[RANIA]
Heading away from the final gates of Obren was the mark the alphas needed to realize that they had to play nice with each other. They were headed towards a territory that would never make peace with them, simply for the mere fact that they were Kim Rania and Park Jihoon.
They were notorious across the supernatural realm and anyone who didn't know them was either a newborn or was deaf and blind. Kim Rania and Park Jihoon were the chaos everyone wanted to stay away from.
From Obren, they had to walk a few miles on foot before they got to the border of the valley of the whites, the land of the witches. The Valley of the Whites was the one place people went to when they needed things solved.
The witches had always been neutral and of course, they had made some decisions in the past that impacted all the vampires and witches alike.
Everyone knew the witches and their magic were scary, but they also knew that they would always be balanced to power and maybe that was why the vampires, the witches, and the werewolves of Obren depended on each other to make their lives better.
But would it always be better?
The two alphas were on their horses, racing towards the border of the valley of the whites. It was the only land between Obren and Drarun. If they wanted to get to Drarun fast and come back with the young prince as soon as possible, they would have to cross the valley of the whites.
However, with their reputation, and with their madness, they knew there was a chance the witches would take them as prisoners of war. But still, they raced towards the witches. It didn't take them long before the long white wall showed up.
They were closer to the witches.
They knew that, because of the shift of power and the aura in the air.
It was almost like everyone around this place considered the witches as the higher power. They had never been chaotic, but there was never a kingdom that never got its hands dirty in a bid to keep their home safe.
That would just be a lot to think of and even ask of the people.
No one was perfect but no one had the courage to say shit about the witches, because the witches guarded themselves in such a manner that the only way to know about them was to be part of them.
Rania and Jihoon were not part of them.
Having been at the forefront, Kim Rania paused, barely a hundred meters from the gates of the valley of the white's wall.
The long wall looked prettier from the outside, and the fact that there was no one guarding the entrance or exit, was enough to show them that this was a place for the chosen. It would be impossible to get in without any information.
Luckily for them, the werewolf king had already talked to the witches about the two alphas. Seojoon had to have made a promise to the witches or even a pledge, but that didn't matter right now. Because as Rania stopped, so did Jihoon.
"If we cross the valley of the whites, it will take us a day to get to Drarun."
"But if we go around it, we will have to be ready to travel for four extra days, since it is really far, and we may meet obstacles along the way," Rania said thoughtfully. Nightfall was yet to come, they probably had two hours at most to get going through the valley or to be walking around it.
"What do we do?" Jihoon asked Rania.
He didn't want to cross the valley of the whites, because he knew walking in there with Rania wouldn't just be chaotic, but it would also mean that Rania would get a hold of some information that Jihoon was willing to protect with his life.
The information was so crucial and so dangerous in the hands of Rania, and if Jihoon had to spend a whole month talking Rania out of walking through the valley, then he was prepared. He would do whatever it took, to make Rania stay away from whatever it was he was hiding.
"We go around the valley. As much as I want to trust that the witches will be well-behaved with us, I've already had enough shit with the last two packs. I can't have another person testing my patience right now.
"Because I might have to murder them with my bare hands," Rania said, her tone so icy that Jihoon shuddered. You'd think that his interactions with Rania would always have him used to her way of talking, but Kim Rania was the danger that no one would ever get used to.
She was the set of cards that no one knew how to use anywhere.
She was important, but to utilize her well, anyone would have to spend at least fifty years with her to know the first thing about her. Hell, Dalrae was her best friend, but even Dalrae didn't even know half of anything when it came to Kim Rania.
So, what about Jihoon, a man she was always praying for new tactics to end?
"Won't it be too far? Five days is too long!" Jihoon tried to explain to Rania, though wanted the same.
He didn't want Rania to think this was what he wanted, so he would try and convince Rania to choose the Valley of the Whites, because he knew for a fact that Kim Rania wouldn't listen to him.
"There's already a useless heir in Drarun that we have to go and save. Don't tell me, I'll have to teach you how to use your brains here too. Allow me to explain it to you in layman's language. The valley of the whites has magic, and a weak mind will not survive them.
"Before you start complaining and bitching around, remember we have been riding for several hours. It should have taken us at least two days to cross the last of Obren, but look at us, we did it in less than ten hours.
"You may be strong and feel like you can do anything right now, but I'm not. If you wanna go in, then fine. I won't stop you. But I will take the long route. See you on the other side of the Valley," Rania explained, not giving Jihoon a chance to talk.
Maybe she truly was tired and needed to rest, if anything, they had achieved the unexpected in less than a day. Maybe that was why the king had trusted them. But what if Kim Rania also had something to lose if they walked the Valley of the Whites?
What if she didn't want Jihoon to know about the truth?
What if crossing the valley of the whites would mean that Jihoon would know why Rania killed his mate?
Was that something Rania was willing to risk, even before they got to their mission?
It was a risky plan. It was too dangerous, and Rania hoped to the universe that Jihoon wasn't stubborn. She didn't want to lie to him, but she had to make him feel like he had a choice. After all, she was a just alpha, right?
"Fine, if you insist."