Black Ice-Completed
Chapter 44

“Alright! Time to get up!” Syn shouted loudly, jerking Nyota up from a deep sleep. At her glare, he just laughed and held a cup of tea out to her as an offering, “You’re so insatiable, my love. If I didn’t wake you up like that, you would have woken me up with nuzzling and all that other nonsense and then I’d have to take you and that would get us nowhere!”

Nyota grumbled and huffed softly as she drank her tea and started to get things around to get moving. She’d have to remember to retaliate after all this was over. He would be woken up frequently and misery would ensue. She’d be quite happy.

“So all we have to do is go straight north now to the abandoned town. After about fifteen miles north, we turn northwest and head to the cabin that lies on the outer edge of the woods. There, my father and several of the elders will be able to guide you to better accomplish what needs to be done!” Syn said as he shouldered his pack and helped Nyota get into her own. His hand slowly slid down to her wrist and he caressed the edges gently.

Nyota felt a sliver of fear enter her heart and she looked at Syn, her emerald eyes staring into his sea ice blue, “You’ll stay right by my side right?” she asked as old insecurities bubbled up.

Syn smiled softly down at her and stroked her cheek as he bent close and kissed her forehead, “If that is where you want me, that is where I will stay.” He stepped close and hugged her tightly, no force on Nytera would ever keep him from his mate now.

They walked for several miles that night, still staying under the cover of darkness in case a patrol happened by and saw them. In the distance, Nyota could just make out the outline of the abandoned town, its towers reaching high for the stars.

“Black Ice wolves and shifters used to live peacefully there. Supposedly, we had a booming business training bears, sabers, and others for mercenary and military jobs. War Commanders and Priests would send all their soldiers to us. This wasn’t so much a town as a barracks. After the curse, many wanted nothing to do with us anymore,” Syn said quietly as they stared at the outline, a frown on his face as he looked.

Nyota tilted her head at Syn and pulled his hand close to her side, “For good reason, Syn. If they had stayed, they would have been dragged into our curse and that would have been even more dangerous. Afterwards, maybe we can build it back up to it’s former glory.” Looking across the Ice Floes she sighed. Nyota had such a hard time distancing on the Ice that it confused her as she tried to make sense of it, “How much further do we have to go before we get there?”

“After tonight, it’ll take around two or three more nights,” he said as he scanned the ice for spiders and patrols.

Nyota nodded and shifted her feet. It seemed it was taking longer than usual to make their way to the abandoned town. But then again, they were only traveling at night. Had they been traveling day and night, they would have surely gotten there in record time otherwise. She was so deep in thought she never realized Syn had continued to talk about why they were going slow.

“We also have to go slow in case of the ice spiders. We’re on the edge of their old breeding territory, and while we tried to draw most of them away, some may still be around,” he said as he walked forward. “When we do enter their territory, you will need to walk exactly where I walk,” he said and pulled her closer.

Morning came upon them quickly and they had found themselves in the spider’s territory far sooner than even Syn has expected. “You’ve gotten better at walking on the ice!” he said, praising Nyota who just gave him a wry grin as earlier she had slipped on the ice, almost bringing Syn down with her as she had grabbed onto his shoulder.

As the sun peaked over the ice, Nyota sighed, “Are you sure we can’t travel a little bit further?”

Syn shook his head and sat down up against a frozen snowdrift, “No love, it’s too risky!” and handed her a piece of jerky as she sat beside him on their bedroll.

They cuddled the morning away, talking softy about things that interested the other. “What are your parents like?” Nyota asked at one point, surprising Syn but secretly he was also please that she wanted to know about his family.

“Rush and Asper are some of the best people I know. They can’t live without each other. Rush was born in the mountains of Azgeta. They tend to be huge up there. Asper was born in Uscyte, as so many of the our woman come from there. We very rarely get any woman from Marais or even across the sea,” Syn said as he softly rubbed Nyota’s arm and smoothed some salve over her wrist to try to coax the wound to heal.

Nyota frowned in confusion, “The mountains? I thought all Azgetian wolves were born in the woods?” Her father had never said anything about the separation of the wolves. This was all new to her.

Syn blinked at her lack of information and curled his lips. Braytek may have been her father, but he lacked serious thought in her upbringing. He had treated Nyota as if she was part of the pack, except she had never been part of the pack. Nyota had grown up alone with a human to watch after her when usually pups had many mentors to go to and learn what they needed.

“Most do,” he said slowly, “but to keep the peace, many of the pack has split into three different packs. There are those who reside in the woods where the Alpha rules from. To the west of the woods lie many abandoned towns where wolves who are on standby for the Alpha live, and then there are those who live in the mountains. They only migrate down when they’re ready to replace a woman to mate with. They are most like the packs of old, before the curse. The ones that reside in the towns are a mix of Lyosha’s followers and wolves that are just trying to survive.”

Nyota bit her lip as she struggled to process all the information Syn had given her, “Will the wolves from the other packs, especially the mountains, support me or will they try to challenge my right as Alpha?” Nyota asked, she didn’t fear more challenges, but she wanted to know if she was to expect more than what she first thought she’d have to.

Syn didn’t hear any anxiety or nervousness in Nyota’s questions. He was glad that she would rise to the challenge if one arose, “Many of the wolves in the mountains will support you. There will be some who will challenge you if they can make it past your betas.”

Nyota closed her eyes and sighed. There was still so much to learn. Braytek had killed most of his betas before Nyota or her brother Tymothyn had been born. As far as she knew, he had never replaced them which was why Lyosha had been able to get to him so easily.

Because Braytek had failed to fill the positions, they were automatically filled by the wolves who were the next strongest and not the most loyal to the Alpha, which guaranteed his downfall. A lesson she would not forget when she took over as Alpha.