Page 19 of From Frost to Flame

“I assumed not. That would require behaving maturely.”

“Why are you being so needlessly irritating tonight?”

“I guess it runs in the family.”

“You’re an ass.”

His Beta came strolling out of the brush, picking yellow and brown leaves out of his dirty-blond hair.

Hierarchical placement in packs were set in stone and based on a combination of instinct and skill. Within the pack, everyone acted more dominant or submissive with each member depending on their place.

Like all Alphas and Betas, Silas and Vega were exceptionally close. Their relationship transcended friendship and had, in the past, been romantic. He trusted him almost as much as he trusted Castor. Any werewolf courting Lex would hurt, but the fact that it was Vega was a knife to the heart. Staring at his Beta, Silas struggled to wrangle in his instinct to stamp out the threat to his bond.

“Took you two long enough. I was wondering when you were going to call,” Vega said with a smile. “What are you two bickering about? You don’t usually fight.”

“Nothing,” Castor said, giving a politely submissive nod, with eyes downcast. He was at the bottom of the pack, coming in twelfth. His position and their relationship made him the least preoccupied with Silas's approval. He could fulfill his submissive needs with the ten others above him, which was why he was chosen as Silas’s without hesitation. When Vega was present, he slipped into showing his submissive tendencies. “Unimportant family stuff.”

“How did you find us so quickly?” Silas asked, changing the subject.

“I was confused when you didn’t invite me to Chiron with you. Imagine my surprise when I followed and your scent led me to Dionysus.”

“You were stalking me?”

“You say stalking, I say investigating. I expected Castor to go to the Genesis Festival to partake in some fun, but not you. I knew something must be going on. I didn’t expect to see you disappearing in a flash of light as The Ravenous One chased you. As soon as you vanished, and blue flames dragged her back to Tartarus, I tracked your scent through the day to get here.”

It’s believable that he would follow me, but how did he end up with Lex?

“What were you two doing in Dionysus that got you into this mess?” Vega pressed, looking between the two of them. “And why was it a secret? You never leave without explaining things to the pack. You always at least tell me.”

“I caught wind that Arden was planning to wield Death’s Compass,” Silas said. “I decided to extinguish the threat early and take it from him. Lex getting cursed in the process was unexpected.”

It was a partial truth. Vega and the rest of the pack didn’t need to know he also wanted the compass for himself.

“Poor thing,” Vega said, shaking his head. “How is our little Lex, anyway? Is he still with us?”

Our Lex?

“He’s fine. I’m taking care of him,” Silas said through clenched teeth. “I can’t let Lex die or be used for Arden’s plan to conquer the realms. So, I’m going to destroy the pieces of her soul and kill her.”

“Silas, you can’t be serious,” Vega said. “The Ravenous One will come for you for threatening her path to the surface and her immortality. Even for you, this mission is far too dangerous.”

“I hear your concern, but I know Arden. He could succeed in getting the souls, but he’ll fail to wield her power. I can’t let Orion, or the other realms, fall to a cruel ruler again. And I won’t sacrifice Lex. He spent years helping us reclaim our history. Orion owes him. I owe him.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Vega admitted. “And you’re sure this has nothing to do with the Herculean Clan? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were being opportunistic.”

“If, on the way, we can get justice for what The Ravenous One did to the Herculean Clan when my brother and I were pups, all the better.” He assumed Vega would suspect that the Herculean tragedy was his motivation, and it worked in his favor by halting further questioning. “I’m doing this. I’m confident I will be successful. I’ll come back before I face her, and we can take on her mortal form together.”

“And you, advisor.” Vega looked at Castor. “You aren’t going to try to talk reason into him, are you?”

“Not this time. I think he’s right. Plus, what can I say? I like Lex, too.”

“Fine. I’ll support you both, but I wish you’d admit this is primarily because of your vendetta against The Ravenous One.”

“I need you to go back to Orion and prepare everyone for battle,” Silas said, ignoring him. “I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to return, but we should be ready. Evacuate if she arrives before me. I don’t want to risk lives if she’s still clinging to immortality. It’ll be a wasted effort unless we’re certain she’s vulnerable.”

“We’ve gone to every battle together,” he protested. "We should do this together, too.”

“And we will when I’m back home. The Ravenous One may head to Orion in retaliation. I trust only you to protect our people.” Silas took off his crown and held it out to Vega. “I need you in charge until I return. Understood?”

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