82: Brotherhood

Book:The King's Mate Published:2024-11-12

Chapter 82
POV: King Hades Pierce
“Like what we are expecting to happen, they didn’t want to negotiate through that invitation of peace talk.” Raven seriously commented.
“Let’s move on to the next plan, then.” He stated monotonously as he rose from his golden throne.
“Aren’t we going to wait for Kage? He might have good news to bring or even information that can help us.” Raven shrugged his shoulders as he moved his chess pieces once again.
His younger brother looked like a weirdo by playing all by himself. He let out a deep sigh.
“We will wait for him first before we move, then.” He responded calmly after a brief pause before walking towards the door.
Maybe he still had time to eat lunch with his loving wife, before they moved on with their next plan. He instantly felt thrilled by the thought.
Tamara couldn’t fail to make him feel happy and contented.
***
POV: Kage Esmeray
Lamina was seriously reading the papers in front of her desk when he arrived at their hideout. Her brow shot upwards as she leaned against her swivel chair. She placed her elbows on the table and intertwined her fingers together as he walked towards her. He didn’t even bother to sit down.
“So, I believe you are here because you have news for me.” She calmly inquired.
Her face was unreadable, but viciousness was visibly felt in her aura. His inner wolf was screaming something inside him like something was off with her, but he just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“None. They are still looking forward to if you might want to negotiate with them with the peace talk, which you just ignored.” He wanted to spit those words out, but he needed to calm himself.
Lamina brutishly chuckled at him which made his forehead furrow.
“Did you really believe that I would buy that, Kage? Give me something else.” She pursed her lips together as if she was calming herself.
“What do you mean? That is all that they got there.” He calmly replied trying to make it more believable.
“Really? Like you didn’t know why the King’s second in command was out and got hurt? Like two mysterious women who arrived with him? Don’t make me laugh, Kage.” She said those words in between her gritting teeth.
He clenched his hands into a balled fists. He couldn’t believe it.
‘How the hell does she know about that?’ He mentally asked himself.
“Are you still on my side, Kage? Or you are on the enemy’s side already.” Lamina’s irritation couldn’t be hidden anymore.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He still tried to convince her, but Lamina shot her a death glare.
Kage simply gritted his teeth as he instantly thought of his plan B about how he would escape from the place.
He knew that he had failed to gain her trust, well, as if he had ever gained it in the first place.
Lamina sarcastically smiled at him, but annoyance was visibly written all over her face. She folded her arms in front of her chest.
“You are my son, Kage. How can you side with the enemy?” She irritatedly spoke of.
Kage just let out a small low chuckle. He thought his heart was already numb and that when this happened, he wouldn’t be hurt anymore.
But he was wrong.
He still felt the pain, the sadness, that no matter what he did, his mother would still choose the other path the one he almost took but decided not to.
“Quit your drama, Lamina. I know that you are just using me.” He seriously stated.
“Of course not, dear.” Lamina stood up, but her face was devoid of color.
She was trying to convince him, but he knew her better now. He knew that she was just faking it all of it.
“Stop pretending, old hag. You won’t make me believe you now.” Kage said while gritting his teeth before he turned around and ran swiftly out of the room.
It was a good thing that no one was around the area and that Lamina disclosed her relationship to him that every time he visited the place, no one was allowed to lurk near her office.
He was panting so hard as he had already reached the castle. He felt the pain as he confirmed that his own mother was truly using him and nothing else.
Well, he knew that it was already the case, but it was still painful to end his relationship with her like this.
This time, he could fully stand by his choice starting today even if it meant that they would be sworn enemies from now on.
***Flashback…
“But there’s one thing that I am curious about, Lamina.” He was about to go to his mother to talk to her about something, when Cessair went to her and said those words.
He stopped his tracks and was about to go when he heard what Cessair said to Lamina next.
“About that salutary wolf guy. What are you planning to do with him?” Cessair asked.
He instantly hid in the shadows just enough for him to hear their conversation. He knew that he was referring to him.
“Oh, dear husband, it isn’t as if you didn’t know me.” He heard Lamina reply.
Cessair just shrugged his shoulders wanting to know what was running through her mind.
