The Delta's Daughter Chapter 79

Lamia 

In his bear form, Mathias’ beast stood ten feet tall, dark silky fur, almost black, lay thickly over his extremities. He was a thing of beauty. In all my days, I hadn’t seen a bear shifter as humongous and beautiful as him. The large battle axe in his paw gave him a dangerous and intimidating edge, as if he wasn’t already, this just enhanced his Alpha aura as he oozed superiority. His silver eyes shining like cosmic stars, unearthly.

A god in both man and beast form.

The bear shifters in my pack, paled compared to him. Even Tobias’ bear form was lacking standing next to him and Tobias was also larger than life. They both towered above me, but I did not fear them and Inanna was whining to rub against Mathias’ beast.

‘Arcas’ she hummed his name to me.

‘Bad timing, Inanna, we must focus’, I chided her. And got a grunt in reply.

It took us just over an hour of trudging through deep snow banks, and over icy hills, the blizzard making our sight blurred. Mathias and Tobias knew exactly where they were going and would make sure I was still with them, by not running more than 5 feet in front of me. They were fast and I didn’t think I was slowing them down, nor did they give me any indication that I was.

An hour into the journey, we slowed down, Arcas holding a silky paw up for me to halt. I sniffed the air and caught the quick odor of copper, before the wind whipped it away, replacing the scent with that of rogues. Many rogues. My head snapped up, we were close.

From the low growl that came from Tobias, he had smelt the assailants too.

I shifted quickly and snapped my suit closed, pulling my boots from the pack and shoving them onto my feet. The two were-bears stayed in form.

“This would be so much easier if we could mind link” I said, waiting for them to tell me what we were doing. I was ready to jump into the fight. What were they waiting for?

‘The Clan village is dead ahead, kill anything that is rogue’  Inanna relayed to me, telling me she was communicating with Arcas. I wasn’t sure how that was possible, sure they were mates, but we hadn’t marked each other, nor were we part of the same pack.

At least now there was a way to communicate.

I drew my swords and we rushed forward through the trees, coming up behind a building and rounding it. Bears were fighting wolves and bears were fighting bears. The scene was a mess. Blood coated the snow-covered ground and the sounds of screams and growls could be heard echoing through the early morning sky. The wind had died down but the snow kept falling.

I watched as Mathias bounded forward, grabbing bear shifters and wolves alike, swiping with his axe or crushing them with his bare hand. Tobias engaged in his own battle.

The crying of children rang in my ears and I ran towards the sound. Cubs were huddled against a wall as several rogues pinned them, teeth gnashing and dripping with saliva. With a swish of my wrists, my blades cut through them easily.

“Hide.” I told the children, and opened a door for them. “Lock it and do not come out.”

They all nodded, faces marred in fear.

Something rushed by me, quick and stealthy. I turned my head, tracking the movements, when a creature came flying from the roof.

Eyes bright red like fresh blood, teeth like a million fangs, and a body that was grey and dull. It screeched as it tried to pounce on me, a high pitched noise that grated my teeth and had my wolf wincing from the sound.

The creature Rhett encountered.

Despite my surprise, my natural reflexes kicked in and my sword sliced at the creature, hitting him mid air. His body disintegrated upon contact. Like ash in the wind.

‘What the ever loving fuck was that?’

‘Evil, pure evil, un-natural’ I felt Inanna shiver at her reply.

I turned to find Mathias, when another came upon me, like the last, he perished by my blade. Suddenly, there were more, emerging from a tree line, five, twenty. I stopped counting as the numbers grew and they surged towards the village.

“KING!” I called out, spotting him across a green way in his own battle. The rogues began to retreat as the creatures crawled at rapid speed, towards us.

“KING!” I yelled again. This time I caught his attention and pointed a weapon towards the things. I couldn’t register a look on his beast's face, but his eyes looked enraged.

He roared out, so deep and prominent, that my body tingled in pleasure at the show of power.

I stuck my swords in the ground and dug my claws into my palm until they bled; I sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess and asked Inanna for her strength. I picked my swords back up, the blood seeping onto the handles. I felt the zing of power travel from my blades to my hands and up my arms until the feeling enflamed me and the inscriptions began to glow.

I let out a growl, menacing and powerful, one that would rival Arcas’, and hurled my body towards the crawling creatures. “Take one alive if you can!” I shouted as I met the first wave.

