A Warrior’s Fate (Wolves of Morai #1)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

“ W e’ll be reaching the borders of Deimos soon.”

Isla directed her gaze from out of the window to General Eli as he stood in the aisle of their transport vehicle addressing the thirteen members of the soon-to-be-inducted warrior class. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around why he, as someone of such high rank, had been selected as the one to guide them through the ceremonies, but that concern fell to the wayside as his words replayed.

They were almost there.

The weeks leading up to her lumerosi bestowment had trickled by slowly—filled with cold-sweat-inducing nightmares that led to sleepless nights, days at Io’s training center used by guard and warrior alike, and some intermittent periods spent at the local library. Before she arrived in this mystery-shrouded pack of her mate’s, she’d wanted to gather as much as she could about the book, marker, and dagger. But for somewhere as large as the Imperial City, the selection of books on languages and linguistics—even books that stretched far back in history—were scarce. Many of the chronicles didn’t expand beyond Io, into the tales of the other territories, and Isla swore if it weren’t for the fact she’d already possessed the knowledge, it would be easy to assume the existence of the Pack of Phobos was nothing but a continental hallucination .

“It should be a couple more hours until we reach Mavec at the heart of the territory after that,” Eli continued. “Likely well after—”

Suddenly, the van lurched to a halt, nearly sending the general down the aisle. He whipped around and barked out a “ Warrior ” to their driver.

The warrior who’d been assigned their transport lifted his hand off the vehicle’s gearshift and pointed outside. “I can’t move, General.”

Isla, like the others, slowly rose in her seat to train her eyes out the window. She held back her gasp. They were surrounded by wolves—but not just any wolves.

They were wolves of Deimos’s guard.

They’d crossed the border.

The words of her realization hit her much more powerfully than the scenery did. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it was certainly more than this.

Isla had drawn such a picture in her head of Deimos. This foreign land she’d never fit into. But its border was just a border. If anything, the greatest difference from any other she’d crossed was the armada of wolves they’d come upon. Even more seemed to lurk in the shadows as Isla caught the faintest glow of eyes amongst the trees. Had things always been this way here? Or was the guard's presence heightened due to the recent tragedies? Whatever the decision had been, it was Kai’s.

After taking their time to circle the vehicle, one of the wolves lifted their head to howl, and Isla watched and listened as a chorus of them followed. Their calls seemed to reverberate in the woods, shaking the creatures dwelling in the trees from their hiding. It went on for miles. How many were out here?

“Some welcome party,” Declan of Rhea commented from the back of the vehicle, settling back down into his seat and continuing to gnaw on the plethora of snacks he’d brought for the excursion. The boy who’d pulled her out of the Wilds offered her a few when they’d first left the Warrior Base in Ganymede as a collective. A form of congratulations for not mutating due to the relic he’d given her.

Isla had done her best to subtly explain to him that she didn’t want him to mention the marker ever again .

As the howls came to an end in a soft hum, the pack surrounding them dispersed.

Three figures emerged from the brush.

Isla squinted to get a good look through the tree’s shadows and was able to discern two of them were guards, thanks to their uniforms. A man and woman clad in a simple, thin black tunic, the open fabric tied at their waists with cloth belts. A glint caught off them from the silver stitching of Deimos’s insignia.

They could shift. There was no way they’d be out on patrol weaponless and in such flimsy protection otherwise.

Leading the two was a man clad in attire much more modest, but it wasn’t another variation of the guard apparel. He tugged at the lapels of his jacket as he came to a stop a few feet from their vehicle’s door. There were no words spoken. They simply waited.

Eli’s face was drawn in confusion. “What is this?”

Smoothing out his own attire, he moved down the aisle to greet the soldiers.

Isla could barely hear what they were saying from her spot, even after she pressed her ear to the window.

Not too long after, Eli’s hand shot up as he waved them over. “Off! Bring your papers!”

Her papers?

Isla glanced down at the bag at her side before quickly surveying the others. Her papers were in this bag, yes, but so were the book, marker, and dagger. There was no chance she’d leave them at home, even if she’d only be here for a few days. It was once the others had gotten their papers that she quickly rifled around for her own.

It had been a mess of things required for her to enter Deimos, from her birth documents and current identification to certificates of her warrior status and a confirmation signed by both the Imperial Alpha and Kai that stated the conditions of her time here. She was permitted to stay within Deimos’s borders for the span of the lumerosi festivities, but, at the end, she was required by law to return to Io.

As the members of the ascending warrior class lined up as instructed, the apparent leader of the trio stalked along them. “I’m Delta Sol,” he introduced, not a lick of anything hospitable in his tone .

A delta on border patrol? Typically, deltas were—

“I serve on Alpha Kai’s council,” Sol continued, placing his hands behind his back as he came to a halt at Emil at the end of the line opposite Isla. “And I’ve been tasked with confirming your crossing through our borders.”

