CHAPTER 347: LIKE AN ANNUAL SPRING BREAK

[KAWAI]

When the portal opened in Kawai, the Lycan warriors were quick to round up the rogues they had brought along with them. It was easily the most unexpected response and the warriors who were at the border between Kawai and the free lands were surprised.

The free lands had fallen into the hands of the Kawai Lycans and there wasn’t a thing that any faction in the realm would be able to do about it.

It was just that simple but at the same time, there was the question of what needed to be done with the werewolf rogues that had been brought to the border. It was crazy, how shit had gotten, but they were not even past the phase that hurt the most just yet.

"Sire, what do we do with them?" Floki asked Igor who was watching the warriors play with the rogues like they were food ready to be eaten. They were excited and happy for their first win in so many years. This was the war that had been boundless and the beasts loved it.

Lycans were brutal; it was in their nature.

So, if Igor wanted the wolves as meat, then they would slice them really well and feed them to whatever the fuck Igor wanted them fed to including the hungry vultures that the king was keeping in the basement of the Kawai palace.

"Tie them up and leave them outside. I want them watched every hour of the day. Those who shall remain here must see to it that the rogues are not fed, clothed, and even sheltered in case of any storms or weather changes," Igor said.

"Do you intend to break them?" Floki asked.

Igor snickered.

"I would want to break them if they have anything that we don’t already know yet. But they don’t," Igor said spitefully as he looked at the wolves. He knew that this wasn’t going to be easy but he also understood that at the end of the day, there were choices to be made.

The wolves were to suffer the worst of the worst consequences and Igor wouldn’t let them live it down. He would make sure they knew what it meant to be broken and shattered. He wouldn’t relent.

"Ah, I see. You want them to volunteer to take down their own faction on their own," Floki mused.

Igor just smirked.

He didn’t say shit; he didn’t need to, because Floki could see right through him.

"You have your work cut out, minister. I have to go home. My Erasthai awaits," Igor said.

Floki nodded in understanding. Whatever was left wasn’t hard, but he couldn’t help but be amazed at how Igor was casual about the wins of the day.

It was almost like this didn’t mean shit to him and honestly, it was interesting. No one knew what life was bound to be because regardless of what they had to come to terms with, they had to agree that sometimes life wasn’t always going to be easy.

"Do you have any questions before I take my leave with my barbarians?" Igor asked.

"No, sire. It was a good fight these past few days. It was a pleasure fighting beside you," Floki said and Igor could tell the sincerity in the man’s voice. And he knew that this wasn’t just because he was the prince’s omega or anything.

This was because of how Igor was as a warrior on the battlefield.

This was about the persona that Igor had cultivated over the years, the lives that they had come to know over the years, and the intensity of what was coming for them.

This was who Igor had always been and Igor was glad that he didn’t have to explain as much or even try to defend himself, let alone use his power as the prince consort of Kawai.

It was a relief for him, even as he called out to Akila and they made their way home.

"Sire..." Akila trailed off when they got to the crossroads that led to the palace and the rest of the kingdom. He knew that Igor missed his Erasthai and needed to report their success on the battlefield too. This was his responsibility but maybe there was more.

"What is it, Akila?" Igor asked.

"What do we do about Sanjiro? We left the rogues at the hands of the ministers and the other warriors. But we didn’t leave Sanjiro in anyone’s hands. What do we do with him? What if he tries anything? What if it costs us?" Akila asked softly.

The stakes were getting higher with every hour that passed.

They understood that the chaos was something that was bound, but this was not just any war that they went to and came back home to happier mates and families. This was a risk, a really great risk they were taking.

"Nothing, Akila. We do nothing with him. The orders were to take back the free lands and we did that. We were able to bring back some rogues who would help us get into the hands of the other wolves and figure out their plans.

"The mission these past four days was a success and we should take the win. The royals will know what to do with the traitor. But this is where our job ends unless we are summoned again," Igor said confidently.

He knew that the ending was not what they had expected, but then at the end of the day, they were just warriors who had to follow orders, and they had succeeded in getting what had been demanded of them. The ministers would man the free lands and create the barriers.

It was all that the barbarians could do at the moment, and frankly, this was more than any of them had expected. Perhaps it was what life was meant to be for years too, right? But was this really the end for them?

"Okay, sire. If you need us, we are always going to be at your service," Akila said respectfully.

"And for that, I am glad. Now go back to your families. Be happy and enjoy the days that come, who knows when we might be going to war again, right?" Igor said and they all just chuckled and laughed at the bitter truth before them.

Perhaps it was a good thing that they had their holiday early, right? But maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of the craziest battles that they would have to face in their lives. This wasn’t going to be easy either way.

"I’ll see you later," Igor said and then bid his barbarians goodbye before he made the walk back to the palace.

He knew that he didn’t need to mask his scent anymore, because the battle was over, so with each step he made, he got the scent blockers off of him.

He had almost missed his caramel scent, something that he had never gotten to over the years. Or maybe, he just wanted to smell himself because he knew his scent was mixed with that of the young prince who was always going to be his.

Or perhaps it was because Igor wanted to announce to his Erasthai that he was back from the war and that he was alive and well. Either way, the message seemed to be received because the moment those scent blockers were off, Tamiko showed up in front of him.

"My beautiful baby," Tamiko sighed in relief.

"My soul..."