I leapt into battle side by side with Arcas, our weapons swinging as the creatures descended upon us, Tobias in beast form on my other side. Other Clan bears began to join the fight. Fear of the unknown lay thick in the air.

The creatures had no scent and they moved with speed and agility. A humanoid on all fours. I watched as they grouped together to take down a Clan bear, slicing into its fur and burning his skin like a hot poison.

The Clan bear screamed in agony and dropped to the ground as the creatures crawled over him and began sticking him with their claws.

“Don’t let them touch you!” I yelled over their screeching. “Look” I said, gesturing towards the now dead Clan bear.

Tobias’ beast roared out in agony. A crawler had sliced his leg, the heat of it steaming from beneath his fur. I threw a sword at the creature and he evaporated.

Tobias’ shifted into his human form and I ran to his side. “God’s it fucking stings, what the fuck are those things?” He cried out, his face twisting in agony and his eyes wide.

“Can you move?” I questioned, trying to pick him up.

“Go, I will be ok. He needs you princess.” He ordered. I understood and turned back to find Mathias stomping the last of them when a familiar scent hit my nose.

My head turned quickly in all directions until I saw the dirty brown wolf, eyes glaring yellow. Standing with three bear shifters. The hate boiled inside me, fueling my rage. Fury roaring through mine and Inanna’s mind. It was so intense my body was quivering.

“OLIVER!” I screeched out to him as his form retreated to the ridge, my feet propelling me towards him. I had one goal and that was to kill him.

I was caught by the waist, the sparks flying between my skin and the hand that curled under my vest. I knew who it was and, despite his touch being electrifying, I was determined to catch him.

“Let me go!” I screamed again, my resentment clouding my judgment. I thrashed my arms, hitting Mathias' chest, watching Oliver disappear over the ridge.

Mathias held me tight against his rock-hard chest, he had shifted. “Let me go!” the rage still flowing through me like molten lava.

“NO. There will be another time. You would be a fool to chase him, Lamia” I cried out, still trying to rip my arms from his tight hold “You are not thinking rationally, and that will get you killed.”

He was right, I knew he was right. I also knew if he let me go now I would chase after him, so he held me and my anger turned to frustration and irritation and I began to sob into him. My chance of killing my demons once and for all was walking away. My chance to fulfill my promise to Zane just slipped away.

‘Do not blame our mate, he is right, we will live to fight another day’ My wolf’s words were soothing and I collapsed into Mathias' arms. Crying out my frustrations while banging on his chest.

The fight was over. For now.

Mathias  

We stayed at the Clan instead of hiking back home. Our help was needed here and Tobias’ injury was becoming infected, so I wanted him to stay in the infirmary. There was also the threat of these damn creatures coming back.

Crawlers, is what Lamia had called them, saying it was the only way Rhett, her head councilor had described them and she understood why now after seeing them for herself.

I had never in my 28 years seen anything like those things. Never have I come across such a vile creature as them in history books or lore.

The Alpha of the Clan gave us a small cottage for accommodation; we would spend the rest of the day and night here.

Later that afternoon, after helping the Alpha and Clan and making sure Tobias was going to be OK, I was lying on the bed, thoughts of Lamia filling my head, recounting the way she fought with such grace and poise. Brutally but beautiful. Her hair blowing in the wind and the flakes melting as they touched her hair.

As the days had gone by, I found myself giving into the bond and watching her today made me and my beast swell with pride.

After Annalise had betrayed me and the kingdom, the thought of a mate sickened me. I had sworn to the gods that I would never take a queen or a chosen mate. When someone tries to kill you and sells your kingdoms secrets, it was automatic death for them and Annalise was no exception.

I had trusted Annalise, she was my fated mate after all, but when I found out she had been the one to lace my drink with Nightshade and silver nitrate, to say it hurt deeply was not nearly enough words to explain the disappointment and feeling of rejection. To make matters worse, she had been present during discussions of Clan wars and my dealings in Lonely City, which led Tobias to discover her role in an Alpha Bears attempt to dethrone me. Despite Arcas’ love for her, he never imprinted on her or wanted her to bear our mark.

I thought I was content with my string of whores, the drinking and drug abuse. Until the first day we saw Lamia chained in the dungeons. He wanted to claim her. She tested our patience and even challenged us, but the she-wolf I initially thought of as weak and below me, proved me so, so wrong.

