The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains, cursing, sadness, angst, violence, and character(s) injury; angry Steve, and Tony is in for a shock! All reviews are appreciated.

P.S: This is an Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamic story, it's also a Medieval story with Viking Tony ^o^

"Character talking"

"Character thinking"

…Flashbacks…

Chapter 19

Suddenly… there was a knock on the door…

Anton blinked in surprise as he raised his eyebrow, wondering who would come knocking on his door at such a time when everyone was getting ready to go to the dining hall or return back to their homes to enjoy dinner with their mates; yes, it was still early as the sun would set in half an hour or so, and yes maybe his friends were the ones who came to his home, but after they saw Petrus's state today, they all agreed they would wait until Anton and Petrus showed up for dinner. "Yours?" Anton decided to ask Steven, wondering if the Omega came to his house without telling Philips and now the old goat is after his head for doing something inappropriate... which was funny considering that even thinking of such a thing would have made the Omega burry him a thousand feet under the ground without showing mercy.

"I do not believe so…" Steven said, his head tilted to the side before a mischievous smile took over his face. "Who knows? Maybe it is Margaret… she was so angry today when you came." The Omega teased, his words getting a groan of annoyance from Anton at the thought of having to be subjected to the mouthy Beta scorn; the knocking on the door intensified, causing Anton to let out an annoyed sigh when he saw how Petrus scrunch his nose like he was going to wake up.

"Well then, I better go open the door or she would break it down… I wonder who taught her that…" Anton mocked jokingly, causing Steven to roll his eyes, but his lips twitched into a small smile that made Anton feel warm as he went to open the front door. "Coming!" Anton called out when the knocking seemed to turn into pounding on his door, which made him grumble at such annoyance; against his will, Anton's mind started wandering and he couldn't help but think that something had happened that would cause whomever at the door to come pound on his it like there was a danger approaching; that thought, caused Anton to rush toward the door nervously.

As soon as Anton opened the door, he was pushed to the side as the knocker rushed inside his home, causing him to look at the person with rage in his eyes at the disrespect, how can someone just shove their way into someone else's home? The rage though, left Anton's face when he saw the person who all bush shoved in was the one Steven called 'Daniel' who was holding the wall beside him as his knees shook; his breathing was hard, looking like he had run all the way from the other side of the village to reach his home.

"The Q-Que… ha! Th-the Queen!" The young man was stuttering and gasping as he tried to take deep breaths, looking around the place with a wild look in his eyes. "Where is the Queen?" Daniel pleaded, his actions and words confusing Anton greatly and robbing him of his ability to speak, especially when he saw the fear and terror in the young man's eyes… what happened?

"Daniel?" Steven's voice came not that long after the man's asked his question, causing both Daniel and Anton to gaze at the Omega who was smiling at Daniel… only to watch his smile vanish when his eyes took the state Daniel was in. "What happened?" Steven asked calming voice, walking toward Daniel who was stuttering his answer, causing Anton to look at Steven and then at the boy.

"Breath!" That was the only thing Anton could say when he regain his barriers, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him from dragging the Omega away without explaining; what happened to rend the boy who always seemed to be the picture of calm into this? Daniel seemed to blink several times as he gazed at Anton's hand, not seeming to know what to do with it, but he was at least taking deep breaths to calm down.

"Old man Philips!" Daniel shouted after he took several deep breaths, looking more frazzled as the seconds passed. "He noticed you were late, so he was going to come here to get you; I do not know what happened! One minute he was opening the door of the hut, and the next he was on the ground with an arrow lodge in his shoulder!" That made silence dominate the place, and Anton's jaw dropped as he gazed at the boy who looked like he was panicking with every word spoken.

"Where is he?" That was all Steven asked, his voice was so calm that Anton couldn't help the shiver from running down his spine; the look on the Omega's face was like the calm before the raging storm that would come and destroy everything in its place.

"T-the h-healer… we took him there a-after he…" That was all Daniel managed to stutter, everything happened so fast that Anton couldn't make sense of what he was feeling; one minute Steven was standing with them, and the next he rushed out of the house, ignoring Anton's calls as he sprinted toward Braes's hut; Anton could only gaze helplessly at the place that had Steven not a few moments ago that was vacant at the moment, before turning his attention to the boy who looked like he planned to follow Steven, so Anton gripped his shoulder tightly, stopping him in his place.

