The Harvest Festival

Kai closed her eyes as she sucked in a breath, she bit her lower lip as it tried to quiver. “I found my mate…and I can’t have him.” She whispered her voice trembled, a few more tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached up and brushed the tears away swiftly. A broken laugh came over her lips. “Ironic isn’t it? I’ve always been the one to want to run from a relationship. I’ve never felt a bond…” She finally opened her eyes and gazed out to the storm. “But I’m betrothed to Peter and I know that Rhett isn’t going to budge upon it. No matter how much flack I give him. His hands are tied. I see that. I understand it. Yet. Here I am.” She sniffled and finally turned as she brushed another tear away.

“I’ve never felt the pull to another wolf before. I’ve never had a wolf look at me quite like Baron…it’s a lot like how Armin looked to you when he first brought you home.” She gave a forced smile. “I’ve never wanted anything more and it is so unattainable that it hurts…” Her voice finally broke then. She had been holding back the tears a soft sob came over her lips. Kai gazed to Willow, her expression was full of pain. But not the same pain that came from a physical injury, no this hurt deep within her soul.

**

Rhett watched Baron, unwavering. His brows furrowed slightly, his arms were crossed over his chest. “She isn’t confused. She understands exactly why I have to agree to this marriage.” Rhett spoke though his voice wasn’t filled with anger like one might expect. His head tilted slightly as Baron spoke of an offer. “You want to make me an offer?” He let out a soft laugh. “Go on then.” He nodded and watched him intently.

The alpha’s expression softened, a bit of a smirk curved up his lips when Baron spoke of the bond. “You’re her mate then?” A grin split his lips. He stepped forward and pat Baron on the shoulder a chuckle came over his lips. “This might be the best offer I’ve been given.” He spoke and took a step back. “My hands are tied by the council.” He seemed to think a long moment. “I can’t believe she finally found the wolf that she is bonded with.” He looked to Baron again and chuckled. Rhett seemed more than overjoyed by this news. “I’ll need you to keep your distance the best you can. I will keep up the marriage between her and Peter. I trust that you will save her from him…” He crossed his arms a moment in thought. “Tonight I get to see how great of a hunter you truly are.” He spoke and eyed Baron for a long moment. “Kai is my little sister…I’d planned on killing Peter if he hurt her…but this is much better and will keep our pack at peace…”

Rhett shifted slightly and drew in a breath, “You’ll take good care of her then? I don’t have to warn you what might happen if you upset my little sister.” He smirked. He then straightened. “Alright…you should be on your way then. Keep up appearances. When you challenge Peter it will spread like wildfire through our pack. Be prepared for that.” He searched Baron’s expression again before he smirked. “I can’t believe she finally found he mate after all these years.” A chuckle came over his lips before he walked to the door of the library. He led Baron down the hall and stepped to the front door. He pulled it open and looked to the clearing skies curiously. “Tonight then. Remember what I told you. Keep your distance from my sister.” His tone was more aggressive again unlike the relaxed tone that he had used in the library.

When Willow wrapped her arms around Kai she nearly melted. She hugged herself to the fae and sobs came over her lips tears streamed down her cheeks. “He doesn’t care.” She whimpered. “My own brother is selling me to the highest bidder...Rhett doesn’t care at all.” Her body shook. Her tears soaked into Willow’s shoulder.

The door pushed open as Kai’s sobs filled the room. “Willow are...you…?” Armin walked in his brows furrowed. When he saw his sister he stepped forward cautiously. “Kai? Willow? What happened?” His voice was full of concern.

Kai only whimpered as she tried to contain herself. Willow showing such care in that moment and hugging her had caused the outburst of emotion. Her eyes were golden as she pulled herself from Willow’s arms. She brushed tears from her face and shook her head. “I’m….fine brother...” She spoke broken worse as she tried to hold back the tears. “Don’t worry about me.” She brushed more tears from her face.

Armin stood with a loose jaw. “Willow...what happened?” He looked to her with worried eyes. “Did Peter hurt Kai again?” He questioned, his brows pulled together tightly.

**

Rhett offered a grin to Baron as he caught the smirk. “Make sure to tell the shop keep who you’re getting wine for. He knows exactly which bottles for you to purchase.” He called after him before he turned to Rose whom looked to him with a raised brow. “He understands that he needs to keep his distance from Kai. All he is doing is confusing her and making this harder on her. He’s an alluring stranger from another pack, of course Kai is going to be intrigued by him.” He spoke as he looked to Rose whom seemed to be judging him.

“Kai actually cares about that wolf. Stranger or not. I saw the way that Kai looks at him Rhett...when you banished her upstairs...did you not see the look in her eyes?” She questioned and shook her head. “Are you too clouded by the politics of this damn pack to see that?” She scoffed. “You need to protect your family, then the pack. She’s your sister Rhett.” Rose furrowed her brows.