She is strong, beautiful, fierce, honest and the way she threw herself into battle to protect my people, Our people, was admirable.

The way she rushed to Tobias' side to save him, the way an Alpha would and should protect their people. My pride boomed in my chest when I watched her effortlessly wield her swords, slicing and slashing through rogue wolves and those… crawlers.

How could I have ever doubted her? How could I have ever thought she was the enemy? Today changed everything. She was nothing like Annalise, she was mine and I would make her see that.

*****

It was only early evening and I was restless. I threw on a t-shirt over my shorts, from the clothes the Alpha had provided us and crept out my room, pausing outside her door. She must be sleeping. I couldn’t hear a sound from the other side.

I knocked waiting to hear any sort of movement. A second later, the door peeled back from the frame and her crop top and shorts-clad body stood there looking like a vision. Her uniquely streaked hair framed her perfectly heart-shaped face; Her eyes were a bright green, and her lips pouty, pink and inviting. My eyes travelled further down the delectable vixen, her full and perky breasts stretching the fabric of the crop top she was wearing.

I think I groaned. I couldn’t be sure. My eyes landed on her long, smooth olive-toned legs, they were desperately calling for my hands to run up them, to caress her muscular thighs and bury myself deep inside her.

“Can I help you?” she interrupted my fantasizing. My eyes travelled back up to meet her gaze, her eyebrows knotted together, but I did not miss the way she too had eye raped me.

I cleared my throat and puffed my chest out. “I just wanted to check on you, it’s pretty crazy out there right now.” My head nodding towards the window in her room, gesturing at the wild storm getting stronger outside as night drew in.

While scratching at the nape of my neck awkwardly, “Just wanted to know if you needed anything, I see you couldn’t sleep.”

“Sleep” She scoffed, “I’m not sure I even know the definition of that word anymore.”

“Would you like a warm drink? Maybe that will help”. I was hoping she would say yes.

“Yah, you know, that would actually be really nice.” I was mentally cheering, Arcas would be high fiving me if he could. I kept my composure, instead of fisting bumping the air.

I was 28 but right now I feel like an 18-year-old nerd who had just scored his first date with the hottest chick in the school. “Come on” I nodded my head towards the stairs for her to follow.

I busied myself starting the kettle and getting some mugs out. When her voice purred out “Do you have anything extra to put in the hot chocolate?” a little cheek to her words.

I turned to her scowling, what did she mean by extra, like drugs? “What do you mean by ‘extra’ exactly?”

“Alcohol, rum, whisky. What did you think I meant?” I didn’t realize I would feel this much relief from her answer. I fucking loathed the idea of her doing anything like what I have done. The thought of her living that lifestyle sickened me and angered me at the same time.

“Yah… I’ll go get a bottle.” I grunted and was back a moment later with a bottle of rum, and pouring some into the mugs.

“Mmmm, that rum smells like you.” She cooed.

I was taken back and cocked my head; I must have been frowning, because she gave me a narrowed look “Is that what my scent is to you?”

“Yes, the smell of aged black rum and sweet vanilla, my favorite smells in the whole wide realm. Did you know it’s my favorite drink in the whole realm?” her lips turning up at the corners, like she was thinking of good memories.

“I didn’t.” I leant on the counter next to her; she sat on a stool at the end. “Did you know you smell like warm brown sugar and vanilla with the slightest hint of honey?”

“Yes, I do. I smell like that to all the unmated shifters.” She deadpanned.

I wasn’t expecting that, my back stiffening, thinking about all the men that could smell her, was it as intoxicating to them?

As if reading my mind, she answered my question. “It’s because I am no longer mated, it’s how they found Dire Wolfs when they were hunted. It’s how they found me. But you are only the second person to detect honey.” She mused “Maybe because you too are my mate.” She pondered, and blew onto the mug before taking a sip.

“What happened to you at MacTire?” I was soft when I asked, but saw the surprise in her emotions. She wasn’t expecting me to ask her that. Leaning back against the counter again, I took in her beauty.

She sighed “We are going to need more of that for this story“ She gestured towards the bottle of rum.

I smirked, “I’ll make a deal, you tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine. But you rescind your challenge and… Not try to reject me on the full moon."

“Deal, except for the last part, I’m not agree with that.” She smiled but it was fake. I could see the slight tremble of her hands and the uneasy look in her eyes. I didn't want her feel this way around me.