"Stay here, and watch the children; I will go with him." Anton ordered as he run after Steven, ignoring the boy's shouts of 'Wait!' as he rushed after the Omega who all but disappeared in his quest of reaching Braes's hut… how in the name of Hel did that happen? Was the only thing running in Anton's mind as they finally reached Braes's hut only to find it swarming with the queen's pack who looked frightened and stressed.

Following the Omega, Anton was greeted by his pack, which stilled in their places when they saw him, gazing between each other before turning to Steven who was looking more dangerous as the seconds passed while he made his way toward the old man who slept in one of the beds but was letting out groans of pain every now and then. Anton didn't take his gaze off the older man, his mind still trying to catch up to the fact that someone had dared to attack one of the people under his protection… not only that, but they attacked the man who was the queen's guardian and the person who was heading their marriage negotiation, and whose word would decide his and Steven's fate… when that clicked in mind, his eyes widen, and his fists clenched tightly in contained rage at the possible attacker who Anton was sure of.

"You are here…" That was Braes, who was all but pushed away from the older man by Steven, who stood next to the older man and started to inspect the wound by undoing all of Braes's work, which made the Beta squeak and nearly stop him if it wasn't for the murderous glare Steven sent his way which froze him in place.

"Who did this?" Was the thing Anton asked even when he knew the answer, his words breaking Braes from his stupor as he shivered in fear at the dark look Steven had in his eyes; Anton's question made Braes let out a tired sigh as he massage his forehead, looking at the older man and then Steven who was inspecting the wound with a critical eye.

"We do not know…" Braes stated, ignoring the growl Anton let out at the news Braes broke to him, his anger was shimmering under the surface because he for certain knew whose fault this was but would be unable to demand punishment or pass his judgment if there wasn't enough evidence to support his claims. "Nattalegg and Loki are searching for the attacker, so it will not be long until they capture them." Braes continued in a gentle voice, no doubt trying to calm Anton and not raise his ire more than it already was.

"He was poisoned…" Steven suddenly stated after spitting what looked like blood, his words stilling everyone in the room, and Anton glanced at his friend, wondering how his friend didn't notice the obvious signs; what Anton noted instead was the wide eyes of Braes as he all but run toward where Steven was, and checking over the old man.

"No… that is impossible… I checked when he came; there was no sign of poisoning!" Braes nervously checked the man over once more; examining him and checking over the wound before stilling in his place when he noticed the black edge of the wound. "How…?" Braes whispered, tracing the blackened edge as he jumped from his place to gather the herbs needed to treat the old Beta fast before the poison spread.

Only for him to halt in his place and let out a confused noise when he noticed Steven had already gathered the wanted herbs to brew the cure; not caring about the confusion he caused Braes who was looking at the herbs in Steven's hands then at the Omega, who was working with precision and grace that outshined even Braes, who was known as a renowned healer around their land. "I used to be a healer…" That was the only thing Steven said when he noticed how Anton and Braes continued to look at him like he sported another head and was talking in an ancient language, but still refuse to shed more light on the subject, content to let his words cause both Anton and Braes more confusion and make them wonder why only now the two of them had heard of this when they thought that Valkyries were only warriors and nothing else if what Loki and Thor implied was true.

Silence dominated the room as everyone watched Steven work, and Anton couldn't help but follow the Omega's every step and move with wide eyes. Calm and experienced; that was the thing Anton could feel as he watched the fluid motion of Steven as the Omega prepared the medicine and treated the older man, noticing how Steven looked in his element… like someone who lived and breathed to treat the sick... a sight so familiar that it brought nostalgia and made him shake his head... in the back of his mind, Anton couldn't help but wonder if the Omega was a healer in his village before the Hydra king destroyed it and took him as a prisoner.

"I did not know that Valkyries can be healers…" Braes mumbled, voicing the same question running through Anton's mind as they saw Steven giving the older man the herbal medicine, and bandaging his shoulder after applying the paste to it; all the while whispering something under his breath to the old man.

