Chapter 48: Awakening Pt. I

JYN

The room was thick with the scent of meat and booze, potent enough to knock out a few of the drunks tonight.

I sat there, fiddling with my food, feeling frustrated. It seemed pointless to be here if we couldn’t even talk.

Before dinner, the queen had made it clear that no one was to speak unless spoken to. That didn’t exactly help our situation.

So far, only Arye had been allowed to talk, since one of the lycans seemed curious about him.

I heard someone clear their throat and glanced over. The queen was grinning, her long fangs jutting out from her lips.

Lycans could be pretty scary, especially when you had a real one, like her, right in front of you.

Their beastly features were hard to hide in their human form, so I could see why they’d want to live somewhere as remote as this.

I could feel her gaze on me, like she wanted to say something. I held my breath, waiting, when the doors to the massive dining room swung open, and we all turned, surprised.

I jumped up, my chair scraping loudly against the floor, drawing everyone’s attention.

It had been a while since we’d seen him. His presence was unexpected. He wasn’t supposed to be here, not now.

“I thought...,” I started, but trailed off as he walked towards the chair at the end of the table. He stopped when he saw us, his eyes as wide as ours.

“Connor,” Yuki gasped, standing next to me.

Connor paused, taking in everyone in the room. He hadn’t said a word, and it was starting to worry me.

“Connor?” I called out, but a loud scratching sound against wood made us all wince.

“You’re awake?” Enora hissed.

“Should I be dead?” Connor shot back, earning a growl from her.

“You don’t talk to me like that!” she snarled.

“Neither do you,” Connor retorted, pulling out the chair at the head of the table.

He still hadn’t acknowledged us, which was annoying. He knew who we were, so why not say hello?

Without another word, Connor started eating, like he hadn’t had a meal in ages.

“When did you wake up?” Enora asked. The tension in the room was palpable.

We watched as she tried to engage Connor, who simply ignored her. We felt like part of the furniture.

“I asked you a question, boy!” she snapped.

The clatter of his silverware echoed in the uncomfortable silence.

All the lycans present remained still and silent, which could be seen as respect for their queen, but the tension was more about who held the power here.

Connor might not have acknowledged us yet, but he was aware of the queen’s presence, and she was not someone to be underestimated.

“Your people should have told you I woke up two nights ago,” Connor replied without looking at her. “Their job is simple. Inform the queen of important things. Which they’re not doing.”

“You—”

“Don’t get to tell me what to do,” Connor cut her off, his fork bending in his hand. “I’m here, awake. I’m alive.”

Enora growled, making the whole room shake. The windows rattled, causing a few of us to tremble with fear.

I closed my eyes, praying that things wouldn’t escalate.

“Can you stop it!” I blurted out without thinking.

They both turned to look at me.

“Are you pretending you don’t know us? Or are you just not happy to see us?” I asked, looking at Connor. “Just tell me, so we can leave.”

He blinked, then sighed. He slowly shook his head.

I could see a hint of a smile on his lips. He recognized us, but why didn’t he seem happy to see us?

Connor stood up, downed the rest of his wine, and turned to leave.

“Follow me,” he ordered, and everyone in my group got up to follow him out of the dreadful dinner.

We walked in silence down a hallway, making a few turns, until we stopped in front of a door.

Connor still hadn’t said a word. I didn’t understand why. Was there a reason?

“Hey,” Yuki said before I could. “Are you okay?”

Connor looked over his shoulder, a sad smile on his pale face.

He didn’t need to say more. We all understood his pain.

“Come in,” he said, opening the door for us.

The room was filled with the soothing scent of lavender and mint. Regulus sneezed behind me as we all took in our surroundings.

It was a large room, big enough for at least six people. The modern luxury mixed with vintage touches gave it a timeless feel.

I looked around. Five large windows with black curtains fluttered in the strong, cold breeze.

A canopy bed with black silk sheets was messily made in one corner, and a TV was playing a movie on mute. Five bookshelves were filled with a mix of old and new books, piled haphazardly.

There was a fireplace surrounded by couches and a closet door, with another set of doors that probably led to a bathroom and a changing room.

This place was huge, nothing like the rooms back at the castle.

“Why are you guys here?” Connor finally asked as I turned to face him.

Arye and Yuki had settled on the couch, while Regulus and Blaze, who had been silent, stood near the windows, staring at who knows what.

“We came to visit you and talk to my grandmother,” I said, moving closer to him. “We have news.”

“What news?” Connor asked, pouring himself a drink.

Regulus turned to me, his raised eyebrow telling me to get on with it.

I sighed, feeling worn out from all this drama.

“As you know, Sorin escaped,” I said.

“Yes,” Connor replied, his grip on his cup tightening. “I let him escape.”

“No, you didn’t,” Regulus spoke up. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“My fault?” Connor choked out. “He…”

We all looked away. It was hard to talk about, but it was time.

Months had passed since the whole mess began, and now that we had some leads, we couldn’t just ignore them.

“Victoria might be able to track Sorin and his crew. We’ve heard rumors of him being in Alaska,” I said. “I know you don’t want to focus on him, but Connor, Elaine isn’t waking up.”

“Enough!” Connor growled. “Just stop!”

“Connor, Jyn has a point,” Yuki murmured.

“I don’t want to hear it!” he shot back. “If you had just stopped her!”

