Chapter 09

The fortress walls loomed ahead, their dark stone washed in the golden glow of torches lining the border. Shadows stretched across the courtyard as the last light of the setting sun dipped beyond the horizon. The weight of the enemies we captured pressed down on us, reducing the air with unspoken tension.

I could feel the eyes of my warriors following our every move, reading the story written in blood and bruises on our bodies. I had returned victorious, but the battle wasn’t over. Not yet.

Damon paraded the prisoners ahead, his grip firm on the youngest one’s arm. The rest of them were bound tightly, their faces grim, their pride shattered. But I wasn’t naïve enough to believe they were broken yet. No, men like these clung to their purpose like a drowning man to driftwood.

The scent of wet earth and sweat clung to them, mixing with the faint smell of a coppery tang of blood. Their wrists were rubbed raw from the ropes binding them, yet none of them spoke, none of them begged. That silence was more dangerous than any rebellious words.

I caught movement from the courtyard.

Jared.

My Chief Warrior. My brother in all but blood.

He stepped into the torchlight, his gaze sweeping over the prisoners before landing on me. His dark eyes flashed with something I couldn't read… assessing, always calculating.

“Trouble?” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it.

I scoffed, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension from battle. “When isn’t there?”

Jared shifted his head. “Who are they?”

Damon pushed one of Xavier’s men forward, making him stumble. Beacon’s men. And Uncle Xavier’s.

Jared raised a brow, but his face remained unreadable. “Together?”

I nodded, watching his reaction closely.

“It’s worse than that,” I said, voice quieter now, but carrying more weight. They were hunting me before the full moon.

For the first time, I saw something shift in his eyes, concern, maybe even anger. His jaw tightened slightly, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. He turned to the prisoners, stepping closer.

The youngest of the Beacon’s warriors moved back slightly, but the others remained stiff, their gazes locked on the ground.

Jared squatted before the boy, his voice low but sharp. “What’s your name?”

The boy hesitated, lips pressing into a firm line.

Jared smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I wasn’t asking for your silence.”

The boy swallowed hard. “El… Elias”

“Well, Elias.” Jared's voice was almost casual, but there was an unmistakable threat beneath it.

“Why were you sent to kill my Alpha?”

Elias kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

Jared's smile disappeared. “I don’t like repeating myself.”

I stepped forward, exhaling through my nose. “They know about the full moon.”

Jared's head snapped up. “What?”

“They know that after it, I’ll be at my strongest.”

Silence stretched between us.

And they had refused Damon and his men passage to fetch Freya, they killed most of our men and injured a few a few weeks back… How come you are not aware as the chief warrior?

Mmmm…

Jared's face grew dark. “Then it’s worse than we thought.”

I already knew that.

The full moon wasn’t just a celestial event for me. It was a turning point, the moment my bloodline’s power would rush to its peak. My father had warned me long ago, in his voice… they will fear you when you rise.

And he had been right.

I turned to one of the warriors standing at the edge of the pavement. Take them to the dungeons. Keep them separated. I don’t want them planning anything together.

He nodded, pulling Elias along as the rest of the warriors dragged the others away. Their boots scraped against the stone, chains rattling as they disappeared through the archway.

But before they could vanish completely, another figure appeared from the darkness.

Uncle Xavier.

The moment his eyes landed on the bound prisoners, his face twisted in rage.

“You fools,” he growled at his men. His voice was low and dangerous but thick in a way that he tried to hold his anger. He stepped forward, his steps measured, and controlled but I saw the way his hands twisted into fists.

One of the prisoners… Xavier's men, the ones Damon had pushed forward when they arrived, jerked as Xavier stopped before him. The air around us grew colder.

Xavier’s gaze swept over the bound prisoners, his face darkening with rage. He stepped forward and struck one of his men across the face, ignoring the Beacon’s men.

“You were supposed to be discreet,” Xavier hissed. His anger was directed at his men, but Elias flinched anyway, clearly aware that he was the youngest one out. He belonged to Beacon’s forces, not Xavier’s.

The prisoner staggered, blood trickling from the corner of his lip. He clenched his jaw but didn’t dare move.

“You let yourselves get caught?” Xavier’s voice was sharp as a blade. His eyes burned with anger as they flashed between his men. And now you’ve exposed everything?

The leader of them whom Xavier had just hit squeezed his eyes shut. The others remained silent, stiff as statues.

Xavier exhaled harshly, running a hand down his face. When he looked at me, his expression was controlled, but his eyes betrayed his frustration.

“I warned you before, Rhea.” His voice was calm now, almost quiet. You should have never taken that throne.

I stepped closer, refusing to let him intimidate me. “And yet, here I stand.”

His lips curled into something between a sneer and a smirk.

“For now.”

I clenched my fists. “Are you admitting to this?”

“Admitting?” Xavier chuckled, shaking his head. “Please, Rhea. Do you think I’d be foolish enough to confirm anything in front of an audience?”

He gestured lazily toward the prisoners. “But by all means, take my silence however you like.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t need your confession. Your men speak for you.”

Xavier’s gaze moved toward the prisoners, bloodied, humiliated, and bound. His expression hardened.

Then, without warning, he moved.