"How is he?" Anton asked after a while, taking a slow step toward Steven who was checking on the older Beta when he calmed down enough to stop moaning and grunting and sleep calmly in his bed, even when his face was scrunched up; Anton's question caused the Omega to blink as if realizing he was here with him before facing him, and the Alpha had to stop himself from taking a step back at the rage and anger hiding behind the Omega's eyes.

"If he survived the night he will live…" Steven stated in a calm voice, but everyone, even Braes knew the Omega was anything but calm, and that any wrong movement may unleash the angry beast lurking behind the Omega's eyes, waiting to be set free. But instead of unleashing his rage that would outshine even Hela on the village, Steven ordered everyone that was not of his pack to leave the room, not even sparing Anton a glance or a word to convey his hate and anger for what happened to his family…

Anton couldn't help but feel responsible for this…

The thing was… Anton knew who did it; he was sure that Steven knew that he knew, and his friends definitely knew that he and Steven knew who did the deed, and if asked the villagers, everyone would have the same thought about who did the despicable deed of attacking the guardian of his future mate on the day they started their negotiation. The thing was, even if they knew and suspected no one can say it outright without having any proof if they didn't want to be labeled as a liar. So that left Anton to do nothing but twiddling his thumbs with a harsh scowl on his face, wondering what would happen now, or if he should take a step forward and correct the situation even though he didn't have any evidence that the Stone family was the cause of the attack.

The only thing that Anton could do at the moment was praying to every God above to save the old man who was fighting for his life; knowing that if the man died, then not only his death was on Anton because the Alpha couldn't control the people under him, but also knowing that Steven would blame him for being the reason that one of his pack members died because of Anton, more so when they were under his protection… Anton was lost, and he didn't know what to do to make everything right once more.

Part of Anton wanted to go to Steven and talk to him about what happened… anything really… but he had a feeling that he wasn't welcomed at the moment, not after Nattalegg came to them not that long ago and told them that they still haven't found the one who dared to attack the old man… a fact that caused Steven's eyes to darken in rage as he all but made his base in Braes's home… Anton closed his eyes tightly as he let out a calming breath, trying to stop himself from doing something stupid and letting his anger get the better of him… he just needed to calm down…

When his door was knocked on for the second time that day with urgency, Anton feared the worse, thinking that old man Philips had died and that Steven had come to inform him of the news. Needless to say, Anton all but ran toward his door; his heart pounding in his chest in fear and resignation as he thought the worse had happened, and that in the harsh reality of their situation he managed to lose Steven before he even had the chance to have him.

Reaching his front door, Anton extended his hand to open the door; only to still in his place as his nose scrunched when he smelled something… strange… his nose twitched once more as he tried to decipher the scent he was smelling that not only called to him in a way but made his Alpha steer and hiss as his hackles raised. Closing his eyes, Anton tried to ignore the pounding on the door as he tried to focus, trying to make sense of when he had smelled something familiar to this scent in a way but was different; suddenly, his eyes opened and his pupil expanded when he managed to place the scent he was smelling. Instead of feeling attracted to it, Anton and his Alpha couldn't help but hiss in anger and disgust, wondering why someone would come to his home smelling like this.

The harsh knocking made Anton raise his eyebrow and he nearly thrust the door open and give the person who dared to come to his home reeking of heat a piece of his mind; in the last second, Anton paused, tilting his head as he thought better of it. Part of him was curious about the person who dared to come to his home and den in such a state when there are laws preventing such actions in the fear of territorial disputes and force mating; with that, Anton pulled away from the door, leaning on the wall opposed of it as he waited for the person who knocked on the door to get tired of knocking like crazy and leave or do something. When the knocking stopped, Anton tensed a little, waiting for the next action the person was going to take, but mostly Anton was hoping that the person on the other side had got bored and left; when the minutes passed and there was no other attempt to get in, Anton let out a tired sigh, grumbling to himself as he curses at the thought of having to tell his friends what happened and cause them to go overprotective at the news.

Anton suddenly narrowed his eyes, wondering how coincidently it was that an Omega in heat would come knocking on his door the same day that someone attacked his future betrothal guardian; a thought that caused Anton's hackles to raise and for his Alpha to roar in anger at the imply of the one who dared to attack his mate's family dared to show their faces now… and Anton had to say, that any other time, or to any other person, a plan like this would have worked and caused a feud between the two families that wanted to unite with marriage… divide and concur… but too bad for the ones who dared to act so recklessly; Anton nor Steven would let such loosely thought plan divide them when they both knew that they could deal more damage if they were together in this.

