The Lost Beta Chapter 10 - The Price of Truth

The wreckage was painted in brittle light as dawn slowly made its way across the clearing. Under the silent sky, the bloodstains, churned dirt, and shattered trees appeared almost serene. Emily had always believed dawn was a promise of a fresh start. Today, it felt like a warning.

Alexander stood beside her, silent, his profile carved in exhausted resolve. Each breath he drew caused her heart to hurt. Without a second thought he had fought for her and it transformed into more than just her guardian; he was the one person she could never picture losing. 

Yet she sensed the shadows twisting among the trees, the danger that remained even after Lucien had withdrawn. He was out there, wounded and vengeful, gathering his strength.

Selene crouched near the scorched earth where Lucien had stood last. Her fingers brushed the soil, and she looked up, her expression grim. “He left no tracks we can follow.”

Emily clenched her unbandaged hand. “He wants us to feel hunted.”

“And we will be,” Selene said without apology. “Until he’s dead.”

Alexander turned, meeting Emily’s gaze. “There’s no going back.”

She knew he was right. The choice had already been made when she defied Lucien’s ultimatum. She felt no regret, only a cold readiness.

---

They returned to the Moonshadow Pack’s hidden encampment by midmorning. Stories of how bravery they've fought had traveled far and wide. They became an inspiration to all.

Emily perched on the edge of a cot in a makeshift infirmary as an healer cleaned her wounds delicately. The antiseptic hurt her a bit, but she didn't bother, it was the least of her worries. To her, the pains and turmoil were far better than uncertainties she can't handle. 

Alexander stood by the entrance and crossed his arms firmly over his chest. She felt the unspoken words accumulating in his quietness, and when the healer at last left them alone, he didn’t step nearer. 

"You almost died," he croaked, his tone rough. “You would have died if Selene hadn’t arrived.”

Emily lifted her gaze to his, searching for accusation. But all she found was the raw terror of a man who’d nearly lost everything.

“I had to stand my ground,” she said quietly.

“I know.” His eyes blinked and jaw dropped. "If he pulls you away I won't survive." 

She swallowed hard. "I refuse to be someone else, not in this lifetime or the next." Just to keep me safe.

He shook his head and slowly walked to her direction and kneeled by her side. He gently cupped her face in admiration with his hands. "I'm not asking you for too much." Please allow me to fight beside you."

She felt the fact pierce her chest like a splinter. She feared the depth of her love for him.

---

In the later hours of the day, the camp became quiet. Emily found Alexander staring out of her tent into the forest. Her wounds were freshly wrapped, which stood out against his golden skin.

She turned and touched his hands, his face beamed with a tender smile just the way it did when she was alone with him.

"Your body needs rest," she said.

"So do you."

They remained motionless until she ventured to raise her other hand and follow the bruises up his cheekbone. He didn't recoil.

“I keep thinking about what he said,” Emily murmured. “That he made me.”

Alexander’s voice was low, deadly calm. “He twisted you. He didn’t make you.”

"But he greatly influenced who I am now."

As he shook his head there was a tiny, regretful smile his lips wore. “You’ve always been stronger than him. Stronger than me, even.”

“That isn’t true.”

“It is.” He brushed her mouth with his thumb, eyes intent. "No one else would have blamed you for running, you fought for your freedom."

She slowly swallowed the pain in her throat. "I still feel scared."

“Then be afraid,” he whispered. “And keep fighting anyway.”

---

Selene joined them near dawn the next day, her expression dark with unspoken knowledge. She carried an old leather-bound ledger in her hand, one that had been hidden in the vault they’d bled to access.

“This is why he wants you so badly,” she said, offering the book to Emily.

Emily took it with careful hands. The spine was almost gone, and the cover was broken. The page names, dates, and the unadulterated reality of Lucien's crimes were all splattered with secrets by the faded ink when she opened it.

As she read, her stomach roiled. Entire families slaughtered, alliances betrayed. Lucien had orchestrated every tragedy she’d believed was fate.

