Heavenly Poison
Chapter 21

Damien Gray

“Damien!” Cassidy was the first to greet me when we stepped outside. She had jumped out of the truck, looking too hyper for someone who had just been in a long road trip.

When Cassidy stepped in front of me, she wrapped her arms around my neck. The audible growl coming from beside me did not go unnoticed by the group gathered around. It had been Emilia.

Layton had a smile on his face, and he took his time walking our way. After my first meeting with Cassidy, I expected Layton to be the one getting overprotective with her.

Cassidy pulled away when she noticed the glare Emilia was shooting her way.

“Cassidy, this is my mate, Emilia,” I introduced.

As soon as Cassidy let me go, Emilia wrapped her arm around my waist and pressed herself to my side. I instinctively draped my arm around her shoulders.

Anthony was looking at us with amused eyes. When I turned to face Sebastian, I realized his eyes had remained on Cassidy.

He was openly staring at her.

“And this is my cousin, Sebastian,” I said, nodding in Seb’s direction.

“Hey,” Cassidy said, and she walked closer and gave Sebastian a hug as well. From long talks between Cassidy and me, she already knew all about Sebastian.

That action earned a growl from Layton, who had noticed the way Sebastian was looking at Cassidy.

“You don’t look tough,” another voice said. When I looked away from Sebastian, Cassidy, and Layton, I noticed the guy that had just gotten out of the same SUV.

“Me?” I asked, because his eyes were on me.

“Damien?” He asked.

I nodded, and he grinned at me.

“I’m Zeverus,” he introduced, sticking out his hand for me to shake.

He was carrying a duffel bag, and he was the only one who seemed to have something on him. Behind him, there were a few other guys getting luggage out of the trucks.

“You didn’t have to carry that. Someone could’ve done it for you,” I told him, nodding at the duffel bag he was carrying.

“It’s cool, I have papers we’re going to need in a bit,” he said.

Anthony and Layton had already started talking. I noticed that Layton had kept Cassidy on his side and away from Sebastian.

“So you’re the new Alpha?” Zeverus asked, as we made our way towards Anthony and Layton.

“Not yet, but I will be,” I shrugged.

“I’ve met you before,” Zeverus said, his eyes on Emilia.

“Yes, in one of the gatherings,” Emilia nodded.

“You two haven’t mated?” Zeverus casually asked. Like if his question hadn’t been completely personal.

I didn’t know it was obvious by just looking at us. Emilia blushed and looked away, seeming embarrassed by his comment.

“We haven’t,” I replied, only because I wasn’t sure if it was rude not to say anything back.

“We should start the meeting right now,” I heard Layton say when we approached the group.

“How long are you staying with us?” Anthony asked, looking between Layton and Zeverus.

“We can stay for a few days,” Zeverus replied.

“But there are some things I wanted to clear up and there are arrangements to be made. I don’t want to leave anything out of the treaty we’re making,” Layton finished.

“I agree, although you can take a few hours to rest from the long trip. We can set up the meeting later in the afternoon,” Anthony suggested.

“I’m tired,” Cassidy was the first to point out.

I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. There was a teasing glint in her eyes, and I could just feel she was up to something.

“We can set the meeting before dinner,” I added.

Layton looked at Cassidy for a few seconds, and she nodded her head at him.

“That sounds good,” Layton said, and Zeverus nodded in agreement.

“I will make the arrangements and set up the conference room in our main building,” Anthony announced.

Luke and his buddies were still locked up there. I wasn’t looking forward to being near them, but Anthony kept insisting on holding the meeting there.

“So you two are Legens as well?” Zeverus asked, looking between Sebastian and me.

Sebastian had kept close to Cassidy, and his eyes would rarely leave her. Any chance he got, he’d strike up a conversation with her. It was funny to watch, especially when Layton interrupted their talks, mainly to remind Sebastian that Cassidy was mated, to him.

It was about an hour after their arrival when Anthony left. He and Wayne went to set everything up for the meeting, while our visitors settled in.

