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Chapter 126

Author: Shalom Egbebi
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-20 21:25:39

Kairos POV

“They’re not leaving,” I said.

Night had fallen fully now, heavy and watchful. Fires burned along the far hills, spaced too evenly to be accidental. Not an attack line.

A reminder.

Seren stood beside me at the edge of the settlement, arms folded tightly against the cold. The river reflected the firelight in broken streaks, like the land itself was uncertain which way to look.

“They don’t need to,” she replied. “Presence is enough.”

That was the part I hated most.

Certainty didn’t rush. It waited. It let fear do the work.

Behind us, the settlement murmured. Low voices. Arguments whispered behind closed doors. Families deciding whether freedom was worth hunger. Whether silence was safer than speaking.

I had fought armies before. This felt worse.

Silas joined us, his expression tight. “Three families are packing.”

Seren closed her eyes briefly.

“Did anyone try to stop them?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “They’re being careful. No one wants to be seen choosing first.”

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  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 128

    Seren POV“They took the grain.”The words landed softly, almost politely, which somehow made them worse.I looked up from the riverbank where I had been scrubbing my hands raw, as if I could wash the weight of yesterday off my skin.“Which grain?” I asked, already knowing the answer.“All of it,” the woman said. “The stores that came through the eastern road. The speakers sent word this morning. Protection has been… reassigned.”Reassigned.I closed my eyes.Around us, the settlement stirred with a brittle energy. Not panic. Not yet. This was the sound of people recalculating. Of fear moving from rumor to arithmetic.Kairos stood a few steps behind me. I didn’t need to look to know his shoulders were tight, his attention stretched thin in every direction.“They said it was temporary,” the woman added quickly. “Until cooperation improves.”I nodded once. “Thank you for telling me.”She lingered, clearly wanting reassurance I refused to give. When I stayed silent, she finally turned aw

  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 127

    Seren POV“Do you know how many names they wrote?”Kairos’s question followed me into the hall, heavy and careful, like he was afraid the answer might break something.I didn’t stop walking.“Yes,” I said. “Enough.”The hall smelled of smoke and river water. People lay on mats or low benches, pretending to sleep. No one truly was. Fear doesn’t rest. It waits.I found an empty corner and sank down, pressing my palms together until my fingers ached. The silver inside me was restless, not demanding, not pushing.Grieving.“They didn’t force anyone,” Kairos continued. “That matters.”I looked up at him.“It matters to history,” I said quietly. “Not to consequences.”He knelt in front of me, lowering his voice. “You did not betray them.”“I didn’t protect them either.”“That was never your job,” he said.I laughed softly, without humor. “Tell that to the stories they’ll tell tomorrow.”Outside, someone cried. A child. Then a murmured apology. Then silence again.Every sound felt louder ton

  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 126

    Kairos POV “They’re not leaving,” I said.Night had fallen fully now, heavy and watchful. Fires burned along the far hills, spaced too evenly to be accidental. Not an attack line.A reminder.Seren stood beside me at the edge of the settlement, arms folded tightly against the cold. The river reflected the firelight in broken streaks, like the land itself was uncertain which way to look.“They don’t need to,” she replied. “Presence is enough.”That was the part I hated most.Certainty didn’t rush. It waited. It let fear do the work.Behind us, the settlement murmured. Low voices. Arguments whispered behind closed doors. Families deciding whether freedom was worth hunger. Whether silence was safer than speaking.I had fought armies before. This felt worse.Silas joined us, his expression tight. “Three families are packing.”Seren closed her eyes briefly.“Did anyone try to stop them?” she asked.“No,” he said. “They’re being careful. No one wants to be seen choosing first.”I scanned t

  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 125

    Seren POV“Tell me exactly what they promised you.”The elder’s voice was calm, but the room had gone very still.We sat in the river hall as morning light filtered through woven reed windows. Outside, people moved slowly, pretending not to listen. Inside, every word mattered.“They promised order,” Mael said. “Food stores protected. Patrols trained. No raids. No surprises.”“And in return?” the elder asked.Mael hesitated.Silence pressed in.“They said we would agree,” she finally said. “Together.”Not obey. Not submit.Agree.A dangerous word.I felt the silver inside me stir again, reacting to the shape of the lie more than the lie itself.“They never say what happens if you disagree,” I said quietly.The elder nodded. “They never do.”Across the room, Kairos leaned against a post, arms crossed, eyes scanning every doorway. He had not slept. I could see it in the tightness of his jaw.“They’ll come here before sunset,” he said. “Not marching. Talking.”A murmur rippled through the

  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 124

    Kairos POV“Do you know what you just did?”I kept my voice low as we moved through the trees, putting distance between us and the horn calls echoing from the east.Seren didn’t slow.“I told the truth,” she said.“That’s not what I meant.”Mael walked between us, quiet, alert, her eyes missing nothing. She had the posture of someone who had learned early how not to be noticed. That alone told me how hard her choice must have been.“You stood in front of certainty,” I continued, “and refused it. People don’t forgive that.”Seren glanced back at me. Her face was pale but steady.“They’re not required to forgive me,” she said. “Only to remember they had a choice.”That answer scared me more than fear would have.We reached the river before dawn. The water cut through the land like a scar, wide and fast-moving, reflecting the dim light of the early sky. The river towns lay beyond it, scattered and independent, bound by trade and memory rather than rule.Silas crouched near the bank, scan

  • FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW   Chapter 123

    Kairos POV“When mercy spreads,” the distant voice had said, “someone will rise to end it.”I believed that long before the voice ever spoke.I had seen mercy fail in quieter ways. In back rooms where councils rewrote history. In clearings where mercy arrived too late and left carrying bodies instead of hope.This time felt different.More dangerous.We traveled east at first light, moving away from the ruined settlement and toward the fractured heart of the territories. Seren walked with Lira and two others who had chosen to leave with us. Not followers. Companions. That distinction mattered more now than ever.I scouted ahead, senses stretched thin.Without the Thread dulling instinct, every sound carried intent. Birds startled too early. Wind shifted against its own rhythm. Somewhere out there, people were moving with purpose. Not fleeing.Organizing.Silas joined me at the front, his face drawn.“They’re spreading a counter-story,” he said quietly.“I expected that.”“They’re call

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