Page 55 of You Will Obey

“I’ve got a problem,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone was alert now.

“Théoden did something to me, branded me with a dragonFire Brandbecause I refused to help him defend his territory,” I said, getting right to the point.

“That motherfucker!” Elliot blurted out. “I’ll kill him!”

“What does it mean?” I asked, not sure what he could do to me. If what he told me was true or not.

“I don’t know. Listen, let me call you back. I need to talk to Kendrick,” Elliot said.

“I’ll be awaiting your call,” I said, then hung up. Théoden was Kendrick’s Knight, let him reel that piece of shit in. For now, I had to deal with my pack.

Chapter twelve

Kendrick

“I’mgoingtokillThéoden!” Elliot yelled at me as soon as he entered the armory where I’d been picking out my weapons for the battle. His presence caught my attention and I sat the silver sword back on its stand to face my mate.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“That motherfucker branded Deacon. Did some shit to him called theFire Brand,” Elliot said. “He will remove it now or suffer my fucking wrath.”

I frowned, then sighed, because Elliot was seething with rage, and it was going to be hell trying to settle him down. “It’s something Kings had their Knights do to keep enslaved wolves in check. With the brand, that Knight could control the wolf’s pleasure. Give it and deny it. They could also track the wolf if it ever escaped. It’s a link that binds the wolf to the dragon,” I said calmly. “It’s a bit different from theDragon Brand, which only allows that Knight to be able to track whomever they branded.”

“And that bloodsucking son of a bitch did that to Deacon. I will not stand for it. He’s in an alliance with us and isn’t supposed to be harmed. The pack won’t like him being bound to Théoden like some fucking dog on a damn leash!” Elliot snapped. He was so angry, his canines were showing.

“Clear the room,” I said, and the other dragons who’d been in the armory picking out their weapons left immediately. I looked up at Elliot. “Do you know why he did it?”

“I don’t give a fuck why he did it. But if I had to guess, It’s Théoden, he wants control over Deacon, that’s why.”

“I must say, this does put me in a predicament. On one hand, he didn’t harm or kill Deacon. On the other, he’s forcing Deacon into compliance,” I said, tapping my chin as I pondered the situation.

“I want the brand removed and Théoden to be punished,” Elliot snapped.

I sighed and ran my hand over my head. “I’ll certainly have Théoden punished for taking such liberties. Of course, he did so in his duties to Ara, not me.”

“If Deacon refuses to help, he’ll torture him. If you make him pull back and Deacon doesn’t help, Ara will want retribution for Deacon’s refusal. You have an alliance with both, who will you help?” Elliot asked.

“Well, since Théoden branded Deacon, and you’re my mate, I suppose I’ll be going to his aid. Knowing Deacon will have my backing and not his may give Ara pause,” I said.

“I doubt it. He has Josef’s pack, and Deacon and Josef hate each other,” Elliot said. “I would like to avoid a war between them all together.”

I sighed–loudly. “I promise to not interfere with Ara’s business and the alliance Deacon made with him was before my time. Deacon needs to uphold it, especially since he was so willing to cling to it that night we met.”

“Théoden didn’t honor it with us,” Elliot pointed out.

“But didn’t you say that he sent one of his sons to help you and that he fought too, and that’s how Deacon was able to get Selena’s territory?” I asked.

“It benefited him too, since the other Alphas were gunning for him and Josef.”

“And all that was taking place that night.”

Elliot nodded. “When we found out about you, he didn’t send anyone.”

I chuckled. “Why would he? I was coming for everyone. It’s tactically wise to gather your army in one place and not have them scattered about. He would have had to send damn near half of his army to help Deacon defend against mine. And in doing so, it would have weakened his second stronghold. And vampires were just as vulnerable as Deacon’s wolves were. Josef’s pack was the only enemy I saw as a threat.”

Elliot scoffed. “Théoden took you down, though,” he reminded me.

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