Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 194: Reasons
The Night of Zen’s Return
The next memories blurred together with flickers of rogues committing atrocities, villages burning, cries echoing in the distance. They realized that Zen had hunted them down one by one, which is what had earned him the reputation of the hunter...
But then came another memory, one that hit Kael and Lance harder than any before. It showed the real reason Zen had suddenly wanted to delay the mating ceremony three years ago, and why he had insisted on going with Kael for the hunt.
What once looked like simple stubbornness now made painful sense. As Kael watched himself in that memory- broken, lost, and close to losing his mind- he finally understood. Zen had not been reckless or stubborn he had been trying to save him. The truth hit so hard that Kael almost broke the link holding their minds together.
Just how much had Ramona hurt him that he’d reached that stage. He knew he’d been close to losing it over his mate’s repeated rejection and disgust, but he had believed, like Lance, that things would be better after mating. Only Zen had seen the truth though. And that too painfully. He could still feel Zen’s agony echoing in the memory.
For a brief second, his breath caught, his chest tightening until it almost hurt. And then, through the haze, came Zen’s dry, familiar voice echoing in his head—steady, teasing, painfully calm."See? I keep telling you that you owe me your life, and you never believed me."
What had always been a running joke between them suddenly hit Kael with unbearable force as Zen continued," Kael. Pay attention. I didn’t show this to you just to show off. I want you to remember this scene... This is one of the reasons I believe that Emira is not the one who has tampered with the bond.
Kael and Lance both nodded at the words and soon, the memories shifted.
The next memories were once again a blur until they arrived at Emira...The first image was of her draining her own blood in the middle of the courtyard, her face pale but determined, using it to create the magic that bound them all and summon the shadow wolves.
Zen’s voice trembled when he spoke, "This was just before Emira came to bring us those stones."
"You knew then that she would do this?" Lance asked quietly and noticed Zen nod his head.
"So the theory that she used the stones to bind us and perform black magic is..." Lance began slowly, his voice uncertain.
"Not true," Kael answered in his head. The thought came quietly but with conviction. Even if they had never accepted the stones that the Grand Witch claimed were used to trap them, Zen had already made his choice. He had already decided to accept the bond.
For a moment, there was silence among the brothers as the truth settled in. Finally, Lance stepped away from the stream of memories, his brows drawn together in confusion. "Even if you say that she has not used black magic," he said, "how can you be so sure that Ramona has? You have always liked her, haven’t you? And we..."
Zen turned to look at him, his expression calm but firm. "When have you ever heard of a mate having doubts about their own? Ask your wolf, Lance. If you had to choose between Ramona and Emira as your mate, who would you choose?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and silent. None of them spoke, but the answer came from deep within—their wolves had already chosen. The stillness that followed was all the proof they needed.
"So, we should claim Emira?" Lance asked softly, trying to hide the hope in his voice. In that moment, he realized that even his wolf had seen the truth long before he had.
"No," Zen replied, his voice quiet but firm. "We cannot claim Emira."
"Why not?" Kael snapped, his tone sharper than he intended.
Zen rolled his eyes, a faint trace of amusement flickering through the tension. "You are always so impatient. You are already the closest to her. I can still smell her on you. Don’t rush things like this, Kael."
Kael’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Lance glanced between his brothers, his tone steady but demanding. "Tell us, Zen."
Zen’s expression turned serious again. "Because we need to protect her. My last vision... it showed me what was coming. It was just before I returned from the Grand Witch’s house."
The three brothers closed their eyes together once again, watching the final scene unfold in silence. What they saw left them cold.
Emira was surrounded by danger, caught in a web of old lies and hidden enemies. They would never be able to claim the mate, until they got rid of all the enemies coming from different directions until ultimately, the only obstacle to their mating would be none other than Emira.
The three of them sat in silence for a moment, each lost in thought. Then, as understanding passed between them, Lance spoke first.
"Alright then. We need to act fast but carefully," he said. "All three of us will pretend that we’re pulling away from Emira and turning our attention back to Ramona. This will make the spy believe their plan has worked. They’ll think we’ve fallen for it."
Zen gave a short nod, already following the plan in his mind as Lance continued, "Zen. You’ll make sure Emira leaves Kael’s house slowly and without drawing attention. Get her to the safe place and keep Ramona under control in the meantime."
"And what about me?" Kael asked quietly.
"You," Lance replied, turning to him, "will take care of all the... unwanted guests who will be arriving soon. There are bound to be some who will try to use this situation for their own gain. Handle them as you see fit. I’ll take charge of finding out the truth from Emira herself. And as Zen has just shown us the power of being a Seer, we will continue to talk in our minds."
Zen smiled at that. "I think we need to thank the Grand Witch for that... who kindly reminded me that Seers cannot talk of what they have seen in the future. It made me realize the play on words. We are not allowe to talk.. But showing is very different..."
