Chapter 64
Alpha Kael
Lord Hawthorne sat across from me with the same composed elegance he carried everywhere. His long fingers curled around an oddly shaped golden cup as he slowly sipped his mead, savoring it as though it was the finest drink ever brewed.
I watched him in silence but the scent alone told me it was mead. Most wolves preferred ale or wine.
Mead was a drink commonly found in the Ravenspire region, and Lord Hawthorne never seemed interested in following trends outside his homeland; neither did his wardrobe.
Even today, his dark green vest was stitched in unmistakable Velmorian fashion with intricate silver embroidery running along the edges. The cut was strange compared to the styles worn by the rest of the nobles in my court, but somehow it suited him.
Everything about Lord Hawthorne was… peculiar.
He collected odd artifacts from distant kingdoms, filled his estate with unusual inventions, and had once paid an absurd amount of money for the skeleton of an enormous sea beast because he found it “academically fascinating p>
He was an intelligent man. Unfortunately, intelligent men could also be troublesome.
After another leisurely sip, he smiled. “I heard what happened yesterday with Lord Kavanagh p>
His tone carried amusement rather than judgment.
I leaned back in my chair. “I merely reminded him of the hierarchy that most nobles seem determined to forget p>
A chuckle escaped him. “Quite the reminder, from what I heard and I believe it was necessary p>
“It probably was.” I said with a straight face.
He rotated the golden cup between his fingers before lifting his eyes to mine. “My family certainly wouldn’t dare forget their place p>
There was a pause then he added. “But I do hope Your Alpha Majesty remembers ours p>
There it was… The reminder that his house had supported Blackborne for generations. Their wealth had funded armies, repaired villages after disasters, and strengthened trade throughout the territory.
Influence! That was what he was reminding me of and I had no intention of dancing around the matter.
“What is it you came here for, Lord Hawthorne p>
His smile widened slightly. “Straight to business, huh p>
“I have quite a bit of it p>
He nodded. “My family, alongside House Kavanagh, intends to begin construction on the border lands p>
I folded my hands together. “For what purpose p>
“It’s for a trade port p>
My brows drew together. “A trade port p>
“Indeed.” He sounded almost excited. “The location is ideal. Merchants from both the northern and eastern routes would benefit greatly p>
I stared at him. “Who authorized such construction p>
His expression remained calm. “Our families were granted autonomy over those lands many decades ago p>
I let out a slow sigh before speaking. “My grandfather granted that autonomy decades ago but the pack has undergone significant reforms since then p>
“The agreement still exists.” He stated.
Another sigh escaped me. Technically… he wasn’t wrong. Old agreements could become burdens that later generations had to carry.
I rested an elbow on the armrest before speaking again, this time allowing my voice to soften. “Lord Hawthorne p>
He looked at me attentively as I continued. “Your family has done much for Blackborne p>
He inclined his head politely. “We’ve only done our duty p>
“And I appreciate it.” I said and that much was true. “Now, I am asking your house to do one more thing p>
His curiosity deepened. “I’m listening p>
“I want your family to relinquish the border lands.” His brows rose but I still continued. “For the safety of the pack p>
Silence lingered between us then finally, he asked, “What danger requires those lands to be protected p>
I glanced toward Beta Bastian who stood near one of the windows with his usual unreadable expression and through our mindlink, his voice entered my thoughts.
’Are you certain you want to tell him the reason?’ Beta Bastian asked.
’Let’s give it a try.” I said.
I turned back toward Lord Hawthorne. Rather than answer immediately, I leaned forward until only the table separated us.
Then I lowered my voice. “There is a possibility I glanced briefly around the room. of a vampire invasion p>
His confident expression disappeared. A vampire invasion p>
“It remains only a possibility.” I said again.
He frowned. “That seems unlikely” He slowly shook his head. “But our annual royalties have already been paid p>
His confidence returned slightly as he added. “The vampires have always honored those arrangements p>
I met his eyes. “My scouts also reported something else p>
His smile faded again. “What p>
“Alpha William may somehow be involved in all of these.” I said and the room fell completely silent.
Even the crackling fireplace seemed quieter. Like nearly everyone else, Lord Hawthorne knew the rumors.
The Alpha of Nightsbane had long been whispered to possess unusual ties to the vampires.
No one openly spoke of it! No one needed to but everyone sort of knew.
His fingers tightened around the golden cup. “You believe that p>
“I believe enough to prepare for it p>
His face became thoughtful. “If that is true… then it changes everything.” He nodded absentmindedly. “But how do the border lands help p>
Again I leaned closer. This time I deliberately lowered my voice until it was barely above a whisper.
“I would rather not discuss our plans openly.” I slowly glanced toward the walls. “There may be ears listening p>
I noticed Beta Bastian remained perfectly expressionless despite undoubtedly realizing what I was doing.
From Lord Hawthorne’s perspective… It would appear I wasn’t even willing to trust one of my own men and that was exactly the impression I wanted.