As a round of questioning looks was shared amongst the group, Isla took Sol in. The first member of Kai’s council she’d been confronted with.

Screening those who crossed over pack borders like this wasn’t common practice. Especially not in the meticulous way Sol had been doing so.

As he made his way down the line of warriors, examining and questioning the details of each of their files and confirming against a ledger held by the female guard, Isla had initially wanted to listen in to know each thing he would ask, but she couldn’t now. Not when she’d become so distracted by the male guard trying his damned hardest not to stare at her. Or to stare at her. Every flick of his eyes in her direction ended with him looking away. She was ready for him every time.

“Name?”

Isla snapped to attention, finding the question wasn’t directed at her but at Declan beside her. She’d be next.

As he ran through all his answers, Isla forced her gaze to the ground and responded mentally with her own. Name, homeland, her parents, date of birth…mate.

“Welcome to the trenches,” Sol commented at Declan’s conclusion, handing him back his papers.

He stepped over to Isla, his gaze over her assessing. “You’re a pretty little thing.”

At the delta’s words, the male guard behind him appeared to cringe.

Isla glared at the older man and handed him her documents.

Sol’s eyes had been set on the sheets for a few seconds before he lifted them to hers again. “So, you’re the Imperial Beta’s kid.” He spoke as if, perhaps, he’d expected more.

Isla pursed her lips. “I have a name.”

She hadn’t meant for the words to come out so biting, but she was sick of the relegation. While the others around her appeared shocked, a small grin kicked across the delta’s lips, seeming to appreciate the challenge. “Then let’s hear it.”

“Isla of Io,” Isla said. She’d made sure to put emphasis on her name , and for the next pieces of information he was going to have her rattle off anyway, she’d reeled her tone back. “Daughter of Imperial Beta Malakai and Apolla of Io. Born twelve days after the Autumn Equinox in the Imperial City of Io…and I don’t have a mate.” She cast her eyes on the male guard who’d been fixated on her again.

Sol continued to stare her down, grinning as he sized her up. It was different from the judgmental way Ezekiel assessed. “You’re the one who was second to our alpha.”

Isla straightened her shoulders. “Yes, I was.”

She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. Hell, it felt like she’d been under the inspection of even the trees. She waited for some other remark, but it never came. From anyone.

Sol handed back her papers before turning to Eli. “The lot of you are to be escorted into the city the rest of the way.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” the general said.

“Alpha’s orders,” Sol said. “Rhydian and Thyra will guide you.”

Eli had paused as if prepared to protest but then straightened. He turned to the warriors and ordered them all back onto the vehicle. As Isla moved to the back of the line, she overheard Sol speaking to the two guards.

“Trail them to Mavec, then be back here by midnight roll call.”

“Is that even possible?” Thyra asked.

“That’s insane,” Rhydian commented.

“So is the alpha making me drag my ass out here to flag warriors,” Sol snapped. “Midnight. Run.”

Isla just managed to turn and catch a glimpse of the end of their shifts as they came down on all fours. Two massive wolves in their places, their thin uniforms left forgotten on the ground.

“Isn’t an escort a good thing?” Declan asked, falling back into his seat.

The rest of them made their way back to their spots as the driver geared the vehicle up again.

A pensive look had remained stagnant on Eli’s face. “Not when it’s out of distrust. ”

And he said nothing else.

Something about having been checked up on had really gotten to him, or maybe something had been said when she couldn’t quite hear through the closed window. Whatever it was, it had Eli keeping to himself throughout the rest of the trek through the endless throes of thick, lush forests and rolling green hills.

Out her window, Isla continued catching sight of Rhydian, the guard tasked with flanking the car while Thyra had speared the excursion. But he just kept ending up at her side.

“Damn.” She heard someone in the vehicle say, and she faced forward to find what they were gaping at.

Mountains, much higher than Io's, made of rock so dark that they’d be lost if not for the snowy caps and patches along their surface. From the angle the vehicle was driving in, they seemed to go on endlessly, acting as their own wall or barrier. Isla marveled at them for a few too-long moments before her face fell in horror.

They weren’t stopping.

The mountains were looming larger and larger, their shadow blocking them from even the moon, yet they continued barreling forward and heading straight towards the unforgiving surface of one.

Panic gripped her as she noticed Thyra and Rhydian had peeled away. Nowhere in sight. Had they escorted them to a head-on crash? Had their driver passed out at the wheel?

Before a scream could rip from her throat, it felt like her stomach bottomed out, and they were quickly entrenched in darkness. It was as if the world had been swallowed up, save small flecks of luminescent crystal in the tunnel walls and faint domes of light that Isla couldn’t tell the source of. They were in a tunnel within the mountain, or rather, with how steep the decline was that they were driving along, a little beneath it. She hadn’t been able to see the passageway from where she’d been sitting, especially in the dark.

