A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 39

From somewhere inside the black hole that she had sunk into, Erin heard Cheyenne calling her name and saying something to her, but she could not hear what was being said and she did not care.

She wanted to die, but death had eluded her. The initial numbness she felt after witnessing Danshak's gruesome death has worn off and was now replaced by crushing grief that left her breathless at times. It was as if she was getting stabbed in the heart with a sharp dagger each time she remembered how Nikjin ripped her mate apart like a piece of rag.

"You cannot continue like this, Edvana," said Cheyenne softly. "Please, drink this herbal brew I made for you. It will give you strength."

"For what?" she asked and was surprised to hear how strangely her voice sounded. It was as if someone else was speaking through her. Was that Edvana's voice or was it hers?

"I know you feel as if you have nothing more to live for but you have to remember that the rest of your mate's family are still in captivity, most importantly, the Prime Alpha. There is yet hope," said Cheyenne, soothingly.

"There is no hope. Stop fooling yourself. This was the Prime Alpha's fault. If he hadn't come here in rage instead of being as calculating as his opponent, Danshak would still be alive."

It hurt so much to say Danshak's name that she winced when she said it. How was she going to continue existing without him? How do people recover after losing their soulmate?

"He killed my husband too," said Cheyenne, as if she'd heard Erin's mental question.

"My husband was a fur merchant and I had traveled with him to a small settlement near Pentuck to trade. On our way back to Vomani, we met Nikjin. We had heard of him before and we knew him to be the estranged brother of the Alpha King of werewolves.

"We humans never concern ourselves with werewolf matters, so when he told my husband to join his army, he refused, and right there before my eyes, he killed him. I watched the love of my life die for simply refusing to be a puppet in Nikjin's hands."

"And then he brought you here?" asked Erin.

"Yes, he brought me here to join the other women whom he had held in captivity in his domain. I became one of his sex slaves because it was my only chance at survival. Like you, I also wanted to kill myself and I nearly succeeded one time." Erin's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I stole a vial of poison from Zokman's hut when he was out with Nikjin and I drank it. Unfortunately for me, they returned sooner than I had expected and Zokman fed me the antidote and revived me.

"As soon as I recovered, I was whipped several times with a leather cord by Zokman and then Nikjin threatened to have me transformed into the dark beasts if I ever attempted to take my life again.

"I have seen those beasts in action and they are completely stripped of their humanity and senses. They are simply created to be killed in place of Lord Nikjin. I cannot imagine ending my life as a mindless, murderous beast." "That's awful," said Erin, with a shudder. "How could they do that to you?"

"Lord Nikjin and that evil Zokman are soulless bastards," said Cheyenne, darkly. "I have decided that the best revenge is to stay close to both of them, gain their trust and replace a way to ruin their ultimate plan. All I have to do is to wait for the perfect time to strike."

Now, this was something Erin liked to hear and for the first time since Danshak's death about a week ago, she finally felt something close to hope, bubbling in her heart. "Do you have a plan already?" she asked.

"No, but I will figure something out eventually,” replied Cheyenne. "The full moon will be out in a week or so, and that means I need to think of something fast. If Nikjin succeeds and becomes the new Alpha King of werewolves, we are doomed."

Erin gingerly rose to a sitting position on her bed. Her body was sore from lying down in the same spot for several days.

"If we work together, we could destroy Nikjin's ambition to become the Alpha King," she said in a businesslike tone. "First of all, we have to take out Zokman. He appears to be the brain behind Nikjin's plans but I suspect that he has some tricks up his sleeves that even his boss is unaware of."

Cheyenne scoffed. "I doubt that very much. Zokman is Nikjin's puppet, he only does what he is told."

"I do not think so. My instincts tell me that he has a secret plan but I don't know what it is yet," said Erin with an air of intrigue.

Rowana entered the hut just then and was surprised to see Erin awake and sitting down. "Thank the gods! You are finally awake and talking. How did you convince her to get up, Cheyenne?"

"She has a way with words," said Erin with a smile. "Besides, I cannot grieve forever. My mate would have wanted me to avenge him and that is exactly what I intend to do."

Rowana glanced nervously at Cheyenne and then back at Erin. "I am not sure that is a good idea, Edvana. My lord is not someone you can go up against. He is a ruthless adversary. Tell her, Cheyenne."

"She is not wrong, Rowana. We need to avenge our loved ones who have died at the hands of Lord Nikjin. If we are going to die at his hands too, we might as well die on our feet, fighting him rather than on our knees, begging for freedom or sucking his cock!"

Erin burst out laughing before she could stop herself. "Oh, Cheyenne. I thought you were a proper lady!"

