The Rise of Nix
Chapter 26

The vastness of water before them took their breath away as the smell of salt clung to their nostrils. A light breeze brought the refreshing scent over the water as it washed over their shocked expressions. Standing on a cliff overwatching the ocean, their hands sought out the other as their fingers entwined. The cloudless sky stretched far into the distance as it met the clear blue waters. Movement from below drew their attention as they looked down. They could see tiny dots moving around from far up, some going into the water while others sat on the white sand.

“It is glorious,” murmured Nix, her words flowing away with the wind.

“It truly is,” replied Deimos, a single tear rolling down his cheek. The emotion went unnoticed by Nix as she turned slightly to face him. “Then why are you crying?”

Breaking the clamour, he reached up, his fingers coming back wet as he realized she was right. With a smile, he faced her caring gaze, “I am not sad,” he began, “I couldn’t imagine how beautiful it is to behold. I managed to peek a few glances from my realm, but this was better than I could hope.

Lightly squeezing his hand, she reassured him it was real. After days of tracking in unknown territory, their bodies were exhausted from walking for days. They finally made it, and it was all worth it.

“Want to go for a swim?” suggested Nix.

Deimos’ face lit up with excitement as a new emotion wrapped around him. Gleefulness filled his being, momentarily pushing away the fears of the future. “Let’s go,”

Carefully hurrying down the mountain, they made their way closer to freedom as the trees began to thin, revealing an open area with huts and tents littered about, smiling faces welcoming the newcomers as they sped through a village. The blue horizon closed in on them; the rough ground became softer and paler beneath their soles. Passing a clearing of rocks, the sound of laughing children met them as they stopped in their tracks, taken aback by the up-close beauty of the blue water. The surface shimmered under the sun’s rays as the calm waters crashed to shore, creating a white line meeting the sand.

“Take off your shoes,” said Deimos, bending to remove the tough leather protecting him.

“Why?”

Freezing halfway, Deimos peered up at Nix and said, “Trust me.”

“Fine,“. Following his lead, she became barefoot, sinking slightly into the coarse sand.

“This feels-”

“Freeing,” finished Deimos.

“I was going to say weird. It is soft but rough at the same time.”

“It is sand.”

“Sand,” repeated Nix. Wiggling her toes deeper, she grasped Deimos’ upper arm to steady herself as the movement sent her a bit of balance.

“It won’t hurt you,” he reassured.

Suddenly, a loud yell in the distance drew them to look up and see two children splashing in the water, a more prominent figure sitting by the edge, watching them.

Grabbing Nix’s hand, Deimos tugged as he moved closer to the water, the coolness from the water-soaked sand relieving the heat from walking for days. Passing the mother, Nix smiled at the lady, her smile returning, making Nix feel welcome. As waves crashed against the beach, they slowed their movement, still frightful of what lay below the surface.

With a slight nudge and another laugh from the two boys in the water, they both stepped forward at the same time, just as another wave rolled towards them, wetting their feet.

Nix cringed as the cold water splashed onto her, the sudden change of temperature making her coil her foot back. “It is so cold.”

“But refreshing. Let’s go deeper.” Deimos let the way as he slowly entered the ocean, his legs beginning to get accustomed to the new surface. With the water reaching their knees, he let go of her hand, using it to splash some water onto Nix. Her eyebrows drew together as she eyed a smiling Deimos before scooping up the liquid to aim at him, the front of his shirt darkening with impact.

“So, you want to play?” Deimos cocked his eyebrow.

Lowering her hand back into the water, Nix stopped with a playful grin on her face. “You started it.”

“And I will end it.”

A loud yell left her chest as Deimos used both hands to splash her. Laughing while dripping wet, she copied his movement, sending water over his head. They splashed and played for a while, moving deeper into the water until only their heads bopped above the surface. Licking her dried lips, Nix pulled a face as the saltiness ambushed her senses. “It tastes funny. I have never drank water like this.”

“Momma said drinking this water could make you very sick.” a boy’s voice came from their right. Turning towards him, they faced the boy, brown hair sticking to his forehead as he gazed with light green eyes at them.

Swimming next to Nix, Deimos wrapped his arm around her waist as he spoke to the boy. “And why is that? It looks like normal water.”

“I thought so too,” began the boy, “but after she told me, I was thirsty and tried to take a gulp, but it burned my throat, and I spat it back.”

“Well, thank you for warning us,” Nix paused, waiting for his name.

“Rafael,” he answered and pointed to another brown-haired boy moving towards his mother, “And my brother’s name is Cameron, but we call him Cam.”