Rhett drew in a breath, “I know, which is why she of all people should understand why I am doing what I am doing.” He stood his ground. He didn’t want to drag anyone else in on the cue. If word got out that he’d made a deal with Baron to fight for his sister’s hand in order to break up the wedding...well...things could certainly turn violent after that point.

Kai had burrowed her face into Willow’s shoulder as she sobbed before her brother had come into the room. Armin drew in a long breath, “We will get through to him…even Rose doesn’t want to see you married to Peter.” He offered as he looked to his sister. “Come here.” He stepped forward and pulled Kai into his arms. This only caused Kai to begin to sob again which she had begun to calm slightly. He looked to Willow as he brushed his fingers through his sister’s hair. “It’s alright, Kai.” He spoke as he held her for a long moment. “We will stop this from happening.” He spoke and gave a nod. “There has to be something we can to do make Rhett understand.” He looked to Willow with almost worried eyes. He wasn’t sure if there really was a way to convince Rhett to change his mind.

Kai pulled from his arms and brushed away tears. “O-okay…” She choked out. Her beautiful mascara was smeared down her face. She sniffled and brushed a few more tears away. “Thank you…” She looked to Willow a moment before she wrapped her arms around the woman and hugged her for a long moment. “You’re like the sister I never had.” She whispered, her voice broke a few times in the sentence.

Armin gave a warm smile as he heard the words his sister spoke. He then drew in a breath. “We should get going, hm? We will figure this out, Kai.” He nodded as he watched Kai release Willow. She brushed a few more tears from her cheeks and then briefly hugged her brother before she slipped from the room. Armin let out a long sigh and shook his head. “I don’t know what to do, Willow.” He spoke. “But…we will figure it out…we need to get going though, Rhett and Rose are downstairs…” He nodded to her and gave a bit of a forced smile. It was clear that he was worried for Kai, but at a loss for what to do. He led Willow from the room and down the stairs to the foyer.

“Ah brother.” Rhett spoke, “Willow you look lovely.” He complimented. “It seems the storm has cleared up….” He spoke as he looked to the sunshine that came through the windows. “Let’s go.” He began to walk from the home. He led the group on the pathway toward the lake house.

Rose looked to Armin and gave a soft nod to him. She looked back to Rhett whom led the group down the pathway. “Do you think now would be a good time to discuss why it is a bad idea to marry Kai to Peter?” She asked, her voice pointed.

Rhett grit his teeth. He stopped in the middle of the pathway and turned to look to the three. Armin tensed slightly as he stared into his brother’s eyes. “Don’t you think I know that, Rose?” Rhett snapped. “I’ve already entered an agreement. End of discussion.” He turned and continued walking along.

“She’ll hate you for it.” Armin spoke. “You’ll never recover your relationship with our sister.”

Rhett snarled as he turned his eyes melted to the golden color. “I’m not discussing this any further. Tonight I will announce that they are to be wed by next week.” His fangs showed as he spoke. “The entire pack will know. Kai will marry Peter.” He snapped before he turned and continued walking along again.

Armin had shrank slightly when his brother snarled at him. Usually Armin would at least listen to his words. He glanced to Rose whom seemed equally surprised. She clicked her tongue before she continued walking along. Rose glanced to Armin and shook her head, a sad look in her eyes. She gazed to Willow and forced a smile before she continued along. Before long they would arrive to the lake house.

Armin held onto Willow protectively, he gave her a nod as if to reassure her that she was not in danger. The group traveled in silence after Rhett’s outburst. Rose looked to him with her chestnut hues and frowned slightly, he’d never pushed back against her so aggressively. Usually with just about anything she could speak to him…at least that is what she thought. When the group arrived at the lake house Rhett stood in the front, he looked to Drank whom spoke. “Just had a few more things to take care of this morning that Armin didn’t account for.” He nodded to his brother and then looked to the three Fae. “I’m the Alpha yes. My name is Rhett.” Rhett nodded. He held his hand forward to greet Drake. “You’re their leader, yes?” He questioned as he looked to the other two. His eyes lingered upon Mina for a long moment before he looked back to Drake. “Yes, yes this is my brother, Armin. You’ve met him.” He stepped back and looked to Rose whom came to stand at his side.

“I’m Rose, his mate.” She offered and gave a smile to the three. “You’re her brother hm?” She looked to Theo. “You do carry a resemblance as well. Don’t you think Rhett?” She asked and then looked to him.

