“Call me a liar when I tell you that you did not come in search of peace between us.” Nick said with a challenge in his voice for all to hear.
“I did not come searching for something we already had, Nickel.” Metzger said with a shake of his head, his anger fizzling into almost pity for the young Alpha. He looked over at the Heartborn and then back at Nick and sighed. “You were better off with the girl your father chose for you. At least she wouldn’t have led you to your own destruction.” With that Metzger turned quickly and started walking through the crowd that had gathered, back to his own people so that they could leave. There was nothing left to say.
“So that’s what happened to uncle Ruska.” Sedovin said matter-of-factly as he watched Metzger walk off. “We wondered about that for a long time.” He turned back to Nick and nodded slightly. “Our thanks for that.” He stepped a little closer and looked back at Zara with a smile. “As for your witch, I kinda like her. What’s she saying about me?” Sedovin smiled almost brightly, as though to purposefully dispel the grim seriousness of Metzger’s abrupt leave.
Zara didn’t smile or really respond in any way with an expression or emotions, since Sedovin wasn’t the one she served. “I didn’t say anything about you, Alpha Sedovin.” She looked back at Nick. “Thoughts speak for themselves.”
Sedovin actually laughed at that. “Oh yeah, we’re gonna love it here.” He put up a hand for Nick to take with a wide smile. “I came to kill some Councilmen and pave the roads of this continent for my people to walk on. Sound like a plan to you?”
Nick knew Sedovin was much older than himself, rather than the young man he seemed to be, but he appreciated the man’s open nature. They had very little of it in the pack at the moment. He took the offered hand and nodded. “It’s a start.”
Once Sedovin agreed to join them, the Earthborn needed no further time to think about their position and joined as well. It was a victory for them they desperately needed, and once everyone had scattered after the meeting, Zara walked with Nick as he took a moment to clear his head from the day’s events. “Are you alright?” She asked softly, since she didn’t want anyone to have the opportunity to think Nick was weak, even for a moment, because she knew he wasn’t. He was just a little overwhelmed.
“I had hoped for Metzger’s help. His pack was always hard to get along with, but they never threatened us.” He replied honestly, and even with a little vulnerability.
“They won’t threaten you. Especially not now.” She reached out for his hand, even though she wasn’t sure how he would react to it. “You’ve got two strong packs that have pledged themselves. This is fantastic.”
“It’s nowhere near enough.” He sighed as he stated the obvious. “And Sedovin came looking for a fight just as much as Metzger did. Just not with us. I can’t trust him any further than that. Osvald at least seems to be genuinely interested in making something new for all of us.”
“It’s not enough, you’re right. But now it’s not just one pack.” Zara stopped walking and tugged him to a halt so that she could stand in front of him and look into his eyes. “So what if this isn’t a perfect plan? It’s working. That’s all that matters.”
He sighed and leaned against the wall of the building they stood next to. “Who else is coming?” He asked, since such news always seemed to get to her before it got to him.
“I don’t know yet. I heard something about some Oceanborn that were trying to make it out here. They don’t like to come on land for long, though, as you know.” Zara only heard whispers, but she always tried to give him as much information as she could.
“Well, if they come, we’ll accommodate them. There’s a stream nearby, and I’m sure Osvald and Sedovin’s people can do something about diverting it into a home for them if they choose to join us. And we know we have other Oceanborn allies when the time comes for us to need them.”
Zara hadn’t been surprised when Nick told her about his council allies, since she knew about all the discontent while she was working with them. It was nice to know, though, so all the cracks could easily be revealed when it came time to face the council. They would need all the help they could get to destroy what was left of their enemy. Zara leaned into the wall and hugged herself to him. “Metzger looked like he almost wanted to kill me there, for a moment. When he noticed me standing there.”
“I would think you’d be used to that reaction by now.” He said teasingly.
She sighed and stood on her toes so she could kiss the side of his neck before she hugged him even tighter. “I’m just glad you don’t want to kill me. Anymore.”
“I don’t think I ever wanted to kill you.” He held onto her gently, more tired than anything else, and worried because the day hadn’t gone as he had hoped it would. “Wanted you to shut up a few times, maybe, but I don’t think I ever actually wanted you dead.”
Zara reached up and caressed
