Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-96. Deception

[Asher]

Deception was one of the most fundamental strategies of warfare. In fact, deception was warfare where one used camouflage, misled the enemy, and manipulated the situation to bend the victory on their side with the least potential conflict. A part of deception was feigning weakness to make the enemy confident and arrogant enough to walk into the trap of his own comfort.

Something as complicated as a layered deception was so deftly executed by my wife against my brother, who obviously had an upper hand until... he walked into her trap.

Xanthea was a resourceful woman. From a shampoo bottle to tiny seeds, she truly could use anything at her disposal. And right now, she had an entire pouch of things she could use against us in ways unfathomable.

I squinted, peering at the tiny silver blue seeds stuck all across Pheles' smooth midnight black fur that flashed with a tealish glow, each strand catching the light like dark silk.

"Look at all those voltthorn seeds stuck in your fur, Pheles." I tilted my head, inspecting his furry tails. "How did you not notice them?"

Pheles growled low, his fur bristling as he shook himself, trying to get rid off of the stubborn seeds. Then he glanced at Xanthea who hugged herself soothingly as she sat stiffly on my chair.

Her heart thundered so loudly; I could hear it pound across the room.

After separating them, I took Raven aside, creating enough distance between the two.

The kids in question remained hidden behind her chair.

Xanthea had secretly scattered voltthorn seeds all across Pheles' fur while feigning a reckless stabbing attempt with the thin blackthorn branch. The seeds, small and scentless, were perfect for slipping by unnoticed in the heat of adrenaline- fueled fight.

No wonder Raven didn't pick up on her deception - he'd have dismissed her fumbling strikes as a typical omega incompetence.

While in reality, with each dodge and slash, Pheles was basically getting more and more entangled in her actual trap.

'I am not as well-versed in herbology as you, Raven, but you know what voltthorn seeds do when they come in contact with a nutrition medium, right?' I asked through the mindlink.

'They grow exponentially. Small seeds shoot out into creepers that discharge electric currents strong enough to cause neural damage that could lead to irreversible impairments in an immortal. While voltthorn seeds are harmless anesthetics, their creeper form has a strong affinity for immortality genes.'

Raven's contemplative tone was passive with warning and caution as he peered at Xanthea's hand.

'But the vial she cracked in her hand couldn't have enough nutrition medium to sprout more than one or two seeds.'

'True. But she wasn't going for the medium in the vial, she was going for the medium in her veins. What could be a better nutrition medium than blood?'

Pheles looked at me, his eyes widening slightly as he scowled at Xanthea.

'Her blood? That's sick!' Raven grumbled.

'That's the thing I like about mortals. They neither have to be as good as celestials nor as evil as infernals. They swing in the gray area.'

'I can't believe this.' Raven's tone was humbled with incredulity. 'She really wasn't holding back... risking her life for some kids she picked up from the streets?'

life. You see, had her plan unfolded the way she

immortality genes, so the voltthorn creepers wouldn't have done much harm to her. They would have clung to

shrugged and Pheles looked away with

caressing the scratch on her palm. Her eyes

the broken vial in the dustbin. Because at this point forget about thorns,

back.' I looked at Pheles again. 'But it would be foolish to think this is all she's capable of. Her knowledge is her biggest weapon,

Xanthea before

needs to

But first, you wash up and... cool your head down. Or

rid of that boy before Ezra shows up.' He

up. He had arrived in the Aile castle minutes after Xanthea did, but he had been monitoring her through his demon

lake in the Aile castle, Ezra's one hand was on the glass railing while the other held his phone. He heard our conversations, but his eyes were fixed on the waves the winds created. With his back towards the world and his eyes lost in oblivion, he was trying not to intervene. By not looking at his

things that would have usually triggered him, but

if he had healed at all. I wanted to believe that he had, but I knew the reason

the reluctance of standing against me was clear in Xanthea's eyes, it didn't stop her from shielding them from me as

sigh, I walked to the table, poured four glasses of water. Picking up the serving tray,

gulped hard, stiffening her body as

I said, handing her the tray. "This is for you and the kids. Drink up

distance from

myself with wiping the

rude appearance. I was in the middle of something. Didn't really get enough time to take a bath

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down water as though they had been thirsty since

silence.

say - listen to your heart. If it says what you are doing is right, then stand by it. But if you have even

are these kids worth risking your life?"

have even the slightest of doubts that what is happening here is wrong. I'm not saying I am right, but

shaky breath

when they don't know life from death... it's cruel. They are perfectly healthy in all other ways. Who are we to decide who lives and

tone, but her words had reached loud and clear to their rightful owner. Ezra raked back his hair, his breathlessness dissolving in the

"Xanthea..." I began.

I can't win against the

it?" I asked, and she looked at me. "What is it? Saving these kids has become more personal to

what I was getting myself into, but I couldn't just unsee the obvious and ignore their cries.

"Why?" I asked.

few seconds, the heavy silence between us was interrupted

too. But before I do, I want to know what it might cost me, and if

her, allowing her words

win or lose. We fight." Her voice quivered. "And Alpha Ezra showed me how important it is to fight such battles because if we don't...

face, but he gripped his phone tighter at Xanthea's words. He might have helped Xanthea with her past, but he wasn't

bring the kids into the castle. I didn't want you or