Lord Hawthorne followed my gaze before nodding almost immediately.
“I understand.” His voice also dropped into a whisper. “One cannot be too careful p>
“Precisely.” I said with a nod.
He straightened in his chair. “If surrendering those lands protects Blackborne He stood. then House Hawthorne will not stand in the way p>
A small smile touched my lips. “I appreciate that p>
“I shall speak with Lord Kavanagh personally.” His tone carried confidence. “I believe I can convince him to relinquish his family’s portion as well p>
“That would save me considerable effort.” I nodded with appreciation.
I rose with him. “When this matter is resolved I paused. I will remember the loyalty your family has shown p>
His eyes brightened. “You are too generous, Alpha p>
“No.” I offered him a respectful nod. “Blackborne rewards loyalty p>
He bowed. “Then I shall take my leave p>
A servant opened the doors for him as Lord Hawthorne disappeared into the hallway.
The instant the doors closed… Beta Bastian let out a quiet chuckle while I rubbed my temples. “Go ahead.” I said knowing he has something to say.
“You manipulated him beautifully.” He praised me. “And you’re remarkably good at it p>
I sighed. “I simply needed those lands p>
“And now you’ll have them p>
“Hopefully… yeah!” We returned to the map spread across my desk.
Beta Bastian pointed toward the marked border. “The watchpits, We’ve delayed long enough so when should construction begin p>
“As soon as possible, we’ll need to keep it discreet.” I said.
I studied the map before speaking. “The workers can begin immediately. They’ll continue until the night of the ball then they’ll pause so attention stays focused on the celebration p>
“And once the festivities are over… they resume immediately p>
Beta Bastian nodded. “A sound plan p>
Just then, the doors opened again and Lord Hawthorne stepped back inside, making both Beta Bastian and I blinked in surprise.
The noble cleared his throat. “My apologies, I forgot something crucial p>
“What is it?” I asked.
A smile slowly spread across his face. “I couldn’t help but notice He looked directly at me. that you’re still without a mate p>
I already knew where this was going as he added. “I happen to have a first daughter and I would be honored to introduce her to you during the ball p>
I forced a polite smile. “That won’t be necessary p>
“That’s Nonsense.” He retorted back.
“I assure you… My schedule during the ball will be rather full p>
“It’ll only take a few moments to introduce you both.” He said again. “You’ll like her and she’s certainly an exceptional young woman and the finest p>
I almost sighed. “Even so p>
He refused to yield. “Please… It would make an old father very happy p>
There were few enemies more relentless than a noble trying to arrange a marriage. “I’ll… consider greeting her p>
His smile widened triumphantly. “Excellent! I look forward to it p>
Before I could object further, he bowed and finally departed as the doors shut behind him.
I released a long sigh while Beta Bastian laughed outright. “You handled Lord Kavanagh with terrifying authority but one determined father nearly defeated you p>
I shot him a flat look. “I’d rather fight Kavanagh again p>
We shared a brief laugh before returning to business. Another twenty minutes passed finalizing schedules for the construction.
When every detail had been settled, Beta Bastian rolled up the maps. “I’ll inform the engineers and they will begin quietly with no unnecessary attention p>
Once he left, the study became quiet again. I reached for the sealed letter resting on the edge of my desk.
Councilman Cedric’s handwriting was unmistakable. I unfolded the parchment again and carefully read through his message concerning his upcoming visit.
His timing was unfortunate! With the border defenses, and the growing uncertainty surrounding Blackborne, a ball was the last thing I needed.
Still… Ignoring a councilman wasn’t an option.
I folded the letter neatly as a knock echoed through the room. “Come in p>
The door opened, Garrick entered with his usual relaxed stride before stopping in front of my desk.
“You asked me to look into something, Alpha.” He folded his arms. “I spoke with quite a number of the warriors p>
A grin appeared on his face. “They’re unhappy because you don’t let them do anything p>
I couldn’t help smiling as he continued. “They say you’ve made them inactive and dormant. They train, they patrol, they guard but they want more… they want battles because they want to fight p>
A quiet chuckle escaped me. “Beta Bastian informed me yesterday that he dismissed a warrior for seeking exactly that p>
Garrick laughed. “I heard but they’re just young men who trained their entire lives but they finally became warriors and now they’re protecting peaceful roads p>
He shrugged as he continued. “They’re acting like horny young boys desperate to prove themselves p>
I laughed despite myself.
“So you shouldn’t worry, unless they start causing trouble… but they simply want blood and they think that’s what warriors are supposed to chase p>
His words weren’t entirely wrong. Peace was often harder for soldiers than war.
Finally, Garrick’s expression became serious. “There’s one more thing p>
“What is it p>
“If Alpha William decides to attend the ball He watched me carefully. what’s your plan Alpha p>
I remained silent for several moments then I looked toward the window overlooking Blackborne.
Whatever William intended… Whatever game he was playing…I would not be caught unprepared.
I turned back to Garrick. “Let him come, we’ll be ready for him p>