“What??!”
I couldn’t tell who yelled the most, my mates or me.
“What happened?” Blue demanded as I rushed over to Scarlett, to check on her wounds, which were surprisingly trying to close.
“I can’t tell. No one knew what was happening until it was too late. By the time the guards realized the palace had been infiltrated, most of the people were gone. Not only that, but they set some houses on fire.” She inhaled deeply, struggling to catch her breath as she placed a hand on the blood seeping out. Her gaze locked with mine, and I could see the fire in them as she added, “Please, you need to help. Else the kingdom will be in shambles within minutes.”
“That’s good.”
I whipped my head fast when I heard Blue’s whispers, my eyes narrowing as I glared hard at him. “What the fucking hell are you talking about??!” I gritted out, barely holding back my rage. “Do you even know what you are saying? Your kingdom is in danger, and you aren’t even doing anything about it?!”
Fred lifted his shoulders in a shrug, not looking as concerned as he did a few minutes ago. It seemed their reaction at first was instinctive. They didn’t mean to do that. Seeing how less concerned they were, it wasn’t difficult to know that.
“We don’t care about them. Though we tried to keep it running for years, that doesn’t mean we care about them. They deserve to die. All of them. It’s good we aren’t the ones doing the deeds.” Blue turned his back to me, avoiding my gaze as he folded his arms, his shoulders rigid.
Scarlet gasped at those hard words. She took a step back as her eyes clouded in tears. She looked like she was barely keeping her emotions at bay.
Letting go of her, I stormed over to my mates and stood in front of them, placing my hands on my waist as I challenged them. “What of the young ones? How many times do we need to go through this?”
“Listen, Bunny, we know how you feel about them even after what happened to your parents, but we don’t feel the same. Unlike you, the deaths of our parents and our near-death experience forever hunted us. I doubt you would feel this way towards them had you gone through all I did. You would have -”
“Don’t give me that trash!” I yelled at him, surprising not only him but myself. “I know what you are trying to say, but none of them will work for me, not at the fucking moment!”
“Calm down, Bunny. You are pregnant! You can’t just think of others without doing the same for yourself!” Fred yelled at me, his eyes brimming with anger. “We know how much you care about others, but have you thought of yourself? You are a freaking hybrid! Saving them would mean getting condemned after you have done that! You weren’t supposed to live. To them, you should be dead.”
“Tell me, Bunny, are you still willing to save them despite knowing all this? Are you ready to give your life for them?” Blue completed, the two sharing the same pissed expressions. With their arms folded and gaze fixed on me, they waited for my response, to know what it would be.
I didn’t immediately give it to them. Instead, I thought about it. They were right. The people of Lyxant still have backward thoughts about species not mingling with each other. As a witch and werewolf, I wasn’t supposed to live, and I definitely wasn’t supposed to be mates to Lycans. This would be considered the greatest taboo since the creation of the laws. Though my mates survived, I needed to think about my baby.
My hand instinctively went to my stomach, and I rubbed it, still thinking of the question they threw my way. A whimper from Scarlet caused me to turn towards her. Seeing the scared expression on her face and the blood seeping from her wound, I made my decision.
“Yes.”
“What?!” My mates looked at me like I had gone mad. They expected me to respond in the native after getting told of all the things I would suffer because of my heritage. Hearing my reply didn’t sit well with them.
“Are you certain about this?” Blue asked, closing the distance between us. “Did you think about it before giving your response?”
“I did. I thought about it for a long time, and couldn’t think of a sympathetic response. I will do it. Even if it means getting hated by them. Do you know why?” I looked from Fred to Blue before letting my gaze go to my stomach.
“You believe their lives are precious and want to save as many people as you can?” Fred responded with a question. “That’s it, right?”
“Not at all.” I glanced up at them without a smile. “Because I have you.”
With my mates, there to keep me safe, I believe nothing would hurt me, not even the strongest werewolves in their kingdom. My mates would let nothing hurt me. They promised to protect me, and I knew they would.
A small smile broke out on their lips before they could stop it. My words seemed to please them, and I could tell it was enough to crumble their resolve.
“Are you certain about this, Bella?” Blue asked, his tone serious. Hearing him call my name instead of their pet name for me made me know he wasn’t playing. “You need to know what you are getting from this. There’s no guarantee of what will happen at the other end of the door. Are you sure you want to take this step?”
“We need you to think of it one more time, to weigh the pros and the cons, to decide with your heart, not because of others, but yourself. Are you willing to save those who killed your parents?” Fred demanded, his gaze mirroring his brother’s. There was no trace of a smile on their lips as they watched me, waiting for my response.
“I do.” My voice didn’t shake. “I want to save them,” I said, my tone filled with a conviction that shocked me. I didn’t sound scared. Instead, I felt a strange calmness wash over me at my decision. “We need to save as many people as we can. Of course, I’m on board with it.”
“It’s settled then.” My mates nodded at each other before they took my hands in theirs. “No matter what happens on the other side, promise us you won’t leave our sight.”
“I do. I won’t leave your sight.”