The Delta's Daughter Chapter 243

HUNJI/KIAN

How many times can I walk away from her?

As many as it takes, I tell myself.

The look in her beautiful violet eyes cut me deep. I knew what she wanted, our souls grasping for each other, my wolf pining to hold her, kiss her. But I couldn’t. She was safe, that had to be enough.

I wanted to tell her how proud I was of her, how her gift was spectacular. How when I saw her leading an army of dead, I felt nothing but pride and love for my little witch as I watched her end the battle single-handedly. The confident way she walked, arms out, palms out with her head held high. Those violet eyes glowing against her pale complexion – She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, she moved with grace and poise, easily directing her army of ghosts. She was commanding but ethereal, Dangerous but enchanting -a goddess.

My body came alive. A flush of warmth spread through my body, my dick reacting at the sight of his little witch as my eyes roamed her spellbinding curves that I knew hid under the baggy clothes she was wearing.

When I touched her, seeing the cuts on her face, my heart rate picked up and my wolf wanted to come out and demand to know who dared to touch her like that. My frail witch was not so weak, and we already knew who had caused her harm. We could smell him on her.

Her calmness seeped into us, placating my wolf and easing my tension. I allowed myself that one touch and when I felt her being pulled to me, I dropped my hand and stepped away. Rostam’s words cut through and brought me back to the moment. “Kian, we must find Sonia, please. Your sister is in danger,”

I pulled away from Morgan, but she held my arm. I daren’t look at her, knowing my resolve would break if I did. This would be the last time I walk away from her.

“It’s not over for me,” I told her. Knowing I needed to find Farid and my sister, Sonia. It would never be over until Farid was dead. I had a new responsibility.

I could never make her happy. I wasn't what she needed. Even if she thought I was what she wanted, Asena and Ashe were right: Our purposes were different, even if our paths would eventually lead us in the same direction. I would only hold her back from discovering herself and what life had to offer her.  

Rostam and I ran toward the palace “What happened?” I asked my older brother, the only brother I had ever trusted, and who stood by me.

“After you died – and still can’t believe you here, alive. Things took a turn Kian.” Rostam stopped, pulling at my elbow, making me halt with him.

“What?” I asked, turning to him to see a shameful look on his face.

Rostam scrubbed a hand down his face, his eyes meeting mine, “We never told you, because we didn’t know, we didn’t understand.”

“Tell me what?” I asked my brother, searching his face for a hint of emotion that would explain but all I saw was hesitation.

“Sonia and I are fated, mates. We never told anyone because… well, because we were siblings. And we fought the bond tooth and nail. For so many years. This is why I never took a concubine. I have been in love with her ever since she turned eighteen and it wasn’t until you…” he gulped “Until you died, did we act on it.”

“No,” I stepped back from him “That can’t be. We share the same father…” I was, I don’t know what I was, disgusted? No not that, confused? Maybe.

“That’s just it, Kian. We tried to hide it for so long, then three years ago King Orion made a deal with father for me to marry the Witch. That’s when it all came out that Sonia was my fated mate and she was pregnant. That’s when we found out that Sonia is not your father’s, but his late Beta’s, and it all made sense. Somehow Farid found out not only that but also father, he intended to name me the next king. After Orion left Asiarian, Farid had me brought up on charges of treason and incest. He had the courts in his pockets, I don’t know how but he had me locked away and injected me with goddess knows what.”

Rostam paused, shaking his head and tears filling his eyes “I have never met my child and I don’t even know if they are alive, I never marked her. Farid promised me she was, but I have no idea what he has done to her. And, I have no idea what state father is in, he put him in a chemically induced coma. He has been like that for almost 3 years I believe.”

“Farid and Abbas need to die, no two ways about it. I will show them no mercy.” I growl, letting the unloading of information sink in. Not quite ready to understand it. The one thing I did know, apart from I was going to end Farid’s and Abbas’ life, was no matter what, if Rostam and Sonia were fated, I would stand by them. I didn’t care what their relation was, half siblings or not, if they were fated then they were destined to be with each other.

“Abbas is dead.” Rostam again stops my feet from moving and I again look at him with confusion “Morgan killed him.” He deadpans. “That’s how we escaped. She freed me not just from the cell but from the beastly state Farid had trapped me in.”

“Then let us find Farid and Sonia.” A swell of pride filled me for my little witch's bravery and how she kept surprising me at every turn. Again, we begin to run toward the palace. There were too many things happening at once. I needed to deal with them one at a time. First Farid, then Sonia. Then my little witch.