All they did was dump their suitcases in their rooms, and walk down to the living room. Cassidy, Zeverus, Layton, and three other guys- Micah, Jared, and Tyler- were also staying in the mansion. The rest of the Wolves accompanying them were staying in a guest house that was set up for them.

“We are,” Sebastian replied, nonchalantly.

“Just like Cassidy or is there a difference?”

“I’m younger, so I haven’t received my element yet. It should come along in October,” I replied.

“Your element?” Emilia asked.

When my eyes landed on her, I noticed she looked both surprised and annoyed.

“Uh…” I stupidly muttered.

“Damy and I might have kept some things from your pack. It was my fault, I still don’t fully trust your father and the rest of the… Wolves,” Sebastian said.

I almost broke out laughing when he said that. He had been a second away from calling them ‘dogs’. I didn’t want to say Sebastian was scared of Layton or Zeverus, because I really didn’t think that was the case, but I was sure he felt all the energy emanating from those two.

Emilia told me it was the power of their Wolves. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I knew I felt it whenever Anthony was around. For some reason though, it felt a whole lot stronger with Layton and Zeverus.

“We’ll discuss that later,” I said to Emilia.

I spoke quietly, because my words were only meant for her. In a room full of Werewolves and two other Legens, I might as well have been shouting it, since they were all able to hear.

“What element do you have?” Layton asked Sebastian.

Layton’s arms were crossed over his chest, his features were hardened, and he was looking at Sebastian with a frown. It was all his jealousy making him behave that. Emilia had been the same with me since Cassidy had arrived.

“Air,” Sebastian replied.

“How is that useful?”

“You’d be surprised,” Sebastian said, his voice sounding like he was sending out a challenge to Layton.

“How was the trip?” I interrupted.

I was not looking forward to Sebastian and Layton fighting. I wanted them to get along. I didn’t expect much of a friendship between them, because I could tell their personalities clashed. They were so different, but I wanted to make the alliance with Layton work.

If I wanted to save Mountain Peak, I really needed it.

“I thought it was fun,” Cassidy replied.

She had been staring between Sebastian and Layton as well.

“I doubt your trip will take long,” Emilia added, with an edge to her voice.

“Emilia,” I snapped, and shook my head.

“Layton is my mate, and I am very happy with him. You don’t have to worry about me,” Cassidy said to Emilia, giving her a bright smile.

When Cassidy said that, I wasn’t sure who those words were aimed at- Emilia, Layton, or Sebastian. Emilia had blushed at Cassidy’s words, since Cass had been looking at her when she spoke. Sebastian frowned, and his eyes focused more intensely on Cassidy. Layton was the only one who grinned at Cassidy’s words.

I tightened my hand on Emilia, trying to replace a way to reassure her somehow. She was trembling lightly, and I’d seen that before from her, when she was about to shift. I pressed her closer to my side, and allowed her to nestle her head in my neck.

It felt intimate, but no one in the room questioned it. At that point, Sebastian seemed calm and had started talking with Zeverus. While Tyler joined in on the conversation with Sebastian and Zeverus, Jared and Micah were talking with Cassidy.

Emilia and I stayed quiet for the rest of the time we spent there.

“You can give your conditions if you’d like,” Anthony told Layton.

The meeting had just started, and it had only involved a few members of our pack, and the Wolves that had traveled with Layton.

Anthony, Sebastian, Wayne, Emilia, and Randy were the members from Mountain Peak present in the conference room. On Layton’s side, there was him, Cassidy, Zeverus, Tyler, Micah, and Jared.

We were all seated around a long oval table, with Layton and Anthony taking the head of each end. Cassidy was by Layton’s side, and Zeverus sat next to Cassidy.

Although he was an Alpha, he mainly seemed to be there for support. Most of the comments he had made consisted of jokes, and had been shared with Sebastian. His Beta, Micah, never left his side. He didn’t seem to trust anyone, which seemed like a good thing. I knew we would never hurt them, but they didn’t and it was good to know they were protective of their members.

I had no idea how most meetings between Alphas went, but Anthony easily took control of the one we were in.

