50: Owe you respect.
**Bane pov**
The forest had gone eerily silent after the last villagers scattered into the trees. The only sound was the ragged panting of Nathan in my arms, the faint crackle of twigs beneath my boots, and the distant call of the camp.
I could feel his weight dragging me down and that only reminded me of how fragile life could be, even for someone built like him.
I ran a hand over my face and tried to focus on getting him back to safety. My hands still shook from the aftershocks of letting the beast loose.
Glancing around, I couldn’t see the other lion who had been present during the attack, so I assumed he had gone ahead of us and didn’t bother to look for him. The guy looked way better than Nathan did, so his ability to get home was the least of my worries.
Aside from getting this brute to the camp, I couldn’t stop worrying about the damage I inflicted outside the camp. I really hoped it didn’t go further than I could see because if it did, everyone would have more reasons to call me a monster again.
When the camp came into view, I slowed down a little. As I dragged him up the hill, I noticed Khan standing there and in no time, he was in front of me, already taking over and dragging Nathan away, calling for the healer to come faster.
I watched how the healer broke through the crowd and started working on him while I slumped against the nearest tent and muttered. “He’s alive and stable for now, just be very careful when you move him.”
The healer nodded, his hands immediately moving to check vitals, clean wounds, and brace Nathan for treatment. The other lion from the forest suddenly appeared too and hovered in the background of the center panic.
He looked pale and exhausted and when he looked in my direction, all I offered was a small nod. To my surprise, he nodded back, gratitude and relief written all over his face.
I blinked just once and Aife already broke through the gathered crowd of lions, ran to me and lunged into my arms right as I opened them. “You did it!” She cried out and wrapped her arms around my neck so tightly, it almost felt like she was trying to make me stop breathing.
I could only nod as I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without your help at learning how to control the monster.”
Her lips pressed a soft kiss against my cheek. “No, you did it. No matter how, it’s you who did it..”
I tightened my hold around her once more before letting go. As I glanced up, I noticed Khan approaching us, his expression unreadable but radiating that same alpha authority that he used during the lectures he was reading me about treating Aife right.
He stopped a few steps away and cleared his throat. “Bane,” he grumbled and nodded to his right. “Step aside, I want a word before you do anything else.”
I sucked in a slow breath, mentally bracing for whatever he was planning to lecture me about again. “Alright,” I grumbled, then glanced at Aife. “I won’t be long, okay?”
Before she could answer, Khan gestured to a quiet corner of the camp. “Out here, now.”
I followed him, trying to keep my own body in check while my mind replayed every second in the forest and I tried to remember if I had fucked up somehow again.
“You lost control,” Khan began and pinned me with a glare only a father could. “I don’t care about intentions. I saw the chaos, heard the screams and the fear. And yet, you came back alive. Nathan’s alive, Alexander’s alive too. You did what no one else could.”
I let the words sink in before I answered. “And I’d do it again if it meant protecting the camp. Even if it meant letting the beast run for a few moments.”
He snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re reckless, Bane. However, seeing it and seeing you return I can’t deny that you’re not the monster I thought you were.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Not the monster you thought I was, or not the monster at all?”
He let out a low, humorless laugh. “Not the monster at all, or, at least, not entirely. That thing inside you scares the hell out of everyone, me included, but you kept it in check when it counted. You used it as a weapon and returned it to its cage. That’s more than anyone could have expected.”
Still a little sceptical, I nodded carefully. “It’s never fully caged. I won’t lie, it tests me every day. It waits for moments like today, moments I can’t ignore. But I can fight it, I know I can.”
Khan’s eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. “And if it snaps again? If it breaks loose while Aife’s around, or while someone else is unprepared?”
I swallowed and squared my shoulders. “Then I’ll fight it again. But I won’t do it alone. The brute, I mean Nathan, or anyone who can help - I’ll accept help when it’s necessary. I promise you, I will protect her, first and foremost from myself.”
His expression softened just slightly. “I’ve misjudged you,” he admitted, voice rough with emotion I couldn’t fully place. “I assumed you were a threat to everyone around you and you would let the monster win. I thought your ego and impulses would cost lives. But today, you proved me wrong. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I might even owe you respect.”
I let a small, bitter chuckle escape me. “Respect is a dangerous thing to give to me, Khan. I’ve earned more suspicion than admiration in your camp.”
Khan huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’ll give it, but don’t expect me to forget the monster inside you because I won’t. And yet, I can admit you’ve done what few could have done.”
I nodded and flashed a rather shy smile as I muttered, “thank you, that means more than you know.”
Khan stared at me for a long moment until he nodded towards Aife. “Go back to her. You’ve earned some rest. But remember, the next test will come sooner than you think - you won’t always have her hand in yours, you’ll have to hold yourself.”
“I know, I’ll be ready.” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder toward the healer’s tent where Aife stood near and waited for any updates from the healer.
Khan suddenly slapped his large hand on my shoulder and shook me a little. “Don’t get too comfortable just yet. You’re not invincible, Bane. Dangerous, yes, but fragile too, in ways you refuse to see.”
I turned to meet his gaze again and chuckled, shaking my head. “I might be fragile in one way or another, but I haven’t forgotten how obviously dangerous I am either. I’ll take your warnings seriously, at least enough to keep my pack alive when I finally return home.”
Khan grunted, but I knew he made the sound only to hide the smile that was already pulling at the corners of his mouth. He quickly turned his back to me and growled. “Go before I decide you need another lecture.”
I held back the laugh that almost escaped me and instead, walked back toward Aife. She looked up just as I was approaching and instantly flooded her features. Her hands immediately found mine and I didn’t fight her need to pull me closer because now, it seemed she needed the touch more than I did.
“I was scared you’d never come back,” she murmured.
“I never left,” I replied and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I was always coming back to you. Nathan is safe, alive and taken care of. The monster is quiet for now too.”
“I don’t even want to imagine how bad it could have been.” Aife sighed and closed her eyes.
I shook my head and wrapped my arms around her. “Then don’t. Focus on this moment, on us, and we’ll deal with the rest when we have to.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