“And then what?” Blaze demanded, his voice heated. “Then what, Connor? The Goddess was always going to punish Elaine. She overstepped her bounds as a daughter. The consequences were as clear as day.”

“But still!” Connor retorted.

“At least she’s alive,” Arye chimed in, his gaze lowered. “Isn’t that something to be thankful for?”

Connor clenched his fists, then rose to his feet.

He began to pace the room, his long robe whispering against the rough floor.

“Have you seen her?” I asked. Connor halted his pacing, his eyes fixed on the floor.

“No, they won’t let me,” he replied.

With a sigh, I slumped onto the couch. I draped my arm over my face, waiting for him to say more, to reveal his thoughts, his feelings.

“That day,” he began after a few moments of silence. “I... I never thought Sorin would hurt her so badly. If the lycans hadn’t helped us, she would be dead.”

“And thanks to us, your mate is alive.” Enora’s voice drew our attention.

I lowered my arm, glancing at the door. When had she entered without us noticing?

“I know you’re all worried about her, but there’s no need.

“The process will take time and, even though she’s still alive, I can’t guarantee there won’t be repercussions from what happened,” Enora sighed. “She carries lycan blood—”

“She’s human!” I interrupted, sitting up. “How can you still say that?”

“She’s a lycan,” Enora scoffed. “Don’t get it twisted, child. The Goddess may have taken Elaine’s lycan away, but that doesn’t mean she can’t get it back. You all saw it that day.”

I looked away, seething.

“But—”

“No buts. Stop acting weak and think,” Enora hissed. “The Goddess’s punishment for Elaine has been paid in full, and in return for a favor she owed me, she gave her a second chance.”

“Then why hasn’t she woken up?” Regulus asked, rising to his feet, Yuki standing beside him. “Why is she still asleep?”

Enora smiled.

“Patience, child. Everything in life requires patience. And even though I have little of it, I’ve learned to be patient with certain things.

“Now, you must all be wondering why we haven’t let him see her, right?”

“They’re mates,” Regulus pointed out. “You shouldn’t deny that.”

“Has Khan been able to communicate with her in any way?” Enora asked Connor. “Have you tried?”

Connor shook his head, disappointment etched on his face.

“We can’t get past the barrier that’s blocking us. We’ve tried,” he sighed.

“You’ve been asleep since the day they shot her, and you’ve made no progress?” Enora scowled. “What a disappointment.”

“Wait a minute,” I interjected. “Connor has already given up so much for this. You had a part to play too.”

“And I did. Do you think I would let my granddaughter die?” Enora snapped, her hands twitching as her nails lengthened.

“She’s important to us. So don’t think we don’t care. I care more for her than any of you ever could.”

“Just because she’s a mother’s daughter?” Arye asked, his voice filled with resentment. “We’re your family too.”

“Yes, you might be,” Enora replied, turning away, “but Elaine is the only true lycan. You’re just alphas.”

“She isn’t yours.” This time it was Connor who spoke. His voice was laced with hatred. “She’s mine. Since I was the one to sacrifice my lycan to save her, she’s mine. My mate, my queen, my wife.”

Enora lifted her chin defiantly.

“You may have given your lycan half-life to save her, but remember, no one asked you to. I was going to save her regardless.”

“Save her?” I scoffed. “You let Sorin get away! You nearly got her killed!”

“No, I didn’t!” Enora snapped. “He did.”

She pointed at Connor.

Regulus and Yuki growled at her. I raised my arm, silencing them with a pointed look.

“Listen,” I said, closing the distance between us, “If you hadn’t interfered that day, Elaine wouldn’t have been shot, and Sorin wouldn’t have gotten away.

“And even though you managed to hurt him badly, he still escaped with his men. Now we have to deal with the fallout from that disaster.

“And since you’re partly to blame, take responsibility and fix this. We’ve given you what you need. Let Connor see her. He needs her, and Elaine needs him.

“The sacrifice of his lycan wasn’t just some minor sacrifice, if that’s what you think. The Goddess repaid him and took something as punishment from Connor for meddling in Elaine’s fate.

“So stop trying to boss us around or tell us what to do. No one here is to blame but Elaine. She started this. Now she needs to live to fix everything.

“I won’t tolerate any more negativity from you, even if you are my grandmother and the queen of the lycans. You might be who you are, but I am who I am.

“Connor needs to see her. We’re not going anywhere until we figure out what’s in her mom’s diary and why you let Sorin get away. That guy should be six feet under.”

I was out of breath by the time I finished speaking. I was so angry, I could hardly see straight. I wanted to run, to let my wolf take over and burn off some of this stress. But that would have to wait.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I growled, only to see Connor grinning at me.

He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning to Enora.

“I may not be a king, but Jyn is. He’s right. I’ve given half my life to Elaine. I’ve even begged the Goddess and sacrificed my lycan.

“You might have taken us from our home, but I know why I’m here. Elaine needs me.

“I need to be with her, to know she’s okay, to feel her heartbeat against my skin, to hear her heart beating in sync with mine.” Connor’s smile was gentle.

Enora just stared at us, her face as blank as a sheet of paper. It was hard to believe this woman was my grandmother.

“Just let us help you. Let Connor be with Elaine,” I finally said, feeling defeated.

She scoffed and turned her back on us, leaving us standing there, unsure of what to do next.

“Did she say yes?” Arye asked. I glanced over my shoulder and nodded, managing a small smile.

We still had a long road ahead of us.