A stillness overtook the caravan as they took in what was around them. No one spoke, but Isla knew what they all were thinking. This was not the entrance they’d prepared for in their briefings. But Eli didn’t appear bothered as the midnight road seemed to go on forever. Down forever. She was convinced they’d accidentally found the straits down to hell. But then, finally, there was a lift. And they chugged higher. And higher. And higher. And then light spilled through. And—

Isla swore she must’ve died in the tunnel because what she beheld felt like a dream.

Each of the warriors let out some sort of astonished noise—a whistle here, a mutter of profanity there.

Isla wasn’t sure where to look.

If the Goddess had taken part in forging a city—with the way the mountains cradled the landscape, like a pair of hands in an offer to the world, and with how moonlight seemed to kiss every inch of the streets—it had to be Mavec. Isla was convinced. None of the photos she’d seen in books and papers, all blacks and whites and grays, did the city justice.

Because they didn’t capture the faintest glow of crystals, also apparent here as in the tunnel, splattered amongst the roadways and cobblestone sidewalks like fallen stars. They didn’t catch the warm and inviting lights emitting from the endless storefronts, shops, and restaurants. Didn’t capture the rich smells of food, spices, and pastries. They didn’t capture people—all the people, so many people—dressed to the nines and flocking somewhere Isla suddenly wanted to be if it meant being as happy as they seemed. Maybe Ezekiel and Sol were anomalies.

Isla trailed her eyes upwards, finding Mavec was built over hills, the gentle rises not covered in endless grass but more stone and sprawling homes and city houses. All of it eventually led to what was the crown city’s biggest jewel—the Pack Hall. There wasn’t a point from the streets where one couldn’t see the building, which almost looked to absorb the lunar glow, especially through the massive stained-glass window in the center of its largest tower. It could’ve easily been the moon itself with how, from below, it was as if the hall dwelled amongst the night sky. She could only imagine the view from up there.

Kai’s view.

This was his home. His kingdom, his pack. The place that had made him who he was.

Beautiful and suffocating, he’d described it as.

Isla only saw the first.

The hotel the warriors would be staying at for the next week sat a little further up and away from the ruckus of the lower part of the city. Fortunately, the building had been set in a way that Isla could still see the soft crystal glow of the city like a sea of stars beside an actual body of water she hadn’t noticed flowing out.

“The river will take you to Abalys, our little town on the water,” the woman at the front desk—Davina, as she’d previously been introduced—explained as she got together all Isla needed to get into her room.

Kai had mentioned a town like that. Particularly where not to get involved in it.

At the thought of her mate, Isla glanced at the open window far off at the edge of the hotel lobby. Through it, she could see the western end of the Pack Hall. It seemed like some sort of light was on. For the first time in a long while, she brought one hand to the other and ran her thumb over her palm. She felt nothing being here. At least, nothing to do with the bond. If anything, the city seemed to be beckoning her down to explore it.

“And here you go.” Davina placed a stack onto the counter, calling Isla’s attention back. “Your room number, key, some maps and brochures, my own personal recommendations, and some light reading.”

Light reading.

Isla snickered at the newspaper Davina had placed on the table that bore her mate’s face on the cover. Alpha of a New Age , the title of the editorial read. How Alpha Kai Plans to Honor Father’s Legacy and Build One of His Own.

Isla had absentmindedly raised her hand to run over the paper’s surface.

“He’s a handsome one, isn’t he?” Davina’s coo brought Isla back to her senses. She flipped her long hair, the color of brass that matched the dots splashed over her cheeks. “I swear every unmated girl in this pack is tripping over themselves to get in his eye-line and catch his attention. Maybe get that magic spark.”

Isla snorted and ignored the inkling of possessiveness—or what she refused to call jealousy—that had begun rearing its head .

“I wouldn’t call it a spark. It’s more like an inferno,” she offered off-handedly.

Davina cocked her head. “You’re mated?”

“Oh, uh, no,” Isla covered. “I—I’d just heard that’s what it’s like.”

Davina laughed, bright and melodic. It seemed to suit her well. “Well, that seems about right.” She pulled down the neckline of her dress to show a mating ring—a beautiful stone of emerald—dangling off a metal chain. “Spark just sounds nicer than ‘I was ready to bone you in the middle of a bar and not care who was watching’.”

Isla couldn’t keep in her own laughter, understanding her perfectly. She glanced at Kai’s picture again, feeling the phantom rush of their first meeting on the terrace. Would that even happen again if they came face to face?

