The Delta's Daughter Chapter 108

FINNEGAN

2 Hours before the battle

I was tasked to provide the crawlers, who we were able to move up the narrow river in containers on smaller boats, with clothing that had been stolen from the various kingdoms. Orion had spies in every kingdom, sleeper cells, that he used when he needed information or objects.

Hence, the clothing we had of Lamia’s and King Kellen’s.

The crawlers would hone in on the smell like wild trackers and, once given the command by Orion, would seek out that scent, their only goal, to bring down the owner.

Orion and the bitch Shayna had set up a command base inside Riocht’s palace. After throwing in the clothing, I made my way back to the white-washed open squared building. My father wanted to keep me close, incase things went sideways for him and he needed me.

What he didn't know, was that, no matter the cost, I would help kill him.

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling the metal chip underneath my skin that attached to my cervical spine at the base of my neck. The implant threads latched onto the vertebra and attached to my spinal cord and allowed the owner of the chip to control my beast.

If I could rip it out without killing myself, I would have, but it was fashioned in such a way that tampering with it could permanently impair my beast or the shock from trying to remove it, could kill me easily. Sending a pulsing electric shock straight to my heart and stopping it.

I didn’t care for my life as such, but rather I needed to live and find my sister who was somewhere, across the ocean, caged like a wild beast, to benefit our father. 

I mentally cursed my father’s bitch, Shayna. Like the vicious wolf she is, she was his lap dog in every sense. He didn’t care about her, only her ability to create drugs and serums and the novelty of these chips had put him at an advantage. He had promised her father that he would take her as a chosen mate. He had no intension what-so-ever to fulfill that promise.

He used her, like he did everyone else, as long as he got what he wanted. And Shana, well she would do anything for him, she thought she was going to be a queen. I scoffed at the very thought.

When he called out for the attack to begin and our army moved forward, I turned to Petra who was still holding my hand. I squeezed it gently and saw that Lamia had watched the gesture.

I bent down to Petra when the fight began to intensify, “Go hide little one, and do not come out until your queen finds you. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her sweet and innocent face full of fear. I nudged her towards a door, “Now go.” and watched her run to the room and slip behind the heavy door. I prayed to the moon goddess to keep her safe before I joined the ranks, engaging in battle. But my claws and arrows didn’t find my father's enemy, no they found the rogue shifters and crawlers, my father’s army.

In the heat of battle, in my peripheral vision, I saw Lamia using her shifter speed to cross the green, running past the fight and cutting down crawlers as she went, making a bee line for the palace. I snapped the neck of a rogue and turned to go after her. Knowing she was running to the side of her mate.

My father had called out to me through our mind-link. Ignored him. I wanted Mathias to kill him. I would not go to his aid.

When I reached her, Shayna and another one of my father's fighters had Lamia surrounded. Incapacitating her with silver nitrate dust and I could see the open wounds on her arms, and smell the blood mixed with the burning of silver.

I leapt into action and took down the large bear shifter with ease, snapping his neck. As he fell to the floor, I turned; my intensions were to kill the bitch Shayna.

The air left my lungs, and the strength in my legs gave out as I felt the sting of a blade pierce through my stomach.

A man stood over me, poised to deliver the final blow. I welcomed my death knowing the Queen was safe. Just as a thunderous roar reached my ears and two more men came and stood over me, I was ready to let go, ready to meet my maker and hoped the moon goddess would have mercy on my soul. “Save my sister… please” I begged, “Farah” my mates name was the last word to pass over my lips as my vision clouded and I sank into darkness.

‘Finn, stay strong’ my Beast Arthur whispered to me, it was good to hear him again after so long, I thought, as I fell comfortably into the black abyss.

*****

OLIVER

When the Roar of the King rang out across the battle field, stilling the fight, I felt the shiver of fear crawl down my spine, the powerful wave of dominance reaching us all. I was fighting alongside Jack, holding up the rear of our army.

“Ollie,” Jack’s voice grounded me. I looked at him, his eyes were narrowed, and his forehead creased with lines. Worry flecked in his eyes “It’s time for us to make our leave.” He said, while tugging at my sleeve, urging me to follow him. "We don't want be caught here, not now."

