IVORY: The age of Gloarian

Chapter 15

    Brushing off any excess dirt on his formal clothes, the great Alpha of Gloarian gave himself a final glance before turning around to meet the eyes of his proclaimed mate. The woman had been sitting on the bed behind, book in her hand as she ignored it completely and focused on the beauty of her mate. 

    ‘Like what you see?’ he questioned as he noticed her drooling over him. The shy woman looked away, a tint evident on her face as she did so. Razaar released a small chuckle as he walked back to the fragile woman, and bent down, placing a kiss on her forehead before elevating back up. ‘You be careful tonight, I’ll be back soon’ he stated, watching her nod as he made his way out the door. 

    ‘Razaar, be careful’ she said as he arrived the door. The man rotated around one last time, an expression of gratitude on his face before with a last breath, he exited the cottage. 

    By the gates of the territory, Eliana had been waiting for her rejected mate to arrive, getting impatient by the minute. As soon as he did, her eyes fell on him with complete normality, her figure started to take steps out of her territory without having to inform her mate that they were, in fact, late. Razaar, on the other hand, had not had the same reaction as Eliana, for as soon as his eyes fell on the form that was his mate, he found himself dead in his tracks, having to forcefully shake himself awake before he could nonchalantly follow the Hybrid leader out of her territory. 

    They both sped down towards the forest, their formal attire barely holding it together by the mud below, before they arrived at a corner where both could shift into their beasts. As they made it at Lycan territory, the first thing they noticed was the abundance of lights and people. A pathway had been carved from the very entrance of the grounds, illuminated by fire that led directly to the pack house, where their enemy lay. Unlike the stories that they had heard about Lycan territory, the pair had immediately been proved wrong as they walked past the faces of genuinely happy looking people. They shared a confused peek with each other as they neared the doors of the pack house, though remained silent as they walked through it. 

    The first thing that could either of their eyes had been the sight of the ruthless Alpha himself. Balthazar Tin stood amongst a small crowd at the entrance of the great hall, laughing at a comment made by an individual. The sight had amazed both parties as they advanced towards him -after he noticed their presence- with a neutral expression. They had reminded themselves before leaving that the event would be more about figuring out what Balthazar was up to rather than having fun, and they intended to stick to that plan. A smirking Lycan, now directly in front of their vision, recreated the first interaction between the Hybrid leader and himself as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

    ‘Miss Genova, you look stunning as always’ he commented before turning to Razaar ‘Alpha Solonov, welcome’ he greeted kindly, an act that had Razaar and Eliana stir deeper into their pit of confusion. What was the man up to? 

    The Lycan Alpha led the pair down the hall, introducing them to a few important members of the pack as he did so before he excused himself to complete an unfinished conversation with a business associate. 

    ‘What is he up to?’ Elina found herself thinking aloud. Razaar remained silent, his mind in a complete other dimension as he observed his enemy trotting across the hall, a glare consistent on his face. 

    ‘Why is he suddenly being nice to us?’ he began, still not looking at his mate, who stood curiously beside him. 

    ‘Razaar, I don’t have a good feeling about this, perhaps you should get in touch with your Beta and ensure everything is alright back at your pack’ suggested the Hybrid leader after pulling the Alpha into a separate room. 

    ‘You think he’s taking this opportunity to attack my pack?’ he questioned, thinking about the possibility of it being true. 

    The truth was that both leaders had found themselves confused at the situation they were faced with. Eliana thought of how ironic it seemed that a week ago her biggest enemy was her mate, and yet here she stood in his presence, working as allies to defeat a common enemy. She had pondered over the night what that meant for the vow she had made to herself not to take him back. Was he going to ask for her back? And if not, then why not? It was then that Eliana realised that she hadn’t received a proper justification for her rejection to begin with, and wondered if she would spit out the words at some point during the night to search for the answer. As her mate looked down at her she shook her head clear of the thoughts, and began formulating an answer for the man in front of her. 

