“No, but it just might atone for my wrongs.”

“Oh child, all you need do is ask for forgiveness and the wrongs are wiped clean.”

“I want to believe that,” the wolf looked into her eyes, “but there is a part of me that feels that I can never be forgiven, that I will never be worthy of it.”

The goddess took the wolf’s face in her hands and held it gently. “You are not worthy. Not on your own, but I have made you worthy. My love for you has made you worthy.”

Chapter 13

“Peace is a fragile thing. It is forged on the trust that your enemy will choose respect over pride, selflessness over greed, and mercy over power. It is not won in wars, nor bargained for in treaties, for it can’t be won and it can’t be negotiated, not real peace. Real peace, peace that lasts, comes when parties who do not agree, set aside their disagreements for a greater purpose. It comes at the price of self. That is why true peace will never last on this earth, because we are not beings who find many things worth the price of our self.” ~Skender

“Will you not welcome one of the Fae Council into your midst Thead?” Lorelle asked the troll king.

Thead’s eyes narrowed on the fae and the stirrings of mistrust rolled in his gut.

“Since when has the Fae Council ever shown interest in the trolls, Lorelle?” Thead asked. His deep voice rumbled and he smirked as he watched the female shift nervously.

“Since we have heard rumors of war coming your way.”

Thead didn’t give her the pleasure of acting fearful, or surprised, though he might be both of those things. He could tell that there was something amiss with this Lorelle of the fae.

“Then tell me your rumors and be on your way.”

She drew herself up and pulled her shoulders back. She met his eyes, and though she was taller than he and probably more powerful, he didn’t flinch under her gaze. He didn’t flinch until she spoke.

“Cypher, King of the Warlocks, has declared war on the trolls for the murder of Thea, mate to Reyaz, the king’s brother. He will accept no prisoners; he will extend no mercy, blood for blood, life for life.”

Thead continued to hold onto the mask he had donned as soon as Lorelle had appeared, but it took everything in him to keep from lashing out. Cypher had promised him long ago that no retaliation would come after Thea’s death. He had told Thead that he would not condemn an entire race for the misdeeds of a few and he had believed him. Now, centuries later, what would bring him to go back on his word? What would change his view on something so very important?

“You do know that Cypher has taken a mate don’t you?” Lorelle said, as if she had just read the questions in his mind.

“No, I had not heard that,” he admitted.

“I suggest that you ready yourself King. Cypher will not be swayed and war will be at your door before you know it.”

Thead stood there staring at the spot that Lorelle had just occupied. He had always hated the disappearing act that the fae could perform; it left him uneasy in the sudden silence. War was coming, she had said, and at the hands of the warlocks. He and his did not stand a chance against them. They were not very powerful to begin with, but with the magic in the human realm waning, their ability to protect themselves had dropped greatly. He honestly had no idea how he could possibly ready himself and his clan, but he knew he wouldn’t just lie down and let Cypher destroy them. If he was going to die, he would die fighting.

“Cyn, Prince Thalion, it is good to see you again,” Vasile told his unexpected guests as he motioned them to take a seat in his office. “I have a feeling this is not a social call.”

“I wish I could say otherwise,” Thalion said as he took a seat. Cyn sat next to him on the love seat, her serious face firmly back in place.

“Cyn has come across some very disturbing news,” Thalion began. “Let me back up. I went to see Gerick at the warlock stronghold. Cypher has commissioned my elves to make his warriors’ weapons. I was there to verify the amount and the types today. While I was there, Gerick exhibited some very strange behavior. But he said he was fine, and so I took my leave,” he paused and looked at Cyn who took it as her cue to continue.

“He mentioned the behavior to me so I went to check on the situation. When I arrived, Cypher was there in the great hall, along with nearly all of the warlocks. They were in various states of illness. Some vomited while others writhed in pain. But still others were standing up appearing perfectly normal, other than their eyes being a blood red. Then I heard Cypher talking about war.”

“War?” Vasile had been listening quietly as the two spoke but at the mention of war, his wolf perked up. “With whom?”

“He has declared war on the trolls,” Cyn said.

Vasile sat back in his chair as her words sunk in. They reverberated through his mind and crawled into his veins like thousands of tiny ants. War, the word rung ominously in the room. Hadn’t there been enough war? Hadn’t there been enough blood spilt, enough lives taken to last many lifetimes? And where had this idea come from? Cypher hadn’t mentioned any ideas of attacking the trolls when he had met with Vasile. He had seemed completely focused on his brother and dealing with that problem. As his mind wrestled with the questions and thoughts surrounding this new dilemma, he stood and pulled his phone from his pocket. He pressed the number three and then waited.

“Alpha,” Skender’s voice came through the speaker.

“I need you in my office now.” Vasile hung up without waiting for a response.

Cyn and Thalion had also stood and were staring at him, waiting. He didn’t like repeating himself so he didn’t speak until the door opened and Skender came striding in with Decebel right behind him. No surprise there, Vasile thought to himself. Decebel was attempting to find any way to stay busy, to keep from having to be still and deal with whatever it was that kept him and his wolf so riled up.

“Skender, I need you to go see the King of the trolls,” Vasile said.

Skender nodded once before asking “Is there something…,”

Vasile held his hand up, cutting the wolf off. “I will give you the information you need if you will be patient and let me get it out.” A low growl emanated from his chest as he spoke. Skender immediately dropped to one knee and exposed his neck. Vasile’s power was radiating through the room and it caused the others to shift uncomfortably.