Traded To The Lycan King

"Shit, Merikh." Hayes exhales, dragging his hands through his hair.

He turns to face me, his eyes tired and his shoulders slumped. I have asked too much of my brother, constantly leaving him at the helm of things without a thought of what weight I am laying on his shoulders.

"This will all end soon," I assure him, picking at the remnants of the plate we brought with us from the kitchen.

"You mean if it all goes according to your insane plan?"

A chuckle rumbles from my lips as walk over and take a seat on the office couch, watching him process everything I have laid at his feet. I don't need his approval or his understanding, but I respect him and his opinions on all things. Well, maybe more now than I did before Colette helped shape me into a better version of me.

"What about any of this isn't already insane?" I say and he snorts a half laugh before walking over to me and dropping onto the couch on the other end of me.

"So, you think this will work?" He asks after a minute. "I mean, what does Giselle actually want? First she votes Hybrid's can't be around, then she tries to kill Colette, then she kidnaps her and wants her to join her and now she is leading a war to what? Kill us all. To what end?"

I shrug, not sure how to answer him. This is something I have done nothing but think about since everything has happened. None of it makes sense unless I just go back to the nature of a Phoenix. A creature of chaos, is what Caspian said. Perhaps breeding it gives them life?

"I don't think she knows what she even wants, other than just straight mayhem." I say truthfully.

"How do you know if she will spontaneously combust? Find it in some lost magical book? Educated guess? Talk to someone wise and really old?" Hayes chuckles at the words 'spontaneously combust,' shaking his head. It sounds just as insane to his ears as it does to everyone else's. "Educated guess," I mutter, my body feeling heavy and eyes itchy.

Exhaustion has been chasing me since Lauren's little nick to my neck. It feels as if no amount of sleep truly lets me wake rested, but then again, maybe now that the worst has passed, I will be able to catch some sleep.

"Oh great," Hayes says sarcastically. "A surefire way to win any war is to make educated guesses on how to kill the enemy. Where could this possibly go wrong?"

"Sometimes the best plan is a crazy one." I say, hiding a smirk.

"You, my dear brother," he sighs heavily as he stands and walks over to me, reaching out to help me up. "Have always been the better one with crazy ideas. I have always been the one a little more grounded. It's why our dynamic works so well."

"This will work, Hayes." I try to assure him, but I can see his hesitation.

flicker of fear and twinge of tiredness behind his genuine smile. My brother has every right to be scared and worried. We all

a way to make it all work out," He says with a smile. "Now, let's go find your Luna and get you

woke up to absolute chaos. Flames around us, the vehicle in shambles and

people downstairs. Hayes and I rush forward, not running but moving with purpose as we make our presence known and come closer. The moment I round the corner, I stop in my tracks and grin on my

a meeting with Beta Hayes." Leandra insists the tall, graying man

me where my mate is and now you are telling me my

they are discussing,

her eyes grow

dad." She swallows roughly, closing her eyes as she

Caspian spins to look at me, and the shock of his appearance hits me in the face. Dried blood is caked to the side of his face, a large gash at his hairline and a burn from the tip of his chin down the front of

obvious he had the same treatment we did entering the pack, but I want to know his story, who or what

shut, her hand on her chest as she heaves for air, slipping down to her knees. Hayes is

He touches her skin and yanks it back. His body grows rigid, and he looks up

forehead. I feel nothing as I frown and look at

meeting mine, a flicker of red leaching into his usually gray eyes. He shakes his head, slamming his palm to his eye sockets as he groans and

head between my hands and forcing him

to explain what the hell is going on. How the hell can I, when

Elm is here to see you, Alpha Merikh-A warrior says through the mind

Caspian as he reaches

maybe he can sort this fucking mess." He mutters. "Let's move them to a couch or

for

back down." I order him and he

groans, his eyes squinting as if his

didn't get Lily out of her head all the way?" I ask Caspian, who plops into a chair to the side, looking

waiting to see what Elm says when he arrives. It is very clearly Lily's doing or her hold...the eyes are too familiar for it not to

and Johannes-Colette says through

is wrong with Hayes and Leandra-l tell her, not