Chapter 15
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It was a struggle not to shiver as Silas walked me back to the tent. It wasn’t only fear that rattled my insides; it was rage, frustration, and helplessness. A part of me wanted to pretend that this hadn’t changed anything. I was still a slave of a vicious Alpha stuck inside his army camp. But the reality was much darker than that.
The Rebel King. I didn’t even know he existed. There had been rumors that the rebels were led by Alpha Kairos’s descendant, but King Zyran’s men had done everything they could to deny them, stop the rumors from spreading. Now I knew that the rumors were true. I had witnessed the Rebel King’s power firsthand. And now, I was among the people who worshipped him…
There’s a difference between trying to escape just any warrior camp and a camp filled with rebels who wholeheartedly hated you. I should have put the pieces together sooner. I should have known all this disdain didn’t come with branding me a slave; it was there before. I represented everything those men fought against -everything the Rebel King fought against. I was the sheltered daughter of an Alpha, one loyal to the King. I had grown up in the castle. I had never lacked food or a place to sleep. I had been safe. I had been allowed to dream…
Those people lived and breathed for one purpose only: to kill King Zyran and set the descendant of Alpha Kairos on the throne. I had been told that dethroning Zyran would have ended the world we know, whatever that might mean. The Priests had always made it sound as if it meant absolute destruction.
Bea had once told me that ages ago, in the Great Five Kingdoms, the land across the Inarus Sea, all mate bonds had vanished for more than three decades. I had heard that those lands had been corrupted by the demonic power, dragging kingdoms into a devastating war. I had always thought that, should the rebels succeed, it would lead to something similar.
The tent flaps closed behind me, and I stepped toward the blankets, sitting down. A bitter chuckle slipped through my throat. Gods, I was royally screwed. I raked my fingers through my hair, struggling to piece my frantic mind together. Then I recalled the way Alpha Koen… no, the way Alpha Rune had spat out my name. I should have realized it sooner. I should have noticed how he had never dared call me anything but his Little
Mouse.
Groaning out a curse, I tilted my head back, staring at the tent’s ceiling. All the pathetic plans I’d had before had just been torn into pieces. I had to stay away from him. I couldn’t let him touch me because it was possible that my first night with him would become my last. Perhaps it was fortunate that he had gone away. He’d unintentionally given me more time to think, to prepare, to plan. Now I had to do whatever I could to use that time to my advantage… somehow.
I didn’t realize how much time had passed until Silas once again appeared in the tent, bringing me dinner- another bowl of stew, perhaps the same one as the day before. I merely mouthed him a thank you before eating it in silence. He watched me with a wry grimace on his face. We had barely spoken since the moment he’d admitted who my captor truly was.
Finally, clearing his throat, he sat beside me. “I don’t believe he will harm you,” he said softly,
A dry chuckle slipped through my mouth. “You don’t know that. For now, he’s interested in my body…” Admitting it aloud sent a shudder down my spine. “But it will pass. This odd interest in me will vanish, and only hatred will remain.”
Silas looked into my eyes. “He’s not a monster… or at least not all the time.”
Chapter 15
I smiled wryly. “If you wanted it to sound comforting, you failed.”
A soft laugh escaped him. “I’ll try to work on that.”
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I put away the empty bowl, and my gaze traveled to the flap. “Do you think they all hate me?” Then I turned to him. “Do you hate me, too?”
He blew out a breath, leaving my question unanswered for a few heartbeats. “No,” he then said. “I don’t hate you, and most of the warriors here don’t hate you either. They hate the royals, those blindly following King Zyran’s orders. It’s harder to hate a young woman whose only crime is being born at the castle.” His lips formed a thin line.
I held his stare. “You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about me.”
A slow smile formed. “I do. I told you I can feel the spirits of others. You’re a kind soul, and the fact that you cared enough to go to those women to see if they were all right proved it.”
I swallowed, trying to loosen a knot in my throat. I grabbed a flask and gulped down the water before muttering, “Not all royals are bad. My father was a good man. Verendell is a prosperous city because of him. My pack loved him…” I trailed off, feeling I might fall apart.
Silas turned to me, his eyes squinting. “You mentioned before that your father was murdered.”
I nodded. “By his own brother…”
“Was he the one who sent you to Varian Bretomosa’s castle?” he asked.
I nodded again, recalling everything that had happened. My gaze dropped to the ground. “For a second there, I truly hoped that the Shadow would save me…‘
“He probably couldn’t have taken you with him. He had to escape,” Silas reasoned.
“Perhaps,” I murmured. “He didn’t have to frame me, though.”
Silas winced. “I believe that’s another thing you might want to discuss with him. Telling him about your father and uncle might be a good idea, too.”
I studied him for a moment. “Will he listen?”
“He might.” Silas patted my shoulder. “He might listen to you.”
***
I hadn’t slept that night, even though I knew Alpha Rune wouldn’t return. With the first eruption of noises outside, I jerked up from beneath the blankets and began to fold everything in neat piles. Tariq barged into my tent without any warning or even a pretended greeting and started packing Alpha’s belongings.
“And good morning to you, too,” I grunted, stepping to the side and folding my arms across my chest.
He stopped packing and slowly turned toward me. “Stay out of my way, princess. Otherwise, you may not live long enough to see the castle.”
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Chapter 15
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Maybe he thought that would scare me away, but I was seriously tired of threats. “Maybe you should eat breakfast first. It might help with your… temper.”
He jerked to his feet and lunged at me. I calmly watched his movements, noting the moment he withdrew his claws and swung his hand, halting the sharp edges less than an inch from my neck. I stood still. I knew he wouldn’t kill me, not like that. Instead, I daringly looked into his dark eyes. “Silas said you’re a squad leader,” I said. “I thought you’d be faster.”
His lips peeled back in a snarl. “I would have been if I’d truly wanted you dead.”
“So you say,” I muttered, clearly striking a nerve. His mouth began to open, but I wasn’t done talking. “And before you toss another threat, just know that had I thought you meant more than trying to scare me, I would have used my claws… to defend myself.”
A cold laugh escaped him. “What are you trying to tell me… that you can fight?”
I met his gaze. “Try to threaten me again, and you’ll find out.”
He sneered at me, then shook his head, refusing to even consider my words. Well, I couldn’t say his reaction surprised me. I had seen it countless times before. Nonetheless, a sliver of doubt must have entered his mind since, a moment later, he called out, “Silas! Made sure her carriage is well locked as we move.”
When the old healer entered the tent, he gave him a confused look. “But… why?”
He tossed me an angry glance before turning to the healer. “If she’s really trained, I don’t want her to escape.”
I rolled my eyes. Perhaps I should have been grateful that none of them decided to poison me or cuff me. Silas only gave Tariq a look, then sighed and gently grabbed my wrist. “Come on, Miss Orelia. Let’s go to your carriage.”
Less than an hour passed, and the entire army began to march. My carriage moved somewhere in the middle, surrounded by an entire squad of warriors. Unlike the merchant’s mercenaries, none of the rebel soldiers wanted to talk with me, and since Silas rode at the front of the carriage, I was forced to spend my time in silence, thinking.
Honestly, my knowledge about this part of the empire was vague, but one of the teachers had told me that the entire south had been destroyed during many battles between Alpha Kairos and Alpha Zyran. I wasn’t even sure if the King knew those areas were inhabited. I expected to see nothing but steep mountains and miles of raw land, but as the night began to fall, I saw something unexpected…
Lights. Thousands of them. Torches burning in countless cottages built into the rocks, carved in the mountain walls. “They’re beautiful,” I gasped, looking through my small window.
Clearly taken aback by my awe, one of the warriors chuckled. “Wait until we reach the City of Flames.” He winked at me.
“And when will that be?” I asked.
“In about two hours,” he said before pointing at the soft glow surrounding the high mountains. “See that?” When I nodded, he smirked. “That is where we’re heading.”
Heart pounding, I kept looking through the window, stunned by the rising aura, which more and more
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Chapter 15
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resembled flames. Finally, Ardoris came into view, or rather, its tall stone gate.
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Another gasp slipped through my lips as I took in the white wall with veins of red and gold spiraling like living flames. The gates opened, releasing the light of the dozens of burning torches, slowly illuminating what was inside. The carriage moved again, passing the long paved road leading to the slowly emerging fortress.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in the castle made of the same stone as the wall; only here, every inch was illuminated, letting the stone gleam. I lifted my head to look at the soaring towers; their roofs seemed to shine as if they were made of gold. My mouth remained open as I examined the fortifications surrounding it. This was a fortress, perhaps even more stunning than the King’s castle in Lasairis, the Lumeria Empire’s capital.
I heard a click of the opening lock, then the carriage door groaned, and Silas’s hand appeared. I took it gladly, quickly leaping onto the snow–white cobblestone. Silas grinned at me. “Miss Orelia, welcome to the City of Flames.”
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