Fake Mate of the Enemy Shifter (Red Oak Shifters #2)

9. Grey

Chapter nine

Grey

A full day and night have passed since the battle.

Granted, time is hard to conceive when down in the dungeon, but I’ve been able to pick up on details here and there from the Moonveil witches guarding us. As of now, most of Moonveil have arrived on our land and have strategically spread themselves across the territory to secure the borders.

No one in and no one out.

For now, nothing drastic will be done until I give Morgana and Lucian an answer on what we’ve decided to do, and I’m not much closer to an answer now than I was yesterday. They gave me an impossible choice to make, and I don’t see every single person being happy with whatever I choose.

But what’s the best choice?

Our ancestors from both clans have lived in the region for generations. If we left, we would be abandoning hundreds of years of history and having to start all over. Without any supplies or leads on where to go, that’ll leave us incredibly vulnerable and susceptible to even more attacks by rogues.

However, if we fully surrender to Morgana and Lucian’s rule, we’ll lose so much of ourselves. Our name. Our legacy. Our respect. Everblade will be no more, and our forest will surely die at an even faster rate than it already is.

So, how is there possibly a clear choice to make?

“This can’t be happening,” I growl under my breath as I pace around the cell, a sense of restlessness gripping me. I can’t sleep. I can’t rest.

I need to figure out a way out of here!

“Come on,” I grit out as I shake the bars, making the cell door rattle. If I didn’t have these damn cuffs on, I could rip the door off its hinges!

With another growl, I slam my shoulder against the cell door with all of my might, hoping to weaken the hinges. Instead, pain pierces my shoulder as it pops, making me stumble back from the unmoving door. “Damn it!”

“Grey!”

“Hey, take a breath!”

Two voices coax me to look up as the small crowd in my cell parts, allowing Callista and Garik, my father’s best friend and the closest thing I have to an uncle, through to reach me. I gingerly place my hand against my shoulder as it throbs with pain, a grimace breaking from me. “I think I dislocated it.”

“You think?” Callista mutters as she reaches my side and gently places her hands on my shoulder and arm. “I’ll need to reset it.”

“What? Now?” I question her as I slip away from her.

“Well, I can’t use any healing magic to mend it painlessly!” Callista points out.

Garik approaches my other side and places his hand on my good shoulder. “Breathe. You’re losing your cool.”

I scoff a little and shake my head. “If you were in my position, wouldn’t you lose your cool too?”

Callista and Garik share a quiet look with each other. It’s easier to tell me what to do when they’re not in my shoes. Callista sighs and motions for me to lay down. “Just lay on your back. I know how to fix it without magic.”

I suppose if I’m going to let anyone practice non-magical medicine, it would be Callista. She has been training even before I was born. However, my stomach still twists with nervousness as I carefully lower myself to the floor.

Garik crouches near my head as Callista carefully pulls my hurt arm away from my body at a ninety-degree angle. “What’s wrong? Besides the obvious.”

I breathe out slowly through my mouth, fighting the discomfort from Callista moving my arm. “We’re in this mess because of me, and I can’t figure out how the hell to get us out.”

Garik pats my good shoulder. “You know, you’re not alone in this, Grey. You’ve got a whole kingdom who wants out as much as you do.”

Callista grabs my wrist. “Breathe.”

I start to breathe in, but as she pulls my arm out toward her, a strangled sound fills my throat. It feels like a damn eternity until my shoulder finally pops back into place, most of the pain from before alleviating. A hiss leaves me as I slowly roll my shoulder. “Ouch, Callista.”

“I think you mean thank you,” Callista quips before helping me sit up. She crosses her legs, staying on the floor with me while Garik remains crouched. “Stop blaming yourself. Anyone else in your position would’ve assumed the best of Moonveil.”

“I should have better instincts,” I say before motioning behind me where my parents are busy comforting the people in their cell. “Look at who my parents are. The heroes of The War! And look at me… I opened the door for Moonveil to come in and invade us.”

“You can’t always compare yourself to them,” Garik sighs, dragging his hand through the shaggy strands of his dirty blonde hair. “There were times when I did that with your dad. I didn’t feel adequate next to him, but it was stupid for me to feel that way in the first place. I’m loyal to my kingdom, and I help whoever I can whenever I can. I do my part, and he does his.”

I draw my eyes away from my parents, disappointment settling in my chest. “This is their last year of ruling. I wanted it to be peaceful for them after all they’ve done for the kingdom and the region.”

“The year isn’t over yet,” Callista points out as she gives me an encouraging look. “This can be fixed. More damning odds have been overcome.”

“I don’t know much about these witch twins, but I doubt they’re on the same level of evil as Voren and Nyxara,” Garik comments. “They wanted to use the forest’s magic for their own gain. Who knows what kind of hell they would’ve unleashed on the region?”

I don’t even know if the twins are interested in the forest. They didn’t seem all that focused on it, but I doubt they’ll pass up a chance to use its magic for whatever twisted plans they have.

“What did my parents do when they were backed against a wall?” I ask as my eyes switch back and forth between them.

I know I’m supposed to be playing my own role and forging my own path, but I’ve never been through something like this before. For the entirety of my life, I’ve lived in a peaceful period of time without many present threats. I’ve been prepared for battle but nothing like this.

How is someone prepared for something like this?

“Bear down even harder,” Garik replies.

“Relied on each other and their friends,” Callista adds. “We’re a clan for a reason. We help each other.”

I look back over at my parents, a dull ache spreading throughout my chest as I watch them hold each other. They’ve always been there for each other, but I don’t have anyone like they do. No one who completes the other half of my soul. No one who loves me at that deep of a level.

If I don’t get my kingdom out of this situation, I never will.

When I think about my people and our loyalty to each other, I don’t see many of them submitting to Morgana and Lucian. I see most of them choosing exile and preferring that we all leave the region together. Neither situation is ideal, though.

We will lose people either way.

If I don’t want to choose either option, I’ll have to make my own choice. My own plan.

“I’m going to think for a little while. Maybe I’ll get some clarity,” I tell them before getting to my feet and looking back at them. “Thank you.”

Callista and Garik rise from the ground and smile at me, looking hopeful.

That motivates me a little.

If all these people are looking to me, even the great ones like my parents, they must believe that I’m somewhat capable of thinking of a way out of this. Whether it’s my rigid stubbornness or my refusal to lose in any and all competitions, there is something about me that makes them believe I’m strong enough to break through.

I have to be what they believe.

Drawing in a deep breath, I approach the bars of my cell, my eyes sweeping over the dim dungeon as a few Moonveil guards lean against the walls with bored looks on their faces. Some Moonveil witches are intense, while others look like they’re just doing whatever monotonous duty they’re told to do.

If we’re going to break out, we need to pick the right mix of guards.

My eyes shift to the staircase, trailing all the way up to the top where the door to the main floor is located. This time, the door isn’t closed, and a very familiar figure lingers in the doorway. Shadows fall across her face, but I would recognize her anywhere.

Cassia.

I narrow my eyes at her as I curl my fingers around the bars. I will never forget how she stabbed me in the back. How she tried to make excuses for herself and the rest of her corrupt coven.

Cassia’s eyes widen, a frown crossing her face. She backs away until she’s no longer in sight, darkness looming in the doorway.

If she thinks I’m going to buy her little innocent act, she’s sorely mistaken. She’s just as bad as Morgana and Lucian, and I intend to punish them all for the crimes they’ve committed against my kingdom.

Revenge is the obvious solution to all of my problems, and once I figure out a way past these bars, there’s nothing stopping me from righting their wrongs in the best way that I see fit.

Cold, hard justice.