A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

At first, Katya looked at the throne behind her with surprise, but then shrugged casually and sat down as well, with legs wide, and both arms on the arm rests.

On the other side, Alexandre frowned and looked behind him. Then, he scoffed and waved his hand. Aetherium moved, a dark blue magic circle appeared under the throne, and a small lightning storm annihilated it.

Unsurprisingly, Erik chuckled wryly as he was reminded of their difference in power. Yet, he didn't think Alexandre was the kind of person who'd do this just to prove a point, and then remain standing to spite him. So, he wondered what the man was going to do instead.

The answer came quickly, when the magic circle that destroyed his throne remained, and instead formed a new throne. This time, it was made of surprisingly solid storm clouds.

"I see," Elora muttered thoughtfully in Erik's head. "That spell is like your ice maker, but with storm affinity instead. I believe that's also the way he's flying. He simply creates storm clouds under his feet, which are partly made up off the wind affinity, allowing him to fly."

Erik took in the new knowledge with interest, but then refocused on Alexandre. The Frenchman had taken a seat on his newly created storm throne, and narrowed his eyes at Erik.

"So you really are a shapeshifter with Arcanist spells," he said solemnly. "Are you an actual hybrid?"

Erik smiled mysteriously, "Not a hybrid, no. In fact, I am, for the most part, just your regular, run of the mill werewolf."

Standing behind him, Emma, Emily, and Astrid all had twitching eyebrows. While it was true that Erik's 'base material' was actually that of a relatively normal werewolf, to gloss over all his advantages with 'for the most part' was just a gross under valuation.

Not to mention that the 'relative' part of his werewolf origins actually came from the fact he could trace his ancestry to the first werewolf, Fenrir, which gave him a leg up on his fellow shapeshifters.

Naturally, Alexandre could see the women's reactions, but even if he couldn't, he didn't believe a word of what Erik was telling him. So he scoffed with as much scepticism as he could summon up, "Is that right? Very surprising…"

Erik just chuckled at his scepticism. Still resting his head on his left fist, he waved his other hand dismissively. "Anyway, I doubt this is what you really want to discuss with me. How about we address the elephant in the room?"

Alexandre's face scrunched up, and he glanced back at Katya. Unfortunately for him, she shrugged with a hard expression, "You're not getting my brother back, Alexandre. If you don't want Aria to kill your wife, I suggest you listen to him."

Next to her, Erik smiled confidently, "I'm offering you a way to free your wife from the blade that Aria is dangling over her head. I understand you're sceptical about my qualifications to do so, but surely you love your wife enough to at least hear me out?"

Two years ago, it was Eloise, Alexandre's wife, who ended up falling for the trap Aria had set up in Bamburgh castle. It was a powerful poison that was linked to Aria somehow, although how exactly was still unclear. What was clear, however, was that Aria could kill Eloise anytime she wanted.

Anger flared in Alexandre's eyes, and he shot up from his throne to point accusingly at Erik, "Don't you dare question the love I bear for Eloise! For two years I've suffered under that despicable snake's heel to keep my wife safe, and I'll suffer as long as I need to! You might be offering me a way to get out from under Aria, but what if it doesn't work?! What will happen to Eloise then?!"

Erik shook his head sombrely, "We both know your wife's health has been deteriorating lately. Even if Aria is delaying the poison coursing through her system, it's still affecting her. You say you'll suffer under Aria as long as you need to, but will Eloise survive that long? Aria certainly doesn't care about her life.

Who knows if she'll cure your wife when the day comes that Eloise can't hold on any longer?"

Erik leaned forward on his throne, and looked deeply at Alexandre, "I'm offering to cure your wife today. No more sword over her neck. No more serving a dishonourable mistress."

Then, he went back to his previous posture, and shrugged, "Or you can keep wasting time here, while Aria might decide to kill your wife at any time, because she's probably already found out about Dimitri."

Instantly, a deep, primal fear appeared on Alexandre's face. He trembled as he sat back down and gripped the arm rests tightly. Anger, helplessness, depression, and marital love all tried to compete for a top spot in the melting pot of emotions showing on his face.

But, finally, he leaned back, defeated, and gripped his forehead. "Fine…" he whispered just loud enough for Erik to hear. "If you're my only hope here, then what other choice do I have? So, assuming you really do have the power to cure my wife, what do you want in return?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Erik grinned victoriously, "I want to create a covenant with you."

Alexandre frowned in confusion, "A covenant…?"

While all the Councillors knew of the mark on Seraphina's hand, the full capabilities of the covenant, or even its name, still eluded them. So, Erik quickly explained everything to him.

Understanding shone in his eyes as he glanced at the raven-haired vampire in the back with a raised eyebrow. "So that's what you used to keep Seraphina quiet. I suppose that explains some things, and I also know the power of this covenant… Mother Zara has been trying to break the spell for a year now, without success."

Erik knew that Mother Zara was the current faction leader of the Council humans, and that the faction was practically a cult, honouring Zara Yaga as an infallible mother.

Alexandre turned back to Erik. "You say the covenant affects you, too. Assuming I'm wiling to believe that's true, will you include the promise to cure my wife in our covenant?"

Erik nodded calmly, "Of course."

Alexandre breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Then he nodded as well, "Okay… tell me what you want me to agree to. I'll do anything to save my wife, so you have all the cards."

In response, Erik smiled softly. "I have four wives, Alexandre, and while some may say that such a thing would divide my love in four, I say it quadruples it instead. Therefore, I understand and respect your love. I won't gauge you. What I want is very simple…"