Like last time, I followed him into the tree line, glancing back at the battle that was beginning to dwindle. We were losing, Orion’s army was falling and the crawlers were disintegrating before our eyes. The Bear Kings roar, still rang out, and I felt a shift in the air.

Jack was right. We did not want to be caught by the Dire Wolf and her friends. After everything we did to her, being caught was a fate worse than death for us.

We made our way back to the river undetected and clambered onto a small boat. He started the engine and we left the battle behind us.

“I told you this wasn’t my fight, Ollie” He chirped, his whole demeanor changing like the flick of a switch once he knew we were out of the thick of it. “You and me, Ollie, we are survivors. Not warriors. We get to live to see another day.” He smiled widely, pointing between us, his eyes holding a twinkle again.

“Where are we going Jack?” I hesitantly asked, not that I wasn’t thankful for him taking me with him, but I was still skeptical of trusting him. The man was very unpredictable, but he always had a get-away plan.

“We are in the trade business, Ollie, so that’s what we are going to do. I have a buyer in Sirtya and Orion left plenty for us to sell.” He said excitedly.

“Sirtya? That’s across the other side of the realm, Jack.” I was surprised and intrigued at the same time. Jack could be full of surprises, and not all of them sane.

“Yep, no one will find us there. We can sell the humans he left and start again, you and me Ollie.” I regarded the smile he held plastered to his face, and gave him a weak one of my own.

The further away from Lamia, the better. I was sure to be found and caught, then executed, unless they decided to lock me up and punish me with years of torture. I didn’t fancy that idea, so I nodded my head, and gave him a genuine smile this time. “ OK Jack, let's go. I’m with you.”

“ I knew I could count on you, Ollie.” He beamed.

*****

MATHIAS

*Stay alive Lamia, I will not lose you today* I urged through the mind-link

*Stay alive my king, without you I will die* her words crushed me, and I couldn’t make a promise I might not be able to keep, so I did what I did best. I pulled her to me, swinging her around and crashed my lips to hers, pouring all my love and emotions into that brief but explosive kiss.

I broke from her, my chest rising heavily with a labored breathing of want.

“Protect your queen!” He yelled at Hunji, who nodded in affirmation.

I then turned and ran towards where I saw Orion dart behind an archway. I took a quick glance back at my little wolf, she stood side by side with Hunji. Mike, Kellen and Rhett flanked them as they fought against the crawlers.

Their movements were fluid, working together as a team. Like a well rehearsed dance, they swung their blades to and fro, eliminating creature after creature. I would call it beautiful if it weren’t for the circumstances.

She was protected and that is what mattered. I had a job to do and that was to kill Orion.

Either he didn’t move very fast or he wanted me to follow him, but I caught sight of him as he ran through a large hall. I had a moment to see the two thrones that sat at the far end of the hall, large and regal, the thrones of Riocht I thought, then startled myself out of the distraction and followed out the door Orion ran through. The door led outside to a wide open court yard that was centered in the middle of the palace.

Orion stood in the middle, patiently waiting for me to catch up. I stopped some feet from him, Arcas’ let out a low threatening growl and my eyes pierced his, shooting daggers of blood-thirsty hatred right at him, wishing I could burn him to the ground and send him to hell with just a deadly glare.

 “Son,” The piece of shit addressed me. “Join me, and you could have it all. You can keep your mate; we just have to tame her.” He smirked at his last statement. “We could share her.” The smarmy fucker winked. Not a hint of regret, almost like he was already expecting this fight to happen.

“I already have it all, you sick fuck.” I spat, gritting my teeth tightly together. My chest heaved with the thought of him, touching my little wolf.

“Let me be crowned king and I will give all you desire,” he tried again. "It doesn't have to end with your death. Join me, Mathias." Not a spark of sincerity anywhere, not in his tone, his posture and definitely not in his eyes.

Arcas’ saw red and in one swift motion we pounced towards him, shifting mid air and swinging our axe at his head. Determined to end him.

Orion was strong, his power matching mine as he caught the axe, gripping it tight and throwing it towards the side. He may have taken the weapon but it didn’t stop me from landing on him, my huge paw swiping at his neck but missing as he leant back and only catching his arm.

Orion shifted; his bear large and menacing, his fur almost black. He came at me on his hind legs, baring his teeth and landing a blow to my abdomen. I felt the burn of his claws as my side opened and immediately began to pool with blood.

