< 262 Terms of the Duel
262 Terms of the Duel
Lucian
The office fell into silence after Darian’s suggestion. Everyone was running the same calculations in their heads-casualties, risk, the chance of ending this without drowning the land in blood.
He was right about one thing: a duel could spare lives. But there was no guarantee Alaric would take the
bait.
I turned to Martha. If anyone knew him well enough to answer, it was her. “Martha, do you think he’ll take
it?”
She glanced at my father, then back at me. The hesitation made sense-this was the first time she’d ever sat in a meeting like this.
My mind wandered, pulling up old memories of her. The shouting matches with my father, the times he’d thrown her out, her bitterness that always seemed aimed at me. Back then, I thought she blamed me because I stood between her and the love she wanted from him.
I’d believed worse, too-that she was behind the accident that claimed an innocent wolf’s life, the one that
branded me a murderer.
Now I knew better.
Martha had lied, slandered, and barked plenty over the years, but she’d never actually tried to kill any of us. The tough mask was just armor over something fragile. She was used to being used. And abused.
I hoped my father understood that if he wanted her back in his life, things had to be different. Forgiveness wasn’t reconciliation. At best, they might come out of this as friends-unless old feelings pulled them
somewhere else.
“It should work,” Martha finally said. “He’s arrogant. He won’t want you to have the last say. He’ll respond- he won’t risk looking weak. But you must be careful. He’s sly. He might accept the duel and cheat to win.
Be vigilant.”
My father rubbed her back gently, and she gave him a soft smile before looking away.
So maybe I was wrong about the “just friends” theory. Twenty-three years was a long time to erase, and I doubted either of them wanted to. They understood each other too well.
I looked at Mara. She met my eyes and smiled, and for a moment the meeting, the war, the enemy from my thoughts. I wondered where we’d be in twenty-three years.
faded
If the goddess willed it, we’d be alive, together, and our love stronger than it was right now-without the lies and secrets that had poisoned so many before us.
“Very well, then,” I said. “I’ll set up a press release and challenge him, while Rowan and Darian get the army ready. It’ll be hard, and we’ll have to bring in civilians-but no underaged, no newlyweds. We want peace,
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not sorrow.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
“I’ll gather able-bodied women who can fight,” Mara said, her tone firm. “This isn’t just a man’s war. Mooncrest Island belongs to all of us-men and women. If the need comes, we all deserve the chance to
defend it.”
My father and I spoke in unison. “Hell no, Mara.”
“I won’t let you fight while carrying my grandchild,” my father said, his voice sharp. “I know the horror of that last attack-the pain you went through was unimaginable. You didn’t even realise your own father was tending to you. I won’t put you or my son through that again. You will stay put.”
For once, I was glad he’d said the words before I could.
Mara, however, didn’t back down. “As much as I’d like to stay put, it would be wise to prepare for the worst. If our men need help, we can’t sit by. I’d rather suffer the pain than watch Alaric win. If he wins, he kills all
of us.”
Martha spoke up then, surprising us. “I’ll help you gather the women, Mara. I agree with you completely. I may not be a warrior, but every wolf has instincts. I’m willing to give my life to bring that bastard down.”
“I won’t allow it,” my father said, reaching for her hands.
She pulled them away. “I want to do something meaningful for a change. I want to save lives and contribute to the peace of this island. I want to prove I’m not just a pleasure tool. I’ll join Mara, and the women will fight if it comes to it. I will not hide away.”
Her conviction was unshakable. There was no talking her out of it.
And what was the worst that could happen? She’d already been humiliated, cast aside, and half removed from our lives. This wasn’t about impressing anyone-she was doing it because she wanted to.
“I know where we can start, Mara,” Martha said. “I was Luna before you. I know able-bodied women- skilled, strong-who can take up arms. They’ll lead us to others. The rest will hide in our bunkers with their
children. There will be no sorrow in Mooncrest.”
I had to admit, the plan was sound. Hiding the women and children before the challenge was a stroke of wisdom I hadn’t expected.
“I’ll set up a press release daring Chase to come out so we can finish this once and for all,” I said.
“We’ll make that press release together,” my father added, and I nodded.
“I’ll do it tomorrow,” I continued. “Hopefully, it won’t be too late by then. In the meantime, we gather help and hide our citizens. But we keep it quiet-he has spies among us. He likely already knows where the bunkers are, so nothing is a hundred percent safe. Still, it’s a step forward.”
No one argued. We all knew the risk was real.
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The door opened and Tiffany stepped in, Emma balanced on her hip. Her face was drawn with worry, but I saw relief wash over her the moment she spotted Darian.
“I’ve been looking for you. You weren’t answering your calls,” she said quickly. “Emma’s running a fever. I don’t know whether to take her to the hospital or call a doctor. With everything happening… I just don’t
know what’s safe.”
Before Darian could respond, Martha crossed the room and took Emma gently from Tiffany’s arms. She rocked her, murmuring soft nonsense to calm her, then smiled faintly.
“There’s no cause for alarm. We’ll just get her teething meds. Lacy was-” She stopped mid-sentence. The smile faded, replaced by a deep, aching sadness. Tears welled up and began streaming down her cheeks.
“Teething powder will solve it,” she finished, holding Emma closer. The little one snuggled against her chest, oblivious to the grief in the arms that held her.
Martha was clearly holding far more inside than she would ever admit aloud.
“When is Richard arriving?” she finally asked me, her voice quiet but steady.
“Tonight,” Mara replied before I could answer.
Martha nodded once, decisive. “Tiffany will have to hide with Richard and Emma in the estate bunker. We cannot let that bastard lay his hands on them.” She turned to Tiffany, her tone firm but not unkind. “You’ll
be able to take care of both of them with help from one trusted nanny.”
Tiffany nodded. It was the best option we had. The estate bunker was underground, fully furnished, and
secure.
I wanted to send Mara there too-keep her and our baby safe-but I already knew she would never agree
to hide.
“I’ll make some calls, Luna Mara,” Martha said, shifting her focus to my wife. “Then we’ll pay a few people
visits, gain their trust.”
She glanced at me, waiting for approval. I gave a short nod. It was a sound plan, and right now, we needed
every trusted ally we could get.
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