[DELBERT]
The Lycan mansion was dead quiet as Delbert portaled in with his hurting erasthai in his arms.
He looked like was about to kill anyone who so much as made a sound, and perhaps that's why instead of being chatty as usual, the Lycans and Anhora had kept their silence.
Hell, even their footsteps couldn't be heard as they walked the Lycan warrior to his chambers. They were scared of upsetting Delbert and it was more than any of them had imagined.
Darius had left and gone back to where he lived in the Midlands because he had heard that there were some issues with Alanor and he wanted to help discreetly without bringing all the attention to him.
He already knew that the young angry Alanor would kill him if anything were to happen over here.
"Farah," Delbert called out when he reached the door to his chambers, on the highest floor of the mansion they lived in. He sounded like he wanted to go on a murder spree but the man in his arms was the only reason I had some control.
"Sire," Farah responded, her voice coming off low as she didn't want to upset Delbert by pounding so scared. She couldn't handle being the reason that Delbert fucked thing up today, even if he had every right to.
"Go to Grant. Do whatever you must, but make sure he believes that I am too injured to take part in the running of the kingdom. Ferhat will be with the king to monitor everything.
"Anhora, you go to the omegas and make sure to report to me whatever the fuck those mutts say about my erasthai. And you, Sophie, pull your greatest heartbroken wife act. Make sure everyone believes you…
"No one. Absolutely no one other than the rest of you should come to this house. Not even the king himself. Am I understood?" Delbert stated, adding the question at the end to remind them of what would happen if they so much as messed up.
He knew they wouldn't mess up, given they had been at this for the longest time.
Anhora's cover as an omega was the only thing that mattered the most at the moment, because it would determine a lot of things in the next coming days and he was aware of it too.
"Yes, sire," they all responded in unison and Delbert pushed open the door to his chambers and it locked loudly behind him. The room was still painted in all black and smelled of nothing but Nour.
A scent that was supposed to be so calming had turned to be the one scent that was driving Delbert crazy. He had thought of the things he would do the next time that Grant hurt his mate and now here he was, with his erasthai in his arms, looking to be broken.
He hated the marks on Nour.
He hated the bruises, the scars that would never fade. Delbert hated the blood on his erasthai and he sure as hell was seeing himself committing a lot of crimes against humanity because of this instance.
He hated what happened to his erasthai and he hated the fact that Nour had insisted that he let things be.
"I'm sorry, baby. I really am," Delbert sighed defeatedly as he headed to the bathroom, and settled his erasthai into the bathtub.
Nour was bruised, battered, and broken; anyone with eyes could see that and it was breaking Delbert's heart even more. This kind of shit shouldn't have happened to the love of his life and yet here they were.
He hated that life had gotten this complicated, and at the same time, he wanted to go out there and murder Grant. It was all messing with his mind so much that she almost considered falling in love with the possible strength of Grant's rotting body.
That was the only thing that could ever calm him down at this point.
"Ngh," Nour whimpered as Delbert turned on the warm water tap. It was a sound so heartbreaking and one that was truly fucking with Delbert's sanity.
This was the one sound that made him wonder what the fuck the universe was on for making his erasthai go through all of this shit. No one ever deserved to be treated like Nour had been treated and Delbert would avenge his erasthai, come hell or high water.
"Wha— Where am I? If he—" Nour voiced as he regained consciousness fully, the pain of everything that had happened coming back to him, he could feel himself torn to bits. He didn't even know if there was anything else left for him to do.
His brain was filled with Grant's voice as the man threatened him over and over while molesting him like it was the only thing that Grant had ever wanted with Nour.
There was no denying that Grant truly despised Nour, especially after everything that had happened.
Delbert's heart shattered at what his erasthai had to go through, it was fucking him up one to many times and there was no denying that this was the kind of shit that he wouldn't ever forgive.
"Baby… My beautiful baby," Delbert said softly as he stepped into the bathtub, not bothering to take off his clothes. He wasn't sure Nour would appreciate seeing him naked, after what Grant had done to him.
It was a relay that was haunting, but more than he had ever thought possible and it was also breaking his heart. This wasn't how life was supposed to be for them.
Everything could go to shit, but not their density, and yet it had left the moment that Grant had crossed the only line he should never have.
"I'm sorry… I… I tried to stop him, but… I understand if you hate me," Nour whimpered and Delbert felt the last piece of his broken heart shatter into a thousand more pieces. This wasn't supposed to happen to the man he loved more than life.
This wasn't supposed to be how he protected his erasthai and yet he had failed. The failure was staring back at him in the form of a broken Nour, and there wasn't a thing that Delbert could ever do to convince himself otherwise.
All this didn't have to happen and he blames himself even more. But then at the moment, he wasn't going to let his erasthai feel any regret for things that they couldn't change. Besides, Delbert was willing to let the world burn for Nour.
"I could never hate you, my beautiful. Never, so don't think too much of it. And don't be sorry too, you're not at fault. I will ruin him in all the ways to hell for all the shit he did to you; not even the goddess will be able to save him from me.
"He will pay, my beautiful, even if it is for the rest of his life," Delbert said as he kissed Nour's forehead softly.
As Delbert leaned closer to Nour's neck subconsciously staking his claim on the wolf in his arms, he knew the war had begun. And he would fight until the realm learned to steer clear of his erasthai.
"I love you, Cassius. I love you with everything. For every scar that bastard left on you, I'll make him bleed worse. I love you, please don't forget that, ever," Delbert said, his voice growing desperate as he held his erasthai gently.