    ‘I think he has enough people at the party to make it seem like the entire pack is here. Though if he’s as evil as people say, don’t you think he would be jumping at the opportunity to send his men off at a time when he knows your land is unprotected and unaware, that way it’s only you left and they have the element of surprise’ she revealed. The Alpha found himself diving into deep thought as he began thinking of what to do. Soon he found himself scavenging through the room they were in, looking for a blank piece of parchment  to scribble a letter to his Beta.

    ‘I’ll tell them to stay alert and send word as soon as something happens, assuming something does happen’ he stated, rolling the paper up once he’d completed the task. Eliana nodded in approval, accompanying him outside where he handed the scroll to the messenger that was on standby. ‘Deliver this to the great Beta of Gloarian.’ He instructed, watching him go off into the distance with the letter in hand. Their contemplation, however, was short lived as the enemy himself appeared at their faces as soon as they made their return to the great hall, where they had yet to interact with anyone else. 

    ‘Ah! Miss Genova, Alpha Solonov, just the people I was looking for’ he informed as he neared them. ‘I would like you to meet the Beta of the Lycans, Oleg Stein’ introduced the Lycan Alpha. As planned, the Beta smirked in the direction of Eilana, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his mouth. Frankly, both Razaar and Eliana had had enough of individuals kissing the Hybrid leaders hand, nonetheless, they kept calm as they let the scene unfold. 

    As for Balthazar, the man felt pride upon the scheme he had so smartly planned, getting himself and his Beta to flirt with the Hybrid leader to identify if his suspicions were, in fact, true. The smug expressions on their face hadn’t helped poor Razaar, who simply clenched his fists in the corner, doing his very best to stop himself raging at his enemy for more reasons that he could count. 

    ‘It is lovely to meet you. Balthazar doesn’t lie, you truly are a remarkable woman. We have all heard about the brave leader of the Hybrids, but I have to say, to see you person exceeds my expectations’ commented Oleg, his eyes not leaving Eliana’s for a second as he uttered them.

    The Hybrid leader forced a smile as she chose to remain quiet at the complements of the Beta that was clearly up to something. Her expressions, however, hadn’t received the worse of it yet as Oleg reopened his mouth to ask a question so dangerous, that Razaar had almost lost control of the beast within him. 

    ‘Tell me, do you have a mate?’ his question surprised them all except the cunning Balthazar, who just joined in to explore her answer. His eyes had very much remained on Razaar during the whole of the exchange, and it just about looked like he was getting closer to a confirmation after the daring question had been posed. Eliana found her eyes widening at the interrogation that had suddenly begun, and had commenced a series of stammers as she processed the man’s words and searched for an appropriate answer. 

    ‘I do not believe that is any of your concern, Beta Stein. You are kind, but you are not my mate and that is all that matters’ she responded, feeling pride swell within her at the control she had suddenly taken. Her response had clearly amused the Lycans as they smirked at each other with evidence in their eyes that they were up to something. 

    ‘Forgive me, Miss Genova, I only asked to convey how lucky your mate is or will be to have such treasure like you by his side’ upon the words of the crooked Beta, the great Alpha of Gloarian cringed with a certain guilt that had followed him around like a shadow, knowing that he could have had the beauty that was his mate, though rejected her. More and more everyday, the wolf found himself at a lack of words as to why it was, in the first place, that he had rejected her. He realised quickly that despite his original reasons and plans, the flame had been working against him, for 2 days after he was technically supposed to have vanished from her life he stood right next to her, as her ally and friend, he hoped. He contemplated the events of the past couple days, wondering just how the two had gone from being enemies to friends from one day to another, and considered just briefly what it would be like if he suddenly decided to take her back. His thoughts were cut short when his mate decided to speak up in response to the prior statement made by the grotesque Beta. 

    ‘That is quite flattering to hear, I thank you’ she responded, turning around now to face the Alpha of Lycans, who up until now, had remained silent throughout the entire interaction between his Beta and her. ‘Alpha Tin, I was wondering if we could step into your office to deliver the 100 gold coins as agreed by the truce’ she suggested. Balthazar agreed without hesitation, leading the pair towards his office that had not been far from the place they stood in. 

