Scarlet

Nikolai's POV

Everything seemed to happen at once. Wolves rushed towards one particular girl with one intention. To seize her as their alpha instructed.

At the same time, an explosion went off right in front of Nikolai knocking him backward and throwing the entire crusade into chaos.

Nikolai's beta wolves and enforcers rushed forward to protect him from the heat of the explosion and the falling debris. No one understood what was happening.

"What is going on?" Tiki questioned. "What the hell is happening?" No one paid him heed. Everyone ran along trying to get away from the source of the explosion in case of a second attack.

"Stand your ground, wolves of the night pack!" Tiki bellowed. Everyone halted unable to resist an alpha's direct command.

"This was an assassination plot to eliminate Nikolai." Gabe deadpanned. He was Nikolai's beta and second in command. He flanked Nikolai breathing heavily both in anger and exertion.

Tiki blanched from the accusation.

"You can't believe that's true." He fired back. "No one in my pack would dare do such without receiving direct orders from me."

"Are you saying you gave direct orders for a packmate to try and assassinate my alpha?" Gabe asked, growling.

"No, no, of course not." Tiki sputtered.

Nikolai glowered at him. It was an insult to an alpha of his status. He had honored his invitation to attend the moon dance and this was what he got in return.

"I can't stand for this insult." Nikolai deadpanned. His eyes flashed wolf in anger.

Tiki drew back at the sight. Nikolai could see the fear that laced his eyes even though he tried to hold it back and not show weakness in front of his subjects.

"I had no hand in this." Tiki defended himself again.

"This alliance is over. Find out who did, or you will pay the price for this disgrace." Nikolai warned.

He had enlisted the help of the neighboring packs to join him in his last war. Tiki was among those who honored the invitation. While his father was alive, he had been good friends with Tiki and even after his death, Nikolai tried to maintain the relationship by keeping the peace between the two packs and including them in his escapades.

It wasn't news that he was a ruthless alpha, and everyone knew the rumor of how he tended to turn feral in his wolf form. For these reasons, other alphas feared and respected him. Everyone was wary of him.

Even though he was friends with Tiki, he knew the old man resented him for the accomplishments he'd made at such a young age. It wouldn't be surprising to find out the process was just a disguise to draw him out and end him. The thought angered him greatly.

"You can't just end a treaty that has lasted for decades even before you were born," Tiki demanded.

"It is my responsibility to carry it on. And today, you have jeopardized that duty. You either provide the perpetrators to prove your innocence or the treaty is over. And you know what that means. I'd hate to bring war to your doorstep," Nikolai said and stepped up into Tiki's face. "But I wouldn't hesitate to do it if you push me."

"Why would I risk my life, and that of my wolves, to go to war with you, only to jeopardize it with some stupid act such as this one? Think about it, Nikolai, and come to your senses at once." Tiki demanded. His voice shook with a slight tremor, but he hid it skillfully.

Nikolai stepped back and took a deep breath.

"You have one week." He smoothed out invisible creases from his dress shirt with one swipe and turned around to leave.

He bumped into a tiny mass which elicited an oomph and a thud as the mass fell on the ground.

Nikolai looked and there she was again, sitting with her ass on the ground, her palms behind her and faced down, and her head tilted up to look at him.

Her wide green eyes stared at him innocently and her face seemed to be locked in a state of perpetual confusion.

Nikolai's heart dived and hammered in his chest. Blood roared in his ears, and his wolf howled threatening to burst out of the short leash he kept him on.

"Calm, Guerra." He mentally warned the wolf. The wolf growled in response and snapped at him fighting against the leash.

All night, ever since he first laid eyes on the little thing in front of him, his wolf had been on override. He didn't know what it was about her. Her never-ending red hair pillowed around her and he imagined wrapping his hands through the massive curls of scarlet upon scarlet upon scarlet.

Awareness slammed through him and he seemed to recollect himself. Gently he bent down and scooped her up for the second time since the procession started. The girl was so clumsy and tended to fall around. That was his conclusion for having to pick her up two times in a space of four hours.

"I'm sorry," she started to apologize, just like before. Nikolai cut her off with a wave of his hand. He didn't want to hear her soft voice any more than he wanted to leave the clearing. He wanted to hold on to his anger, and listening to her would sorely defeat that purpose.

"One week." He reminded Tiki and stormed off his betas and enforcers following closely behind.

"What was that about?" Gabe quizzed as they got to the car.

Nikolai shot him a look that told him to shut up. But having grown up with Gabe, and after being best friends for years, the look didn't faze him.

"Don't give me that look. Something is clearly going on in that alpha head of yours." Gabe poked.

"Drop it," Nikolai warned.

"No." Gabe fired back.

Nikolai glared at him and slammed the car door shut.

"Of course, something is going on in my head. I just got back from a ruthless expedition without dying, and then I went to celebrate my success, and I almost died. Does that sound sensible to you?" Nikolai shot back at him.

Gabe raised an eyebrow calling him out on his lie.

"Tonight has been a lot. I know that. But, that's not what I'm talking about."

"You're not concerned someone tried to take me out? Is that how much you want to get rid of me, you sly goat?" Nikolai asked. His eyes squinted in suspicion as he stared his beta down.

"I take offense to that insult. No wolf wants to be called a goat." Gabe replied with an eye roll.

"You're deflecting. What do you know about the bomb that just went off in front of me?" Nikola asked.

"You are deflecting. Why did you get all weird and tongue-tied in front of that feline? In all of our years together, I've never known you to show compassion to anyone. You are the most ruthless and most feared alpha across the eastern lands. What happened?" Gabe asked.

Nikolai shook his head subtly.

"I don't know. I can't explain it. There was an urge within me to help her."

Gabe narrowed his eyes at the answer.

"How is Guerra? Does he recognize her scent?"

"She didn't have any scent. We couldn't smell anything on her." Nikolai answered.

"That's strange. Why would you be drawn to her if you couldn't smell her?" Gabe asked, perplexed.

"Really, Gabe? Did you see her?" Nikolai asked sarcastically.

"Of course. We all did. And yes, I know, she's the most beautiful thing I've laid eyes on. But I didn't have the same reaction as you. You visibly shook when you sighted her."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nikola denied.

"Keep telling yourself that. What about Guerra? Do you think he recognizes her, maybe as make or something?" Gabe poked.

Nikolai glared at him again and prayed to the goddess for strength because he was so close to throttling his best friend.

"You know that may not be possible. I couldn't even smell her. How do you think my wolf would have recognized her without a scent?"

Gabe shrugged mindlessly and drove off.

Nikolai was grateful for the silence. It gave his mind enough peace to go back and reminisce on the events of the night.

Guerra might have been unable to recognize any scent but he had been agitated at the sight of her too. And Nikolai didn't understand why.

He tried to push the experience out of his mind, but each time he closed his eyes, it felt like he was free-falling into an endless sea of red hair. He didn't want to come up for air, but Gabe's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Do you think Tiki will keep the peace? He claimed not to know anything about the explosion."

"Tiki cannot afford to go to war with me. He will provide whoever it was that did it. And even if he couldn't find the person, he would find a way to compensate me, because there's no way I'm letting this go unpunished."

"Seconded," Gabe replied.

They relaxed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive.

Nikolai stared out the window and calculated his next moves. Things were about to change.