Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Raven]

This was the first time Ezra had been this vulnerable with us, and now everything felt painfully awkward.

Honestly, I preferred it when Ezra would just lose his mind and burn down the world. The nauseating, smoky stench of boiling blood and burning flesh was far more tolerable than the suffocating silence in Asher's chamber. Before, disemboweling a conscious immortal was enough to lift his spirits. Now, I didn't have a clue what might work.

Food?

Rum?

Flowers?

Cannibalism?

Women?

Torture?

Poetry?

I am an alchemist, not a poet.

What am I even supposed to say?

Gold is yellow, Silver is blue, Oh, my dear brother, You've lost all your screws.

Instead of cheering him up, my poetry would torture him. And I didn't want him to crave death even more. So, poetry was clearly a bad idea. I let out a sigh and even that echoed. Maybe I'll just ask the obvious. I cleared my throat.

"You knew who posted that news blog online, didn't you?" I asked Ezra.

"Cedric." Ezra replied in a voice weaker than a whisper, almost lifeless.

"When you knew who it was, why didn't you reveal his identity before the council?" I asked, my frown deepening when he didn't react and just stared into nothingness silently.

I contemplated him closely, curling my fingers into a loose fist, feeling a restless frustration grow inside me. Something heavy in my chest wanted Ezra to react like the Ezra I knew instantly. Because this version of Ezra...

My fist tightened, nails biting into my palm.

It felt as though Ezra had already been consumed by some curse worse than death, leaving behind someone I barely recognized. The thought hit harder than I expected, tightening the ache in my chest.

I clenched my jaws, resisting the urge to smack some sense into him. To yell at him and tell him to get his shit together.

But his silence... his unnerving calm... this complete lack of action - it tested my patience to its breaking point.

But no. I couldn't lose my brother. Not because of two women.

"Ezra, I asked you a question," I demanded, my glare cutting through the silence.

He finally spoke, his voice hoarse and exhausted. "Cedric is our little brother."

The words hung in the air, but they didn't sit right with me. I mean, yeah, biologically Cedric was our half brother, but did we ever consider him as 'our' little brother?

"Not just that..." Ezra looked up at me, his gaze heavy. "If we fail to fight this curse, Cedric will succeed us. Isn't that why Asher is grooming him as the back-up Alpha?"

I ran my tongue across my inner cheek, my gaze drifting to Asher's empty chair behind the desk.

As much as I hated this idea, it was for the best. The generational curse affected only the legitimate offspring of the curse bearer.

That was why the curse didn't affect Nesryn and Cedric - they were the illegitimate children.

My father may have given his second and third concubines the status of wives, but he never formed a soul pact with them. That was why, when he finally succumbed to the curse, our mother was the only one who suffered due to the breaking of the soul pact.

I never understood my father. Even now, I can't make sense of his actions. Did he know about the curse? Was that the reason he took concubines, hoping his illegitimate children would survive?

Was it some twisted form of protection?

What was the origin of such a complex curse?

What words were used to forge its malignancy?

Who created this curse and why?

I keep looking for answers to thousands of such questions, but never found a link that could connect all dots. And whenever I thought I was close to figuring things out, either the link disappeared or I found Asher blocking my path. Just another reason to abhor him with all my guts.

Asher thinks he knows best, strutting around as if he has it all figured out. But in reality, he's just a self-centered bastard, too arrogant to admit he might be wrong.

Like now. He should have been with Ezra. They somehow bond better, but no - Mr. I-am-always-busy-because-I-am-the-true-alpha had yet another oh-so-important meeting to attend.

What could possibly be more important than Ezra right now?

He left his oh-so-dear Xanthea all alone as well, and then I had to be with her.

He seriously doesn't care. Just pretends!

Damn him!

Screw him!

I picked up my phone.

If I kept thinking about Asher, I'd burn half the blood in my body with rage.

So instead, almost out of habit, I activated my butterfly surveillance, which was supposed to keep a close watch on Xanthea.

But with all the council shit, I couldn't monitor her first day at all. Then again, the first days are mostly uneventful. Nothing significant could have happened-

I gave Ezra a quick side glance.

Maybe... this would cheer him up.

I cast the butterfly surveillance from my phone onto the television screen.

Ezra, who had been sitting limply on the couch with his soul lost in oblivion, stirred the moment Xanthea's voice filled the room. It was like watching a spark reignite in him - a flicker of life returning to his eyes as he straightened up, suddenly attentive.

"Th-the Luna candidates?" Xanthea's voice wavered as she looked at Nesryn, insecurity dominant in her expressions.

She lowered her gaze when Nesryn affirmed with a nod. Her brows tensed as she blinked fast, biting down on her lower lips.

Fighting her reluctance, she fidgeted with her phone and asked.