A sharp crack rang through the air as he struck the second prisoner this time with the back of his hand. The man’s head snapped to the side, a choked sound escaping him. He barely remained standing.

Xavier inhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. “Pathetic.”

Damon tensed beside me, his hand instinctively moving toward his weapon. I could feel the anger rolling off him, but he held back. Barely.

I lifted my chin. “Hurting your men won’t change the fact that I won today.”

Xavier’s eyes darkened. “Today.”

The unspoken threat hung between us, thick and heavy.

I smirked my lips. “I’ll see you at the full moon, Uncle.”

He said nothing. Just turned on his heel and walked away, his steps slow, deliberate.

But I knew this wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

As Xavier’s footsteps faded into the night, I exhaled, releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The moment he disappeared into the fortress, I turned to Jared, whose jaw was still clenched, his gaze locked on the place Xavier had stood.

“You shouldn’t have let him walk away,” Damon muttered, his voice low but edged with frustration.

Jared shot him a sharp look. “And then what? Kill him here, in front of everyone?”

Damon didn’t argue. Jared was right.

The tension had been building for months and this? This was just another sign that the storm was unavoidable. But I couldn’t afford reckless moves.

Not yet.

I turned back toward the fortress, my boots hitting against the stone. “We need to move carefully. Xavier’s not an idiot. He knows I have his men, and he’ll act accordingly. We need to be prepared.”

Damon exhaled through his nose but didn’t argue further.

Jared fell into step beside me. “You should rest.”

I shook my head. “Not yet. I need to question them first.”

Damon gestured toward the dungeon entrance. “Then let’s not waste time.”

I followed them inside, the air smelling of wet stone and rusted iron, torches throwing restless shadows along the walls.

The prisoners had been separated into two different cells, just as I ordered. Chains rattled as one of them shifted, but none spoke.

I stopped in front of Elias’ cell first. The boy’s eyes snapped up to meet mine, his fear carefully masked behind a hardened expression.

“Comfortable?” I asked.

His throat bobbed. He didn’t answer.

Damon stepped closer, gripping the benches. “You’d be smart to talk now.

Elias flinched, just barely, but he held firm.

He turned his gaze to his colleagues but they kept mute facing their heads on the ground.

I squatted slightly, leveling my gaze with his. “You know who I am.”

A beat of silence.

He nodded once.

“Then you know I have no patience for games.”

Still, he didn’t speak.

I sighed. “You were sent to hunt me down. Why?”

Elias paused. His lips parted, then closed again. I could see the conflict in his eyes his loyalty messing with his fear.

Damon smirked. “You think staying silent will save you? You’ve already lost.”

Elias swallowed hard.

“Not yet.”

I felt a slow coldness settled in my heart.

Jared stiffened beside me.

“What does that mean?”

Elias pressed his lips together.

“Answer me.” My voice was calm and steady, but the weight behind it made his fingers twitch.

Before Jared could argue, Elias finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, shaking. "You don’t understand…"

We turned to him. He swallowed hard, his hands trembling where they were bound. "They’re coming," he whispered.

Damon cursed under his breath.

I straightened. “Who?”

Elias’ gaze shifted to the door uneasy, expectant, as if someone might storm in at any second. His voice dropped to a whisper.

“All of them.”

Jared's expression darkened. "How long?"

Elias hesitated, then forced out, "Two nights."

A cold weight settled in my chest.

Damon swore again. Jared's face remained unreadable, but I knew him well enough to see the tension in his stance.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Jared narrowed his eyes. “You’re lying.”

Elias shook his head. “Beacon’s forces. Xavier’s allies. Others, too. They’re planning to strike before the full moon.”

My blood ran cold.

Damon slammed his fist against the benches, making Elias hop.

“You expect us to believe that?”

The boy’s breathing increased, but he didn’t back down. “They know Rhea won’t fall easily. So they’re bringing an army.”

I exchanged a look with Jared. If this was true, then everything had just escalated far beyond what I’d anticipated.

Xavier had never planned to wait.

I turned to Damon. “Get word to our scouts. I want confirmation.”

He nodded and was about to leave but Jared stopped him…

Jared exhaled sharply. “We don’t have enough time to prepare for a full-scale attack.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You should leave the fortress, at least until the full moon…”

“No.”

His gaze snapped to mine.

“Rhea…”

“This is my home,” I said firmly. “My people. My fight.”

I'm no longer leaving like the last time. I'm back and will face whatever challenges that come my way.

Jared clenched his jaw. “Then we need a strategy.

Fast.”

Damon scoffed. "Screw strategy. We should take the fight to them before they strike first."

Jared shook his head. "And get caught unprepared? No." His eyes met mine. You should leave the fortress, at least until the full moon.

"I’m not running," I said firmly.

I turned back to Elias. “You’re coming with me.”

His eyes widened in panic. “What?”

“You’re going to help me stop them.”

Elias’ breath hitched. “And if I refuse?”

I smiled, but it was sharp. “Then you’ll find out exactly why they fear me.”

Elias sighed bending his head towards the ground, sweat falling from his forehead.

I stood up my gaze facing outside the cell in anger.

If they wanted a battle, they would get one.

And I would make sure they regretted it.