I attacked, bringing blow after blow down on him, his own paws meeting me punch for punch. His one paw latched onto the side where I bled, digging his claws in deep. I bit back the pain and my teeth latched onto his arm, tearing fur and flesh from the bone.

Arcas’ was unstoppable now, and with one hefty swipe of his paw, he landed a game-changing blow to Orion, sending him stumbling backwards onto the graveled ground, his beast shifted and my father's naked body sat on the pebbled rocks, looking dazed.

I shifted and stalked towards him, looming over his body. I bent my head to look at him, his steel gaze met mine, mirroring the color of my eyes, like looking at an older version of myself, except all I saw was evil in his eyes. I felt no pity for him and I felt no remorse for what I was about to do.

“You have no idea who you fucked with” my anger charged my words, as they dripped with venom. “I AM KING! The fucking Alpha king of all shifters, and today your soul will be sent to the nether world! I denounce you as my father!” I roared, then extended my claws and punched through his chest, wrapping the sharp black-clawed hand around his heart and ripping it out with force.

A gasp left his mouth from the force of my fist, and his body slumped to the ground with a thud. His eyes remained open, the light fading from the silver orbs as I watched his soul leave his body, his aura fading to black as the afterlife claimed him.

Arcas’ roared out our victory, a long and penetrative rumble, a thundering outcry, coating the air with the sound of a king touting his conquest. Permeating the air with a thick rolling fog of potent might, punching through the senses of every shifter, and the atmosphere stilled.

Orion was dead. The enemy was defeated. The battle had been won.

*King? The crawlers are, are dying on their own* Toby stuttered through the mind-link.

*Orion is dead.* Arcas puffed out his chest, the proud King of Bears.

I turned when I heard my little wolf cry out, bolting towards her voice and scenting her location. I found her just inside; Beta Mike was holding her in his arms, while Hunji and King Kellen stood over the body of Orion's other son, my brother Finnegan.

Rhett and a small were-cat, who I assumed must be Tawny, Lamia’s best friend I had heard about, stood fussing over her. I growled at them all, making their heads snap in my direction, as I took hold of my queen, pulling her from the Beta’s arms.

“Lamia” I breathed out, needing her to tame my internal struggle and calm my beast, Arcas was still ready to shed blood, his adrenalin still rushing from the fight and the pride of winning. If she was hurt, he would go berserk, there would be no telling how many people he would kill just for being there.

 “Baby, where are you hurt?” I asked, checking her over with my eyes, concerned about why she wasn’t healing as fast as she should. Once I spotted her injuries, I let my large fangs extend and bit my wrist and began letting the blood drip on to her wounds. They began to close immediately, pushing the silver nitrate from her body along with any other poison.

“Why didn’t your wolf heal you?” I was still concerned and narrowed my eyes at hers, not in anger, but in annoyance at her wolf, not understanding why she wouldn’t have healed her.

“Oliver is nowhere to be seen, he fled.” Travis exclaimed, as he walked towards the group, looking vexed that he couldn’t find the rogue wolf. I knew he had a score to settle with the little shit, but his timing sucked.

I knew I would have to ask Lamia again later about her wolf.

“We will find him” Kellen assured Travis. “He cannot hide forever and when we do, find him, He is all yours.” He promised him.

“Finn!!!” I heard the scream of a young voice and, from behind a door, Petra’s little frame came barreling towards us. Lamia tried to grab her, but she slipped by and went straight to Finnegan’s side, kneeling by his body.

“Petra,” Lamia called to her, moving by her side.

“No, you killed him! He was good, Alpha. I promise he was good. He kept me safe.” She cried.

“I’m sorry Petra, he was on the enemy’s side, we had no choice.” She tried to explain to the young girl, sadly. I could see the remorse in Lamia’s eyes, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt the little cub.

Lamia took Petra’s crying form into her arms, and went to lead her away, when she suddenly stopped and whirled around back to Finnegan’s body.

She let go of Petra, and moved over my so-called brother, leaning down. “He’s not dead!” She exclaimed.

“Finnegan is alive. I can hear a faint beat of his heart.” She looked at us all with astonishment. “Get a healer here, now!”