"S-so... Alpha Asher's and Alpha Ezra's candidates... they'll be there too?"

"Uh... yeah. And that is why I'll train you for the meeting while you dress up," Nesryn said.

The council was dismissed, but the special jury requested Ezra to officially introduce Xanthea to them. Once she completed the paperworks required to be a candidate, the jury would begin monitoring and judging her like the other Luna candidates.

But when Ezra asked Nesryn to bring Xanthea to the council, he instructed her not to disclose that Xanthea was his chosen Luna candidate.

"Don't tell me you are planning to ask the omega to be your Luna candidate directly before the jury," I said plainly. "What's wrong with that?" Ezra said.

"What's wrong with that!?" I raised my voice. "She'll panic on the spot. You'll make a fool of yourself if she says no."

Ezra smiled faintly, his eyes lingering on Xanthea's image on the screen. For a moment, the silence stretched until his low voice finally broke the quiet.

"I've made a fool of myself over many things, Raven. This will be the wisest folly I ever commit. Getting her consent might just be a formality for the jury, but for me, it's important. And this is the best way to get her most unadulterated answer. So, if she says no... I'll respect her decision."

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed.

Xanthea remained silent for the rest of the drive. Her face remained expressionless and her eyes blank as she looked at her phone screen.

Who is she texting?

I looked at Ezra and was about to ask him to hack her phone, but it looks like he already did.

"Who is Lana?" Ezra asked, busy on his phone. "And what's with the squirrels?"

00000

"Squirrels?"

I took his phone and looked at the Lana's first text to Xanthea:

'We are heading to the Aile castle. Don't worry. I got this. I'll keep your squirrels safe.'

'Thanks Lana. I'll be there asap.' Xanthea's reply was brief, and then it was just Lana updating Xanthea with her location.

I squinted, trying to make sense of their chat.

Ezra looked up, puzzled. "Do healers use squirrels for practicals now?"

"They use rats with the beginners, not squirrels," I said, handing him his phone.

"And Lana?" Ezra looked at me.

"She's her healing partner," I said, and Ezra silently peered at Xanthea's chat again.

"About Xanthea's healing partner," Ezra said after some time.

"What about her?"

"I want you to give the were-cat a chance. I know she's dangerous, but Xanthea wants her as her healing partner."

I let out a sigh. "How much did that omega pay you to threaten me to do this?"

"I'm not threatening you. It's a request. Give weak people a chance. They can-"

"Ok! Ok! I get it! No need to get all sentimental again. Asher's not here and I am not hugging you, even if it's the end of the world. So give it a rest. As for a chance, I have already given all of them a chance."

As I turned my attention to Xanthea, Ezra's gaze lingered on me for an explanation.

"Lana is not just a healing partner, she is a perfect shield. I knew Xanthea would try to help that cat even if I threatened to kill her if she did. So I taught Lana the way to protect Xanthea from Zosha. I have forbidden her to help the cat, but aside from the exams, Lana will have plenty of free time to train or help some stray cat get control over her powers. And Lana is extremely efficient in taking commands."

Ezra looked at Xanthea as she peered out of the car window.

"So, the rest is on Xanthea to figure out how she can use the resources you gave her to help that cat," Ezra said.

"Yeah. That cat is powerful, but until she learns to control her powers, I'll not allow her to be Xanthea's healing partner. Fair enough?" I cocked a brow at Ezra.

He nodded. "I suppose."

"Welcome to De la Reina, Xanthea. This is where the world's top designers come together to create history through their dresses, curated exclusively for the Luna candidates." Nesryn and Xanthea were now in the mall.

"This is not just fashion, Xanthea. It's a statement of the candidate's elite status, a clear mark of their superiority over all other women in the pack."

Xanthea glanced at the boutique. I expected to see the same spark of excitement in her eyes that I had seen when she visited the Glass Palace, but her gaze was rather dull and heavy, as though she were struggling with some depressive thoughts.

"Won't the candidates be offended if I wear a dress from here? They might find it disrespectful..." she mumbled.

Ezra let out a sigh, shaking his head.

"Just wear some damn dress and get your ass here. Isn't that what you are thinking right now?" I said.

"Not really. She's calculative. She doesn't want to outshine the other candidates to avoid coming under their radar."

I chuckled. "Bold of her to think an omega can outshine two alpha demonesses! She's just overthinking stuff, like always."

Ezra landed a quick glare at me.

"Hey! I am just stating facts!" I raised my hands.

Ezra looked at the television again, where Nesryn dragged Xanthea into the boutique with her.

"She's on her way... I should get ready..." Ezra said, getting up.

"Yeah, go dress and put on makeup. Patch up your dark circles and swollen eyes. Is that the mascara smearing down your cheeks?" I mocked him.

"What is your problem? Just say it, ok?"