“It is nice to meet you, Rafael.” Nix beamed at the child. ’My name is Nix, and this is Deimos.” she introduced.

“You aren’t from around here,” Rafael pointed out.

“And how do you know?” wondered Deimos.

“Because the grown-ups never swim anymore. It is only children and newcomers.”

Nix chuckled at his observation, impressed with his thoughts. “You are right. We just got here.”

“Where did you come from?” the curious boy asked as he swam in circles.

“A place far from here, but not as beautiful. You are so lucky to live here,” noted Deimos.

“Momma said that this is where the world ends, but I don’t believe her. One day I will go out there,” Rafael proudly announced as he pointed towards the open horizon, “And show her she is wrong.”

“You are very curious, aren’t you?”

Rafael nodded, “Momma said it will get me into trouble someday.”

They both laughed at the boy’s honesty and innocence, but Rafael’s mother called his name from the shore before they could respond. Whipping his head in her direction, he looked back at them, sadness filling his bright eyes. “I have to go.”

“It was nice meeting you, Rafael. Good luck on your adventures one day.” Watching the boy paddle to the shore before sprinting out into his mother’s open arms, Nix solemnly watched the interaction as the woman covered the boy with a blanket, his brother clutching her leg as he watched. They were too far to hear the conversation but watched as the mother laughed at something the boy said before ruffling his wet hair. Picking up the more petite boy and resting him on her hip, the family turned away, making their way up the same hill they had used to come down. The figures slowly vanished over the top, leaving only the two alone in the water.

Swirling around, Nix laced her fingers behind his head with Deimos gripping her waist. “This is amazing. Thank you for bringing me here.” Nix said before kissing him.

Breaking away, Deimos lovingly gazed into her eyes as the water gently splashed their upper bodies. “Whatever you want and need, I will provide, I promise.”

“How about for this day to never end.”

Deimos chuckled before wiping away a tangle of hair sticking to her cheek, letting his hand rest. “As much as I would love that, sadly, my powers are limited, but I can do you one better.”

“And that is?”

Leaning in, he kissed her roughly as he held her close, the world fading away as they consumed each other. Coming up for air, they breathed deeply as their hearts spurred in their chests.

“I can promise tomorrow, the day after, and forever.”

Nix beamed with genuine happiness, “I would like that.”

Maverick fiddled with his fingers as he sat waiting for Khan to enter the hut, the chair beneath him suddenly irritating him as his legs twitched. It has been a week since his Beta was killed, and his mate ran away. During a week of mourning and loss, the only constant was his anger, which he tried to release each night with a hunt and the warmth of a woman, but nothing worked. The dark entity that had ambushed him with a revenge plan had disappeared, leaving him reeling with anticipation. He had been instructed to wait for its command before beginning, but after days, nothing came up. As much as Maverick wanted to exact revenge, he had to sort out the pack life first. Being an Alpha meant you had to push your feelings down to focus on the whole, but it became harder with each passing moment. Voices sounded outside the hut as the drape parted, letting in the sunlight. Maverick used his senses to guide him, covering his eyes from the harsh light. Three separate footsteps entered, the loudest one in the front he assumed to be Khan. He was correct, for the plump man dropped into the empty seat before him as he let out a deep sigh. Facing the human, Maverick plastered a fake smile towards the leader to seem glad to see him, even though he despised the man.

“Good to see you, Maverick.” voiced Khan while reaching for the full cup of mead Maverick had readied.

Maverick just nodded. Sipping his drink, he bit back the burning sensation down his throat, using the pain to focus his attention on the lesser being.

“I hope you bring good news. My daughter is excited about her upcoming nuptials.” Tilting his head, Khan pointed towards the second person in the room. Leela stood against the side; her shoulders slouched as her head hung down, sadness radiating from her small frame. If Maverick did not know how irritating the female was, he would feel sorry for her, but lucky for her, her intended husband was dead, and he was here to break the news to Khan.

Straightening in his seat, the last of the fiery liquid slit down his throat as he downed the drink, placing the empty chalice on the table. “That is why I am here. I have some unfortunate news.”

Khan looked angry as his chin lifted high, his eyes scanning Maverick. “It better not be about the wedding.” his voice deepened as the human tried to instil dominance, but Maverick laughed internally. The idiot would not know authentic leadership if it slapped him in the face, yet the human thought he could dominate an Alpha.

“It is. Unfortunately, a wedding needs two people to happen and seeing as David is dead, I doubt your daughter finds marriage to a corpse acceptable.”