Whenever he wanted me to pay attention to something he did or said, he would give me a discrete nod.

“I have set a few conditions in the contract, but those are things I’m sure you will ask for as well,” Layton firmly stated.

He gave Cassidy a short look, before turning to face me.

“By the time we make use of this treaty, you’ll probably be ruling already,” he said.

“Is that a problem?” Anthony asked.

“Not at all. I just want for Damien and his mate to fully understand my situation.” Layton didn’t sound worried, even though I knew more or less what his situation was.

He was feuding with a pack, Midnight Moon. According to Emilia and Anthony, they were the largest pack, and one we shouldn’t take lightly.

“Anthony might’ve mentioned something,” I told him.

“I’m not in the best of terms with Dylan, the Alpha of Midnight Moon. You’ve heard of them?” Layton asked.

I nodded in reply. What I knew of Midnight Moon were the few things Emilia had been telling me throughout the day.

Anthony had told me earlier in the week that I needed to learn everything of each pack in the US. I hadn’t done a great job trying to study them. Something told me that after the meeting, I wasn’t going to be able to sleep properly until I found out more about each pack.

Good things for Sebastian and me rarely lasted. Even staying with Anthony and Emilia, and having her by my side felt surreal. I had to make plans, in case the life I was trying to live in that moment didn’t work out.

I figured learning more about Werewolves and their system would be useful. After all, they had always been our greatest enemy.

“My problem with this feud Dylan and I are having is that Midnight Moon doesn’t go into battle alone. Dylan usually has Caine, the Alpha of Locus Pack, backing him up. If Dylan and I ever go to war, Caine will become an enemy.”

“Caine…?” I muttered, in a questioning tone.

“The dude’s young, but he is pretty lethal. His pack is about the same size as Layton’s,” Zeverus answered.

“Is that bad?” Sebastian asked, and he looked between Layton and Zeverus. “So far I’m hearing it’s going to be their two packs against our three. Mountain Peak isn’t so big but Damy and I could do some serious damage,” he added.

“It’s a great advantage. And we might have the support of another pack, if we need it.” Jared, Layton’s Beta, spoke out.

I looked at Layton, waiting for him to explain more of Jared’s comment.

“Jared’s sister is the Luna of Imperial Pack. We don’t know if we can convince them, but they will either become allies or enemies. Blake, the Alpha of Imperial Pack, gets along well with Dylan. I’m hoping he either joins us or he completely stays out of the fight.” Layton said.

“You make it sound like a war is inevitable,” Sebastian said.

He was frowning, but there was something more to the way he was looking at Layton.

“It might be. At this point, I can’t be sure. I’ve already had confrontations with Dylan before. I just want your pack to know that we will be with you if you ever need us. But if we come to an agreement, I would also want your pack to be there with us,” he said, his eyes looking from Sebastian, to me, to Emilia, before they landed on Anthony.

“If I go to war with Dylan, having Damien and Sebastian on our side might just win us the war. I know what Legens are capable of,” Layton said, his words aimed at Anthony, who looked more uncertain by the minute.

He was seeking peace. He wasn’t interested in a war. But I knew we needed Layton. Not just because of Luke and his father. We also needed to make sure the other packs would respect that I took the position as Alpha, despite the fact that I was clearly not a Werewolf.

“We’ll do it.” The words came from me.

I wasn’t even sure why I’d accepted without first talking with Anthony or Emilia about it. Emilia’s eyes were on me as soon as those words were out of my mouth. Anthony just looked surprised.

I knew that even if Anthony didn’t sign the treaty, I would be there with Layton. For one, Cassidy was a Legen and I was willing to stand by her no matter what. I knew she would do the same for Sebastian and me. The other reason was that in the short week I had met him, I’d grown to respect Layton.

“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Sebastian asked me once we were alone. It was late at night, and we’d gone out to fly.

I hadn’t told Emilia yet about my wings, and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I did. I focused instead on the sky ahead of me, and distracted my thoughts by listening to Sebastian.

