Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Asher]

Deception was one of the most fundamental strategies of warfare. In fact, deception was warfare where one used camouflage, misled the enemy, and manipulated the situation to bend the victory on their side with the least potential conflict. A part of deception was feigning weakness to make the enemy confident and arrogant enough to walk into the trap of his own comfort.

Something as complicated as a layered deception was so deftly executed by my wife against my brother, who obviously had an upper hand until... he walked into her trap.

Xanthea was a resourceful woman. From a shampoo bottle to tiny seeds, she truly could use anything at her disposal. And right now, she had an entire pouch of things she could use against us in ways unfathomable.

I squinted, peering at the tiny silver blue seeds stuck all across Pheles' smooth midnight black fur that flashed with a tealish glow, each strand catching the light like dark silk.

"Look at all those voltthorn seeds stuck in your fur, Pheles." I tilted my head, inspecting his furry tails. "How did you not notice them?"

Pheles growled low, his fur bristling as he shook himself, trying to get rid off of the stubborn seeds. Then he glanced at Xanthea who hugged herself soothingly as she sat stiffly on my chair.

Her heart thundered so loudly; I could hear it pound across the room.

After separating them, I took Raven aside, creating enough distance between the two.

The kids in question remained hidden behind her chair.

Xanthea had secretly scattered voltthorn seeds all across Pheles' fur while feigning a reckless stabbing attempt with the thin blackthorn branch. The seeds, small and scentless, were perfect for slipping by unnoticed in the heat of adrenaline- fueled fight.

No wonder Raven didn't pick up on her deception - he'd have dismissed her fumbling strikes as a typical omega incompetence.

While in reality, with each dodge and slash, Pheles was basically getting more and more entangled in her actual trap.

'I am not as well-versed in herbology as you, Raven, but you know what voltthorn seeds do when they come in contact with a nutrition medium, right?' I asked through the mindlink.

'They grow exponentially. Small seeds shoot out into creepers that discharge electric currents strong enough to cause neural damage that could lead to irreversible impairments in an immortal. While voltthorn seeds are harmless anesthetics, their creeper form has a strong affinity for immortality genes.'

Raven's contemplative tone was passive with warning and caution as he peered at Xanthea's hand.

'But the vial she cracked in her hand couldn't have enough nutrition medium to sprout more than one or two seeds.'

'True. But she wasn't going for the medium in the vial, she was going for the medium in her veins. What could be a better nutrition medium than blood?'

Pheles looked at me, his eyes widening slightly as he scowled at Xanthea.

'Her blood? That's sick!' Raven grumbled.

'That's the thing I like about mortals. They neither have to be as good as celestials nor as evil as infernals. They swing in the gray area.'

'I can't believe this.' Raven's tone was humbled with incredulity. 'She really wasn't holding back... risking her life for some kids she picked up from the streets?'

'Well, she risked her blood, not her life. You see, had her plan unfolded the way she wanted, her life wouldn't be at much risk-'

'A mortal doesn't have immortality genes, so the voltthorn creepers wouldn't have done much harm to her. They would have clung to me. Damn, this was so ridiculous yet...'

'Impressive?' I shrugged and Pheles looked away with a grunt.

I looked at Xanthea, caressing the scratch on her palm. Her eyes met mine, but she quickly averted her gaze.

I seized her pouch after making her throw the broken vial in the dustbin. Because at this point forget about thorns, she could even use rose petals as a weapon.

'It's true; she wasn't holding back.' I looked at Pheles again. 'But it would be foolish to think this is all she's capable of. Her knowledge is her biggest weapon, and we have no idea just how far it extends. You'd be wise to go rinse off those seeds before she loses her shit again.'

Pheles glanced at Xanthea before heading towards the bathroom.

'The boy needs to go, Asher-'

'I know. But first, you wash up and... cool your head down. Or do you want me to come give you a hand...'

'Screw off! Just get rid of that boy before Ezra shows up.' He entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him with his tail..

I think we were already too late for that because Ezra had already shown up. He had arrived in the Aile castle minutes after Xanthea did, but he had been monitoring her through his demon drones.

Standing at the far end of the dock overlooking the shimmering lake in the Aile castle, Ezra's one hand was on the glass railing while the other held his phone. He heard our conversations, but his eyes were fixed on the waves the winds created. With his back towards the world and his eyes lost in oblivion, he was trying not to intervene. By not looking at his phone screen, he was distancing himself from the situation, hoping not to get too emotionally invested.

From the moment Xanthea and Raven clashed, there had been a lot of things that would have usually triggered him, but so far he hadn't relapsed and there were no signs he would.

I couldn't help but wonder how much he had healed since the last time - or if he had healed at all. I wanted to believe that he had, but I knew the reason behind his control was someone else.

Taking a deep breath, I turned and looked at the kids peeking from behind the chair. Seeing me, they quickly hid behind it. Although the reluctance of standing against me was clear in Xanthea's eyes, it didn't stop her from shielding them from me as she stood between us.

Letting out a sigh, I walked to the table, poured four glasses of water. Picking up the serving tray, I strode towards Xanthea.

She gulped hard, stiffening her body as I walked closer to her.

