For a little while, Aric let me compose myself. His knot was still locked inside me and would be for some time. When he was ready, he removed his thumb from my bottom and wound his arm around my waist, climbing up onto the bed and lifting me up with him. The two of us lay on our side as he pulled my back to his chest. His arm was calming, and I hummed with delight at the feeling of it.
My entire body was still buzzing with sensation. Safe in his arms now, I allowed myself to fully enjoy the feeling of his seed and his cock still pressed deep inside me. He purred softly, and each time he did, a powerful sense of satisfaction rushed over me.
“I enjoyed that, little omega,” he murmured softly in my ear, his breath tickling the tiny hairs along the back of my neck.
“I did too,” I whispered in response.
“I could tell,” he replied with a soft chuckle and a warm flush crept over my cheeks. He pressed his lips to the back of my neck in a tender kiss and I could feel myself melting for him.
“I bet you could,” I sassed quietly, and he smiled as he pressed his lips against my throat.
“If you’re not careful, I’ll make you feel a whole lot more,” he warned lightly, and his knot pulsed inside me.
“Promises, promises,” I teased, and his fingers captured my right nipple between them. He pinched it hard and I cried out as a hot flash
of pain blossomed across my breast.
“Careful what you wish for, little omega,” he murmured, breathing soft breathy kisses against the sensitive skin of my neck. I shivered in his arms.
When Valgertha was safe once again and I’d brought Ravenrath to its knees, I would look forward to it.
For now, though, it was time to ready ourselves for war.
* * *
The following days were full of a rush of preparations. I sent a number of scouts to assess the current state of the enemy city, while Aric met with those that were a part of the Brotherhood. Supplies arrived quickly and were sorted into travel caravans. Every forge in the city was tasked with constructing weapons and defenses, including all manner of swords, axes, knives, and shields. All the bowmakers in the city crafted as many short and long bows as they possibly could. Stocks of arrows were categorized by type. The mounting supplies of flaming, poison, and piercing arrows were impressive, all meant to give us an edge on the battlefield.
Since Ravenrath was situated on the banks of the river Suna Kava, my people started building even more boats to join my already fearsome fleet.
In a span of less than a week, we were ready to strike.
I planned to attack Ravenrath with all of my forces, but I was going to split them with a portion attacking from the water and another segment from the trees in the forest. My river warriors would strike first under the cover of nightfall, and those that were hidden in the forest would attack when the order was given.
My scouts returned and reported that Ravenrath had closed its city gates and increased the number of guards patrolling the walls. Perhaps Thranar knew that I was coming for him and was readying his own people for war. Perhaps he was just paranoid.
To be honest, it didn’t matter.
I was going to kill him. I didn’t care how many walls I had to break through to do it. Once everything was adequately prepared, I told my warriors to get ready. We would leave for Ravenrath the very next morning.
I watched the sun rise that morning, the brilliant colors streaking across the sky in an arc of beauty that seemed especially stunning today. Aric joined me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Neither of us said anything. We were too preoccupied with preparing ourselves mentally for the coming of war, for the blood on the battlefield and for the expectation that soon, some of us may die.
When we were finally ready, we left my chambers and joined my people. He kissed me goodbye before he went to lead the ground forces. I headed to the docks and climbed onto the head vessel, prepared to lead my people.
I strode to the helm of a longboat, dressed in dark gray battle leathers. I had chosen ones that I’d fought in before, knowing that they were easy to maneuver around in, but also decent armor against most weapons. I had a battle axe strapped to my back, a sword at my waist, along with several smaller blades should I need something for close combat. War paint bisected my face, showcasing my readiness for battle in honor of Zymos, the god of war.
To either side of the boat sat a line of warriors, each tasked with maneuvering the heavy wooden oars through the water. An older man pushed the vessel away from the docks and my rowers started directing us downstream by cutting the large paddles into the water. My boat went first, leading several hundred behind me down the river toward Ravenrath.
We slid along the waters of the Suna Kava in silence. It would take two days to reach Ravenrath, but when we did, we were going to destroy them.
The first day’s journey was uneventful. We stopped at night to make camp, careful not to make any excessive noise so that we could avoid detection. I assigned a number of men and women to watch out for scouts or anything that might give us away, but they didn’t spot anything. The riverbanks were quiet and unguarded, which was comforting at the same time that it was concerning.
The bond pulsed weakly. Aric was some distance away, but I could still feel him all the same.
I wondered how he was faring on land. He’d told me that he’d meet up with members of the Brotherhood on land, where they would provide him with a few added surprises that Valgertha had never had the opportunity to fight with before. He’d reassured me that he had an untold amount of resources at his disposal and that when he called, they would come. I believed him.
As we slid along the current that second day, I spent time reflecting on my time as Queen of Valgertha. My people still looked at me with the love and respect I’d earned even before I’d taken the crown. Taking an alpha as a mate hadn’t changed that. Thranar’s attack hadn’t dimmed that either. If anything, my people seemed to want to protect me even more fiercely than ever. I was proud to lead them into battle. I would fight by their side like a real queen was supposed to.
My longboat rocked from side to side, slowing down as we approached the last bend in the river before Ravenrath came into sight. We’d finally arrived.