Rhett nodded and gave a warm smile. “I hear that Willow’s mother is very ill. I’m sorry to hear that.” He spoke as he looked to Theo a moment before he looked back to Drake. “What can I do for you? You’ve left a very ominous marking upon our mansion last night. I honestly didn’t know Willow had a family at all since she was a servant to the Silverfang pack before my brother saved her.” He watched them carefully as he spoke, looking for any slight reactions to his words. Rhett didn’t trust them. But he wasn’t one to trust strangers.

Armin held his arm around Willow gently, yet protectively. He watched his brother’s interaction and watched the three fae carefully. He hoped that this was a good decision. That he hadn’t made a mistake by bringing his brother to the fae.

Rhett watched Drake carefully. He smirked when he made the joke about Mina. “Ah yes, my little sister gets up on the wrong side of the bed quite frequently as well. It’s to be expected with the young sometimes.” He commented and his eyes looked to Theo, whom seemed uncomfortable by their presence. He watched as the fae’s expression changed, his brows furrowed to this. He gave a slight nod and seemed to be mulling over the offer. He would have to leave the pack? This was something he couldn’t do very well. Not with the hunt this evening and Kai’s wedding fast approaching. He drew in a breath and was about to speak when Theo chimed in. Rhett’s emerald hues looked to Theo he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked to Armin and then to Willow whom Armin still held an arm around.

“Perhaps there is another deal that can be made.” Rose spoke up. She looked to Rhett whom nodded for her to continue. “This comes at a very pressing time for our pack. There are many things that have been planned that our Alpha must be present for. Would you accept Armin to accompany Willow alone? Or I could come along with you. But our pack has a hunt and other engagements that he must be present for. We want to offer Willow everything that was taken from her. It is a terrible thing what the Silverfang pack did to her. The Silverfang pack is a vile smudge upon the existence of this very planet. I was once trapped within their pack as well, held prisoner much as she was.” She drew in a breath as she watched the fae carefully.

“Rose…” Rhett spoke his brows furrowed. He didn’t trust this. “I understand that there is a time on this as well with the illness that…Karina has.” He nodded as he looked to Drake. “I do not want to cause Willow to miss out on this chance to see her family.” He turned and looked to Willow. “What is it that you would like to do Willow?” He asked his eyes searched hers carefully.

“This is your choice.” Armin spoke and gave a gentle squeeze to her.

**

Kai stood on her balcony her hands upon the stone as she looked out over the forest. She drew in a long breath. She’d wiped away her tears and she’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun. She had changed into a simple pair of pants and a black tunic that was a few sizes too big for her, but she’d tied it at the side to compensate. She lifted a glass of red wine to her lips and sipped from it.

“Kai how lovely.” A voice called from the drive. Peter.

Kai wrinkled her nose in disgust as the looked own to him. “Peter. Charmed, really.” She spoke and then took another sip.

“Why don’t you let me in?” He asked as he stood beneath her balcony and looked up to her.

“Hm.” Kai thought for a moment, she took another sip of her wine. “You know Peter. I’ve thought about it. Really hard. Really, really hard. But I’m just not interested in letting you in.” She looked to him with narrowed eyes.

Peter pulled a box from his pocket, “Come on.” He spoke and smirked up to her. “I’m sorry I was an asshole.” He gave a smile then.

Kai grit her teeth at him. “What you’re apologizing to me now? After you nearly broke my wrist?” She snapped. “Good day Peter.” She turned and walked back into her home. The glass door to her balcony slammed shut behind her and she sat on her bed and took another swig from her wine.

Armin watched Theo closely as Willow gave her answer. He still had a protective arm around her. Something about this didn’t feel right to him. Or perhaps he was judging before these fae even had the chance to be malicious. He watched Drake as he spoke. He didn’t seem pleased that Rhett was not going. It seemed interesting to him that they were so hellbent on the Alpha of the pack coming to their hidden city. It wasn’t until Willow spoke that he was broken from his thoughts. He looked down to her and gave a gentle smile. “Yes, if that is what you want.” He replied and gave a gentle squeeze to her. “I’ll be ready just as soon as you are.” He looked back to the fae curiously. “Why is it that you are so interested in my brother coming? What does it matter if Willow so chooses to live among us? If I am not convincing as you have said...what happens then?” His eyes were locked on Drake.

Rose glanced to Armin, he’d asked the exact question she wanted to pose. She gave a slight smirk before she looked back to the three fae. She was taking in every detail about them. Every movement of their eyes, the way that they breathed, even their unique scent that wafted into the air. She felt Rhett’s arm slip around her waist and she gazed up to him. She could feel his unease. His emerald eyes had hints of gold within them as he fought against his wolf’s senses. “Yes. Do tell us what would happen to my dear brother if he were to fail to convince your council that Willow is safe with us.”

**

Peter grit his teeth as he stood before the home. He let out a growl before he turned and walked swiftly away from the mansion. “Stupid girl...” He snarled as he walked along. He made his way into town and eventually found his way into the bar. He sat down and ordered an ale. The glass was slid across the counter to him, the froth leaked over the edge slightly.