This time when something hit his door as if trying to force it open, Anton just waited, his hand was on his dagger (One of the many weapons concealed under his clothes; being a man of his reputation had gained Anton many enemies and had taught him how to always be prepared in case of a fight) his mind running loops trying to find the best plan to not only punish the person who was daring to break into his home, but also the Stone family who no doubt was the cause of his misfortune today. When the door was forced open, Anton glared at the person who he knew was on the other side, and Lo and behold, his prediction was right as he gazed at the one who dared to come to his home… Sunset… in all of her glory stood in his doorway as she swayed a little, with the scent of her heat intensifying.

Anton didn't need to do anything to attract her attention, he just cleared his throat as he gazed at the woman who was showing skin under her fur coat; a fact that caused his Alpha to hiss in disgust as the flowery and sweet scent surrounding him, nearly choking him and causing sneezing fit from how sweet it was (Anton may have an affinity to sweet scent and sweets food, but when it came to Omegas in heat, he felt nothing but disgust and annoyance as their sweet scent always cloyed his sense) but Anton did nothing other than scrunching his nose as he saw how the sound he let out seemed to attract Sunset's attention as she blinked several times before gazing at him before a drunken grin taking over her face as she moved, all but throwing herself at him. "Mate!" Sunset all but squealed happily as she jumped him, holding him tightly as she tried to nuzzle him and pushing him against the wall behind, causing disgust to curl in his stomach as Anton saw the lust and smelled the arousal hidden under the too-sweet scent coming from Sunset. "Come on… Alpha… do not be shy!" Sunset slurred, as she purred and leaned on his chest, causing Anton to hold his sneezing fit in when he scented Sunset; his gut churning even when he forced himself to breathe from his mouth stopped him from gagging at her scent; while others no doubt would have found the Omega's scent irresistible, for Anton, it just spits sickness and the sweetness of fever… another cause of being labeled as a crazy by his people. "Alpha let us go to your room… I would be so good I promise… I will give you many beautiful pups!" Sunset giggled, his words summoning a furious snarl from Anton as he finally got fed up with her and took hold of her hand, twisting it behind her as he pulled her hair with his other hand, causing Sunset to let out a squeak of pain as she tried to push his hands away from her, letting out a high pitched whine as she tried to appeal to his raging Alpha.

"Oh, you do not know how long I waited to do this…" Anton hissed as he led Sunset by her hair, ignoring the fact that he was acting so rough toward an Omega when he would never raise his hand at one; but Sunset? Oh, he wouldn't even treat her as an Omega or a woman if all she does with her brother was scheme and try to destroy his calm life; their action against Steven and him was the last straw, especially, when she came to his house reeking of heat. "Thank you for giving me the chance to destroy you and your clan, because I was hoping you would do something to make me come to your home and kill you…" Anton stated coldly as he ignored the pained cry coming from Sunset as he let out an angry growl all but pulling Sunset by her hair out of the door.

Anton ignored Sunset's sobs and pleas for him to 'Stop' and how 'Sorry she was' and how she 'Will not do it again' knowing that even if the woman was in heat, she was responsible and aware of her actions; after all, heats and ruts don't turn people into brainless puppets without a will, that was all lies and rumors the south created so that his people would be referred to as barbarians even more than they were already. Sunset's screams and cries seemed to summon people left and right, causing them to leave their house to investigate what that noise was all about, only to freeze in their place when they saw Anton pulling Sunset by her hair… and boy, did chaos broke around as people went to try and bring the elders to see what the madness was all about.

"Anton, what in the name of Hel, is going on?!" That was Fury whose one eye was so wide as he gazed at the sight in front of him, no doubt that he couldn't comprehend what Anton was doing to an Omega in heat, even if that Omega was Sunset. Instead of answering, Anton continued to walk, until he reached the village center, all but throwing Sunset at the ground and looking at the people surrounding him whispering and hissing, some were even saying in hushed voices that he had finally lost his mind.

