing smiling?

“What is it, Kyril?” she asked, pouting.

“You sounded like a true Luna just then, Lilac.”

Something about her mate’s smile made it impossible to be angry with him.

“Be safe, okay?” she said. “Come back to me.”

Kyril leaned down and kissed her gently. “I always will.”

Then he turned, stepped into the car, and moments later, they were off, leaving Lilac by the pack headquarters, alone.

She watched their cars disappear, then sighed.

The truth was, Lilac was terrified to be without him.

Their mating bond was fresh, and this kind of distance could do irreparable damage to it. Of course, Kyril had promised he’d be back soon.

But what was soon?

And how was she going to survive without him?

ZION

Zion stared out the carriage window at the passing scenery with only one thought on his mind: ~Serena~.

To think they were going to find his mate after all these years...alive.

He had so many questions.

The rage that had all but consumed him remained within him, festering, and he wondered if she would even recognize him.

Zion was more demon now than man.

And some of his attempts at revenge...what they had cost his soul...

“Why did you do it?”

He was shaken from his daydreaming by Jon’s voice.

“You were in my way, Jon. It was nothing personal.”

“Nothing…are you serious?”

Although he knew they had once been friends, Zion could not understand Jon’s reaction. The hurt and betrayal in Jon’s eyes did not make sense to him.

Not to this version of Zion, who had divorced everything from his identity other than revenge.

“I was going after Kyril,” Zion said. “After his mate. You were just—”

“Collateral damage. I’m aware, Zion.”

“What do you expect me to say? You attacked me, Jon. I only fought back.”

Jon turned in his seat, facing Zion head-on, his eyes bloodshot.

“Only?” Jon asked, voice cracking in sorrow. “You left me for dead, Zion. Fighting me is one thing. Killing me, leaving me... that’s another.”

“You would’ve done the same.”

“No, I was trying to stop you. I would never leave an old friend to bleed out, naked and alone in the dirt the way you did.”

Jon stopped, shaking his head. And Zion felt a strange, uncomfortable feeling beginning to take root in his stomach. Not unlike guilt.

“I was... I was putting my mate first, Jon,” Zion said, but his voice was less confident.

“I saw it in your eyes, Zion. You recognized me. There’s still a part of the old you in there. But you still turned your back on me.”

Jon turned to face the road ahead, turning his back on Zion now.

“Jon, I—”

“Forget it, Zion. It’s almost over. You’ll have your mate. And we’ll never have to see each other again.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Zion couldn’t believe how much Jon’s words had gotten to him.

If Serena was alive, would Zion even deserve her after all the evils he had committed?

He didn’t know if there was a soul left to redeem until now. Jon had reminded him... that there was.

But was it too late to save him from himself?

Kyril

We’re close.

Kyril

Are you ready?

Jon

To face a coven of bloodthirsty vampires?

Jon

Ready as I’ll ever be.

Kyril

You’re sure you’re up for this?

Kyril

Your injuries were serious, Jon.

Jon

What can I say?

Jon

Adhira has magic hands…

Kyril

Don’t forget the plan.

Jon

Have I ever let you down before?

Kyril

Never.

Kyril

Let’s make it through this.

Kyril

We both have mates waiting for us.

Jon

See you soon, my alpha.

KYRIL

What they were about to face was the furthest thing from human.

Jon dropped off Zion then drove away without another word. All part of the plan.

Kyril approached Zion and, with a hesitant look, removed the demon’s chains.

“You will behave,” he growled.

“If she’s really alive, Kyril, you have nothing to fear from me,” Zion said. “I will fight with you. For her.”

Kyril nodded then turned to face all thirty of his wolves.

Kyril had never liked giving speeches. But on an occasion like this? It was necessary.

He needed to show everyone of them what made him an alpha worth following into battle.

“Listen here!” he roared. “A few miles east, in the caves of the Vrykolaka Mountains, lies the Corban Coven. These aren’t the kind of vampires you’re used to. They don’t assimilate with others. They don’t barter or trade. They hide in the dark and feed on the weak. They are the definition of monstrous.”

He saw some of his wolves snarl with disgust. A few of the young fighters blanched with fear.

This was going to be their first real fight.

Kyril nodded.

“Good, be afraid. Be disgusted. You’ll need that to keep you alive. Because they will do everything in their power to snuff that out. Their leader? Stavros Tadd? He came to our pack a month ago...with an offer. But really he was just sizing us up. Seeing how much we knew.”

Kyril shook his head, furious at the memory. “Years ago, he stole our most powerful witch and got away with it.”

Kyril’s eyes locked on Zion’s. “Serena. We don’t know if she remains alive. But she was one of us...No wolf, no witch, no fae, no demon shall ever be left behind when we can save them. That is my promise to you.”

The men began to shift one after the other, inspired by his speech, turning to their wolf forms as a show of their fealty.

“Let us keep that promise today. If we are caught, we may have to fight. But our might, our lycan and werewolf blood, is stronger. Vampires stand no chance against us as a united pack.”

At last, Kyril was the only one among them not in his wolf form. Even Zion had shifted into his demon.

They all barred their teeth, hungry for the fight.

“Fight for the pack. For the future. Are you ready?!”

His wolves answered with a chorus of psychic howls, so as not to give away their location. Kyril grinned then shifted into his lycan form, larger and more powerful than the rest.

But still, he was one of them. And so, when he answered their howls with one of his own and turned toward the mountains, charging toward the Corban Coven, he didn’t race ahead of them.

He ran among his wolves as their equal.

In war, there were no alphas and betas and gammas. Only the living and the dead.

Kyril intended to be alive by the end of the day.

For his little flower.

For Lilac.