    The man opened the grand doors of his workplace, as he allowed the woman in. Razaar, however, didn’t quite make it as Balthazar shook his head and began closing the door on the loathsome Alpha who was desperate to bash open the face of his opponent. The idea of Eliana being alone with his enemy in a room most certainly did not sit well with him, yet after peeking a glance at his dear mate who simply shook her head at his upcoming reaction, he found himself reluctantly backing away to allow his nemesis to shut the door. No doubt, he would be listening in for danger on the other side 

    Eliana maintained her calm as he did so, moving around her to take a seat on his chair, guiding her to her own with his hand. Before he could utter a word, the Hybrid leader intervened. 

    ‘Here are your 100 gold coins, as discussed’ she informed, pulling the small bag of coins out from where she had hidden it. The evil man grabbed it before carelessly tossing it on the table.

    ‘Tell me, Eliana, would you up to a different kind of negotiation?’ he questioned, lifting himself off the chair that not a minute ago he was sat on. Taking slow and steady steps, he made his way to the other side of the table, where he seated himself at the edge, not an inch away from the hybrid leader. The Lycan knew full well that Razaar was listening from the outside, and he made sure to make as much noise as possible to confirm that the two, were in fact, mates as he had assumed. 

    Uncomfortable by his moves, Eliana pushed herself to the corner of the chair, attempting to stay as far as possible from the cold-hearted leader. 

    ‘What kind of negotiation?’ she asked innocently, disturbed by the closeness between them. The man chuckled before glancing back at her to reveal his response. It was a response he knew for sure, was going to do the trick. 

    ‘You can keep your gold coins, all 100 of them, if you agree to mate with me’ he suggested, blowing the Hybrid leader’s brains out. Unexpectedly, he leaned forwards, trying to crowd her face as much as possible to get the best possible reaction. 

    ‘Excuse me? Who do you think I am? You think you can buy s*x from me, the leader of the Hybrid community of Gloarian?’ she exclaimed in complete outrage. By now her wrath had decided not to contain itself as she jumped off the chair, causing it to screech along the floor, and slapped the Alpha across the face. As expected, within the next second the door to his office opened, and an angry Werewolf Alpha stormed in, striding straight towards his enemy with the sole intention to end his life right there and then. Predicting his moves, his mate stepped in between, once again placing a hand on his chest to calm him down. The Alpha’s eyes fell down on the ones of his mate and he found his anger dying out in a matter of seconds. 

    ‘I’m ok, thank you’ she reassured him before facing the mischievous Alpha that by now had received his response.

    ‘Would you look at that? This whole time I’ve been going after the wrong one. So you are mates! Inte-rmating, how bizarre!’ Roared Balthazar in utter satisfaction. His clear realisation had initiated the speed of heartbeats for the pair, and they looked at each other briefly before attempting to figure out a plan of their own. 

    ‘What are you on about Balthazar? We aren’t mates!’ exclaimed Eliana, a lame attempt to change the Lycans mind. 

    ‘Oh Eliana, come on don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone, don’t you trust me?’ he mocked, walking round the couple in a predatory way. He cackled as he returned to the front.

    ‘There’s nothing to hide, Razaar and I are not mates’ she spoke sharply, attempting her very best to send the message across. Her words had been futile, as it caused Balthazar to jump to phase two of his experiment, one that would most certainly guarantee the confirmation of their matehood. 

    In the blink of an eye the woman that had been standing next to her mate suddenly wasn’t. Instead, her back was pressed against the one of the Lycan Alpha, his claws encircling the small of her neck. 

    ‘Are you not? Then I doubt Razaar would mind if I just ended your life right now’ he played. The growl that Razaar had for so long suppressed finally found its way out as within seconds the Werewolf had released his mate from the grip of his enemy, and in turn, now held Balthazar by the neck against the wall of the office. ‘Thought so’ was all the smirking Lycan said as he watched Razaar let go of him and turn around, grabbing Elilana’s hand before marching out of the Lycan territory itself. 