It was only when the elders finally arrived to gaze at the sight of them that Anton finally dared to talk, ignoring the glare he was receiving for how barbarian he acted around an Omega in heat. "I present to you the Omega who dared to come into my den reeking of heat, going as far as breaking my door after I refused to allow her into my home," Anton called out in a loud voice, his words causing everyone to freeze, even the elders who not a few seconds ago were glaring at him. "Where is her clan?" Anton shouted, glancing around as he waited to see one of the Stone clan elders or even Tyber so he can give him a piece of his mind. "Do they not know the punishment of allowing Omegas in heat to roam around unprotected? Do they not know the punishment of forced mating, someone, even if that person was an Alpha? Do they really think I will not know that they were the ones who attacked my betrothal's guardian to break our engagement?" That more than ever caused a still silence to descend on everyone, as tension suffocated everyone as they glanced at one another; even they knew that it was too much to be a coincidence, especially, if the Omega had to break a door and force herself into a home that wasn't hers.

"Are you mad? Do you not know what kind of punishment an accusation like this would summon without proof?" One of the elders snapped, and Anton didn't even need to turn around to know that the person who spoke was one of the Stone elders who no doubt realize what kind of mistake it was to send an Omega in heat to his home if this was going to be his reaction.

"Proof? Is my broken door not enough proof for you? Is her attempt at seducing me not enough proof for you? Is her showing at my home alone without a guardian or a witness wearing this not proof enough?!" Anton snapped, gripping the furs covering Sunset, and pulled, exposing her naked frame to everyone and causing many shocked and appalled gasps and squeaks to be heard from the crowd as some tried to cover their eyes and Shield the children who dared to sneak to see what this fuss was all about. "Is this not enough proof?" Anton shouted noticing how speechless everyone was becoming, and Anton took that to his advantage, knowing damn well that no one would dare to oppose him or say something after the evidence was shoved in their faces. "It is in my right to punish her… you know the laws, and you agreed to them before coming to my village…" Anton stated darkly, seeing how his words caused panic and fear in the Stone clan, something that he basked in as he ignore their protests and how they tried to twist his tale against him to save her, everyone can see how pathetic their attempts were, even the elders who supported the Stone family and their mating with Anton.

"He is speaking the truth, I saw the king's house, and his door is broken as he claimed!" Someone shouted from the crowd, causing people's jaws to drop as everybody exploded, shouting, whispering, hissing and even laughter of disbelief could be heard around as everyone wondered what kind of madness they had the privilege to witness. No one could believe that the Omega who half of the elders worship and wanted her to be a queen would do such a repulsive act as to force someone to be with her in this way; especially after the king had made his courting to the Hydra Queen a known fact… and today of all day was the start of their engagement negotiation in which after the queen's guardian was attacked… Anton knew that no matter what kind of loophole everyone was trying to find, things were getting darker and darker for the Stone clan after such a bold statement; attacking the Queen's guardian aside, for someone to try and force another to mate them, in a land that the Iron King is known to rule is a crime by itself that would summon death, even if the one who dared to do the deed was an Omega.

"The people have spoken!" And here, Anton had to give a dark smile enjoying the horror he saw on the elders' faces at the fact that the woman they had desperately tried to force Anton to mate was going to be punished brutally by the same Alpha after she tried to take the shortest way to do the deed. "You know… trying to force someone to mate by using your heat is the way of whores…" Anton notice how everyone seemed to shiver and shift, some of them even walked away, no doubt afraid that the punishment Sunset would be given would affect all of them. "And if you wanted to act like a whore, you would be treated as one." That comment gathered many outraged shouts from the elders and confused mumbles and fearful whispers from the rest of the people.

"Wait my king, surely this is a mistake!" That was what Tyber, who had finally dared to show himself and defend his sister's honor… no doubt trying to save his face and come to his sister's rescue after everyone noticed his absence. "My sister would have never done something like this if she did not think of you as her mate; she was surely confused and did not know how to act facing your rejection…" Tyber tried to save his face, only to notice in the last moment how his words gained the opposite effect than he wanted, gaining more whispers and scuffs as the people finally gathered the truth they wanted to believe while discarding the story Tyber tried to sell, knowing well enough that everyone had started to believe him as an oath breaker after the many misfortune the Stone clan brought with them.