“Go down,” Sebastian ordered, and he nodded towards a clearing up ahead.

We had arrived at the piece of land Sebastian had purchased a few weeks ago. It looked beautiful and green, just like it did the last time we were there.

“I’m doing it,” I quietly told him, and settled myself on the ground, pressing my back against one of the tall trees.

“Of course you are, you signed a treaty.”

“You signed it too,” I reminded him.

“I only did it because you were already getting yourself in this mess. We have a lot more to lose than they do,” he said.

“No we don’t.”

“Yes, we do,” he stated.

“For now, we have Brian to take care of. He’s going to do everything he can to get Luke back, or to free him, or whatever crazy idea he gets.”

“Brian is hardly a threat,” Sebastian said, mockingly. “I could snap my fingers and break the poor bastard’s neck. I would probably be doing him a favor, since he hardly contributes to his kind.”

“What about after that? What about all the other packs? You’ve seen how territorial Wolves are. We’re not Wolves, and we’re not human. Do you think they’ll start trusting us just because?”

“So what? They try to attack us, we’ll just get rid of them. We’ve done it before.”

I shook my head at him and sighed.

“It’s not that easy, Seb. Anthony doesn’t want Mountain Peak in danger.”

“Since when do you care so much about them anyways?” There was accusation in his voice and he wasn’t trying to hide it.

“I have to think about Emilia.”

“I thought you didn’t want her.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, even though he had a point. Those were things I’d said before, but I didn’t believe in them anymore.

“I can’t do this alone.”

I closed my eyes, and allowed my head to fall back. It was dark out, and the air around us was cold. The long sleeve shirt I’d been wearing had been ripped apart when my wings came out.

“I’m not leaving, Damy. I would never do that. I just don’t know about this deal you made.”

“What about Cassidy?”

“What about her?” Sebastian asked, but the frown was wiped from his face and a smile took over his lips.

“She’s one of us. Cass is the only other Legen we’ve ever found. I’m not willing to give her up. Being with Layton and Zeverus means having two allies, but it also means we can see Cass whenever we want.”

That was all the convincing Sebastian needed. For his sake, I was hoping his thoughts about Cassidy stuck to the connection we shared as Legens.

“Where did you go?” Emilia asked me after I arrived at the mansion.

The house was quiet, and only dim lights were turned on in each hall. Emilia had been drinking coffee in kitchen, and she was still fully dressed.

It was past midnight and she hadn’t gone to bed yet.

“Sebastian and I needed to talk,” I told her.

I took a seat on the stool beside her, and stole the mug she was drinking from. She smiled when I took a sip of the coffee, and rested her head on my shoulders.

“He didn’t look happy with your decision,” Emilia said, her voice soft.

“He’s not,” I admitted. “Are you?” I asked her.

Anthony and I had already talked. He had questions, but overall, he agreed with me. We needed them.

“Should I be worried?” She asked me instead.

“About what?” I asked, and turned my body so that I was fully facing her.

“You and that Luna, you two get along really well.”

I gave her a knowing smile. She had kept quiet about it all day. Although she made a few rude comments and growled when Cassidy got too close to me, Emilia hadn’t straight up confronted me about it.

“She’s a Legen. She’s the only one Sebastian and I have ever met. I don’t even know how to describe how it feels to know that Seb and I are not alone,” I told her.

“You’re not alone,” Emilia said, her voice cracking when she spoke.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said.

I put both of my hands on either side of my face so that Emilia couldn’t look away from me.

“Then how did you mean it?”

“Meeting Cassidy felt like was seeing a long lost sister for the first time. You’re my mate. There’s no comparison,” I explained.

“And if I wasn’t? Would you even give me a second look?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. But I do know that despite how shitty I behaved with you, it’s always been you,” I replied, and the truth of my words hit me like a bucket of cold water.

Her blue eyes grew big, and were starting to glass over. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips, and I felt myself smiling like an idiot as well.

“I love you, Emilia,” I whispered, and it was the only thing I got to say before her lips crashed against mine.