Cheyenne giggled, and was pleased that she had made Erin laugh.

"This is not funny," said Rowana, seriously. "If my lord gets wind of what you are planning, he will kill you before you even have a chance to beg for your life." "And who is going to tell him? You?" Cheyenne challenged her co-wife.

Rowana took a step back, cowering under the other woman's glare. "I would never betray you like that," she said. "I just do not think that this is a good idea."

"It doesn't have to be," Cheyenne snapped at her. "Here, Edvana, drink this special brew I made for you. Once you finish it, I will give you some food to eat, and then we will clean you up and present you to Lord Nikjin."

Erin balked. "Present me to him? Why?"

"Why not? We must strike the iron while it is still hot. Let our lord think that he has succeeded in breaking your spirit. Be meek and repentant when you are presented to him and let him think that he has won, and then he shall begin to confide in you."

Erin wasn't sure she was ready to face her husband's killer just yet, but something about this woman's drive for action piqued her curiosity. "You seem to know him very well," said Erin, intrigued.

"I have been with him for two years and it did not take long for me to know how to impress him. He is a bully and he likes it when people fear him.

"Once he is convinced that he has conquered you, he will begin to brag about his recent conquests and you just might gain some useful information from all of his ramblings."

"This is dangerous," Rowana whispered fearfully. "Lord Nikjin is far more cunning than you two give him credit for."

"And he is way more egotistical than you give him credit for," Cheyenne fired back.

"You do not have to join us in this, so keep quiet and let us do what we must. Perhaps you are satisfied with being a fearful captive for the rest of your existence, but we are not."

Something about Cheyenne's burst of enthusiasm and unbridled confidence bothered Erin a little. It was clear that the woman had been looking for an opportunity to get back at Nikjin for killing her husband.

Now, she was somehow convinced that Erin was the perfect weapon to carry out her revenge even though she does not have it all figured out yet.

She had to exercise caution and tweak Cheyenne's instructions before she did or said anything to Nikjin. She wasn't interested in becoming a sacrificial lamb just yet.

"Let me go and get your food," said Cheyenne and she left the hut.

"You cannot seriously be considering all that nonsense that she is telling you, Edvana," said Rowana with eyes that were brimming with fear.

"Cheyenne is not thinking right and she is taking advantage of your grief to use you."

"I understand your concern, Rowana, but not doing anything is far worse. I know what Nikjin is planning to do if he becomes the supreme leader of werewolves and believe me when I tell you that it is worse than all of the atrocities that he has already committed. He is evil!"

"I know and that is why I know that you cannot defeat him. Not with Zokman by his side. They are two formidable forces that work together as a team and do not forget that they have dark magical powers at their disposal too. This is a suicide mission, Edvana. Do not do it."

Erin sighed. Rowana was making sense with her arguments but Erin couldn't bring herself to back down just yet. If Nikjin had killed her, Danshak would have avenged her death. She owed her mate justice for being killed so senselessly. "I will think carefully about everything you have said, Rowana. Thank you."

"Good. Do not allow Cheyenne put you in trouble with her wild plans. There is a reason why she's our lord's favorite and it does not only have to do with her sexual prowess."

This bit of information surprised Erin. "What do you mean?"

Rowana was saved from answering the question when Cheyenne returned with a tray laden with enough food to feed a battalion.

"Here you go, my dear," she said as she laid down the tray in front of Erin. "Eat as much as you want and let us beautify you afterward."

"Wow... that's a lot of food," Erin commented, eyeing the loaded tray.

"Yes, it is. Now get off that bed and start eating. I shall send word to Lord Nikjin that you will be coming to see him later today."

Once again, Cheyenne's enthusiasm set off warning bells in Erin's head, especially now that Rowana has planted some seeds of doubt in her mind about the woman. Was she being used as a puppet in Cheyenne's secret scheme? "Go on, Edvana, eat. You need all the strength you can get," said Cheyenne with a grin. Her cheeks were rosy with excitement and she was suddenly in high spirits.

"If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you were fattening me up for slaughtering," Erin half-joked.

Cheyenne cackled hysterically like a drunk woman. "Oh, please! Nobody is getting slaughtered today, not when our plan has not even taken shape. Now, eat up, my dear friend. Destiny awaits." "Whose destiny? Hers or yours?" Rowana asked her co-wife.

"Keep your mouth shut and mind your business," Cheyenne clapped back at the other woman. "Stay out of my way and I will stay out of yours, Rowana."

The veiled threat was unmistakable and once again, Erin wondered what her new buddy, Cheyenne was really up to. Was she just trying to take down Nikjin, or was there more to her quest for revenge?