Fated to the war general

No other choice

Kane

I walk away from Delilah as quickly as I can. This isn't happening. I can't let myself lose. I made a decision and I must stick with it.

Moving up the stairs leading to the main entrance of the Alpha Quarters, I call Nora on my phone.

"Nora?" I say when she picks up. "Take Delilah to the training room. Ensure no one sees you."

"Yes, sir," Nora replies and the line goes flat. I move straight to my room and lock the door behind me.

My mind is bombarded with thoughts of Delilah's body and how soft it was when we touched. I shut my eyes, trying to dispel the thoughts, but it only gets worse.

I pick up a bottle of whiskey and try to drown my thoughts in it. In a matter of minutes, I become tipsy and lose focus. I sit on my chair and let the wine take control. I don't trust myself to keep her out of my mind. Not when there's an evident mate bond between the two of us.

Hours later when I wake up, I go to check on the status of things. It's already evening and Ezekiel has rounded up the sentinels for a briefing. They all salute when I enter their midst.

From what Ezekiel says to the sentinels I can tell he has put a lot of thought into this. Throughout the briefing, my mind strays to Delilah. I wonder if she is also prepared. It's hard to face her after the awkward time we shared earlier.

After the briefing, I take Ezekiel aside to discuss more important matters.

"How close are the rogues?" I ask him while we stroll through the terrain.

"They passed Alpha Derrick's pack last. The place is not very stable since it's on a hot spot, so we expect them to stay there a bit before moving again."

"No, rogues don't stay in unstable packs. Their mission is to destroy so they're attracted to orderly things. At this rate, we should expect them the day after tomorrow. If they're fast, they should be here by dawn."

We stop in front of a large green field stretching far out. In the distance, the sun has started to set on the horizon.

Ezekiel doesn't comment on my last statement. We have been expecting the rogues, but bad news is bad news and will always have a saddening reaction.

I turn to him. "Prepare your soldiers, everyone in the pack should be on standby tomorrow. Rogues are more violent at night. We should expect anything."

"Yes, sir," Ezekiel says, and I turn away from him. I expect him to leave but he remains there.

"I saw Nora clearing up the training room earlier. I just knew she was doing it for Delilah. How do you plan on keeping her when the fight starts? Because this? This is a war."

My gaze remains fixed on the setting sun. "Delilah is my problem to handle."

Ezekiel nods. "Sure, I'm not disputing that. But statistically speaking, everyone in the pack would be involved in this war, everyone would be affected. You've seen how it is, general. Even when we win, it's still messy."

I turn and face him fully. "What exactly are you saying, Ezekiel?"

"She may have to evacuate the pack during the war. Anything could happen."

"And where do you suggest I keep her?"

"Yuletide pack," Ezekiel says and I give him a look of disapproval. "Alpha Geraldine owes you after you saved his daughter. His whole family and pack swore to return the favour and we've had good scores with them so far. They've always proved their loyalty. Plus, Cecile is around the same age as Delilah. I bet she would appreciate the company of another female similar to her."

"There's no other female like her, Ezekiel. You won't understand."

"I won't, but I understand the current situation in the pack."

I study him quietly for some seconds, then look away. "Prepare your soldiers, leave Delilah to me."

"Yes, Sir," Ezekiel says and leaves.

I ponder on his words. He makes a lot of sense. I'm almost sure that the fight will go as planned but if something goes wrong, my attention will be divided. What happens to Delilah then?

One of the worst feelings I have is that of being helpless. I won't be able to keep my eyes on her throughout the fight so I have to be sure she's ready.

I turn around and head straight to the training room where Delilah and Nora are.

The sound of Delilah's groans reaches my ears just as I'm opening the door to the place.

"Why can't I get it right?" she shouts out in frustration.

"It's okay, let's just try again. Take deep breaths, dear, focus, you're getting better."

"No, I'm not!" Delilah shouts in frustration. "I get weaker with every move we try and my fighting skills suck. I'm not getting better."

She turns around furiously and her eyes meet mine as I stand some distance away from them. For a second, she pauses, and her gaze burns into mine, before she walks away angrily. She opens the door to the training room and bangs it as she leaves.

Nora looks at me tiredly. "I tried all I could," she says in defeat. I nod in understanding.

"I'll take it up from here."

Nora picks up her jacket and leaves the training room. I can't continue stressing her with this task when she has to prepare for the fast-approaching war.

I go in search of Delilah and find her in her room. She's sitting on the floor, resting her back against the bed, with her hands cradling her knees to her chest.

She doesn't acknowledge my presence at first. I can sense she's trying to hold up with the last bit of strength remaining in her. I am wrong for asking her to train when her wolf is weak inside. I feel guilty for how she has turned out. She's more drained than she was two days ago.

And it's all my fault.

"I guess when I'm killed in the war, you won't have to bother about me anymore," she says and looks up at me. "That's what you want right?"

Her gaze holds mine and I find it hard to look away. She stands up and walks up to me, covering all the space between us.

"I'm sick of all this, General. I thought training would make me stronger but..." she shakes her head and blinks to hold back her tears from falling. "Would I die in the war?"

Fear seizes my heart at the thought of Delilah's death. "No, you won't."

"And how can I be sure of that? We've been training with no improvements."

"You just need more time. I'm sure you'd get better."

"But there is no time, General," her voice cracks as she speaks. "I just want to know what I'm about to face, how bad it's going to be for me."

I hold her shoulders and look into her brown eyes. They're already full of tears. "You would be fine, trust me."

"How?" Her voice comes out cracked, and a tear drops down her face.

I feel bad for her and something inside of me flips when I see her cry like this. I don't know how to keep her safe, not when her wolf is still weak inside.

I have no other choice but to use my last resort, the mate bond. Leaning in, I cover her lips in a kiss.