“Troubled?” A woman asked as she looked to Peter. A smirk upon her lips. She wore a black cloak around her shoulders. “You know. There are fixes for your sort of trouble.” She spoke as she sat next to him. “Simple fixes.”

Peter turned his eyes to the woman. “You don’t even know what my troubles are lady.” He snapped at her, his eyes golden.

“Oh, but I do.” She slipped from the stool. “Why don’t you come with me, I’ll show you.” She spoke as she walked from the bar. Peter looked around a moment before he slipped from his own stool and followed her into the streets. The mysterious nature of this woman had him intrigued. She wasn’t a wolf. He could tell that. But there was something about her. She led him into a small shop. He looked around at the potions upon the walls. Different colors rest within the vials. “You want her to love you. Yes?” The woman spoke with a cheeky grin. “It’s quite simple to do.” She reached forward and took his hand into hers. She pricked his finger and just as soon as she did this she held a vial beneath his finger to catch a single drop of blood. The liquid which had been clear swirled and began to glow a bright red. Eventually the swirling ceased and the liquid turned clear once again. “This is all you need to ease your troubles, Peter.”

“How do you...know my name?” He stared to the woman, perplexed.

“I know...many things.” She grinned. “You do not need to know.” She turned then and just as she did she vanished into a smoke.

Peter stared to the vial a long moment and then to where the woman had once stood. He looked around what had been a shop filled with potions. It was completely empty now. “What...the...” He furrowed his brows and shook his head. He swirled the vial and stared to it a long moment before he tucked it away in his tunic and he stepped back into the streets of the city.

Armin’s brows tugged together. It felt as though they had been backed into a corner. His lips parted to speak but it was Rose whom spoke first. “Past betrayals have caused you to completely lose trust in anything.” She nodded. “While I do understand. As a society, as a people…you cannot allow the past to overshadow the future. Willow did not ask for the life that she was forced into. She did not ask to be a slave to a pack that would easily kill her for sport if she hadn’t been something special to the Alpha.” She crossed her arms as she stepped forward. “To punish one of your own simply because you think that diminishing her power will be the greater good. That sounds asinine to me. What happens if Theo is outside of the city alone and he can’t protect himself? Or better yet lets say a pack like the Silverfang pack gets a hold of him and…they try to force him to use his power and it isn’t enough. They would keep pushing him until it killed him. I can guarantee that.” Rose drew in a breath, “Our pack has sworn to protect Willow. You may not trust it, just as much as we clearly do not trust you. But you do understand. You’ve shown up out of nowhere claiming to be Willow’s family and wanting us to send our Alpha into the unknown. You say it is peaceful. But I imagine it could turn into something much different quite rapidly.”

Rhett stared to the three. He didn’t disagree with Rose’s words. “Willow. This is your decision to make.” He spoke, his voice almost cold. He didn’t like being pulled into such a situation. “Perhaps you should be allowed to think on it over night. Just to ensure that you are not making a rash decision because of the ultimatum that your family has placed upon your shoulders.” He narrowed his eyes at Drake slightly. “For you to threaten her in such a way. You’ve clearly made up your mind as to what you want her to do.” He glanced to Armin and then to Willow. “Let me know what you would like to do. But unfortunately it seems they would never trust our kind.” He turned his eyes back to Drake.

Armin pressed his lips into a flat line as he drew in a long breath. “What difference does speaking to my brother have to do with their decision?” He questioned. “What is it that your elders need to hear to understand that we are more than capable of protecting Willow…?” He was frustrated with this turn of events. What he thought would be a nice reunion for Willow was turning into something much darker than that.

**

Peter walked through the city and to the winery where he walked in. He gave a smile as he walked up to the counter. “I’d like to get a bottle for Kai.” He spoke to the man that polished a glass behind the counter.

“Oh?” Andres spoke with a smile. “Anything for you Peter? Is it true? What I have heard. Is she truly betrothed to you?” He asked as he set the glass down.

Peter grinned and a chuckle came over his lips. “Yes, she really is. Rhett is going to announce it officially tonight at the hunt.” He placed a few coins on the counter. “Grab a bottle of my favorite too. Tonight, is something to celebrate.”

“That it is. Congratulations. I never thought that Kai would be willing to settle down with anyone. She’s got such a fire about her. You know?” Andres spoke and then grinned as he turned and walked down the stairs.

Soon enough Peter had his bottle of wine and Kai’s bottle of wine. He popped the cork on her wine and poured the contents of the vial into the wine before he pushed the cork back into place. A smirk curved up his lips as he swirled the bottle slightly. He whistled as he walked along the road back toward the mansion.