    Neither spoke a word as they journeyed back to Hybrid lands, not knowing what to say or do with each other. Their feet  stopped as they stepped foot into the comparatively small office of the leader of Hybrids, both, pacing around like fools. 

    ‘Why would you do that? Why would you lash out on him? That was his plan all along, s**t!’ accused Eliana, finding her way to her seat, where she buried her head in the nest of her hands. 

    ‘What did you expect me to do? Let him hurt you? Kill you? Mate with you?’ he questioned, unappreciative of the accusations made against him. 

    ‘Razaar what is your problem? First you reject me and choose a mate of your own, yet you still lurk around like a possessive jerk around me. Why can’t you just make your mind up! If you didn’t want me to begin with, then stick to that decision, and suppress that side of you for life. I found my ticket out of this mess and now you’ve ruined it, damn it! You think after all of this he won’t attack us?’ she heaved, fury consuming every fibre in her body. Her initial reflections about their recent friendship had taken a full turn as she now found herself back at the beginning of the cycle. She despised him for putting her in a compromising situation despite the appreciation she had for his protectiveness. 

    ‘He won’t hurt you. I will make sure of that’ growled an angry Alpha, coming closer to the woman he so desperately wished to unite with. 

    ‘I’m not concerned about myself Razaar, I can take care of myself, but if anything happens to my community members, I will start a war with you’ she warned, her anger clearly getting the best of her. 

    ‘I will make sure he doesn’t harm your pack’ repeated her mate, seating himself down in front of her. 

    ‘How are you going to do that? He’s probably got everything planned now. I must warn the guards to stay on lookout and round up all my fighters-’ as she began walking around towards the door, her words and direction were both interrupted as the Alpha blocked her from doing so. 

    ‘Listen, calm down. Let’s figure out a plan-’

    ‘What plan?!’ she yelled, stepping away from him ‘what plan Razaar? There is literally nothing left to plan. He knows we’re mates and he knows if he wants to destroy you he has to get to me’ she barely whispered as she walked back to her chair in exhaustion. ‘What are you going to tell Eiva?’ she then questioned. The Alpha shrugged as he too, returned to his seat. On queue, the door to the office opened as the one and only Eiva Matouk decided to step into the picture, horrifying the pair as she did so. 

    ‘Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt. Heard you two came back along with some screaming. Is everything alright? How was the ball?’ the naive woman questioned, walking further into the room. 

    The pair found themselves looking at each other for what seemed the longest time, attempting to think of what to tell the fragile girl. Perhaps the time for the truth to be revealed to the girl had arrived, yet none of the leaders dared to open their mouth to face the innocent questions of the clueless woman. Heartbeats sped up once again, and both kept looking at each other, as if mentally trying to communicate and decide what to tell the frail woman. 

    ‘Eiva, take a seat. How has your night been?’ intercepted Eliana, in an attempt to earn more time. She knew that one way or another they would eventually have to face the truth, yet she wondered if revealing the truth would be the right choice. As she watched the thin woman take her seat silently on the chair, guilt found its way back into the Hybrid leaders system, regretting ever going to the ball with her mate. She observed the girl go on about her day shyly, and wondered why the flame had given the woman a fate worse than death. Not only had she lost one mate, she was about to lose another. The fear of what would happen after the truth came out worried Eliana to the core, for she knew that the revelation wouldn’t end there, it would eventually reach Razaar’s pack along with Eliana’s community. What would happen after that between the pair would be a mystery, but for the time being the brave leader could simply look into the eyes of a woman so kind, it broke her heart to even think of telling her the truth. 

    As the woman reopened the question, Razaar found himself trembling in his seat, looking back and forth between his mate and proclaimed mate, having to make a swift decision on what to tell her. He had figured the truth would have eventually come out with him being on her territory, though he never imagined how tough the scenario might have been if faced with it. As he looked into the eyes of his proclaimed mate, however, he knew he was incapable of breaking her heart and watching her go through the pain of loss once more. 

    It was so that the Alpha made a decision, and took her hand in his as he smiled at her, readying himself for the choice he was about to make.