He looked back to The Mother Wolf, but she was still in the air. There was no fight left in her.
Christian and Pippa hurried to his side once The Immortal was gone from their eyesight. Christian peered up at his enemy. The corners of his mouth turned down, and he remarked, “The victory in battle has lost its appeal.”
Pippa looked up at him. “You need to kill her. You can’t let her live through this.”
Christian’s frown deepened. Roane could hear the regret in his voice when he replied, “I won’t, but it’s not an honorable death anymore. I’m merely ending her suffering.”
“Roane.” The Immortal spoke in his head. “Come.”
He had to go, but he said to Christian, “Thank you for being my ally.”
Pippa moved around so she could see him squarely. “You’re leaving?”
“Roane.”
“The Immortal.” He gestured in the direction she had gone. “She’s calling me.”
“That’s annoying,” Christian bit out.
Roane laughed. There was nothing else to do. There were no other reactions to feel. All he could do was laugh, because at the very least, it was annoying.
He rested a hand on the Alpha Wolf’s shoulder and lowered his head in a small bow. “Our time has come to an end. I hope to see you on the other side one day.”
He started to pull back, but Christian covered his hand with his. It was a rare gesture, but before Roane could do anything or say anything, the Alpha Wolf pulled him in for a hug. It was brief. Each clapped the other on the back; they had come a long way. There’d been mistrust and a reluctant aligning with each other. They loved the same woman, but now they were on the same side. They had another similar enemy.
Christian stepped back. “Go get your woman back.”
Roane swallowed a lump. Davy . . . He couldn’t think about her. Those thoughts were erased and he stepped aside to face Pippa. “Thank you. I know you came to help your friend.”
Tears were trailing down her face. The younger wolf lifted a hand and wiped at some of them, but they were replaced with new tears. Roane didn’t think they would end soon, and he had to admit that he wished he could cry alongside her. Instead, he murmured, “If I can, I will save her.”
“You are lying to them,” The Immortal chided him. “You know she is lost. Do not give them false hope.”
He thought back, “They will fight otherwise. I am saving their lives.”
He waited, but there was silence from her end. Pippa hugged him, and then he left them. He walked on the same path The Immortal had gone, and once he was gone from their eyesight, he heard one last bloodcurdling scream.
The Mother Wolf was dead.
LUCAN
He stood at the highest point among the Mori lands.
The winds had shifted. What he thought was his greatest enemy was now his greatest ally. Another Mori came to stand beside him and he spoke, knowing it was Jiyama’s father, “The thread has become her own entity.”
The elder Mori glanced at him. There was a pause and the air was heavy with tension. It was known that Jiyama was gone. Her body was never found. None sensed where her essence was, and stories of how another Mori was killed at the hands of The Immortal had spread fast. Another Mori witnessed the murder, but he had retreated to share the information. He hadn’t engaged. When the rest of the Mori realized their new danger, a council had been called. Warriors were placed near the outer edge of their land to report back the events that were unveiling beyond their river’s boundary.
Lucan heard about the transformation, and he was told how The Immortal had seemingly cast a spell over his brother.
Jiyama’s father, Jeoji, asked, “What will happen now?”
Lucan grunted. “If I had to guess, my brother’s friends will want to come here.” Jeoji turned to him, but Lucan added, “We created this. We unbalanced the thread inside of her. They’ll want us to help fix it.”
“We?” A warning growl. “You created this problem. We had nothing to do with this.”
Lucan turned and faced the Mori’s leader. They were face-to-face, eye-to-eye, and while one held all the power and magic of a Mori vampire, the other was more dangerous. Lucan was human. He remained in his weak vessel because of one thing: the thread. He wanted that thread inside of him, and he knew that he would be told of visitors traveling their way. What he predicted would come true. His brother’s friends would seek him out, and he would help them because at this moment, their wishes co-aligned. All of them wanted The Immortal contained. Afterwards, that was another issue, but he said to Jeoji now, “Do not play the ignorant fool. I was one of you. You and your men traveled with me in search of the thread. You and your men, my brothers too, helped me capture my brother’s lover. You have known since the beginning my wish for the thread. It is why you allowed the child to come into this clan. Do not act innocent. You have shed blood, just as I have.”
Jeoji was older, wiser, but he knew Lucan spoke the truth. Blame fell on his shoulders, perhaps more because he never stopped this one. “My daughter loved you.” He let that sentence hang between them. His daughter, who was missing. His daughter, who had been so curious about the thread-holder. His daughter, who would never leave without telling him or her mother. His daughter, who he thought would marry this man standing in front of him.