Chapter 167

"Duma? Duma?" I called softly. His channel was back and I could sense him.

The cheetah raised his head lazily, his yellow eyes opening. Happiness could be seen glinting in them, then fear.

I raised my hands, "Duma, it's okay." I said.

He shook his head and looked behind me at Raph. I looked back too and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"What is it?" I asked.

I caught him mind linking, no one in particular but I caught it.

Hiding a smile I patted Raph's shoulder and said that I would be back with some clothes.

After Duma had shifted and dressed himself we all sat around the small, round table in me and Raph's cabin.

We'd freed the female Lycan who'd been watching Parker, she'd not been too happy. Which I can understand.

Duma was greedily digging into some pancakes, waffles, eggs and hash browns along with some hot chocolate.

I smiled at Raph as we watched the hungry Shapeshifter eat, but my hand rose to stroke the side of my mate's face.

"You look tired, you feeling okay?" I asked running my hand through his hair.

He blinked and nodded, a faint smile on his face, "Yeah," He yawned, "I'll be fine."

My brows rose but I shrugged it off and seeing that Duma was nearly finished his meal I giggled and asked, "And how are you feeling?"

He gulped down the rest of his hot chocolate and set the mug down on the table with a satisfied sigh, "Stuffed. But I could still eat more." He wiggled his blonde eyebrows at me and I giggled.

"I'm sorry if I hurt anyone when I…" He scratched his head, "What did happen?"

Me and Raph explained that Amelia was a Chimera and that she could cause Shapeshifters to… well to lose their minds.

Duma's brows rose in surprise when he heard that she'd been a Chimera, they furrowed when we told him that she was dead.

"How'd she die?" He asked.

Folding my lips I heard Raph answer, "The Alpha's brother and sister dealt with her, I found her dead once the battle was over."

Duma's gaze darkened. He looked very upset that Amelia was dead.

"Why would they kill her? She was the Chimera. She was supposed to lead the Shapeshifters, maybe even free them from the Elves." His eyes were serious as he told us the prophecy of the Chimera and that one day she would come and reign over the Shapeshifters and free them from an evil tyranny.

Biting the inside of my lip I looked at Duma with sorry eyes, "I'm sorry Duma."

He just sat back in his chair looking frustrated as he absorbed the information. As if realizing something his eyes quirked up, "Where's Mark and Nathan?"

My chest felt like it was hit by a pile of stones. I knew that Duma would ask eventually.

I held Raph's hand tightly, "He died." I whispered.

The kitchen went silent.

"Who died?" Duma asked, his voice hesitant.

"Today." I said in disbelief, today. Looking outside the window and seeing that it was dark out I could believe it but at the same time, it felt like eons ago. Clearing my throat I continued, "Today, Mark died. N-Nathan is still struggling with fighting his wolf." My words came out in a hushed murmur but I knew that Duma could hear me.

The kitchen went silent again.

"H-how?"

My mind flashed back to that tent, full of hostile eyes. Mark's green ones had been steady and calm. I closed my eyes as I remembered the whistling sound and then the fire and crashing.

"The Elves. They, they tried to kill me… and Mark jumped in the way to save me." I said raising my eyes to look at Duma's which were still in shock.

"Why did they try to kill you?"

I huffed a mirthless laugh, "They don't like me."

Duma nodded, "Where's Nathan?" He asked.

"He's in the underground bunker, where you were, but… he's struggling with his wolf." I explained what Raph had said about dealing with strong emotions and Duma nodded saying that Shapeshifters had a similar thing but they didn't call it their cheetah or their eagle. It was just called their animal.

We didn't speak any more on the sad subject and bidding him goodnight, he said that he would sleep on the couch, me and Raph walked to where the room was.

He looked like he was passing out.

"And how you doing there?" I asked him once again but he didn't answer and instead flopped on the bed, the mattress creaking in distress.

I grimaced, for the mattress's sake and closing the door I began to change into my pjs.

"So, what'd ya do?" I asked, trying to wake him up a little, "What'd you do during the battle?"

"Hmm, when I met El-kor he had a whole bunch of mandrills and I had to fight them." He replied mumbling.

"Eeeh, mandrills, as in monkeys?" I asked. Focusing more on the fact that he'd met El-kor.

"Yeah, they were nasty." Pausing he asked, "What do you have against monkeys?" I could hear the humour leaking into his voice.

I've always hated monkeys ever since I was little. Me and Erica would always disagree on the matter as she loved them. A small, melancholy smile came onto my lips as I thought about me and my sister, "I hate monkeys. They're awful and annoying. They are always my least favourite thing to see in a zoo."

"Thing?"

"Ha ha. Yeah, thing." I said laughing and standing fully dressed in my pyjamas.

"Anyway, I fought them all by myself for what felt like forever. Which I think is pretty good for a strategy Lycan." He sat up on the bed and watched me with a lazy emotion on his face but I could see the frustration behind his eyes.

"Don't say that. You're more than just a strategy Lycan. You're a Beta, and you're Raphael, not just head strategist Raphael." I said coming to sit next to him wrapping my arm around his shoulder.

"I love it when you say my name." He said.

"I love saying it," I said with a soft smirk, "But… you are avoiding the subject." Changing my face to a concerned one, I asked, "Why do you always put yourself down for being a strategist, which you're very good at by the way."

I watched as his eyebrows drew together and his eyes turned a shade darker, "Because… I don't know. I just feel like all of the others are so much more… useful."

"And why don't you think you're useful?" I asked, it hurt me to see him think this way. I knew that he always joked about how he was a strategist but I never knew that it affected him this deeply; he always acts so confident.

"Because, I stay back." He explained, "I plan strategies and tell people where to go. I can't hide my scent or myself, I don't have heightened senses and I can't heal people. I don't have strength like the warriors do and I can't even read mind links." He said, his voice and body getting more tense as he spoke.

My brows rose at his last statement, "What do you mean read mind links. Honey, trust me you don't want my gift."

"But everyone looks to you." He said quietly. My mind fogged with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Thresh… I can't think of anyone else but, I feel like he doesn't trust me anymore."

"Well, the man's an asshole and you don't need his approval." I said rubbing his shoulders to try and get him to relax. I sucked at comforting people so I did what felt natural.

"Yes, I do." Raph turned to face me on the bed, my brown eyes holding his, "He's my Alpha and… I feel like a failure."

My heart crushed with this statement, "Oh, honey you're not a failure. Why do you think you're a failure?" I asked shaking my head.

"I mean, look at me." He opened his arms and made his sleeves stretch on his biceps. But I moved my eyes away from his handsome body and looked into his eyes.

He never failed at anything in my eyes, if he messed up on something it was never failure but a lesson for the future. He was a kind and loving husband, great in bed. He cared for others and he was talented in almost all that he did.

"I'm looking and I'm not seeing anything that looks like a failure."

"I'm serious." He said distressed lowering his arms.

"So am I. Listen to me." I held his stubbled jaw in my hands and made him look at me, "Nobody's perfect, look at me for example, I've got a little too much weight, and I've got terrible stamina, I'm impatient and a pessimist, and many other things. I think, that you're perfect the way you are and I love, love, how clever and smart and witty you are. Okay?" I asked making sure he understood, "You are perfect to me Raphael Rivers."