Chapter 25
My mind was a mess of frantic thoughts, and some of them were threatening to slip through my lips. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it would have been right to mention that he looked astonishingly hot for someone who lived longer than Verendell existed. Especially since he seemed to be no older than twenty-
five…
Of course, aside from stupid thoughts, there were those serious ones, those leading to thousands of questions. No wonder he had managed to build an army; he literally had decades to gather them. All for revenge… and the brother he’d left behind.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for him. He must have gone through endless suffering that had stretched for years. Then, he had escaped a dreadful fate only to end up completely alone in an empire that had begun to despise him.
“Are you… immortal?” I breathed, scanning every inch of his perfectly smooth skin.
“No, my Little Mouse, I am not.” He seemed almost amused by my question.
I swallowed. “Then… will you ever age?”
A slow nod. “My family’s usual lifespan is around eight hundred years. All alpha lineages used to be blessed with such, but now it rarely happens.”
I drew a ragged breath. “Then… how old was your father when he was killed?”
“He was six hundred and thirty–five.”
A shiver danced down my spine. I could hardly imagine what it meant to live that long. “What about your mother?” I probably shouldn’t have asked, but it was too late to stop myself. I regretted it the second I noticed a sliver of pain surfacing in Alpha Rune’s eyes.
“She died giving birth to me,” he said softly. “Father told me someone poisoned her. Her body was greatly weakened when she was in labor, and it was a miracle that I survived. Others disagreed. They insisted it was my power that killed her–my curse.”
He didn’t say he blamed himself for her death, but I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it. My chest clenched. I looked at him, and for the first time, I didn’t see a dangerous predator but a nearly vulnerable man. And the need to tell him it hadn’t been his fault rose by the second. I took a slow, trembling breath, my mouth opening to speak-
The door at the side of the dining room opened, and a beautiful black–haired woman entered. She was dressed in leather pants and a fitted jacket. Her shining, long hair was tied in a braid—a warrior braid. Her amber eyes blazed as she strode toward the table.
“Orelia, this is Beta Lanira,” Alpha Rune introduced her. “She’s my second in command.”
A nervous smile curved my lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Her eyes shifted to me and instantly filled with disdain. A heartbeat passed, and her gaze returned to Alpha Rune. “I apologize for ruining your meal, Alpha,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “The reports came in,
Chapter 25
and I believe you should immediately look at them.”
Alpha Rune worked his jaw, then nodded. “All right. Let’s go.” He rose to his feet and turned to me. “Marcus will lead you back to your room.” With that, he started walking. His Beta sneered at me before following him
out of the room.
Yep, that woman hated me. Releasing a heavy sigh, I grabbed my wine glass and gulped it down. As soon as I finished, Marcus appeared at the threshold. “Enjoyed dining with our Alpha?” Amusement laced his tone.
My lips pursed slightly as I walked toward him. “I did… until I met his Beta. I’m pretty sure she hates me with every fiber of her being.”
Marcus snorted, then gestured for me to follow him down the hallway. A few steps later, he looked around, checking if we were alone before leaning over me. “If she hates you, that doesn’t make you special,” he murmured. “I think Alpha Rune might be the only person Beta Lanira actually likes.”
“She’s stunning, though,” I admitted, ignoring the absurd sting of jealousy that followed my words.
Marcus nodded. “She is. Hell of a warrior, too.”
I sighed. “I’ve never met a Beta she–wolf. All the ranks in my father’s court were always taken by men.”
Marcus scratched the back of his neck. “Well, she–wolves serving as Betas and Gammas were never that uncommon in our pack.”
I nodded, processing his words, when a different thought appeared. “Alpha Rune told me about his… age. Is he the only one with such a long lifespan here?”
Marcus smirked and shook his head. “Alpha Rune will surely outlive us all, but more than half of our pack members might live a few centuries at least.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“It’s in our blood, a special kind of magic,” he explained. “Before the war, people believed we were the pack chosen by the gods to rule the Lumeria Empire.”
“I’ve never heard anything about the Dark Fire Pack,” I muttered.
Marcus chuckled. “Of course, you wouldn’t. King Zyran made sure we were forgotten, and it wasn’t exactly a hard thing to do when Ardoris disappeared, locking nearly most of our pack within the city walls.”
I fixed my eyes on him. “Were you there? Locked, I mean…‘
“My parents were,” he said softly. “I was born after Alpha Rune crossed the wards, claiming his rightful position.”
“What about Beta Lanira?” I wasn’t sure why I asked about her, but my dumb curiosity seemed stronger than
self–restraint.
“She was a baby when the wards closed. Her family is one of those blessed with a longer lifespan,” he said.
Chapter 25
My brows rose. “So… she’s nearly the same age as Alpha Rune?”
Marcus nodded, adding dryly, “One of the reasons she believes she’s better than all of us.”
55 vouchers.
We turned to the servants‘ passage, one I recognized. “I know how to get to my room from here,” I said, giving Marcus a nervous smile. “There’s no need for you to-”
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he insisted. “One of the women attacked you before, right?”
I smiled wryly. “I know how to fight, and, trust me, none of those women poses any threat to me. Besides, if they see I get special treatment, it will only make things worse.”
He winced. “Guess you might be right about that… Still, Alpha Rune ordered me to make sure you are safe.”
I stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “I am safe. It’s hard to imagine it could get worse between those women and me, but…”
Marcus sighed. “Fine. Go ahead. Just… don’t tell Alpha about it.”
I grinned. “Thank you, and I surely won’t tell.”
Before he could tell me he regretted his decision, I spun around and ran to my room. Luckily, the door was unlocked, and I found Thiana sitting on her cot, combing her brown hair. She gasped as I closed the door behind me.
“Where have you been?! I was so scared when I noticed you were gone in the morning.” She rose to her feet, surveying me from head to toe.
A nervous smile stretched my lips. I wasn’t sure how much I could tell her, but I doubted that Alpha Rune’s curse was something everyone knew about. I decided to stick to half–truths. “Last night… the squad leader, Tariq, came looking for me,” I started.
Her brows inched up. “Looking for you? Why?”
Blowing out a breath, I sat on my cot. “I’m a healer. I have a gift that allows me to heal deep wounds, broken bones, and poisoning…”
“And that was why you were gone for so long?” she asked carefully. “You were… healing someone?”
I nodded. “It was a very… demanding illness.”
Her eyes widened. “And it took you the whole night to heal it?”
The images of everything that had happened between Alpha Rune and me flooded my mind, and heated. “Um…. well… I was so tired afterward that I fell asleep,” I muttered.
my
cheeks
Thiana pressed her hand to her chest, releasing a deep sigh. “That’s good. I’m glad,” she murmured, her lips forming a smile of relief.
“Why?” I chuckled nervously,
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“Because Vedia told everyone that Alpha chose you as his whore. She told everyone that you’ll do anything to seduce him and that you spent the whole night in his room.” She grabbed my hand, beaming. “I’m so glad that wasn’t true.”
My lips pressed together, painting a flat smile. Well, it looked like I would have to stick to the lies….