"Don't worry. You have invoked Ezra's protection on them. I respect that. I won't interfere," I said, handing her the tray. "This is for you and the kids. Drink up and... relax, ok?"

I sat on the edge of her bed, keeping a comfortable distance from the kids so they didn't perceive me as a threat.

Xanthea just stared at me, hesitating while I busied myself with wiping the dried blood on my body with my handkerchief.

"I know I am not in a welcoming state. My sincerest apologies for my rude appearance. I was in the middle of something. Didn't really get enough time to take a bath or change," I said, wiping the blood on my forehead.

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I stole a glance at the kids, who gulped down water as though they had been thirsty since birth.

"You..." Xanthea broke the silence. "You won't try to-"

"No," I said before she could finish. "I just want to say - listen to your heart. If it says what you are doing is right, then stand by it. But if you have even the slightest of doubts, I request you to reconsider and let the kids go." Xanthea lowered her gaze at the kids.

"Tell me honestly, Xanthea... are these kids worth risking your life?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "I don't have even the slightest of doubts that what is happening here is wrong. I'm not saying I am right, but this is wrong."

She took in a shaky breath and lowered herself into the chair.

"Killing them just because they can't activate their immortality genes at such a tender age when they don't know life from death... it's cruel. They are perfectly healthy in all other ways. Who are we to decide who lives and who dies? Alpha Raven is right. I don't know this place or its rules, but I know one thing: that kid deserves to live as much as any of you do."

She said in a soft tone, but her words had reached loud and clear to their rightful owner. Ezra raked back his hair, his breathlessness dissolving in the war of winds that whipped around him, tugging harshly at his clothes as they crashed against the dock.

"Xanthea..." I began.

"I know... I can't win against the demon lords."

"But still you took the risk. There's something else on your mind, isn't it?" I asked, and she looked at me. "What is it? Saving these kids has become more personal to you than it should be. You were never this impulsive." She shook her head.

"Nothing I did was impulsive. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, but I couldn't just unsee the obvious and ignore their cries. I know my actions have put everything at risk and it's not just my life, but I am willing to take them, anyway."

"Why?" I asked.

She bit her lower lip, pausing for a moment. In those few seconds, the heavy silence between us was interrupted by the distant sound of water running in the shower.

"Maybe because... I want to live too. But before I do, I want to know what it might cost me, and if it will be worth paying that cost just to stay alive."

I peered at her, allowing her words to settle.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have dared fight battles I know I can't win. But my mother once wrote - there are some battles we cannot not fight. Whether we win or lose. We fight." Her voice quivered. "And Alpha Ezra showed me how important it is to fight such battles because if we don't... we often lose ourselves. So, I had to try..."

Ezra didn't have a visible reaction on his impassive face, but he gripped his phone tighter at Xanthea's words. He might have helped Xanthea with her past, but he wasn't ready to face his own.

"I never wanted to bring the kids into the castle. I didn't want you or your brothers to find out about them. I just... wanted to take them somewhere safe..."

"I hope you know there's not much you can do to help them. Even if you take them out of here and release them into the wilderness, they will suffer. The boy will suffer." I said.

She shut her eyes, lowering her head in defeat.

"I want to believe that there's a way... that there's still hope," she said, holding back her tears. "I want to talk to Alpha Ezra about this. I-I think he... he might understand."

"Why? Because he understood you? Helped you? You place too much hope in demons. He helped you only because you were relatable, just as much as he could tolerate. Why not try... calling him? Isn't he your last hope?"

Xanthea pulled out her phone, lost in hesitation for a few seconds, before she called him once, twice. She called him again and again until she finally realized...

"He knows. Doesn't he?" Xanthea asked, hoping she was wrong. "He's watching."

I lowered my gaze, and she cut the call, keeping her phone aside.

"I should have known," she mumbled.

The only time I could stall for her was until Raven got out of the bathroom.

"I'll wait for you because you made me believe in something," she whispered to Ezra, her eyes welling with tears. "And I'll keep believing it..."

Ezra shut his eyes, taking a deep breath as he pocketed his phone.

I guess that was his answer.

"The greatest kindness you can show to a weak blood is by killing them. It's better than abandoning them in the wilderness or discarding them. These are Ezra's words," I said, and she lifted her bleary eyes to me. "I think his stand is quite clear. Will you still try to protect them?"

"I will," her voice quivered.

She kept waiting with all her faith, however... Ezra didn't come.

But... Raven did.

Water still dripping from his long hair and body, Raven came out of the bathroom in a black bathrobe and skimmed his eyes across the room. He understood I wasn't going to do anything about the kids, because if I wanted to, I would have done it already.

Raven strode across the room, his shadow slowly towering over Xanthea as she calmly sat on the chair.

Ezra shut his eyes.

But my gaze was fixed on her.

"Before you take them, I want to ask something," she said in a soft tone.

"I have had enough of your rubbish-" Raven growled, grabbing her arm as he yanked her up.

She remained as still as a corpse as she held Raven's gaze.

"When a weak blood born from the pure blood demon alphas doesn't have a place in your world... what place will children born from an omega mortal have?"