"Do I look like I care?" Anton snapped as he shook someone's grip away (No doubt Jamti or one of his friends) as he marched toward Tyber who nearly shrank back from the furious look on the Alpha's face. "I do not care that you think your sister had done her deed because she could not handle my rejection; everyone in this land knew my rejection of your clan was absolute before you even came here!" That caused everyone to shrink away, nervousness and fear clear in everyone's faces as Anton growled at Tyber once more; looking more unhinged as his anger was getting the best of him, ignoring how some of the elders tried to pull him away from the scared Beta. "You or her, that is all you need to think about; either you accept her punishment and take it like a man, or shut your damned mouth and accept the punishment that would befall your sister." That made Tyber stutter badly as he tried to find a way to get him and his sister out of this situation and gain the favor of the crowd who were holding their breath as they waited; when the minutes passed and Tyber didn't step up to help his sister with his actions not just his words, the full image had cemented itself in everyone's mind informing them how low the Stone clan had fallen. "I see… well then, the punishment would be your sister's today…" Anton stated, ignoring the elders who protested weakly as they tried to save the Omega from more pain and humiliation. "Klint… please throw this Omega out of the village, from now on, this Omega is branded as an outlaw; anyone who dares to help her and go back on my word will receive the same punishment as her." Anton spat, throwing the furs at the Omega who was shivering and gazing at everyone with wide eyes, covering her nakedness and ignoring the uproar that took place due to the elders who protested his punishment.

A sudden laugh was heard, causing everyone to still in their place as they heard the joy behind the laughter, which caused Anton to frown and look around to see who dared to laugh in such a dire situation; when Anton's eyes found the person who laughed, he stilled, when he saw that it was Steven, who was laughing happily, his eyes shining with pleasure as he gazed at the Stone siblings, especially Sunset; for a moment of Anton couldn't help but wonder how much pleasure and happiness was Steven getting at the sight in front of him, and how the ones who caused the death of his baby and made him stay with the Hydra monster more than necessary, getting punished like this. "And to think I thought you injured or dead when I found the door broken…" Steven said with a snort, a mocking smile graced his lips as he gazed at Tyber and Sunset with so much pleasure as he ignored their hateful looks; Anton, though, was more focused on Steven's words, wondering why the Omega would think such things. "I found him lurking around Braes's home trying to get in…" Came the answer as Steven threw someone neat his feet, and Anton couldn't help raising his eyebrows in surprise, when his eyes fell on the person bonded with robs rending him immobile. "I would not have thought much of it have I not seen the same poisonous arrows pointing at my pack." That made everyone shift and look at one another, everyone's instincts were running wild as they felt the danger rolling off Steven in waves, no doubt their fight or flight instincts were screaming at the thought of having to deal with a raging Alpha king and an equally raging Omega queen; but unlike Anton's fiery and explosive anger, Steven's anger was cold and icy, forcing the shivers to run down everyone's spine in fear of being the sole focus of the freezing rage and coldness that would follow.

"Is that not of the Stone's guards?" Someone (No doubt Klint who was holding Sunset by her arms to throw her outside of the village) asked, and not for the second time that night, everyone held their breath in horror, not knowing what kind of insane consequences the Stone clan would suffer after everything went against them this day; not only did they dared to attack and their attacker got caught, but they also tried to force one of their members on the king… needless to say, everyone knew that tonight wouldn't end well.

"Why, look at that…" Anton gazed at the bonded man who was squirming, gazing around as terror shined in his eyes. "Not only did your attacker get caught… but your sister for once got the punishment she deserves… the Gods had abandoned you, did they not?" Anton hummed, ignoring the cries and protest he was forced to hear from the elders, as for the rest of his people, most of them shrugged their shoulders, deciding to not get involved more than they already were as witnesses; considering that Tyber tried to start another tale about this guard not being with his clan and such. "So… what is his punishment?" Anton asked, knowing well enough that Steven would want to punish the person who dared to attack his pack with his own hands.

