Chapter 8 The Fire In His Heart

• The limo was spacious and comfortable, and Eliza felt herself relaxing on the soft leather seat as it rolled through the city streets, making its way out of the financial district. Rumsfeld drove at a steady clip, neither hurrying nor dallying, the ride being as smooth as silk. There was one thing that worried Eliza about being in the limo, though.
• Being this close to Viktor physically.
• His arm pressed up against hers on the seat, the heat from his body warming her. If she moved her hand just an inch, she would be able to take it in hers. Their eyes met and Eliza looked quickly away, the intensity with which Viktor looked at her almost overwhelming. She decided she would broach the attack last night, even though she wasn't ready yet to talk about it.
• Before she could, though, Viktor leaned forward and opened a compartment near his side of the limo, and Eliza's eyes widened as she saw a crystal bar set with what looked like whiskey in the decanter. He poured one out and offered it to her in a fine crystal glass, which she took gracefully. After pouring another drink for himself, Viktor leaned back and took a swig, sighing in delight.
• "And here I thought today was going to be like any other. Instead here I am, in an expensive limo with a gorgeous woman by my side."
• "Are you always this charming?" Eliza smiled, taking a small sip. Whiskey wasn't her favourite; she preferred sweeter cocktails, but she enjoyed it anyway, knowing Viktor liked it and hoping it would give them something else to bond over.
• "Only when I have company that deserves it." Viktor took a more generous sip, downing half the glass with one swallow. "Honestly, Eliza, I am surprised you turned up unannounced today. I've never had such an ambush happen to me in all my life."
• "Speaking of ambushes..." Eliza trailed off, unsure how to ask the question. "I...heard what happened last night."
• Viktor's smile turned upside down. "Jack Fisher and his lackeys. What can I say, really?" He sighed, holding the empty glass between his fingertips. "It's really just one of many things that have begun to trouble our community of late."
• "Really?"
• "Yes. It's not so much that these people hate us, that's no surprise. Hate has always existed. It's the fact that they're growing more and more bold." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and Eliza was not surprised to see it was the latest top of the line phone. "There's a video online that showed the whole affair. A few years ago nobody would have dared film us, or if they did, it would be a grainy image posted in some obscure website nobody visited. Now everyone has these phones with good cameras, and nobody is afraid to post anything. That video of us? It went viral."
• "I've seen it," Eliza said, "It's how I learned of the attack. Were you hurt? Was anyone?"
• Viktor seemed to allow himself a small smirk. "Why Eliza, I didn't know you cared."
• "I'm going to pour this over your head, Viktor."
• "A waste of good whiskey," he snorted, but quickly turned serious again. "I have three of my wolves in the hospital, being treated for gunshot wounds and silver poisoning. But these...these humans, they don't bother to show our side of the story, do they? No. All they care about is making us look like mindless killers."
• Eliza pondered the video she watched. It was just one of many decrying the werewolf community, with various hit pieces from anti-wolf commentators popping up in her feed soon after the attack. "I must admit," she said, with some trepidation, "that anti-wolf sentiment has been rising lately. I wonder if there's anything else the Ordo could do to help stem this tide?"
• Viktor clenched his jaw, and Eliza could hear a soft growling emanating from his throat. She watched as he took a moment to compose himself before answering her. "With all due respect to the Ordo Luna, and of course you and your grandmother, who has been nothing but the greatest friend to us wolves, it feels like the Moon Priestesses have done little to defend us from the growing threat."
• Eliza pursed her lips. "That's not fair. We've done all we can."
• "I know," Viktor sighed, "But it's not enough. Three of my wolves are in the hospital, and that's just from last night. What if Jack Fisher or someone like him is still out there as we sit here in this fancy limo drinking liquor, harming other wolves?" He shuddered. "I can't have that on my conscience. The Ordo is meant to mediate between us, yet these humans still manage to drum up support for these kind of raids. So I have to wonder just how much the Ordo really is doing to help us."
• "The keyword is mediate, Viktor," Eliza said, "I admit, this isn't ideal. But we're not all powerful, not in the world we find ourselves in today. We have our hands full already with you and Lucas coming to scraps every so often, which doesn't help your standing with the humans."
• "That pup is another thing that ruffles my fur," Viktor growled, knocking back the rest of the whiskey and leaning forward to pour himself another glass. "You're right, of course. Him and his little movement, his Green Wolf Party? I blame them just as much as I do the humans. If he hadn't stepped in last night and stopped us from defending ourselves properly, we could have driven those humans back without any losses. But he stepped in, and we had to hold ourselves back, and now three wolves are in hospital." Viktor snarled. "It really ruffles my fur!"
• Eliza could see Viktor was getting angry now, and decided to try to calm him down. She put her hand on his, stroking it, and she felt him respond under her touch. His eyes softened, and he turned his gaze from the glass to her face, a smile coming back on his face.
• "If that's what he did," she said, in a soft voice, "then maybe he thought he was trying to help."
• Viktor sighed. "Let me be fair. The pup means well, always has. It's the one thing I'm proud of about him." He snorted and took another swig. "That, and a dollar will only get you a cup of coffee, though."
• "You'd prefer whiskey?" Eliza raised her glass and swished the liquid inside in front of him. "You'd prefer he didn't help you, is what I'm wondering."
• "Sometimes, it seems like his efforts only make things worse. His refusal to accept me as Alpha is causing the war, and then there's what his Green Wolf Party represents. Young wolves with strange new ideas. Ideas that only divide us when what we really need is unity. And they've emboldened those humans too, by turning against us. He started the war, giving these anti-wolf people ammunition and a reason to fear us. He split us wolves when what we need is to stand together. And his new ideas are a poison on young wolves' minds, disrespecting tradition and order." Viktor's voice was rising now, the anger in him becoming clear, and Eliza had to work very hard to keep her own feelings in check.
• "You care a lot about the wolves under you," she said, forcing herself to smile even as her mind was filled with doubts about him. If she chose him, would she be agreeing with his beliefs? Condoning his actions, to support werewolves unconditionally and ignoring the human factor? And what were these new ideas that Lucas was bringing to the werewolf community? So many questions. Eliza briefly wondered if, as a priestess of the Ordo Luna, she could afford to waste time dating the two alphas.
• "I do. I love them. They're my pack, and they depend on me. I have their loyalty, and I owe them safety. But they're not safe. Every night I can't sleep thinking about where the next attack will be, or what Lucas will do next." He looked at Eliza, and his eyes softened as he put the glass down. "It's the burden of being Alpha. My pack looks up to me, because I'm the strongest. If I'm not, then what's the point of having me as Alpha?" He leaned in closer, and Eliza felt her heart race as he took her chin in his fingers, tilting it up towards him. "That's what I hope to achieve with you by my side, Eliza. With you as my mate, with the Ordo supporting me, we can protect all wolves. And we can stamp out these hate filled hearts...together."
• Eliza felt her words die on her tongue. She couldn't think, not with Viktor being so close. All she wanted was to feel his lips against hers. "I..."
• "Be mine, Eliza," he whispered, leaning in closer. "Be mine, as you are fated to be."
• No, Eliza thought, wanting to say it but finding it hard to form the words. She put her hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but her strength failed her. She leaned in closer, unable to resist herself...
• "I hate to interrupt, Mr Redclaw," came Rumsfeld's voice from the front. "But we've arrived."
• Viktor seemed like he wanted to say more, but he just exhaled slowly as he leaned back and nodded at his valet. As the limo pulled to a stop, Eliza found herself sighing too, not sure if it was relief or disappointment.