Chapter 9: Fate Line

Ares gently laid Vanya down on her bed and sat on the edge beside her.
“Ares,” Vanya murmured.
“Just rest, Vanya,” he said softly. For a while, he gently stroked his fingers through her silky red locks, and before he knew it, she was fast asleep.
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. It was time for him to return to the ball before someone looked for him, but he was too lazy to stand up. Besides, there was nowhere else he'd really rather be than right next to her. He figured it wouldn't hurt to stay a few minutes longer and rested his head on the pillow next to her, one of his arms gently spread across her tummy.
Then, he too fell asleep. The night continued, and the masquerade ball came to an end without their presence being missed.
The sun was already spilling down through Vanya's half-open windows when Ares awoke. He blinked open his eyes to discover Vanya was still sound asleep next to her.
He sat up quickly and looked around, his recollections of what had happened pouring back to him. He realized he had to leave now. So he got to his feet and stretched a little before looking down at Vanya to make sure he hadn't woken her up. But the young hunter slept soundly, like a doll, with her hands crossed neatly over her stomach.
Ares felt a little silly when he realized he couldn't resist her once more. So he put one of his hands back on hers, and the other between her head and her pillow. He leaned down and kissed her lips before carefully, and against his desire, to stand and slip out of her chamber.
The morning was not as demanding as Ares had anticipated. In fact, he felt refreshed. As he had expected, practically everyone who had attended the ball was spent the next day. When he was about to start his day with his usual morning routine, Rowan had told him that his father had requested him to join him and Lord Alaric in his office.
In Ares’s mind, he already knew that an argument between him and his was on the way. When he entered his father's office, Alpha Callum, Randall, Lord Alaric, and Lachlan were already seated at the round table.
“You've finally decided to join us,” Alpha Callum declared, drawing all eyes to him.
Ares sat quietly between Lachlan and Randall.
“Did that lovely lady sap all of your energy last night, General?” Lord Alaric enquired, a grin on his face.
Ares cast a glance at his father, who seemed keen to hear his response. “She hurt her ankle, so I had to bring her back to her room.”
“Oh, did she?” Lord Alaric winked, implying that he knew something.
“If you're referring to my daughter, my lord,” Randall said. “She was quite ill the day before. Clara informed me that she had fainted and that Dr. Ryan had attended to her.”
“Oh, that woman with the fiery red hair is your daughter,” Lord Alaric nodded thoughtfully.
“Adopted,” Alpha Callum promptly corrected.
“It doesn't matter,” Ares muttered, "Randall has treated her as if she were his own."
“Oh my, I smell drama.” Lord Alaric sat up in his chair. “Well, like the young general said, it doesn't matter. And I suppose I've had enough of this rogue. If you believe you have those rotters under control, I don't think the royal council or The Capitol need be concerned.”
“Absolutely,” Alpha Callum responded as he stood up from his seat.
“Good. If you ask me, I don't think we could ever get rid of all those annoying rotters on the planet. We can only hope that they don't multiply. Reduce their number,” Lord Alaric advised.
“My lord, yes.” Alpha Callum gave a nod.
“Good. Send some of your scouts or hunters to sweep the region with Cassian tomorrow. When he returns to The Capitol, the Royal Coven wants to hear from him. Those bastards won’t just take my word for it. Cassian was not sent to guarantee my safety. They want him to survey Black Hollows as well as the rest of the western territories.”
“The entire western territory?” Randall spoke up. “But it would take him a weeks.”
“I’m aware. That’s why he’ll stay behind.”
Ares' jaws tightened immediately. “We can sweep through the entire territory without him.”
““I understand you don't want someone from The Capitol prying into your affairs, General.” Lord Alaric agreed with a nod. “But I've already told you that. Cassian was not sent here to ensure mine or my family's safety.” He then shifted his attention to Alpha Callum. “Shall we go to your wine cellar, Callum? I have a very important business idea for the next Alliance visit.”
“Randall will accompany you, my lord. I'll have to talk to my son first.”
“Okay. Let’s go, Randall.”
Everyone exited the alpha’s office quickly, leaving Ares and him behind. Alpha Callum's brows knitted together as the door closed. “You put on quite a performance last night, Ares.”
“Is that really what you want to discuss with me?”
“You must reject her before the next full moon.”
“I thought we had already discussed this before. Vanya is my mate, and when she is ready to fully accept me, I will mark her. I don't care if you banish us. If that's all you wanted to say, I suppose we're done here,” Ares said as he whirled around and stormed out, his face red with anger.
