CHAPTER 135: IT WAS WHAT HE DESERVED

I looked down at my hands. They were soaked with blood that wasn’t mine.

The wind blew through my hair as I kept staring. It felt nice to get my revenge, but at the same time, I felt numb from everything that happened.

My bloody hands were suddenly covered by a handkerchief. A pair of larger hands held it and began wiping the blood from my cold fingers. His touch was warm and gentle.

"They deserved it. If I were you, I would’ve done something worse. You did a great job, Vivien."

From our hands, I lifted my gaze to his face. Rion’s amber eyes met mine. They were beginning to turn crimson as the sun dipped low from the horizon.

Behind him stretched the misty sky of the lands above Undercity. After killing Esther, he had teleported us to Mystic Tower, the lone tower that stood atop the lands of Undercity aboveground, serving as the gate between both lands.

I didn’t see it, but I knew he had also given the council members of Levian Pack a taste of their own medicine while I was busy torturing Esther.

"You shouldn’t feel bad for the blood spilled when the blood was from the wretched."

Rion was almost done wiping the blood off my hands. I kept staring at him. I had acknowledged and accepted the bond earlier, and it felt nice to be close to him like this.

I just realized that having a mate bond was so different. It made everything about him feel right. I felt... safe.

"What do you think is happening to me?" I asked. "Why do you think I have the Celestial Wolf’s power?"

He raised his hand and wiped a trace of blood from my cheek with his thumb.

"Maybe what we thought we knew was wrong all along. What’s written in history about the Celestial Wolf could be wrong." He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but I think you must rest first, Vivien. Let me bring you home, and we’ll talk once you’ve rested. You’ve done too much today."

His eyes were dark and solemn as he kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was already in my room. Alone.

***

When I woke up, I knew I had rested for long hours.

After taking a bath, I went out and saw that the dining hall was empty. I found Vincent and asked him where everyone was. He just instructed me to go to the greenhouse because Rion was waiting there to have breakfast with me.

When I returned to my room yesterday, I had simply lay on my bed and let exhaustion pull me into sleep.

I had a long, peaceful rest, and this morning I felt energized. My body was lighter, stronger somehow.

While changing into new clothes after my bath, I tested if I still had the power I used yesterday. And with just one thought, a small flicker of lightning sparked from my fingers, hitting the lamp by accident. I was thankful it didn’t cause any serious damage.

In the greenhouse, Rion was already sitting at a table filled with food when I came in.

"Good morning," he greeted me with a mischievous smile.

"Good morning."

"I hope you slept well."

"I did," I replied as I took the seat across from him.

"By the way, why aren’t we having breakfast in the dining hall? And where is everyone?"

"Raye is out of the city for some work. The other two went out early this morning to train new warriors. They are doing extra work training the warriors because of the possibility of a war between continents. But let’s not talk about war while we’re here. Eat some pancakes."

He placed some pancakes on the table in front of me and drizzled a bit of honey over them, just the way I liked it. He also poured me a glass of warm milk.

He watched me as I took a bite. I noticed his stare had become a little too intense. I guessed it was because the mate bond was now in place and accepted on both sides.

I knew because I felt his presence too strongly now. His scent, his warmth, seemed to be seeping into my senses and filling my mind. It was making me hungry for something that wasn’t food.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked after taking a few bites. He was eating slowly, too, but stopped to answer my question.

"I only knew when morning came and Raye didn’t find you in your room. When we couldn’t find you anywhere in the castle, I reached out to you through the bond, and then... I just knew. It was like I saw a glimpse of what you were seeing when I did it. It was brief, but when I saw Finn, I immediately knew you were in the Levian Pack."

His expression grew darker, as if recalling that moment brought back the emotions he felt then. "I was furious and terrified for what he’d done to you, so I used my shadows to travel. I had never traveled that far before, but I was able to for the first time. I didn’t tell anyone what I saw before left, but I told them last night and assured them you were okay."

I nodded. My heart swelled at the thought that he hadn’t hesitated to come to Levian lands alone when he knew I was in Finn’s hands. He came for me not because he thought it was the right thing, but because he couldn’t bear to see me hurt.

"Thank you," I muttered, my eyes watering a bit, but I blinked back the tears. I shouldn’t cry over breakfast.

"I would have killed him for you, and in the worst way possible," he said with the most dangerous glint in his eyes, "but I knew it had to be you who ended him. It was what he deserved."