Epsilon [Werewolf]

Chapter 12 (✓*)

The walk to the Southern Court was strange to say the least, but I'd learnt a few things along the way. Apparently, there were four territories in the forest, each located and named after a cardinal point.

"So, are the courts themselves also named after the cardinal point?" I asked through jagged breaths. Turns out, without the burn of adrenalin pulsing through my blood, it was much harder to move through the pain. Azriel had informed me it was normal to be in pain after the first Turn, and the same would go for my next few Turns. I was tempted to tell him that I never planned on putting myself through that agony ever again but bit my tongue instead.

"Quite right, dear."

I raised my brows. "Creative."

A small smile tugged on Azriel's mouth. "We are not the most imaginative of creatures, I will give you that. In fact, we steal many creative devices from the human world. Artworks, for instance."

I whipped my head to him, eyes wide. "You steal?" I stared at him. The male walked with hands tucked behind his back, his chin held high even in the middle of a forest. I couldn't imagine someone so dignified going so low as to steal. "But why? And how weren't you caught?"

Azriel's eyes slid to mine, something wicked gleaming within them. "As I said, Kyra, we are many things. What we lack in creativity, we also lack in honesty. What we lack in both we make up for in deceit. It's a balancing act. I suppose we are not much different from humans in this regard."

I shook my head. Dirty, cheating, lying wolves, and I was about to live in a court full of them. What had I gotten myself into?

"But do not be mistaken, dear. We do not steal for the sake of stealing. Many times, we do it out of necessity. In fact, the entire court you will see soon was built entirely from materials salvaged from the human world, resources we could never hope to find in a forest like this. Without it, we would be nothing." He shrugged. "And please, do not believe we leave the humans uncompensated. For everything we steal, we give back in small quantities."

I frowned. "So, when you steal a mansion's worth of metal, you pay them back with... what... a bag of precious stones?"

Azriel's smile turned wry. "One gemstone, dear. We are not that generous, I'm afraid."

I shook my head, bemused.

"We also need the materials to repair the court. Quite often, now, unfortunately."

I turned to him, all humor gone from his face. His lips were drawn into a grim line. "What do you mean?"

His throat bobbed. "We... The Southern Court has suffered recently. War is rampant across all four territories, but we seem to be the prime target."

My body went cold. Azriel's eyes didn't glimmer anymore. They were staring at an unfixed point in the undergrowth, distracted. "We suffer many attacks, and recently, it's been getting worse. It has been getting harder and harder to keep up, and at this rate, the territory will fall."

I kept my eyes to the ground. Despite having been ripped out of my own life and everything I've ever known, I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to say something, but I had nothing to give. After all, who was I?

To my surprise, however, Azriel turned to me. The hairs of my neck rose under his scrutiny, and I found myself suddenly conscious of how I walked.

"Kyra, my dear, you possess great power. A devastating power, one that could put mine to shame." I was about to tell him I possessed nothing that could put any aspect of him to shame, when he said, "Kyra... you have the power to save this territory."