“Can I help you with anything else, Isla?” Davina’s eyes held a sparkle as she said her name, and Isla started feeling a nagging that something was off. Not bad—but that she wasn’t getting the whole picture.

Much like Rhydian, Davina’s look wasn’t filled with any sort of ill or questionable intent. She realized now, for the both of them, it also hadn’t only been with intrigue. There was also recognition.

Isla looked up at the sign hanging from the structure before her, displaying a simple, hard-to-misunderstand name,The Bookshoppe . It was exactly as Davina had said. Very literal and to the point.

Before she’d collected her things and rushed out of the lobby, Isla had cautiously asked the woman behind the desk where she could find a library around Mavec. With the lull in time that she finally had, and given that she was sure sleep would still be hard to come by, she figured now was as good a time as any to continue her research. Deimos was the closest one could get to Phobos without re-entering the Wilds. They had to have something here.

Apparently, the most robust library that Deimos had to offer was over an hour away near its university; however, according to Davina, whoever Jonah was that worked here in this shop was better than any of the knowledge she could glean in that place.

The store hadn’t been a long walk from the hotel. Part of Isla had wished it had been a bit deeper into the city, but maybe it was a blessing as she’d since changed into her night clothes, a plain shirt and pants that certainly didn’t help her blend in with Mavec’s lavish night crowd.

As Isla pushed open the wooden door of the shop, a ringing bell sounded above her.

She muttered a wow under her breath as she stepped inside. Though it wasn’t the books that took her breath away, even if the sheer amount of them and the way the shelves had been configured was impressive—some carved directly into walls and support columns. Instead, it was the other décor that had caught her eye.

She trained her gaze along the testaments to the continent’s feats of innovation, models of the first cars invented around the time of her birth, radio bobbles, and odds and ends. They all hung from the ceiling or were perched on countertops and shelves.

Isla lifted her eyes to the second floor the shop carried to, stopping in her tracks when a man appeared at the mezzanine railing. Shadows cast on his dark skin as the lights fell behind him.

“Hi,” Isla greeted after a tense quiet, lifting a hand and taking another step inside. “Are you Jonah?”

“Depends who’s asking,” the man said gently from his spot.

“Davina sent me here from the hotel. She said you could help me find some books.”

The man made his way down a spiral staircase that had nearly blended into the bookshelves and crossed the room to Isla. “For her?” For some reason, he appeared both amused and concerned.

“For me, actually.” Isla reached out a hand, flashing him a smile. “I’m Isla.”

Something in his eyes flickered, the brown flecked with amber, warm and smooth as honey…and so damn familiar, not only because he was giving her that look again. The same as Rhydian, the same as Davina.

“Isla,” he said her name as if testing it on his tongue before grabbing her hand. A normal handshake, no warrior greeting. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d exchanged one .

“And you are Jonah?” she asked as they pulled away.

Jonah nodded with a chuckle before waving her to follow him through the stacks—but not before giving the entrance a leery glance, scouring as though awaiting someone to come through it. “What can I help you with?”

Isla gave the doorway her own quick glimpse before following him. Turning a corner into the shelves, she found herself lost in an ocean of pages. There were sections dedicated to the other packs of Morai. A section about the rest of the world. “Anything related to languages, linguistics or—if you have anything about Phobos, besides literature on the Wilds.”

One of Jonah’s eyebrows rose at the latter half of her request. “I can help with the languages, but most of what our pack had on Phobos was destroyed centuries ago.” He spoke as if she should’ve already known.

Isla’s face screwed in confusion. “Destroyed?”

But she didn’t have a chance to question him further or really give it much thought as something deep and repressed began to stir in her. All her senses honed to one spot, and she turned in the direction of the door beyond the stacks before the bell of the entrance had even called out an incoming patron.

“Just give me a second,” Jonah said, but Isla put out a hand to stop him from walking away.

Instead, she moved forward, back through the way they’d entered, until she found herself in open space again. Found herself face to face with a tall, cloaked figure standing by the front door. She knew who it was before the customer even lowered the hood of his jacket, and Isla’s heart stopped at the sight of dark hair and storm-colored eyes that she’d come to know fairly well.

“Kai.”

The voice hadn’t even sounded like her own, but at it, Kai’s lips parted in a relieved grin—a grin that had both melted and infuriated her more times than she’d like to admit. She could’ve sworn her whole body, down to her foundations, down to her wolf, sighed—just as he had—as if to say finally .

“Isla.”

Hearing him speak had ignited something in her, though not quite the overwhelming urge for him to strip her down and take her against the bookshelves—though that feeling did linger. Even now, from one simple look, she could feel the bond stoking back to life, resurfacing and ready to punish her for trying to neglect it.

Isla suddenly felt Jonah’s presence behind her and heard him release a resigned, defeated breath. “You two better not fuck on my floor.”