Chapter 176Author's POVAlpha Duaine's chest rose and fell with rigid gasps, his eyes aflame with the fury of a wolf driven to bay. He had prepared himself for so much, and yet not for this, for Nathan to inform him so unequivocally the one thing that had filled him with sleepless nights and corrosive dreams.There was nothing but silence between the two for a very long time, interrupted by only Nathan's rough breathing sound and the muffled soft footsteps echoing down the stone walls of the pack house. But below the quiet, a storm was brewing to burst.Nathan rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth, laughing as blood that dripped from the corner of his lips splattered against it. He didn't even flinch, he laughed. It was a cruel, mocking, bitter reminder that pain did not make him weak, it made him meaner."I never did get you like that, Duaine," Nathan slurred, his voice filled with pleasure. "So angry, so riled up. You've always held yourself in reins, have you? But look at
Chapter 175Duaine's POVThat day's throne room was raucous, old men muttering, warriors squirming in their seats, servants padding silently with scrolls and messages. But to me, all the din was one crazy hum. My eyes weren't on them, or on the council business to be signed. My eyes were searching for someone.Lessie.I scanned the entire hall once, then again, and then for the third time, frustration creeping in all the more with each fleeting glimmer of her absence. She never had been late to things, not to significant things. Even when she had nothing in particular to contribute, she liked to sit in silence there, watching with her piercing eyes.Today, she was absent.I reclined on my throne, trying to keep a stoic face in front of the elders, but my mind seethed with a tempest. She was not careless for being late. Something is wrong.I moved, propping my elbow on the armrest, and nodded Dave casually closer. He understood immediately, moving from his stance and leaning towards me
Chapter 174Lessie's POVI woke up that morning under something heavier than a blanket, something that was pressuring. My head throbbed as drums were being pounded inside my own head, and my arms and legs as if they were sandbagged. Even bringing my hand to my own forehead required more effort than it ought to have.Daylight filtered through the curtains, but I was not revived when I awoke, but instead that night itself had rested upon me during the night. I moaned and tried to sit up, but my body was not working.My maid, who was humming softly by the corner, was on my side in a moment."My lady, are you well?" she inquired, her face twisted with worry."I…." I stuttered.My voice remained lodged in my throat and I talked quieter than I intended. I swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't know. I hurt so much. I feel sick."She put a steadying arm around my shoulders and coaxed me back into sitting position. The pressure was firm and unrelenting, and I rested on her for a moment, fi
Chapter 173Author's POVThe door opened slowly, and the man who entered was not the one Nathan had been waiting for.He had anticipated a messenger, a spy perhaps, or some superior to reprimand him, but instead a man came in dressed in clothing so poor that Nathan initially suspected it some stray servant who had wandered in. The man's hood was pulled low, his boots worn to dust from the road, his shoulders hunched in a way which implied not wanting attention drawn to himself.It had taken Nathan a few moments of fierce scrutiny of the man's face before recognition struck him like a hammer."Dylan?" he whispered, disbelief washing over him.The man moved the hood from his head, and Nathan noted hard eyes and a pale, smug grin. "Yes, Nathan. It's me.""What are you doing here? You of all people walking into my home as if we're friends? Have you gone mad? If anyone sees you here, do you have any idea what this would do to both of us?"Dylan didn't bat an eye. His calmness only enraged
Chapter 172Author's POVNathan returned later than anticipated.He had been out for the better part of the day on business, riding out to the border lands to complete business and security, matters he felt would cement his place within the pack. When he rode back into Alpha Duaine's lands, the sun was already starting to set west, the sky ablaze with brushstrokes of gold and red, he rode in with the authority of a man who commanded respect, aware that his sway was not shaken.But the moment he entered the large hall, he knew it, a queer buzz, quiet whispers, eyes that avoided his. Something had happened in his absence."What did you do here?" Nathan snarled, his gaze shifting to one of the younger guards who stood at the outer reaches of the throne hall.The guard gulped. "The elders met while you were gone. Lessie was there.""Lessie?" Nathan's voice was as icy as a blade."Yes, Alpha," the guard stammered, lowering his eyes. "She spoke to them and they cheered for her. The chief e
Chapter 171Dylan's POVI learned about it like a stake to the heart.Lessie in a council meeting? And not just a meeting, she had spoken, given judgment, and the elders had praised her. They praised her, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.She was promised to me, and my path of action had been set. I had waited patiently, watched, let Shane lubricate the wheels. And now the elders of Duaine's pack did have the temerity to speak for her? To smile at her as they would one of their own?No.No, this would not happen.I stood up from my chair, pacing back and forth, thinking quicker than I was walking. Where was Nathan here? He had sworn to me, on his honor, that he would take care of business inside Duaine's walls. His betrayal, or failure, gnawed inside me. Did he think I would be blind? Did he believe I would not notice?"Worthless," I growled under my breath. "If he were even half the man that he thinks he is, Duaine would have never managed to make it this far."The picture of Duai