Walking through the Palace doors gives me a sense of nostalgia, the feeling fading fast as I remember the last time that I walked these palace halls. It was to my death.

“Farid!” I growl out “Show yourself! Face me you coward!”

Rostam tips his head back in a nod and signals with his hands that he was going to find Sonia. I give the OK signal and I call Ruda forward. ‘Sniff him out and hunt him down,’ I tell my wolf.

‘With pleasure’ He growls back, his fur standing on end as he starts sniffing and dissecting the many scents that saturate these halls. When he finds Farid’s, he locks on to it, lowly whining in anticipation to hunt the bastard down. His ears are back and at the forefront of my mind, he leads us toward my brother, stalking his prey like a starved animal.

“Come out come out Farid, don’t be scared” I taunt him, knowing we are close.

“Oh, I’m not afraid little brother,” I hear his high-pitched evil laugh coming from the great room we call the ‘Hall of law’. It’s where a huge stone epitaph sits in the center of the room, both sides of the stone have our laws carved into it. The center of the palace, where all congregate to read the wall of stone and learn our ways of life.

I detest that epitaph, the one that dictates our laws. Old laws that allow a king to take as many concubines as he wishes and dictates that a king and prince should not mark their mate if they found them. The one that allowed the courts to find me guilty. T strip me of my title and sentence me to death.

Farid steps out from behind the humongous stone, holding a pair of short swords. A cruel and vicious smirk plastered on his face; his eyes red showing his wolf. Suddenly the hall fills with soldiers, creating a circle around the hall. Around us. They stomp their feet into formation and hold shields in front of them, barricading us in.

Farid’s backup. If he shows signs of losing, I’m sure they have been instructed to intervene.

I laugh, throwing my head back. “You need all these men, just to face me?” I shake my head, my hair falling loose. “You,” I point to him with one of my swords, “Deserve nothing but to feel the cold steel of my blade. You have brought nothing but shame to this family and kingdom. You couldn’t kill me fourteen years ago, what makes you think today is any different?” I accuse and ask, the sarcasm dripping from my tongue.

“Are you still hurt because your darling slut of a mate didn’t want you? Poor little Kian never did have what it takes to rule. You should have stayed lost brother!” He spits at me. And points back, “You should have stayed lost and minded your own business. Now I will have you killed again.”

I cast a glance around the room at the soldiers who have us blocked in, “I Kian Tikaani formally challenge you Prince Farid Tikaani of Eririat, for your title, crown, and everything else you own.” I see his face turn a bright shade of red as I challenge him.

He knows he can’t refuse the challenge. He also knows if this fight doesn’t sway in his favor the soldiers will no longer help him. The laws of a challenge are set in stone. The very stone we stand in front of.

“Arrggghhh!” He growls out, eyes brightening as his wolf presents himself “I accept your challenge.” His eyes narrow, “To the death.”

“To the death.” I agree. “Let no one interfere!” I instruct the soldiers “Or you will be breaking your oath to the kingdom, he has accepted the challenge this is between him and I!”

Farid begins to pace in front of me, rolling his shoulders and neck and twisting his swords in his hand. I place my feet shoulder-width apart, then turn my body in a side stance, lifting my twin swords. One poised above my head the other in front, the curved tips pointing to towards my opponent.

I knew without a doubt I was stronger and faster than Farid, but a snake like him could not be trusted and if there is anything I remembered about Farid, it was always that he played dirty. I was prepared for any underhanded move he made.

With a growl, Farid flew forward swinging his blades at me. Fast and brutal. I blocked his attack, pivoting on my feet and coming behind him. I jabbed my blade at him and swung the other down, he was faster than I remembered and easily blocked my attempt.

We engaged in a dance, our feet moving to the clang of our swords. A type of beat that promised the shedding of blood as we fought with spirit, fire, and passion. Around and around, we moved, meeting one another’s determination to spill blood first.  

Finally, I felt my sword snag Farid’s arm, the scent of his blood filling the air. He huffed in pain, growling and jumping back from me. His wound would heal, it was not fatal. But the fact that I drew blood from him first gave me great satisfaction and encouraged me to attack harder and faster.  

I upped the fight and when his sword came dangerously close to my head, I ducked, leaning back and bracing my body on my knuckles – kicking my feet up and out, connecting with his chest. The force sent him staggering back as I landed on my feet and advanced before he could recover. He blocked my downward attacks with his swords, rolling out of the way when I brought them up just to bring them down hard and hit the marble floor of the hall.

