Chapter 409
+15 Banus
Four hundred and eleven
Alexander POV
The camp’s noise faded as I approached the children’s shelter, where a few pups chased a wooden ball across the ground, their laughter filling the air. Watching them play eased the weight in my chest.
One of the women caring for them noticed me and walked over. She looked exhausted, her face reflecting the hunger and sorrow that hung over the camp.
“My Lord,” she said, bowing her head. “I hate to bring you bad news, but we only have enough food for the pups for another two days. Maybe three if we cut the portions p>
I looked past her at the kitchen area. There was almost nothing left on the shelves.
“I’ll sort it out,” I said, patting her back.
She nodded and walked away as I stared after her. It wasn’t just the children suffering. The adults were starving; too.
The Alphas had tightened trade routes and border controls, and no one wanted to do business with rogues anymore. My people now survived on wild berries, roots, and whatever else they could find. Even when a wolf hunted and ate its fill, the human body still starved without human food. Many of my warriors now wandered the woods, searching for anything edible.
I reached into my coat and pulled out my pouch. Inside was my last bundle of tokens.
Kamala had told me earlier that day to visit the black market and use them to buy ingredients for my warming potion.
The cold in my chest came in waves. When an attack hit, my heart felt as if it were turning to ice, freezing me from the inside out. Only the warming potion could stop it and restore my body. Its ingredients were rare and expensive. These last tokens would cover them but would leave my pouch empty.
I looked back at the children playing and knew I couldn’t buy medicine for myself while they starved.
I called two of my men. “Come with me to the black market p>
The black market lay deep in the woods, run by merchants who knew rogues had nowhere else to turn. They charged double, but I didn’t haggle. I handed over every token I had for sacks of flour, dried meat, grain, milk, and other necessities for the pups and elders.
We loaded the bags and headed back to camp. My only hope was that the backup plan I’d been counting on would work soon. If it didn’t, I had no idea what we’d do next.
When we returned, I carried a bag into my hut. Kamala was already there, sorting herbs she’d gathered from the woods. She knew what I’d done, and her face tightened.
“Alexander!” she snapped, dropping the herbs onto the table. “Where are the ingredients for your potion p>
“I bought food for the camp,” I said, setting down the bag.
“You stubborn fool! You sacrificed your medicine knowing how dangerous these attacks are. If your condition worsens, you could collapse. And if you do, this camp loses its leader. Who protects these people then p>
“Kamala, you worry too much,” I groaned. I crossed to the fireplace, grabbed a piece of wood, and tossed it onto the embers. Sparks flew as the flames caught. I sat on the bench beside the fire and held my hands toward the heat.
1/4
на
+15 Banus
A familiar chill had already begun to creep into my chest, but I pushed it aside.
m not going to sit here drinking expensive potions to keep myself comfortable while children go hungry,” I said, watching the flames. “I can endure the cold. I’ve survived it before, and I’ll survive it again p>
“Endure it?” Kamala shook her head. “You’re playing with death, Alexander p>
I gave her a crooked smile. “Death and I have an understanding. It knows better than to take me without an invitation p>
Kamala shook her head, though I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth.
“You and Lucas,” she muttered, turning back to the herbs. “Two stubborn fools determined to make my life miserable. I’ll have to make do with what’s left. Let me see if I can make something that will tide you over p>
Kamala was right about one thing. We couldn’t keep living like this. With the Alpha sanctions making legitimate trade impossible, we were being slowly cut off from the region, and I needed a way to get money and supplies for my people without putting those children in the middle of a war.
The door swung open, and Lucas’s familiar presence filled the room.
I sat by the fire, holding my hands close to the embers. Lucas stood near the door, watching me with the kind of knowing that made me uncomfortable.
I ignored his stare until he tossed a pouch onto the table.
“For your medicine,” he said, his voice tight.
I stared at the pouch, then at him. “I’m not taking your money, Lucas p>
“Don’t be a fool, Alexander!” Lucas snapped, stepping closer. “This isn’t about your damned pride. If you freeze to death, what happens to the rest of us p>
I gave a humorless laugh. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? To be the leader who calls the shots? The one who put us in this situation in the first place p>
Lucas glared at me.
“Are you going to stay mad at me forever, or are you going to let me help keep you alive p>
I looked from his face to the pouch on the table. Accepting his help tasted like defeat, like admitting I couldn’t protect my people or myself. But he was right. I needed help.
“Fine,” I grunted, pulling the pouch toward myself. “I’ll repay you. Every token p>
“Whatever you say, Alpha,” Lucas muttered.
Later that night, long after the camp had gone silent, I slipped into the woods with my men to the northern pack
lands.
A figure waited among the trees beside a hidden van. I stepped into the moonlight, and Jeremy approached me.
He was the son of an Alpha from a smaller pack nearby. Years ago, when he was still young, I’d saved his life from a planned attack. He’d never forgotten that debt.
He glanced around as he pointed to the back of the van. Inside were about six drums and more boxes filled with canned goods and groceries.
2/4
and eller
ལ་
+15 Bohus
“Jeremy… thank you p>
Gratitude cut through my exhaustion.
He looked over his shoulder.
“I know this is not enough to feed all your people, but it is all I can afford, otherwise I’d get caught p>
He knew the Regional Council had issued a strict memo banning trade and contact with rogues. If the Council found out this pack had helped me, they’d impose heavy sanctions, and he was taking a serious risk just by standing there.
“I won’t force you to do this again, Jeremy. I know what this puts at risk for you p>
Jeremy shook his head. “You saved my life, Alexander. Helping you feed your people is the least I can do. But you need to be careful. The Alphas are closing in. They want to crush the rogue camps completely p>
He paused and adjusted his cloak. “Word is spreading about your petition. Is it true? Are you really taking your bloodline claim to the Alpha Council p>
“I am,” I said. “My half-brother Zachary is sitting on my father’s throne illegally. I’m going to take back what belongs to my bloodline p>
Jeremy shook his head. “It would be hard for the Council to give you a fair hearing, Alexander, especially after the recent abduction of their loved ones. Also, you need a witness who can testify about what happened the night your father died p>
“I’ll figure it out p>
Jeremy gave me a nod. “Good luck, Alexander. You’re going to need it p>
He turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving me alone with the van, the cold, and the ghosts of my past.
My mind flashed back to that night years ago.
I remembered waking up to a foggy sight and a metallic taste in my mouth. I’d been on the floor, my head pounding and my mind blank on how I got there. I remembered looking down at my hands and seeing them covered in blood. My father’s body lay beside me, and a bloody dagger rested inches from my fingers.
I didn’t remember killing him.
My mind was a void. Back then, only one person had been there for me and helped me through what followed while the rest of the pack screamed for my head.
Alpha Desmond. 1
For years, I’d trusted Desmond. When everyone called me a monster and said I’d snapped and lost control, he helped me escape before the council could execute me. I begged him to believe me because I couldn’t even remember holding a knife. But there was little Desmond could do beyond hiding me in his basement for weeks while I was hunted, until he couldn’t hide me any longer.
He had believed me. But now, he was dead, killed by Alpha Cameron’s son in a duel seven months ago.
I needed to claim my father’s throne by right of blood, but the stain of his murder still hung over my name.
Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.