Khan’s usual bulging eyes nearly popped out of his head as he turned red, his knuckles turning white from grasping the cup tighter. Leaning back, Maverick watched as the man went from anger to sadness, but he did not expect triumph to cross his sweaty face as his eyes suddenly zoned in on him.

“I am sorry to hear about your loss,” said Khan, but Maverick could sense the plan the human was formulating, which most likely involved him. “How did it happen, if I may ask?”

A slight movement behind Khan’s shoulder momentarily pulled Maverick’s attention. Leela’s slouched shoulders were held high again, her head up with a devious smirk on it. They were the same, using all situations to their benefit, not even caring who got hurt in the process, as long as they benefitted from it. Meeting the same aura in the man, Maverick answered, “He was murdered by one of your own.”

Khan honestly looked shocked by the information, and fearing for his village, he replied, “Who was it? I will ensure that today will be their final day and a painful one.”

“It is unfortunate, for justice has to wait, for you see, the man has already fled your village and took someone important to me with him.” For as idiotic as the human could be, Maverick saw him put together the pieces himself, and instead of asking who, Khan spoke the traitor’s name.

“Deimos,” Khan spat the name.

Maverick confirmed, “Yes.”

Khan slammed his fist on the table angrily, the wood splitting beneath his strength. “I knew that man was bad news. As soon as he showed interest in Nix, I should have banished them both from the village.”

“Nix is innocent in all of this,” defended Maverick. His mate was not a part of this feud, and he would tear the human’s tongue from his mouth if he insulted her again.

“Please, she let you on,” Leela’s soft voice murmured from the corner. It was too low for a human to hear, but Maverick had heard it all.

“What did you say about her?” demanded Maverick as he shot up.

A baffled Khan tried to deny the accusation but fell back in his seat as Maverick pushed him aside, his gaze stuck on a scared Leela. Her eyes doubled as the mountain of a man barreled down on her, the wall behind her keeping her a prisoner.

“I am sorry, I didn’t-”

Strong fingers invaded her space as they wrapped around her delicate neck, black eyes a hair length from her face. Lungs battled for air as the pressure increased, her eyes blinking wildly while she fought for control but her mind was scattered. What should be normal eyes were as dark as night, anger spewing from them while her nails clawed at rock-hard arms. Her face turned blue from lack of oxygen as her strength diminished.

“Maverick, stop!” a voice pleaded from behind him, but all he saw was a red haze as his wolf slammed against his mind, begging to be set free to hunt down his mate.

“STOP,” the yell barely broke through the haze. As the red turned to a deep scarlet, a sudden crack of wood followed by slight pain on his back loosened his grip on Leela. His nails sharpened as he turned to find the one trying to stop him from getting what he wanted. Khan quivered back as the true beast came to the surface. The sight before him made his blatter weak as a wet, dark pool covered the front of his pants. As fur began sprouting over the man’s body, all Khan could think about was his daughter with the beast’s hold still around her neck.

“Please,” begged Khan, hoping to get through to the animal, but it was useless.

The loosened grip on her airpipes allowed Leela to drag in short breaths, giving her back her voice. With the fifth drag, she opened her chest, ready to scream for help, but a snap stopped her. Death came swiftly as Maverick crushed her delicate neck, barely moving a muscle as he let go. Leela’s body dropped to the floor as her head rolled into an unnatural angle, lifeless eyes staring at her father.

A sob escaped Khan as his mind reeled from what he was seeing. His only child was dead before him. Forgetting about the strength of her killer, he slowly reached behind him, dragging his fingers against his clothes until the cold handle slipped into his hold, slowly stepping away from Maverick. Eyeing the entrance behind massive shoulders, the leader wondered if he could make it, but the beast was too clever. Stepping to the left, his only plan was blocked, so he did what he could. Whipping out the knife, he shakingly pointed the tip at Maverick and muttered, “Let me go, or I will kill you.”

The wolf escaped entirely as a deep laugh came from Maverick, the haunted sound shifting to a bark as the human faded and in its place a dark wolf, its black eyes on Khan as its snout lowered to the ground, sharp teeth visible as it growled.

“What the-” Khan’s words faltered as the beast pounced, knocking him to the ground, screams muffled as jaws clamped around his throat and blood bubbling from his open mouth.

Now we may begin our revenge, the voice returned as it watched with fascination as the wolf tore into the man while spilling blood on its fur but not even caring. Today marked the beginning of the end, and the Alpha was the perfect piece he needed to get what he wanted.

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