Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 292

Chapter 292: The Last Fall

The fighting had finally stopped.

Smoke still drifted across the broken courtyard in thin grey ribbons. The ground was churned to mud and littered with weapons, torn clothing, and the still forms of those who would not rise again. The whole yard smelled of burning wood and blood.

Warriors moved slowly now, some carrying the bodies of fallen packmates, others kneeling beside them with heads bowed. Quiet weeping mixed with the low murmur of voices and the distant groan of the injured.

Kira and Derek stepped out of the fortress together. Dirt and blood streaked their skin and clothes, but they walked side by side, Kira mostly leaning on Derek.

The stronghold had come down on one side entirely. What was left of the north wall stood black against a sky that had started to lighten at the edges.

Kira took one look at the sad scene and her heart fell.

Oh, Lux said, very quietly. Such a sad scene.

Kira’s throat closed. She had never liked wars not to talk of being the reason for it, or even being a part of it. The aftermath of war was always the hardest.

The moment they appeared to the view, a weary cheer rose from the surviving Lycans and the Alphas who had fought with them.

Braxton stood near the centre of the courtyard with Nana leaning on his arm. Several Kings and Alphas who had sided with Derek waited close by. The moment Kira saw Nana, she broke away from Derek and ran.

Nana!"

Nana opened her arms and pulled her in tightly. The two women held each other for a long moment, hands stroking hair and backs, checking for injuries even as tears of relief slipped down their faces.

Kira pulled back just enough to look at her properly, then hugged her again.

"Are you alright?" she asked the old woman, finally pulling away.

"I’m all right," Nana murmured. "I should be asking you that. Look at the state of you. There’s blood in your hair."

"It’s not mine."

"That’s hardly a comfort, is it?" Her thumbs moved over Kira’s cheekbones. "Are they all right? Both of them?"

"Both of them are fine."

Behind Nana, Braxton arrived at a walk, looking wrecked, and stood there with his hands by his sides.

"Hey, bro," Kira called with a smile.

Braxton stood their looking at his sister as though he’d like to say something, but had had decided against it. Then, he pulled her into his chest and held the back of her head.

"You royal brat," he said into her hair.

"What—"

"You did really amazing. But I’m still mad at you."

A few feet away, Derek received brief, firm embraces from Nana and a few of the other Alphas.

Across the yard, the Northern King picked his way over the rubble towards Derek with his own men behind him.

His face was a mess. One eye had swollen almost shut and there was a bite out of his forearm that somebody had wrapped badly. He stopped in front of him and put out his hand.

Derek didn’t take it.

"You had every right to kill me in that field," the older King said.

"I know."

"And I had every right to expect it." He kept his hand out.

"There’s a saying that there is no lasting peace without conflict," the Northern King said. His voice was rough from battle but steady. "Our fathers buried the hatchet after the last Great War. I believe we should do the same.

Derek looked at the hand.

He was thinking about a clearing at two in the morning and a man telling him to marry a daughter and forget his wife. He was thinking that this same man had brought four hundred fighters across the ridge tonight, and that a good number of them were lying in a row along the eastern wall.

"I’ll pledge to you," the Northern King said. "In front of the council, in front of every alpha in four regions. Whatever comes next, the North stands behind the West."

Derek took the hand.

"We’ll discuss it," he said. "Later."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify