All Chapters of The Alpha’s Bane : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

On the other side, Aria struggled to get out of bed. Though she wasn’t asleep, she was exhausted from the drills and her journey to the rogue lands all through the night. “Lyra, you need to get up and prepare. Today’s your big day,” a she-wolf in the room said, as she did her hair. Aria kept turning in her bed. There were no morning bells today so, she thought she had the liberty to get up at her own convenient time. Except…“Lyra Vane!” A voice called out, loud and sharp, from the entrance of the room. “Yes, sir,” Aria replied, jumping out of bed. It was General Thorne. Wolves around stood and lowered their heads low as he spoke. “You have to be in the Shadows hall now,” he ordered. “Yes, sir,” she replied. “I see you’re exhausted, and you haven’t had your bath yet. I’ll leave you to that, but in five minutes you should be in the hall,” he said, turning away immediately, without waiting for a response. “Yes, sir,” she called as she rushed into the bathroom. Aria dashed in

Aria retreated at the sound of Kael’s voice. Lucan rose up quickly and stepped aside. “Thank you,” Kael muttered to Lucan, dismissing him. Lucan took his cloak and went back to his seat at the table. There was a long pause. Kael stepped closer to Aria, his eyes tracing the bruises on her arms and the swelling along her cheekbone. His heart burned at the sight of it, but none of it showed on his face. He observed her carefully, his arms folded behind his back like a commander. “Well done, Lyra,” he remarked. Applause erupted in the hall, as wolves burst into cheers. “Now, this is the final test,” Kael said. Three hefty wolves carried in a pot of burning charcoal. Setting it on the stage before Kael. The final challenge was loyalty—a ritual that bounds the new recruit to the pack by a sacred oath. “Shadows!” General Thorne called out, loud and sharp. At his command, all members of the Shadow warriors rose up on their feet. “Kneel,” he said to Aria. Aria went down on her

Aria leaned back on her chair, resting her head backwards. She let the memories or her and Kael wash over her. A soft smile played on her lips at the thought of him. “I should have spoken to shadow about this. It’s already getting out of hand. How did I even catch his scent, in the first place?” Aria pondered, shutting her eyes. Back in the waiting hall, the smell of wine and all manners of delicacies filled the air. Wolves danced around to the sweet melody of the band. Music. Joy. Laughter. Merriment. Kael peeped into the hall for a second before turning away. He wasn’t a fan of parties. And there was no reason to party. Not when Lyra was in pain. But why does he care so much? Kael headed for his chamber, his thoughts overlapping in his mind. He entered his chamber and shut the door quietly. He removed his cape and flung it on his bed, placing both hands around his waist. “Why does Lyra get me so deeply? Why do I always find excuses to be around her? I’m the Alpha—I should be in

The maids soon finished up with the cleaning. Kael stepped back inside, shutting the door behind him. He sat at his table, lost in thought. “I wonder what state she’s in now. I should find Laura and Lucan. They should know how she’s doing,” he thought. “No. You’re the Alpha. You shouldn’t be going around asking about a rogue.”Kael struggled to sleep. He lay down and shut his eyes, but the picture of Aria wouldn’t leave his mind. He had imagined how badly she had been hurt and how pale she would have looked. Her scent lingered in his room all through the night. “Whoever you are… I’ll find you,” Kael promised himself, rubbing his temples. *************** “I thought you guys would be gone forever,” Selene called, as she sighted Laura and Lucan from afar. Laura and Lucan walked towards her. She was at the corridor of the Beta’s chamber. The party was over, and everyone had retreated to their individual hostels. “Well, we’re here now,” Laura said with a shrug. “Whatever,

Kael’s jaw tightened. “Get the table,” he said, his voice sharp. The guards brought the table and Beta Darian rolled out the map. “Speak,” Kael ordered the watch guards. “Rogue traces were found around the eastern ridge, a few kilometers away from the healer’s tent,” one of the guards explained. Kael’s mind drifted to Aria for a second. “Are you saying that the healer’s tent isn’t safe?” Selene asked, eyes narrowing. “No. The healer’s tent is safe. The rogue prints were found around the eastern ridge close to the healer’s tent. But, the steps were towards the pack territory,” the guard replied. “Moon!” Selene said, letting out a deep breath. Kael fixed his eyes solely on the map. “The steps might be a distraction. First thing tomorrow morning, we’re clearing the healer’s tent. They should be moved inside the pack walls,” Kael said with a stern look. “Yes, Alpha. I agree,” Beta Darian replied. “Warriors have retreated to bed already. Let’s wait. We’ll head out to the site tom