The Love of a Lycan

"Is this what you call karma?" Kace crossed his arms defensively, while looking down at Jedrek, who was sitting on the edge of Theo's bed. "Having someone stab behind your back after what you did to your little brother all this time?" Kace sneered, but he didn't look very happy like he intended to, when he heard someone betrayed his brother.

Kace, Torak and Jedrek were now inside the room, which was being used as Theo's nursing chamber. It had been three days since the attack on the town nearby by the rogues, and even though Theo passed his critical condition, he was still unconscious.

Jedrek scoffed upon hearing Kace's words, he gave him a side-long glance before he spoke. "Don't worry, I have predicted this even before you ran away to find your little mate."

"So, you are saying you are used to keeping a traitor next to you?" Kace narrowed his eyes.

"Not a traitor, but traitors. And yes, I keep them close to me," Jedrek answered in a matter of fact tone.

Kace was surprised when he heard Jedrek admitting it easily. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but there was no right words that he could think of. In the end, he just shook his head. "I don't understand you. Really."

"You don't need to. Just do what I told you to," Jedrek said firmly.

Kace glared at Jedrek scornfully. "You know what? I do what I want to do. So, keep your orders for yourself."

After saying that, Kace left the room without even sparing Jedrek an extra glance.

"What?" Jedrek glared at Torak, who kept silent since they came into this room as he checked on Theo's condition. "You are free to leave."

Torak didn't say anything or avert his eyes from Jedrek. Only when his older brother stood up and was about to leave this room, did Torak open his mouth finally.

"Are you sure about having a mating ceremony in this kind of situation?" Torak pulled a chair for himself, to sit down. "When the traitors were constantly conspiring behind your back, you want to claim Lilac in front of your people and expose her to the enemy?"

Jedrek stopped walking and turned around to face Torak. His expression devoid from emotions when he spoke.

"She is not that weak, she can handle herself," he stated. "Moreover, what benefits do we get by hiding her behind my back all the time? She knows very well about her role and the consequences. The people have to know who she is and, on the other hand, she has to gain their respect, which will not happen if I keep protecting her every time we face difficulties."

Jedrek and Torak glared at each other for a moment longer. Their eyes were full of a lot of unexplainable feelings which were hard to convey.

After all, many things happened after the great war with the devils and the relationship between the brothers only got worse over the time.

==============

Lilac couldn't understand why she ended up with Keira again, choosing the decorations for her upcoming grand event. The mating ceremony.

"I can't do this anymore." Lilac slammed a booklet against the table in frustration when finally Keira left her alone with the other guardian angels. "We don't have time for this."

Lilac thought after the death of Warlock, and the news of the shadow warrior and the traitors hiding within his people, Jedrek would postpone this mating ceremony, but to her surprise he didn't even budge when Lilac tried to reason with him.

Hope was playing with various flowers in front of her, which would be used for the ceremony. She loved to party and was eager to see what it would feel like attending a ceremony in a castle.

"Maybe you need this," Raine said softly, she reached the booklet and opened it casually. "Jedrek will not do something without thinking about it thoroughly."

"So, what exactly do you think why he wanted to focus on this ceremony instead of finding out how the shadow warrior was able to sneak into the castle?" Lilac leaned her back against the backrest, missing how Raine grimaced when she mentioned a shadow warrior.

Hope pouted her lips when she was thinking. "We will face a war, maybe having a little bit celebration to cheer up our gloomy mood is a good idea?" she looked at Raine and Lilac, waiting for them to approve her suggestion. "Or, maybe not?" she grinned.

"So?" Lilac looked at Raine expectantly, she wished she could tell her a reasonable reason since Jedrek was determined to keep his words very short.

Raine thought about it a little bit longer. "You know, I think even when Torak, Kace and Jedrek have different perceptions, but the three of them have one thing in common; they are very protective to their mates."

"Hm." Hope nodded. "It's really cute sometimes, but it's pretty annoying when Kace goes overboard."

Lilac chuckled when she heard that. "I don't think Jedrek has cute side, but I agree with the part that you said they can be really annoying."

Lilac didn't tell them about the fact that Jedrek had tried to kill her when she was just a baby, she thought there was nothing good in letting them know about that, moreover a lot of things had happened since then.

"Torak used to be overprotective and annoying too sometimes. There was even a time when I thought he would never let me out of his sight or meet other people in order to keep me safe." At that time, Raine didn't mind it at all, because she wasn't in the mental state she was in now.

"But, over the time and many events that we have been through, we learned; that it is not the best way to protect me." Raine put down the booklet in her hand and looked at Lilac with a soft smile on her lips. "Against all odds, he introduced me to his pack as his Luna and helped me to gain his people's respects, that way, not only he would protect me, but also the rest of the pack have to bow down and likewise."