08~ His Pawn

Derek’s POV

The scent of pine filled my nose as I crossed the lush green courtyard with my silver-tipped cane tapping against the stony path in a steady rhythm. 

As I made my way through the small gate at the corner of the building that led straight to my quarters with the guards that had initially accompanied me retreating back to their post, leaving just my second in command, Zeal, beside me, I heard footsteps rushing towards me. 

The air suddenly shifted with the musty odor of Sackcloth whiffing into my nose as the footstep drew closer. I knew at once that it was a court servant approaching me because their uniforms were woven from a rough material that had a smell that betrayed them long before their voices did.

“Alpha,” a manly voice called breathless as he skidded to a halt before me.

With my grip tightening on the cane as I halted also, “Report,” I commanded not having any time to waste on pleasantries as I was completely worn out from the business trip I was out for and needed to rest my head for the day.

“She has woken up, Alpha,” he said.

“Good. Take me to see her,” I retorted as I resumed walking.

“She’s not here, Alpha,” he replied. 

I stopped cold and turned my head a little over my shoulder with my voice dropping to a low growl. “What did you just say?” 

I heard him swallow really hard before going on to say, “She returned to her pack saying she had some unfinished business to tidy up.”

“Did you pass on my message to her?” I asked, trying in vain to contain my irritation.

“The maid, Mara, said she did, but she insisted on leaving.”

After a short pause, “Leave us,” I ordered, dismissing the servant with a flick of my cane.

I turned sharply and had taken a few reckless steps without using my cane as a guide when a hand caught my arm. “Careful, Alpha, someone might notice,” Zeal’s voice came in a whisper behind me. 

Grinding my teeth, I inhaled slowly, adjusted my stance, then resumed walking, slower this time, tapping my cane deliberately in front of me at the same time allowing Zeal to guide me with his hand wounded around my shoulder. 

Once I was inside my office, I dropped freely into the leather chair behind my desk as this was the only space I got to be myself. I allowed my fingers to lazily trace the mahogany wood the desk was made out of as I heard Zeal shut the door softly before taking off my glasses, and bringing out a white napkin from my pocket to dab the corners of my eyes. 

Feeling his eyes on me, “I should have known better,” I muttered, my voice raw. “I should never have saved her knowing that she would run back straight to him just like they all do.” My hand clenched around the cane until my knuckles ached. “I should have found another way to infiltrate Moonveil instead of pinning all my strategy on her.”

Zeal stepped forward with the sound of his steps measured. “Don’t be too quick to burn the bridge. Fiona hasn’t given you an answer yet. She hasn’t rejected your offer so I think it is too early to start regretting things.”

“She didn’t have to,” I snapped. “Her actions spoke for her. She returned to him for God’s sake, Zeal, what other answer do I need to get from her? Is that not a clearer message?” 

“I know her actions are speaking loudly to you, but I suggest you hear her out first.”

“How would I get a reply from her when she isn’t here?”

“You’ve been invited to the Alphas’ quarterly gathering being hosted at the Moonveil pack, right? Why don’t you use that as a means to see her?”

I tilted my head slightly to the side in a considering manner. “You know I don’t like showing my face at those parties.”

“This isn’t about what you like or what you don’t,” Zeal countered. “You want access to Kael’s pack? You want Fiona’s allegiance? Then you should see the gathering as your chance to get things done.”

The Alphas gathering—which I tag a spectacle of fakeness—was a quarterly event that each pack in the region took turns hosting. I’d avoided it for years, unwilling to play their games disguised in friendship and alliance but now that it was offering something I need, I don’t think I have much of a choice.

I leaned back, exhaling slowly. “I hate not having any other option on this.”

“Are you saying you are going to attend?” Zeal asked in a buttery voice. 

“I have to.”

“Great!”

“After now, I want you to send a message to the Moonveil pack to inform Alpha Kael that I will be in the Alphas gathering tomorrow as invited,” I ordered.

“I will do just that,” he sang out. 

I allowed a moment of silence to stretch out between us as I thought about how to get Fiona’s attention at the gathering without dragging any form of attention to ourselves before Zeal’s voice broke through my haze, pulling me back to the room. 

“I still find it hard to believe that you are truly going to use Fiona as a pawn,” he began, “Right now, she thinks of you as a savior and I can’t begin to imagine how much shattered she will be when she discovers she was nothing more than a piece in your game.”

Tapping my cane absentmindedly on the ground, “I don’t care. I am willing to risk everything and everyone as long as I get what I want,” I said icily. “By the way, Fiona knows better than to use her heart in matters like this. She gets her revenge, I get mine, deal done.”

“Don’t you think you should tell her the real story on why you are interested in helping her get revenge?” Zeal asked after a brief silence. “I’m very sure she would understand you and genuinely help you. That way, nobody gets broken except Kael of course.”

I chuckled with the corner of my mouth. “Save your sentiment, Zeal. My heart was buried the day I was left in the woods to die like a dog to think of telling a pitiful tale to gain sympathy. The only tale I would tell is of how I beheaded the enemy.”

Zeal sighed in a long and heavy manner as if my words were heavy on him. “You’re too stubborn to see that the path you are carving out isn’t the only one that can be. If you keep pushing like this, things might blow up in your face before you realize.”

“Then let it,” I snapped.

“Alpha,” he called quietly.

Pushing back my chair, I got on my feet, tapping the cane in front of me as I made my way around the desk. “I’m going to rest,” I said firmly. “I need to be on guard when tomorrow arrives, look for a way to talk to Fiona and get my answer,” I added, tracing the smooth wolf’s head that was carved on the top of my cane. 

Clearing his throat, “I will take you into your chambers then,” Zeal said, sneaking his hand around my shoulders once again.

I wanted to tell him that I could handle myself, but I wasn’t in the mood to receive lectures from him on why he was my Beta so I let him have his way.