"Death…" Steven stated simply, ignoring the cries of the tied man as he tried to squirm and appeal to Steven's merciful side… if only the man knew that Steven forgive many slights but those that involved hurting his family; something that Anton learned the hard way. "Too bad he refused to speak; his death would have not been in vain if he did." That caused Anton's lips to twitch up, knowing fully well that Steven chose to kill the man instead of going after Tyber not only as a warning but because Anton had already dished out a more satisfying punishment by targeting Tyber's sister, who as soon as she would be thrown out of the village, the Stone clan would bring their doom in their desperate need to help her. "Ah… I also came to inform you that Philips had recovered and is requesting a meeting with you." Steven smiled happily, directing these words to Anton, but his gaze was fixed directly on Tyber; his cheerful and happy voice, causing the Beta to grit his teeth at such public mocking and humiliation by the person he thought was below him… and Anton… he couldn't help the grin from stretching his lips at this turn of events…

He was finally going to get rid of the Stone clan…

It was nearly down when Anton finally managed to contain the mess that took place due to Tyber and Sunset, as the Omega tried to plea and avoid her punishment while Tyber tried to change his mind to postpone the punishment until after his sister's heat was over; followed by the elders as they tried to force Anton to change his mind on Sunset's situation or make him give another punishment that wouldn't bring such humiliation and shame to the Stone clan. An argument that took nearly all night to resolve, and even then the elders wouldn't back away until Anton all but throw daggers at them and made them back away (Temporary), no doubt planning on starting the same argument tomorrow; finally, he managed to return to his home in the wee hours after making sure that the retched Omega was thrown outside of the village for good, only to realize that had to fix his broken door, which took hours to finish… the sun had risen and people had got out of their homes to go for their work when Anton finally managed to return back to his bed to catch on a few hours of sleep before he was forced to repeat the mess that took place the day before.

It was maybe two or three hours later that Anton was forced to wake up and face the day by none other than his excited son who looked too energetic for the day, something that caused Anton to groan in pain as he tried to smother his face in his pillow, trying to encourage himself to wake up and face the day… a poor plan as Anton was woken up not minutes later by Magna who informed him the elders demanded another meeting related to the Stone clan mess… which wasted his good morn and forced him to stay with the elders until the sun was high in the sky, and he was starved to death considering that he missed his evening meal after what happened with Philips yesterday, and today's morning meal thanks to the elders.

It was after Anton managed to scarf down a handful of nuts (Thank to a concern Jamti who heard his stomach rumble) that Anton remembered Steven's statement about his guardian wanting to meet him… a reminder that made Anton choke on the nuts he was munching and for his appetite to disappear completely, which forced him to return the treats to Jamti who looked at him with confusion, which then made Anton reassure his friends that he was fine, but was in need of finishing one last chore before he escape to his forge (Planning on sleeping there after closing the doors, knowing that Petrus was spending the day with James) with that, Anton started his journey to Braes's hut, wondering what the old goat wanted from him that he was now awaken and poison-free (Which was a surprise for everyone, especially Braes who thought the old goat would need a few days of recovery to show such improvement; a fact that made the Beta gaze at Steven like he was Eir in disguise as he all but asked him for his secret healing potion and how he became a healer).

"Finally, I thought I will grow even older before you dared to show your ugly mug around this neck of the woods!" That was the older goat greeting when Anton finally reached his destination, causing the Alpha to close his eyes tightly and take a deep breath to try and calm himself… he was too tired to even think of a response so Anton stayed silent as he took the seat on the chair near the man's bed.

"You look too energetic for someone who was on his death's bed just yesterday," Anton complained, looking the man up and down and relaxing when he noticed how the man looked fine; more irritating than usual, but fine. Something that Anton had to thank every God above because it meant that Steven wouldn't hate him more for letting the annoying old man die.

"As if something as weak as poison was going kill me, ha! You got to be joking…" The older man rolled his eyes before a grumble left his lips as he leaned on his pillows. "…Besides, that annoying brat would have not allowed me to die even if I beat him away with a broom…" That caused a laugh to leave Anton's lips, which gained him a harsh glare from the older man for laughing.

"He was worried about you…" Anton said after he was done laughing, remembering how worried Steven was even with the anger and fury showing clearly in his eyes. "And if my suspicions were true, then I believe he was the one who tracked your attacker until he found him and brought him to receive his punishment; Tyber may be a fool, but he was not much of a fool to repeat his attack twice when he knew every evidence was going to at him," Anton explained, noticing the look of annoyance on the older man's face which informed him that this wasn't even closer to being the first time that something like this to happen.

