1. A Secret of Snow and Ruin

Chapter XX

Elysia Wolfe

Jasper ignores me during breakfast. It's been two days since he cried in my arms and he's been a ghost. He barely talks unless he gives me and Thea a task or if he wants to badger Alistair that his last night alive would be soon. In other news, the winter months are starting and the cold along with the threat of war has caused many wolves to stay indoors. Many families have gone in crisis mode, marrying off their young at the youngest age of 15 to keep their houses money in order.

Everything was becoming increasingly more set in stone that this war would break our clan in more ways that it already has.

"Elysia what are you doing today?" Thea asks me. I look towards Alistair who looks defeated and then revert my eye contact back to her.

"I'll try to intervene with Ries about Alistair and work through a negotiation."

"Why?" Jasper asks me. "He's a magisso. I thought you hated them."

I try my hardest to come up with a quick lie.

"Alistair may be a filthy magisso but he's innocent and not a threat. I'm just saying, killing him might make things worse for us. Besides, Blythe is trying to make a cure. If Isla Wardwell really wants war after we cure everyone, that's when we can start making risky calls like that."

My eyes rest on Alistair, pity written all over my face.

"If I can't strike a deal, than I'm afraid this is his last breakfast with us." I say out loud.

Maybe I'm playing this part too well.

After breakfast, Alistair made it clear that we needed to talk. The events that took place a couple of days ago hasn't happened again due to Jasper's and Thea's unrelenting presence around me. I only see him three times a day during our meals and we rarely converse, we only gaze at each other or swiftly graze our skin when handing him the potatoes at dinner.

It's been torture to stay away this long from him.

But I know it's for the best.

I respect my mate enough to tell him the truth—no matter how much it might hurt.

"You seem uneasy." I say to him. His silence and sadness was a heavy weight that I felt all too well this past couple of days. "Ries will not have that execution. I swear of it."

"I don't care if I live or die. I've been uneasy because I have been trying to make peace with the fact that you're my enemy and that you won't choose me in the end. I know you more than you could possibly imagine Elysia and I'm not a fool—not anyone's fool."

"I have never felt what I have felt with you before with anyone else and that's is scary. There's no denying we are playing with fire. But when I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you—I meant it. I just can't let what happened two days ago happen again in case, this war harnesses us from siding with our true loyalties." I say with hesitation.

No matter how hard I tried to sugarcoat this, I knew Alistair was still loyal to his people—just like I was.

Alistair looks up at me with confusion.

"What true loyalties?"

"Even if you betrayed your sister, I know you enough from your files to know that your loyalties lie with Onyx Crest. You'd do anything to appease Isla when you were younger."  I say. Unfortunately Alistair's files revealed his dark past and the blood trail of those he slaughtered with no remorse in the name of sacrifice for his coven.