Lucas stands firmly. “I’m going to the Iron Eye,” he says.
Killian clears his throat. “It’s over 800 miles away. It will take you ages to get there by foot.”
Finally, Ruby turns around. Tears shine down her face. “The Iron Eye is a myth. You won’t find anything there.”
“I’m not giving up on her,” Lucas argues.
“You will die, and my sister’s kids won’t have the three fathers they deserve,” Ruby hisses.
“I will find a way inside,” he says.
“There’s an easier entrance in Carabaro. Come with us.”
Vash can’t listen to their quibbling any longer. If he hears one more word, he’ll go insane.
Stepping toward the other side of the vessel, he grabs the rope to the anchor and pulls. “We have separate wants and needs. Alphas, you may do what your heart desires. Ruby and I are going far away from here.”
Lucas bows his head, but fiercely positions his eyes toward his. They have left each other before. Twice, now. If Lucas turns his back, this would mark the third time they are to disband as a pack.
“So… You trying to fuck her too?” he asks.
Vash drops the anchor on the deck. “You know me better.”
“I am just a guide,” Ruby says. “And my sister isn’t dead. That’s the only reason I’m still here.”
There has always been a rivalry between the three alphas. It is only now that Vash really feels it.
“She might look like Rae, but she’s corrupted by power,” Lucas warns. “You can’t trust her.”
Vash sighs. This is taking far too long for his liking. “Rae told us to trust Ruby. Remember? She is no longer with the New Republic. Therefore, she has no one else to depend on besides us,” he says, glancing forward at a distant storm cloud.
Ruby raises her chin as rain falls. “I don’t expect forgiveness or trust,” she says. “But I’m all you got.”
“Decide, brothers. The weather is changing quickly. If we don’t leave now, we will catch the chop,” Vash says.
Behind them, a lighthouse stands as a beacon of warning. As Vash waits for an answer, its light spins, casting a red shadow across his face.
Lucas drops his eyes. “Goodbye, brother,” he whispers.
And just like that, it’s over. Their blood oath. The bond they made with Rae. All for nothing.
Killian turns as Lucas silently wades through the sand, toward that watchful lighthouse. Where he will end up, Vash cannot know or comprehend. He tries his damn hardest to occupy his mind from the betrayal.
He left the kids. How could he leave the fucking kids?
Reluctantly, Killian follows Vash in complete silence.
Aggravated, Vash faces Ruby, body weathered from years of fighting. “Is he right? Are you not trustworthy?”
She responds to his tragedy with humility. “I will not betray you like Lucas did. The children are asleep in the cabin below. I have made them a bed near the window.”
“They’re safe?” he asks.
She nods. “They’re sleeping like little logs.”
“How long will it take to get to Carabaro?” he asks.
Carabaro was where his father died during the war. He doesn’t know what he’s expecting to find there. Answers at a meaningless grave? No, he’s only going because Ruby suggested it. In fact, he has been following her lead since the moment that bomb went off.