50 Was He Okay?

* We made it to chapter 50, yay!

[TAMIKO]

"Baby, I have a question. You don't have to answer it though," Igor began and they all looked at him with curious eyes.

"What is it?"

"I know your friends know you are a lycan and from Galya's not very shocked face right now, I can tell she saw you in your true form already," Igor said and Galya let out a fit of coughs, while Danny looked at Tamiko accusingly.

"You showed her your true form before you showed me? Oh, you traitor," Danny whined and Igor just smirked before continuing.

"So that gets me to my question, do you ever dream of going back home, to Kawai?"

The silence that followed was deafening and if it hadn't been for the winds that were somehow determined to prove that the day hadn't exactly ended terribly, the trio's low breaths would have been loud as fuck.

Tamiko looked at his friends, like he was wondering what he would do if ever there came a day when he would have to go back home to Kawai. Was Kawai ever home for him though? Then again, it wasn't like Grealtor was home in itself anyway.

Danny, who had been ready to continue whining about Tamiko's show to Galya, which had been completely unintentional, had shut up, like his brain was stuck somewhere in processing.

This was not what they had imagined, but then their silence also meant that they knew Tamiko was no longer safe in Grealor.

The young prince wasn't safe even though his friends were in power. This time they would be up against a more powerful bastard, one that would take longer to settle with, but goddamn, would Tamiko really consider it?

"You don't have to answer it, dusha. I know it is not an easy quest—"

"Honestly, I would love to know what it feels like to be in a sea of lycans, to know how it feels to be with people like me. Don't get me wrong, I love being in Grealor because of my friends, but there is the temptation to go and experience home for myself.

"The last time I went there, I bumped into Lord Sadako and he seemed pretty nice for the right-hand man of the dark king. And then I met you and well you proved to be kind too.

"Sometimes I wish to go home, but sometimes I wonder if home would be as cruel as Grealor has been to me. I wonder if I would be jumping from one frying pan into the direct fire.

"It makes me question many things; and with what the alpha did today, I am not sure if I even have an answer for myself," Tamil said earnestly and they all let out breaths they had been holding.

The beta's children were worried Tamiko would leave, even Igor was worried that Tamiko would want to go home right now.

Of course, Kawai would never abandon their prince, but it would take a lot more than what they could see for them to accept Tamiko. And Igor had seen that while his mate had anger issues just like the dark king, Tamiko was trying to be a good person.

Kawai's power was toxic and maybe that was also why the lycan lord had kept his distance from Tamiko but had Sadako really kept his distance?

"Well, whatever decision you make, just know you won't be alone," Igor said as they neared the house. They looked more relaxed now, they all couldn't deny the worry that was in the air.

What the alpha had done today was risky and the fact that he had ended up being stabbed by that very sword meant a lot of things.

Maybe the alpha would come and look for Tamiko again, or maybe he would want to kill Tamiko. But why would the alpha want to kill the one person who guaranteed the safety of Grealor anyway?

Unless Tamiko had become the threat… but how?

"Alright, we're here. I'll go get us some food," Igor said to the three friends so casually.

"Are you okay, Kosta?" Tamiko asked, knowing that Igor would never leave him in a situation like this.

He would always want to be close and here Igor was, going on a sudden hunt, when Galya could have easily commanded the warriors to get them some food. But then again, Igor was a bounty hunter.

It was just a matter of time before he got bored of playing house, so Tamiko also understood that. Was that really the reason Igor Konstantin was leaving them like this? Sure, it didn't feel like goodbye, but it spelled suspicious in so many fonts.

"Of course, my love. I just need to get us some raw food, not the things that are cooked in the Grealor kitchen. You guys can set up a bonfire since it's evening anyway. I'll be back before you know it," Igor said before he pulled Tamiko into a reassuring hug.

He noticed that Tamiko had already healed and he wasn't limping anymore. That was pleasing and comforting to Igor, but if only he could say he wasn't worried about Tamiko even in that state.

There was something he had to do, something he had to attend to otherwise, his head would be hanging on a spike somewhere in the realm. If anything, deals were everything to bounty hunters, right?

"Gabe won't let anyone hurt you. There are warriors who were following us, I know they will be patrolling, so don't worry, love. I have to go now sweetheart.

"I love you," Igor said, kissing a confused Tamiko on the lips before the barbarian rushed into the deeper parts of the woods.

Whatever he was going to hunt either had to have been scarce as fuck or it was something so urgent that even the barbarian wouldn't be able to resist, right?

Sighing, the three best friends walked into Tamiko's house and started preparing the bonfire. They knew that Igor would take a while, so Galya ordered the warriors who had been following them to get some food from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Tamiko looked anxious. He wasn't worried that Igor would leave him, no. Lycans never abandoned their erasthais, even if they were face to face with the devil.

However, Tamiko was worried about what could have been so urgent that Igor Konstantin, the man who never followed rules, had rushed to attend to.

Perhaps Tamiko was overthinking, but what if he wasn't?

What if something was happening and Igor had to be there?

What if it had to do with his bounty? Then again, Igor hadn't taken up a bounty job for the past three days, so it just didn't make any sense. But what if, right?

While his erasthai was worrying about him, Igor Konstantin had picked up the pace and was rushing through the woods.

He had considered running in his true form, but he figured that it would be hard explaining his appearance when he made it to where he was going but where was that anyway?

He surely didn't have someone to look out for, no?

Besides it wasn't like the lycan king would be out on this side of the world right? Well, a few more minutes ad Igor Konstantin had reached his target, and even while he was sweating as fuck, the man had managed to be presentable.

"My Lord, you called for me."