Alpha Callum stared after him and at the door that was slammed shut.
Running his hands through his hair, Ares ran towards the forest. His wolf was furious. He needed to go for a run to get his mind off the anger.
The shift came like a ripping hot heat as the transformation morphed his body, shredding his clothes into pieces. His already heightened senses became even sharper, and everything around him seemed clearer and crisper. And in no time, his entire bare body was coated in silvery white fur. His eyes remained the rich green they were when he was human.
Then he took off running.
As Ares's wolf sped through the forest, wind blasted past his ears. The ground itself was warm and damp from a summer storm, but the scent of the wet dirt did nothing to calm the rage that was still coursing through him which had been provoked by his father's demand to reject Vanya and Cassian's extended stay. He ran faster than he had ever run before, his pulse beating with each stride he took. He ran some more till he was very exhausted.
It was already in the afternoon when he finally contained the anger.He crept into his room via the balcony, transformed back into his human form, grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants, and set off to find Lachlan in the outdoor training field.
A warm breeze in the air greeted him as he walked the route to the outdoor arena, then he heard approaching footsteps from behind. When he turned around, he saw Moira, their pack's shaman.
"Ah, Ares. I finally found you." Ares' brows narrowed as he noticed her disturbed expression.
"Moira, is something wrong?" he asked instantly, his tone serious.
"Nothing’s wrong. Randall asked me to see Vanya and," the old lady shaman paused, her face unsure. “I just thought there was something odd about her.”
Ares' eyes flared with some dark emotion for a split second before he whipped around and rushed for Vanya's room.
"General, please wait! It isn't anything serious. I think." Moira chased the War General.
As they approached Vanya's room, they slowed down and Ares softly knocked.
"Vanya?" When they didn't hear anything from inside the room, he went ahead and softly opened the door.
Vanya was still on her bed, exactly as he had left her earlier that morning.
"She was still sleeping when Randall and I came to see her," Moira recounted. “She's breathing steadily, so there's nothing to be concerned about.”
"She fainted yesterday morning. She’s exhausted. She needs more time to rest," he suggested instantly, looking Vanya over carefully.
Moira saw the concern in his eyes and stepped in to reassure him. “And you are exactly right, Ares. She seemed to be in a deep sleep.”
“What was it about her that struck you as odd?”
“Remember when I told you that Vanya may have more than one mate?”
“Yes. And I remember telling you that just because Vanya ticks off two of your prophetic checklist, it's still ludicrous and a bunch of nonsense.”
Moira gave him a disapproving look.
“I mean no offense, Moira. I simply do not believe in prophecies.”
She gave a nod. “Well, maybe you would now because, while checking Vanay's pulse, I noticed the palm on her right hand.”
“And?”
“The creases in her palm.” The old lady shaman took a big breath and carefully stated, "It's telling me she has more than one fate."
“What exactly do you mean?”
“You are not her sole fate; you are not her sole destiny, Ares.”
"What the fuck are you on about?" Ares turned away from Moira with a huff of pure annoyance.
“Her fate line is intertwined with three more lines.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.” Ares' eyes begged her to say she was. No one could have Vanya while he was alive, but therein lay the problem. If Moira was correct, he couldn't be the only one who had the right to Vanya.
“I don’t *kid*, Ares. You know that. As a shaman, I'm capable of many things in this and the other worlds, but joking is not one of them.”
They were silent for a minute before he sighed dejectedly and slumped into a chair near Vanya's bed. He opened his mouth to say something but instead his body was shaken by the sudden realization that Moira could be right. He sighed loudly again, rubbing his temples.
Moira looked at him for a time before breaking the silence in the room, "I don't know how you'll ever manage, my young general, but you'll either have to listen to your father and reject Vanya, allowing her other mate to have her, or you'll have to share her. It's her destiny.”
“Can you, at the very least, keep this between us?” Ares' voice lacked the confidence and control it typically possessed.
“You do realize my allegiance is to your father, the pack's alpha.”
“Please, Moira. At least for the time being. If my father knew about Vanya's other mate, he'd push me to reject her even more. And that is something I do not believe I am capable of. I don't think I'll be able to give her away. Please. Just allow me some time to think about what I should do,” Ares pleaded, his green eyes glinting with emotions he never expected to feel for Vanya.
Moira nodded slowly. “You're appealing to me, Ares. I've seen you treat others fairly since you were a child. If you accept the role, you would be an excellent alpha for this pack. And I'll keep this a secret between us for the time being, believing that I'll serve you one day when you become an alpha.”