Semua Bab Alpha's Cursed Breeder: Bab 281 - Bab 285

The Enemy Breathes "I should have killed you when we were children," Rowland whispered. His face was inches from Kendrick’s face. His breath smelled of sour wine and rage. "I should have smothered you in your sleep.""But you didn't," Kendrick said through gritted teeth. He pushed back. He found his footing. "And now it is too late."Kendrick twisted his hips. He broke the hold. He shoved Rowland away. Rowland stumbled back. He almost fell. He regained his balance quickly. But he was breathing hard now. The anger was exhausting him."You burned villages in the Sauna pack," Kendrick said. He kept his sword raised. "You ordered the slaughter of the innocent. Was that strength, Rowland? Was that the act of a king?""It was necessary," Rowland shouted. "Fear is necessary. Order is necessary. You are too soft to understand. You want them to love you. I want them to obey.""They do not obey you," Kendrick said. "They fear you. And fear turns to hate. And hate turns to a knife in the dark."

Kendrick knelt in the mud. He did not stand up immediately. He stayed there with the body. The silence of the forest returned. It was deeper now. It was final.Kendrick felt a lump in his throat. He swallowed it down. He did not weep. Tears would not change anything. Tears would not bring back the dead. But he mourned. He mourned the waste of a life. He mourned the boy who had been his friend. He mourned the man who could have been a great king if his heart had not been twisted by greed."Goodbye," Kendrick whispered. The word was lost in the wind.He stood up. His knees were wet. His hands were stained. He wiped the dagger on the grass. He put it back in his belt. He did not look back at the body. He could not. If he looked back, he might break. He had to be strong. The pack needed him to be strong.Kendrick turned and walked out of the clearing. He walked back toward the lights of the camp.The camp was quiet. The battle was over. The soldiers were tired. They sat around small fires

The council chamber was a large room. It was built of gray stone. The air inside was always cool. It smelled of old parchment and beeswax candles. A long table stood in the center of the room. It was made of dark oak. It was heavy and solid. Twelve chairs sat around the table. They were high-backed chairs carved with the symbols of the wolves.Kendrick sat at the head of the table. He wore a simple black tunic. He looked tired. The shadows under his eyes were deep. But his gaze was sharp. He watched the men and women sitting around him. These were the elders. These were the keepers of the law. They were the ones who remembered the history of the pack.Rina sat to his right. She wore a dress of deep blue. It was the color of the evening sky. She sat tall. Her hands rested folded on the table. She did not look at the floor. She looked straight ahead. She looked at the elders. She knew why they were here. She knew what they wanted to say.The room was quiet. Dust motes danced in the shaf