"Will not be the first or the last time he acted as a fool; the brat was a brat the moment I met him…" Huffed the older man before a small barely there smile took over, causing a feeling of forbidding to take hold of Anton. "Though he told me what you did to the Stone clan yesterday, and I have to say, you made me impressed… brat, you may call me Philips now." The older man… Philips… said causing Anton to let out a confused noise but he forced a smile on his lips.

"I… Thank you?" Anton said, blinking several times in confusion before deciding that this was a good thing and that he had gained the older man's favor. "Does that mean you will go easy on me in our negotiation?" Questioned Anton hopefully, which only got him a snort from Philips as the man gave him a look that said 'You wish!' something that made a grumpy pout take over his face; a pout that disappeared when he saw a familiar silver chain in the man's hands. "Well then, will you at least tell me what are you holding?" Anton asked, trying to lengthen their small talk, fearing that whatever the older Beta had summoned him here for would be nothing but a pain in his behind.

The older man raised his eyebrow in surprise only to roll his eyes and murmur something that looked suspiciously like 'Vikings and their uncanny ability to notice accessories and gold…' followed by a few curses that caused Anton to shift awkwardly and look around, wondering where everyone was at the moment and why was Braes's hut suspiciously empty. "It is a luck charm of some sort… belong to the brat so be careful." The older man stated, grimacing as he said 'Luck Charm' before he all but throw whatever was in his hand toward Anton, causing the Alpha's heart to drop in his stomach as he tried to catch whatever was thrown his way.

"You cannot say it is Steven's and then throw it around like this!" Anton nearly shrieked, ignoring the amusement and the dark laugh the older man let out as he saw how frazzled Anton was after he barely caught the necklace… and it looked like a necklace from the way it felt in Anton's hands.

"I am a sick and weak old man, of course, I do not have a strong grip on such tiny things; it is bound to get scratched in my possession… but you on the other hand…" The older man grinned, causing Anton to glare at him harshly, wondering if the older man was Loki in disguise descending to this realm just to make Anton's life difficult. "Either way, be careful because you are holding the brat's heart in your hands… that is why I brought you here…" Philips's demander suddenly turned serious, causing Anton to still for a while, his heart pounding a little at the words the older man chose. Steven's heart… hearing such words made Anton baffled and at the same time curious and excited, wondering why the necklace in his hand was considered to be the Omega's heart by the older man; was it a gift from his late parents or was it the last piece of his home? Or was it something else entirely? Either way, Anton eagerly opened his hands to gaze at the necklace in his possession with curious and sparkling eyes, feeling like a small pup that was too invested in learning anything about his love interest in the hope of catching their attention… Suddenly… the world came to a halt as Anton's eyes widened and his face contrasted into one of horror as all Anton could feel was a muted version of the feelings he knew he was supposed to feel if the roars and shrieks his Alpha was letting was anything to go by, as he felt everything and nothing at once, sending him into a near shock…

Anton felt like he just took a plunge into the freezing ocean…

So what do you think?

Finally, it is done! I can't believe I finished this chapter! We reached the halfway point of the story… I think.

I feel so unsatisfied with this chapter, though… T^T

I had to write and rewrite and once more erase and write this chapter over ten times turning it from a 15k mess that doesn't make sense to anyone (Not even me) into this 7k mess that someone would probably understand about half of considering it was on the rushed side… writer block and college are killing me since the start of this school year and I knew if I didn't do something then this chapter would have stayed in my laptop until the end of times and not be three days late…

On another lighter note, this October I will try to update new stories in the hope of overcoming my writer block, and considering that it is October, it only meant one thing… it is time for spooky stories! I missed writing horror so much! I feel excited at the thought of writing horror stories once more, and even continuing my Addams Family series!

Wish me luck!

For all those who follow me on Fanfaction . net, I am sure everyone heard about the rumors of the site shutting down; I don't know if this is true or not but if it is, then you can follow me on AO3, and you will find all of my stories under the same user name 'NazakiSama166' I hope you enjoy, and happy reading!

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama