Trifecta: Ice [Complete]

Ch 2: Self-Recriminations

Serge's POV

I resisted the urge to shove my fist through the wall. It would be satisfying in the moment, but would only result in more work for my already stretched people. Those damn eastern wolves constantly pushed us to our limit.

My mind rushed back to what I had done to Nicholas' daughter and the memory smothered my anger towards the eastern wolves. I had understood my unforgivable error the moment my canines and magic had sunk into the flesh at the scruff of her neck, but even then it had been already too late.

Nicholas was understandably both furious and devastated. I could only be thankful that he had not declared war on my pack then and there. We both knew he could release his daughter from the magic with which I had bound her easily enough.

She would be free again upon my death. One simple shot to the head, or one quick rip of his canines through my soft human jugular and her curse would be lifted.

I was fortunate he could not simply kill me.  Fortunate? I scoffed. I was not fortunate. None of us were fortunate.

The main reason that Nicholas had held himself back was because his pack needed me as much as my pack needed him.

Nicholas and I were two of the three leaders of our trifecta of northern allied packs, along with Austin, the leader of the northernmost territory. We three working together along with our packs were all that held the eastern enemies who ever sought to conquer our territories at bay.

The reason we still stood today is because of the bonds of trust forged over decades, since my grandfather's time as leader.

Bonds I had certainly brought near to the breaking point with my inexcusable and inexplicable action.

Though we were close allies, the constant preparations for war had left little time to actually know each other. While I had met his son and heir from common training exercises and from fighting side by side in battle, I had never met his daughter before today.

If you could call that disastrous moment a meeting.

I fervently wished that I had met her before today. Just one time and I would have recognized her and I would have known she was not a threat.

I replayed the moments before it had happened in my mind.

I had just dispatched an enemy who had been trying his damnedest to kill me and I spun around to see an unfamiliar wolf leaping into the fray.

She had been sprinting directly in the direction of my second in command. In the chaos of battle, I had thought she was attacking Dan from behind while he was engaged in his own fight.

I had merely sought to even the odds. We were as ever outnumbered and even a young and sleek female like her could do damage to an already occupied opponent.

I attacked to kill, but some faint realization in the corner of my mind held me back from taking her life in that last moment.

Instead of attempting to break her neck or rip out her throat as I had intended, I stopped myself from the kill and unthinkingly released the magic that was mine by right of my position as leader.

I cursed her into submission to my pack.

The magic was not intended as a weapon of war; it was a punishment.

It was supposed to be reserved only for the worst crimes and most base betrayals, things so terrible neither I nor my father had ever even had cause to even consider using it on one of our own people.

I had never even considered using it on my worst enemies.

Probably not even if I got my hands on and my canines into the eastern king.