Chapter 81: You look Scary when you’re angry.

"Are you fucking nuts?" Lysander’s voice cracked through the room echoing off the carved walls. It wasn’t a question so much as an accusation. His chair scraped back, the legs biting into the floor as he pushed to his feet.

Across from him, Orion raised his gaze, calm as he watched Lysander. "I’m alright," he said evenly. He didn’t even flinch at the outburst because frankly speaking, he wasn’t surprised. A part of him had worded the statement that way to get a reaction out of Lysander even if it was scary. "I know what I’m doing."

Lysander’s hands trembled once before curling into fists. "Do you?" He rounded the table, boots thudding against the timber floor, each step fueled by weeks of frustration. When he reached Orion, he didn’t stop. He leaned down, bracing one hand on the back of Orion’s chair for balance, and with the other he pressed his palm firmly against the alpha’s side, right where the Trihydra’s fangs had sunk into his flesh days ago.

The effect was immediate. Orion stiffened, a flash of pain cutting through his mask. It was quick, just a sharp wince, a tightening at the corner of his mouth, but Lysander saw it. Everyone saw it. Orion tried to straighten, to bury it under that cool, steady exterior, but the damage was done.

"Thought so." Lysander’s voice was low now, a growl vibrating with restrained fury. "You haven’t recovered. Not even close. I let you run around because the pack needed you, because you’re too damn stubborn to stay in bed. But this?" He pushed just slightly harder, making Orion flinch again. "This is suicide. You’re not going into the Forest of Nirvana. Someone else has to go."

The room had gone still. Caspian’s brow creased. Madam Tyler stared at her folded hands like she didn’t want to be a part of this conversation. Tobias was just happy that Lysander’s anger wasn’t directed at him.

Lysander didn’t give Orion a chance to speak. "You think hiding those black veins from me makes them disappear?" His voice rose again, sharp and fierce. "No you idiot, think again. You’ve dodging your doses, covering your side like you have the stupid gift to heal it on your own. You’ve been hiding this from me since the venom burned out. It’s still in you. You’re marked. And now you’re planning to march into that cursed forest? Into gods-know-what, with Skylurs crawling around like they own the land. Are you fucking insane?"

Orion didn’t say anything. He didn’t correct Lysander’s assumption either. He was quiet.

The tension grew heavier, wrapping itself around the room like a living thing. Even Ronan, who usually had a quip ready for any occasion, kept his mouth shut. He shifted in his seat, glancing between the two men. Lysander loomed over Orion like a storm about to break. Orion sat still as stone.

Finally, Ronan cleared his throat, the sound small and hesitant in the silence. He raised one hand, palm outward, like a student trying to interrupt a furious teacher. "Um... Lysander?"

The healer’s head snapped toward him, eyes flashing. "Don’t you fucking start." His voice was a whip crack again. "You’re his beta. His assistant, his second and also a brother. You’re supposed to be putting him in his place, not letting him run himself into the ground! He keeps doing this because you let him. You’re supposed to protect him from himself."

Ronan swallowed hard. "Right. Yes. About that..." His eyes flicked to Orion, then back to Lysander. He gave a weak laugh, the sound dying quickly under Lysander’s glare. "Well, see... the thing is..."

"Spit it out," Lysander snapped.

"I’m the one leading the expedition," Ronan blurted. "Orion isn’t going."

The room froze. For a heartbeat no one moved. Lysander blinked once, thrown off balance. "You’re what?"

"Um...the expedition? The one about someone going into the forest to see what’s wrong with the forest? Yeah...I’m the one leading it. Orion isn’t going." Ronan said in a small voice.

There was a pause, then laughter erupted through the room. Tobias snorted, covering his mouth with his hand. Madam Tyler let out a soft chuckle. Even Caspian’s lips twitched. The tension fractured, spilling into the kind of laughter born from unexpected relief. All except Lysander. The healer groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"You two," he muttered, glaring at both Orion and Ronan. "You let me go on this whole tirade thinking he was going into the forest? You sat there and let me tear him apart..."

"Don’t blame me, you’re scary when you’re angry," Ronan interrupted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I didn’t dare stop you. I couldn’t."

Orion’s lips curved into a smile. "It was kind of worth it," he murmured.

Lysander’s glare sharpened. "You’re both idiots."

"True," Ronan said brightly. "But then you’d be a brother to idiots."

"Whose your brother?" Lysander grumbled as he moved back to his sit.

There was no heat in his words though.

The laughter settled leaving behind an easier quiet. Ronan straightened in his seat, rubbing his palms together, his expression shifting from awkward to businesslike. "Alright. Now that that’s cleared up..." He glanced around the table, meeting each set of eyes in turn. "I’ll be heading the team into the Forest of Nirvana. Gregory will be going with me. Since she’s out of commission, he’s the next best fighter we have. And Sam will join us too. She’s the fastest we’ve got. If anything goes wrong, she’ll be able to get back here and report before we’re swallowed whole."

"We’re going because the signs are piling up," Ronan continued. His voice had shifted, now carrying the weight of command. "Hunters have reported more Skylur sightings, more than we’ve seen in years. Tracks are where they shouldn’t be. Footprints too deep, too clustered. Skylurs don’t travel this close to our borders, and they sure as hell don’t do it in groups. Something’s wrong. We need to know what."

Ronan leaned forward, his hands braced on the table. "This isn’t a patrol. This is a reconnaissance mission. In and out. We find out what’s happening, we come back. No heroics. No unnecessary risks."

"See?" Orion said quietly, his voice carrying a note of approval. "He’s got it handled."

Lysander snorted. "He’d better." His eyes swept over Ronan, sharp but softer now. "You take Gregory. You take Sam. And you take every ounce of sense you’ve got. No more stunts. If you end up in my infirmary, I’ll have both your hides."

Ronan gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

"Don’t mock me."

"Yes sir." Ronan replied giving him a salute making Lysander groan.

"That will be all for today. Any new information will be passed to you guys." Orion told them.

"And no more making decisions on your own. We have a council for that. Depend on us." Daniel said to him.

"Yes sir." Orion replied to him.

"And who said the meeting has ended?" Caspian asked them.

Everyone paused and turned to him with a frown.

"Have we forgot ten the most important discussion?" He asked them but everyone was still lost.

"Spit it out you old cargo." Madam Tyler told him

"Orion’s partner." Caspian said as he glared at Madam Tyler. "We need to discuss Orion marrying a partner."