17 Aylin Ediar

Azimir sat beside an unconscious Vasili and held his arm again. They had reached the kingdom and Kyle had finished dealing with the man's wounds. He even tended to the wounds others had incurred when they were being chased by their Alpha.

Vasili's condition was still critical unlike the others who had only suffered some minor injuries and it now lay upon him. Until he woke up, Kyle could not declare him to be out of danger and Azimir kept begging in his mind, praying the Moon Goddess to take his life instead of his Beta's.

'If not for me losing my rationality, you would not have been here, Vasili. Please forgive me. Please.' He continued to plead for forgiveness silently as he stared at Vasili's pale face. 'Moon Goddess, please save Vasili and take my life instead of his. I am unfit to be an Alpha. I could not even keep my Beta safe. How will I be able to protect my pack members and the humans?'

Other than Azimir and Kyle, only Vasili's parents stayed in the room as they watched their son lying unconscious. Even though they were worried for him, not once did they blame their Alpha for their son's condition. It had been a miracle that their son had survived the attack and they were truly grateful that Azimir had held back even though that was far from the truth.

Vasili's father, Luther had witnessed how fierce Azimir had been when they were in the jungle. But did not hold the Alpha responsible for all that had happened to his son, and this only added more to Azimir's guilt.

Even though the others wanted to enter the room to enquire about their Beta's health, they stopped at the door. Nobody had missed the dark and gloomy expression on their Alpha's face and everyone realized why he was this depressed. He was holding himself responsible for what had happened and was now repenting it.

Not knowing what to do and how to approach their Alpha, they just stood outside the door as they waited for Vasili to wake up.

Zavid too stood with the group of people. Unlike most of the wolves who had retired to rest for the day after the night's exhausting venture, Zavid could not put his body to rest. His mind was filled with Vasili's pale face and his Alpha's guilt-filled expression. He could not bring himself to stay still and do nothing, and he rushed to the palace where Vasili was being treated by Kyle.

Moments passed, and it was not until he heard someone calling him from behind that he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Gamma Zavid, the humans from the previous night are asking for the Alpha's presence. What do I tell them?" One of the guards who had escorted the humans to a safe place the previous night reported to him, and Zavid frowned on hearing him.

Amid the commotion and distress, they had entirely forgotten about their guests and he reprimanded himself for it. Now that his Alpha was emotionally broken and his Beta was unconscious, it fell upon his shoulders to deal with all the matters related to the kingdom.

"Take them to the throne room. I will be there shortly. It was my fault that I neglected them." Zavid ordered the guard and the man bowed at him before he rushed to follow his orders.

"Please keep me updated regarding Beta Vasili's condition. I will be in the throne room." He requested one of the other guards who was standing in the corridor he was in. Taking a deep breath, Zavid stared at the closed door again before he followed the direction that led to the throne room.

"I apologize for my insolence. Please forgive me." He apologized the moment he entered the throne room and observed the group of humans who were standing in the center.

Among the group of men, it was the girl who attracted him and his eyes lingered on her more compared to the others. In the absence of his Alpha and King, he deemed it disrespectful to take his chair. Instead of taking his seat, he stood in front of them, giving the throne room and the throne the respect they deserved.

"Please forgive us. We were looking for the Alpha." The girl spoke even before he did and her words only startled Zavid. He gave her a suspicious look as he kept his gaze fixed on her for a few moments.

Just like the men in the group, she too had an aura of a warrior around her and it was too intense and compelling to ignore. Her confident aura did not falter even on meeting his gaze, and Zavid was only intrigued by her. It was not astonishing to have female warriors in the army. It was her courage and countenance that amazed him and he realized at once that she was the leader.

"You are right, Lady. I am not the Alpha. Our Alpha and Beta are occupied currently and I apologize on their behalf for not being cordial enough." Zavid bowed before them to show how sincere he was with his words. "I am Zavid Byrne. I am the Gamma of the Kingdom of Ideni."

"We understand, Gamma Zavid." The girl smiled at him faintly. "We heard about the mishap that happened to your Beta. I am Aylin Ediar, the Commander General of the army of Aranill and they are our soldiers."

Zavid's eyes widened in surprise and his stunned look only made Aylin smile. This was how everyone reacted whenever she introduced herself even though she did not know why.

"Gamma Zavid, is there any way for me to meet your Alpha? I have an important piece of information to convey to him." She gave him a hopeful look and Zavid let out a helpless sigh.

"I am unsure Commander Aylin. I will have to get his permission first. If you are willing, I can take a message for our Alpha, Commander."

"Please forgive me. This matter is confidential and I can only reveal it to the Alpha." Aylin's guilty tone made Zavid shake his head immediately.

"I get it, Commander. You do not have to apologize to me."

Zavid was not disheartened by the lady's rejection. He understood her reasons and he smiled at her assuringly.

"If this matter was not urgent I would not have disturbed him in this situation." She continued and Zavid thought about it for a few moments.

"I cannot assure you, Commander. Our Alpha is troubled and saddened by what has happened and I do not know if he would be willing to meet anyone. I will try my best."

Zavid then turned his attention to the guard who was inside the throne room and summoned him to him. "Please provide our guests with some refreshments and take care of them well. I will be back soon."

The guard nodded at him and got to follow his orders immediately while Zavid glanced at Aylin one last time before he too left the throne room after assigning two guards to cater to their needs in his absence.