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Chapter 35: Quiet gathering ii
Date de publication:
2026-08-09 21:28:06
Dernier chapitre
The monster's fated prey Chapter 39: Evening
Aziel and Lior left their chambers after Rina’s report and walked the short distance to the main hall. The fortress had already shifted into its night rhythm. Fires were lit. Tables were being set. The smell of roasting meat and stewed roots moved through the corridors. The confirmation that the distant howl had not come from Nightbane wolves left a thin edge under every ordinary sound. Lior stopped near the side entrance to the kitchens. “I’ll help with the portioning. Standing idle after a report like that only feeds the wrong kind of quiet.” Aziel studied him for a moment. “All right. I’ll be in the hall. Keep it short if the weight gets too heavy.” Lior gave a small nod and stepped into the heat and noise of the kitchens. Sleeves rolled up, he took a place at the long wooden table and began cutting the cooked meat into even portions. The work was simple and steady. It gave his hands something clear to do while the earlier howl and the short border fight still lingered under hi
The monster's fated prey Chapter 38: The dirt
Aziel and Lior returned to the private bathing room in silence. The short fight at the eastern border had left both of them marked. Small cuts. Bruises. Dust and dried blood clinging to skin and clothes. Aziel closed the door and began filling the large stone bath without a word. Lior pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. “The attack was too clean. They came in fast, struck, and pulled back the moment we pushed. Ad if they only wanted to see how we would respond.” Aziel tested the water. “I noticed it. there was no real attempt to hold ground. It was just enough contact to leave a mark and leave.” They stepped into the bath together. The water turned cloudy almost at once as dirt and blood washed free. Aziel took a cloth, wet it, and began cleaning the cut along Lior’s ribs with careful strokes. “Does it hurt?” Aziel asked. “It stings,” Lior said. “nothing serious. But you took a hit to the shoulder.” “I am fine.” Aziel kept working, his movements s
The monster's fated prey Chapter 37: Meeting
Aziel and Lior sat at the long table in the side hall with the senior captains. Plates of roasted meat, bread, and stewed roots sat in front of everyone, but few people ate with real hunger. The air felt careful, as if every word might tip something over. Ysolde sat near the middle of the table, her grey-threaded hair pulled back and her hands folded near her plate. She had spent the morning walking the lower halls, listening for the kind of rumors that spread after a tense gathering. Beside her sat Tova, younger but just as ranked, her posture alert even while seated. She had already reviewed the outer patrol lists before coming to the meal. Aziel broke a piece of bread and spoke first. “We meet the visitor at dawn. Limited people in the room. Rina and Sera outside. I want clear eyes on him the whole time.” Ysolde nodded. “That’s wise, Alpha. I walked the lower halls after last night’s gathering. The rumors are already moving. Some of the younger ones are questioning why we a
The monster's fated prey Chapter 36: warning
The tension from the hall followed them all the way to their chambers. Aziel closed the door behind them and let out a slow breath. The quiet of the private rooms felt heavy after the packed gathering. Lior walked straight toward the bathing room without speaking. His shoulders were still tight, the same way they had been from the moment the visitor first spoke. Aziel followed him. “You’re still on edge.” Lior began stripping off his clothes. “That man unsettled me the second I heard his voice. I don’t trust the word peace coming from his mouth.” Aziel started the water and tested the temperature with his hand. “Then we talk it through properly. Come. The water will help clear your head.” They stepped into the large stone bath together. Steam rose around them as the heat sank into their skin. For a while neither spoke. The only sounds were the soft movement of water and the distant noises of the fortress settling for the night. Aziel reached for a cloth and began washing
The monster's fated prey Chapter 35: Quiet gathering ii
Mara, the senior healer, sat a few seats down. She kept her hands wrapped around a cup of warm water and her eyes moved slowly across the room. She said little, but she missed nothing. Aziel glanced at Lior. “Have you heard any of the news today?” “Bits and pieces,” Lior answered. “Some of the older warriors still wonder if shared rule will hold. Others are just tired. They want the silence from the other packs to mean safety, not a coming storm.” Aziel’s jaw tightened. “Silence never means safety. Not for long.” A younger warrior further down the table spoke up, voice respectful but uncertain. “Alpha, do you think the other packs will stay away now? After everything?” Aziel met the man’s eyes. “I think they’re deciding. Some will stay away out of fear. Some will come closer to test us. We stay ready either way.” Lior added quietly, “Fear can protect us for a while. But it can also make people desperate. Desperate people do dangerous things.” Sera looked between them. “T
The monster's fated prey Chapter 34: Quiet gathering
“No,” Aziel said. “Silence never lasts. Not in this world. Packs that stay quiet are usually preparing something. Or waiting for someone else to move first.” Lior nodded. “That’s what I keep thinking. The tracks Rina found yesterday. They came to the border and turned away. That doesn’t feel like fear alone. It feels like measurement.” “They’re studying us,” Aziel agreed. “Trying to decide if the stories are true. If we stay quiet too long, someone will decide to test the truth for themselves.” Lior lifted the pan slightly to check the underside of the meat. “Then we stay ready. But we also keep these moments when we can. Otherwise the weight of everything will crush us.” Aziel watched him for a long moment. “You’re different from the person I first brought here. Not weaker. Just… more.” Lior glanced over his shoulder. “You’re different too. You used to look at me like I was a problem to solve. Now you look at me like this.” “Like what?” “Like you want to stay.” Aziel
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