CHAPTER 384: THE GREATEST COWARD OF THE CENTURY

[TAMIKO]

"The warriors will get their relief... Is that enough for you, Chief Konstantin?"

King Zaffuto wasn’t pleased by anything today, at all, but he couldn’t quite voice it and risk Tamiko’s wrath.

His son had already warned him that he would burn the and if the king instigated Kosta any further, the realm would truly burn, and that wasn’t what Zaffuto was trying to make his son do.

He wanted peace, not because he was a king, but because he was a father. A father who understood his son, only that his son was broken. And this time, he had played a part in it.

Besides, Igor Kostantin was a demon of their own making, and they had to face the fact that life had changed for them.

"Not quite, your majesty. As you already know by now, I came here smelling like my new Erasthai. He is a traitor to Kawai; hence, he won’t be accepted back into Kawai.

"I do not intend to stretch the hands of the Kawai citizens into accepting that which has caused them so much pain," Kosta began.

Tamiko raised a brow at the statement.

It was a bold statement.

A declaration of something so traitorous that Tamiko couldn’t even begin to understand what the fuck Kosta was playing at. Kosta knew what the stakes were, and that was the one bit that haunted Tamiko the most.

Perhaps this was the end? Because Tamiko didn’t understand what Kosta was going for.

Mating with Sanjiro was something that Tamiko would never let happen, even if he had to deal with Igor hating him his entire life. He didn’t mind. Honestly, he didn’t care about anything other than Kosta and the way he had begun was just pissing Tamiko off.

Even then, Tamiko maintained his composure. He could feel his father’s eyes on him, and the way that his uncle and best friend had gotten ready to defend him if he started to attack the ministers.

The young prince was raging, and the ministers were feeling the heat of it all. Interestingly, Tamiko had made it so that Kosta couldn’t feel the turmoil inside of him. He didn’t want Kosta to know that he still cared.

That he would always, always want him.

He just wanted Kosta to understand, and he wanted to see for himself what the hell was coming after this because even the goddess wasn’t prepared for what Tamiko could do if he lost his Erasthai to anyone, much less Sanjiro the traitorous Furfante.

Igor could feel those beautiful black eyes on him, but he knew that this was something he had to do for both of them. Maybe it was the only way to save Tamiko from the hassle, right?

But was that really what Tamiko wanted, or was this a pointless sacrifice yet again?

"What are you saying?" Floki, the minister who had always been at the borders, asked the obvious. He knew that this was not what the Lycan chief needed to do, but it still made no sense even then.

There were so many better options for chief Konstantin, and yet the man had chosen the post with the harshest of conditions, knowing damn well that he could easily be bested by their enemies now that he had been suffering for long.

And that ripped Tamiko’s heart out of his chest. This was not what he had intended when he promised Kosta forever. Forever wasn’t supposed to look like this, much less hurt so bad that Kosta would want to end his pain quickly.

Tamiko knew what Kosta was doing. He had watched over Kosta for all those years, and he knew that his Erasthai was desperate to get an end. This was his attempt to trigger Tamiko just enough so Tamiko could undo the spell on him.

It was a reality that hurt Tamiko, but did he even have the right to be hurt right now?

He had lost it when he had abandoned Kosta that evening, right before sundown. He should have come back, and yet he had portaled away, locking Kosta in the house like Kosta was a terrorist.

Tamiko was never getting that forgiveness, but would it matter? He had pushed himself more than enough times, and even now, his body hurt from extensive training that he didn’t need.

He missed the way Kosta would pull his bruises and make him feel like all would be alright.

But gone was that Kosta.

Gone was the Kosta who lived for Tamiko.

The one in front of Tamika was in so much pain that it was agonizing to watch in the slightest. He was frail and defeated, all because Tamiko had been the coward of the century.

"I will be staying at the borders with Sanjiro. I do not have an Erasthai. Sanjiro doesn’t have one either. I am bound to die sooner rather than later, given my current condition. And what better way to die, if not at the hands of Kawai’s enemies?" Kosta asked.

The room went stark still...

Save for the low warning growl that came from the head of the table.

Kosta had finally gotten a reaction from Tamiko.

But was it too late for the young prince?

Was this what he had been hoping for when he had stepped out of the throne room today? To hear of his Erasthai, his beautiful princess wanting to lose his life? What the fuck had gone on in those lands? What the hell was happening at the borders?

Tamiko turned to Floki, his glare so obvious, and Floki felt like he was about to be sent to hell. Honestly, that’s where they all would be sent if someone didn’t come up with a realistic explanation for the mess.

There was just no way the conditions had been that fucked up to the point that his Erasthai had chosen to leave with the traitor than stay alive. Oh, but Tamiko was fuming. He was about to really slap everyone’s heads off.

The heat in the room was unbearable, and even the king felt it. His son was going nuts, and the pretty omega seated casually was the reason for it all. It was absurd. It was chaotic, and yet Kosta seemed so determined that it hurt to breathe.

Tamiko was going to make them pay. He was going to make them all pay for what they did to Erasthai and him. And when he turned to his father, the king saw his broken son, and his heart broke for his dear Kaito, too.

This was a different version of hell, and Tamiko was right in the middle of it, with his omega, who was ready to give it all up. Or maybe Tamiko had misheard him, right? But fuck!

"What?" King Zaffuto asked clearly, not expecting this from Kosta, who was smiling like he hadn’t just altered the brains of the ministers and even the servants who were serving the royals. This was peak insanity, and yet in the middle of it all, defiance was evident.

The Lycan chief had lost his mind.

That was what many would say.

The rejection had screwed him up.

He had been left on for too long, and now there was no way to make it back to where he had been. Perhaps this was what life had made of him, and yet it seems like this was the beginning of another version of hell for the young prince.

"My Erasthai rejected me, your grace..."