Page 38 of Hexes & Heartstrings (Shifters of Bastion Keep #2)

"They are misguided, and after I have spoken with each of them at length, they will see reason. We did win. I won, proving my right to be garrison commander."

Sergiy nodded, like he was weighing her words carefully, then shrugged.

"And I say that you did not. "

Bruin heard a loud gasp, then realized it was himself. What?

Meanwhile, while Lady Yi sputtered—again looking like a gormless goldfish—Sergiy gestured towards Gregory, who was joining Lady Galina in sitting at the High Table.

"My father Gregory placed cameras throughout the castle so that I might watch it during my train ride home.

In particular, he was here at the end with his phone, giving me a perfect view of your final strike.

I watched many times of how you stabbed Russ, with a scant minute left on the clock. "

"Ha! Then you must surely agree, Lord Sergiy—"

Sergiy continued speaking over her. "The instant that you fully emerged from the Umbral realm, Russ charged towards you, not away. He rolled you to the side, out of the way of a flailing tentacle, protecting you from being crushed. Or do you deny that he did that?"

"He… he did, yes."

"Russ could have run away, but instead he chose to sacrifice the challenge by putting your health and possibly very life over his pack's victory.

Lady Yi, your own pack has spoken, as have the castle residents, as have I.

Either accept the forfeiture of the match, or else step down as their pack leader and let someone else take charge. "

Lady Yi was silent as she glared at Sergiy, and Bruin could feel the tenseness in the air, but at last she dipped her head.

"I suppose I have to accept the loss," she said woodenly. "Thank you, warlord, for allowing me to serve Bastion Keep again, however brief. I can have myself and my pack ready to leave within the hour."

Sergiy stared at her for a very long moment, but she didn't leave, and Bruin guessed that she hadn't been dismissed, yet.

"I want to be angry with you, Lady Yi," Sergiy said, steel creeping along his voice, bobbing his head in displeasure like he did when in drake form.

"I want to rage, to snarl, to show that as fast as your claws are, my own fangs are faster.

Look at what you've done! You broke my home, you knowingly broke Bastion's rules, you came close to breaking its people!

Sending you back to your House a bruised and disgraced wreck is the least that I should do. "

"My lord will have to earn those bruises." Lady Yi looked at him challengingly, but Bruin could hear the waver in her voice, and her fur bristled as Sergiy walked forward until he was just a few feet away.

Iron. Fire.Bruin somehow knew that his mate was on the verge of violence.

But then he shook his head.

"I could, but no. If I were to be angry at you, I'd have to get angry at myself, first. My mistake, Lady Yi, lay entirely in putting you in the garrison position that I did, not with accepting your offer of aid. You and your pack will stay."

Bruin squeaked, and the hissing and growls he heard said that he wasn't the only one surprised. Lady Yi seemed bewildered, like a cat whose vomit had been cleaned up, and then given a treat instead of a punishment—as much as anyone could punish a cat, anyways.

"Lord Sergiy?"

"Yi," Sergiy said softly, and Bruin had to strain to hear the words.

"You have a great battlefield mind, and you know how to use myriad blades, even if you don't know how to either hone or forge one.

What had I been thinking, putting you as garrison commander?

Might as well keep a tiger in a shed to catch mice.

No, you will stay, and you will join my warband.

I'll swap your pack out with one of the other active ones. "

"I… my lord?"

"Say yes, House Rhindon. There's a dangerous shadow king out there, and I still have need of you."

"Then yes, my lord." Lady Yi gave him a full bow. "I am… most pleased that I might continue to serve."

"We'll discuss it later. But for now, I need to switch you out with someone. Who shall it be?"

Sergiy paraded around the room, a professional calm surrounding him, and Bruin could just about see the tensions ease as he walked beside the shifters who still had ruffled fur. He stopped in front of the castle's second largest werewolf.

"Hmm."

"You are not benching me, my lord," Yacob growled severely, but his ears were flattened back with worry, and his tail was beginning to tuck.

"No, fear not. I just realized that I need someone to train Lady Yi and her pack in the ways of the Umbral. We have a mission next month, and I need her fully caught up. Think you can do that?"

"Oh? Aye, m'lord, certainly! But then who else are you going to hold back?"

Slowly, Sergiy turned towards Bruin, giving him a smile, then slid his gaze just past him, and his smile broadened. Bruin heard Markos swear amid a few chuckles.

"Ah, don't fuck with me like that, brother. Me?"

"You're the best choice!" Sergiy said jovially, and now there was actual laughter. "You've got more experience than either Yacob or Summer, and more patience than your sister with new recruits. You'll do fine."

"You dry-scaled little snot…"

"Yes, yes, I love you, too. Now, alphas of Bastion Keep, listen up!

See to your wounded and your packs, but in half an hour, we'll meet briefly in the war room, and I will want a full accounting.

Markos, I want you to have some tentative plans on organizing garrison training, I know you've thought about it before.

Lady Yi, be open to ideas on training your pack in Umbral tactics, which will begin in two days.

For now, everyone is to take the rest of the day off, as well as tomorrow for a good mental reset. We'll start fresh on Wednesday."

Lady Galina banged a mug on the High Table. "I will likewise see heads of staff for accounting, and someone bring me Leona. Bastion Keep slew a powerful spirit this morning, and that demands a celebration!"

Bruin watched as Sergiy spoke a few words to his mother, and then returned to him and Russell.

"Now then, my mates," he said, far too solemn, far too serious, especially as he gazed at Bruin. "I need to speak to you both privately."