Page 96 of Wrath

When I wasn’t meeting with representatives from the various camps scattered throughout the kingdoms, I was with the other leaders, planning for battle. With all of the mages now joining our side, it was easy to arrange chats with leaders miles and miles away from us, including Davia, Atta, and Axel.

So far, there were no new updates. Aaliyah had been uncharacteristically silent since we’d freed her goblin army and allowed them to live in the woods. I didn’t know if it was because she had failed…or if we had merely fallen into her plan. Eitherway, a thread of trepidation wove around my heart, squeezing with every consecutive hour that passed.

I spent my days alternating between the training grounds, the armory, and the cafeteria, ensuring everything was going off without a hitch. There were too many lives depending on me and my mates. We couldn’t let them down.

I was moving towards the largest tent in camp, preparing for yet another meeting, when a somewhat familiar man sidled up beside me. Belatedly, I recognized him as one of the leaders of this particular camp, but his name eluded me.

Sam, maybe?

No…Steven.

Stephan!

I mentally gave myself a high-five.

It was no secret that Stephan had a huge crush on me. Anyone with eyes could see that. He followed me around like a besotted puppy and agreed with almost everything I said, even when I knew I was wrong.

Just now, he was staring at me with hearts in his eyes, his throat working as he swallowed.

“Is there something you need, Stephan?”

He flushed red and lowered his head. “It’s Stefan, actually.”

Oh shit.

Before I could apologize, he continued on, his voice gaining conviction with each word he said. “But you can call me Stephan if you want! I actually really like that name, and it’s close enough to Stefan that I won’t get confused. So Stefan or Stephan, whichever you prefer.”

The tips of his ears turned crimson.

I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose in irritation. “Stefan, I apologize.” I made sure to stress his correct name. “It’s been a long day.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” He blinked up at me, his lips slightly parted. “I can give you a massage, if you want.”

His pinkie scraped against my own, the slightest of caresses, before I pulled my hand away, trying to remain inconspicuous.

“No, thank you.” I offered him a tight smile. “I just need to sleep. I’ll be fine after that.”

He stared at me, his mouth agape, and then blurted out, “With me?”

“No! Ew!” I shook my head vehemently, then realized that might be a bit of an overreaction. Especially the “ew” part. Working to moderate my tone, I said, “Is there something you need, Stefan?”

He forked his fingers through his hair. “Errr. No. Not really. I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. But I should probably go. I mean, if you want me to go, that is. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay, but only if you want me to. If you want me to go, I’ll go. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay. If you want me to?—”

“I’ll see you at the next meeting, Stefan,” I told him gently, pivoting on my heel and making a beeline towards my tent.

Fuck the meeting tonight. I needed a break.

Stefan released a wounded sound, and I wondered if this was how it felt to kick a puppy.

“Yeah. Of course. See you.” He muttered something under his breath and then forlornly trudged towards the tent, kicking at loose pebbles as he walked.

I waited until he was out of sight until releasing the breath I’d been holding.

“Good grief,” I murmured, scraping a hand down my face.

“Annoyed with your fan club?” a dry voice remarked from behind me.

I didn’t jump, despite being taken by surprise, and turned to see violet eyes peering back at me through the darkness.

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