Farid on his feet again, swung violently at me, taking a step forward and pushing me back as I countered each move. My back to the stone epitaph. Sparks flew from our blades as they met in blow after blow. I swung around, pivoting again blocking another of his forceful attacks over my head. Using the stone wall as leverage I ran up it, somersaulting and flipping over Farid, slicing my blade across his back before he could turn around.  He cried out at the pain dropping to his hands and knees. He recovered quickly only to turn and swing violently and desperately at me, resulting in me knocking both blades from his hands.

“I surrender,” Farid called out, holding up his hands and dropping back down to his knees.

I stepped towards him, lowering my blades “Stand up and fight Farid” I growled out in frustration “This is a fight to the death. You don’t get to bitch out.” I said turning to kick a sword toward him.

It was then He moved with inhuman speed, pulling a dagger from his boot and slicing the back of my leg. Immediately I felt the burn of the silver-coated blade and the creeping feel of the poison from the tip seep into my blood.

Once upon a time that move would have crippled and weakened me. Not now, not anymore. I was stronger than ever, and I was done playing his little game. I knew he would try something dirty, and I knew if the poison was going to take effect it would be a matter of minutes before it truly affected me.

I ignored the pain, my wolf fighting off the wolfsbane. We had so much bled into our body at one time when he tried to kill me all those years ago that the minute amount that was on his dagger, my wolf could absorb it without it hindering us.

I turned on my heel and dove forward, the tip of my curved blade piercing through his chest, going straight through him. He staggered back and I brought my second sword up, driving that too through his lower stomach and pinning him to the stone epitaph.

This was a wound he would not recover from quickly. I had nicked his spine and rendered him immobile. He was paralyzed from the waist down. Or so I thought.

I turned my back on him, ready to tell him it was over and finish the job when I heard the screaming of a pained man. Turning I see Farid pulling the swords from his body and he begins to shift. His wolf was large and brown, with ratty-looking fur. All teeth and claws as he pounces toward me.

In the blink of an eye, Ruda takes over and we have shifted, catching Farid midair by his neck, Ruda shakes him. My wolf’s teeth tore into his neck, the blood soaking our jaws and pooling in our mouth. Ruda lets out a roar of a growl and a howl when he flings Farid’s lifeless body to the floor.

Dead. Farid is dead and I feel no remorse, no regret, no guilt. Only relief and satisfaction. It was a long time coming and I had done the kingdom a favor.

The soldiers that had created the barrier drop their shields and one by one they take a knee and bow their heads. It’s then I realize the fight had been watched by all. Rostam stood with Sonia who was holding a toddler in her arms.

Travis, Rhett, Alpha Jasper, and Alpha Zayd stood together all with smirks on their faces, and then I saw Finn, holding his sister in his arms. A look of worry in Morgan’s eyes.

“Told you, there was no doubt that Hunji would kick his ass! Four years of fighting alongside this guy, he trained the Queen of shifters. I never doubted his skills for a minute!” I heard Travis praise me.

“He is one badass shifter,” Rhett chuckled alongside him. You should have seen him against the crawlers, that was a sight to behold!” He said mentioning our previous battle against Orion and his experiments we called Crawlers.

I look down at the body of my brother. He had shifted back to his skin form upon death and lay in a pool of his own blood, his neck ripped open and luckily face down. “Shit, I need a drink,” I said wiping a hand down my face, feeling the dried blood caked to my short beard.

“Cover yourself, ladies are present,” Finn grumbles throwing me a pair of shorts.

“All hail King Kian Tikaani!” I hear someone call out, followed by a collective chorus of “All hail King Kian Tikaani!”

I suddenly feel a pressure build inside my head, scratching and clawing at my mind. A boom of silence engulfs me and that’s when I feel the pack connection, I once had been outcasted from, reconnect and my head fills with the sounds of thousands of voices as they all welcome their new king and offer their congratulations.

“Where is our father?” I ask Rostam and Sonia, wanting desperately to embrace my sister and meet my nephew, but holding back only because the timing isn’t right. One thing at a time.

He in his chambers your highness,” One of the guards steps forward to explain, giving me a slight bow of his head. “He has not woken for two years, Farid was to be crowned King tonight upon his mating with the witch,” He casts a sheepish glance toward Morgan. “You won the challenge, your highness, you won the throne.”

“There will be time for discussion later, with the courts. For now, I wish to see my father.” The guard leads us from the hall of law and takes us to my father’s chambers. Rostam, Sonia, and their child - in tow. Not that I needed to be shown where it was, but it still felt foreign to me being here, back in the palace that I grew up in. Would it ever feel like home again?