“I know that you didn’t like him even from the very beginning, Cessair. And I have abandoned him once, why can’t I do that one more time, right? For now, we still need him, so brace his presence until we have already achieved our victory, okay?” Lamina cruelly explained causing Cessair’s smile to widen because of her abrupt assurance.
Kage clenched his fists as he gritted his teeth trying to calm his raging nerves. But more to soothe the pain, that was slowly eating him up.
“I just want to make sure that Leah and Aeron are the ones who will legitimately inherit our triumph, dear. I don’t want that bastard son of yours to still take what is supposed to be our children should have.” Cessair retorted back.
He pursed his lips together as he tried to calm his raging wolf.
“Don’t worry about it, dear. I’ll take care of it soon. But for now, let us make sure that nothing will ruin our plans, okay?” Lamina assured him before they got back to their own party.
He felt like he was already done with all the rejections in his life. He was just so lost and in pain. He thought that he could finally gain his own identity even if his mother was a well-known cruel and ruthless woman.
Kage was ready to take his own life. He was full of pain that was just too painful to bear. Besides, it wasn’t as if he still had something to get back into. His friends as well as all of the Lunar Pack members might think that he was already a traitor. That he betrayed all of them, and that was enough reason for him to decide to finally just end his life.
But that lifeless woman just knocked some sense into him. Although, he wouldn’t admit that she was, she really had a point and helped him realize a lot of things. But his ego and inner wolf wouldn’t want to accept the fact that he tried to act ruthless and even said mean things to her.
He didn’t know how he would defend himself anymore. And right after talking to that lifeless woman, Raven suddenly appeared in the shadows and started talking to him.
“What do you want?” He seriously asked as he revealed himself from the shadows.
“Stop playing around and let’s talk… like brothers should do.”
He was shocked about how he knew about it, but he soon revealed that he knew it all along. He made Elder Zeparu tell him about his identity.
“I’ve been watching you from afar and I can see that you are a good guy well, not as cranky as Hades, if I may add.” He even continued.
He couldn’t believe that someone could even accept him despite what he did.
“But I betrayed you…” He weakly retorted back.
Raven just chuckled at him.
“Because you are just so lost and miserable. I know how it felt, Kage, and believe me, you need to endure it for now, until you have gained their trust again.” Raven seriously stated.
Until he told Tamara his truth and finally talked to the King and admitted everything.
He thought that he wouldn’t even consider him and that he loathed him to the deepest pit of hell. But he could still remember what he told him that night.
“Stop being such a coward and face the guilt and the consequences of your acts. I can’t believe that you are my brother, but yeah, you can be one. So, I must say that you must act like one. Don’t be such a pussy, Kage.” Hades coldly stated.
Hades punched him, though, and he knew that he deserved that. Especially when he discovered that Tamara was pregnant. He felt so guilty.
“Stop blaming yourself now and just move on. You just be grateful that nothing bad happened to my wife, or I will not really accept you.” Those were Hades’ final words before he walked away that night.
***End of Flashback…
They had already planned a lot to achieve their own victory, hoping that there wouldn’t be too many people involved and that not too many people would get hurt in the end.
But he knew that it would be impossible to achieve. Lamina would want to pursue everything she could to win this war, and she just wouldn’t back down, even if it meant that she would sacrifice everything.
“I need to talk to you.” He said, as he saw Raven playing chess again all by himself in the Throne Room.
Where’s Hades?” He inquired.
Hades was not there, but it was okay. Sometimes, he still felt the awkwardness between them, but he knew that they were both trying to fill in the gap.
“With Tamara. What happened?” Raven curiously asked.
He let out a deep sigh.
“Lamina already caught me. And that is because someone was spying on us. She knew a lot already. He knew about Arlan’s arrival, but good thing that she still seemed clueless about what he did. But they also know about the two women who just arrived with him. We should be careful.” He seriously explained.
Raven moved the black horse forward before staring directly at him.
“If that’s so, let us go to the King now and talk about the next plan as well as what you have discovered. Don’t you have any other information about what was happening on the South Side?” Raven inquired as he leaned into his seat.
“Nothing. I already told you everything that I know about them.” Kage weakly replied.
He couldn’t believe that someone was truly a traitor in between.
Raven finally stood up.
“Let’s go.”