Alexander read over her shoulder, his breath warm at her temple. “If we can get this to the High Council”

“They’ll have no choice but to strip him of power,” Selene finished grimly.

Emily closed the ledger, her pulse hammering. “He’ll come for me before we ever get that far.”

Selene nodded. “Yes. And he’ll bring every monster he’s ever bought.”

Silence fell. Emily looked at Alexander, finding her answer in the unspoken promise in his eyes.

“Then we move now,” she said, her voice steady. “Before he has time to strike first.”

---

They planned the departure in secret. Only a handful of loyal wolves knew. At dawn, the camp would scatter to mislead Lucien’s spies while Emily, Alexander, and Selene slipped away to deliver the ledger.

Emily sat by herself by the dwindling fire's embers for hours before they were scheduled to depart. Imagining all the futures that might end before morning, she gazed into the coals.

Alexander found her there, a quiet shadow in the darkness. He dropped himself next to her and stayed speechless, his thigh grazing hers in a silent bond.

As she knelt his shoulder next to her, she felt a sharp, bittersweet tangle of longing and tiredness. “If we don’t come back.”

“Don’t,” he whispered.

"You've to listen." She turned facing him with his heart pounding against her ribs. "I love you. Since the night you discovered me in the snow, I have loved you.

She had never heard him make such a raspy sound when his breath caught.

She reiterated her love for him passionately because she wanted him to understand. 

He pulled her near, his hands outlining her face. The kiss felt like tears and rain, slow and full of longing. He laid his forehead against hers as they parted.

“Then we come back,” he breathed. “Together.”

---

Before the sky became bright, they quietly departed beneath a shroud of mist. Emily and Alexander navigated the minor game trail among the pines, as Selene explored further ahead.

It seemed like a reckoning with each stride. The weight of the ledger served as a continual reminder of their risks as Emily carried it under her hood.

Alexander remained nearby, his presence acting as a buffer against the internalized fear. However, the idea that Lucien was already acting against them was not allayed by his close proximity.

Selene returned with a pallid face after hours of strained quiet.

"They're ahead of us," she murmured softly. “He’s blocked the northern pass.”

Emily’s breath stalled. “How did he know?”

Selene didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Someone in their camp had betrayed them.

Alexander’s jaw clenched. “We’ll take the river route.”

Selene hesitated. “It’s slower.”

“Better slow and alive,” Emily said.

They headed south and someone was watching closely.

---

Later that night they finally got to the river, which had risen from continuous rainfall. The swift, dark stream surged against the shores with a quiet fear.

After examining the water, Selene turned back to face the woodland. "We'll lose their trackers if we cross."

Emily's pulse thumping, she took a step to the edge. "But he'll corner us if we don't."

At the small spot of her back Alexander placed his hand. "I'll carry you."

She swallowed hard. “You can’t carry us both.”

“I’ll swim alongside.” Selene unfastened her cloak, her eyes steady. "It’s the sole option." 

Lightning glimmered far away, a quiet omen of the approaching storm. 

Emily glanced back once, sensing the tug of the life she was departing from. After that, she gave a nod. “Let’s complete this.” 

They entered the water but the chill took her breath away. She firmly gripped Alexander's hand in consolation and encouraged herself. Whatever was on the distant shore, they would confront it united.

---

Halfway across, the current surged and ripped Selene away. Emily screamed as Selene vanished beneath the roiling surface.

Alexander’s grip tightened, anchoring Emily against the drag of the river. “Hold on!”

However, a shadow appeared on the distant bank in that moment, a tall, distinct person that stood out despite the darkness. Lucien.

He didn’t speak. He only lifted his hand, and something glinted silver as he flung it toward them.

Emily had time to see the knife spin end over end. She shoved Alexander aside, feeling the blade tear through her side in a searing arc.

Pain blinded her. The world tilted, the river swallowing her scream.

Above the roar of the water, she heard Alexander’s voice, a raw, breaking shout that tore something vital inside her.

And then the current dragged her under.

---

Shadows enveloped her, and all that she felt was some cold hands gripping her.