“There’s one more thing!”
Alexandervoice echoed throughout the room, stopping the guests that were in the process of leaving his office. his voice low and da. “You won’t find her in my pack, but I know where she ran to, a general direction per say.”
The leader’s expression shifted, his twisted smile returning. ” and why should we believe you, you said that sha ran without telling anybody”.
Alexander was already getting sick, but moved with the desire to protect Cara he had to endure it. ” yes, I said so but I had my spies follow her, she moved towards the west”.
” Interesting” the leader said, “now our journey is not in vain” He waved his hand dismissively smiling “come and show us the way.”
Alexander’s eyes flickered with rage, but he forced himself to remain calm. He nodded curtly and pointed them toward a different direction, one that would lead them far from the truth. The group departed without another word, but the tension lingered in the air along woth their final warning.
“But remember this, young Alpha, you dont lie to people like us, if we discoverd that you gave us a false direction, we will annihilate you pack and take your little life along.”
As soon as they were gone, Alexander released the breath he had been holding. His shoulders sagged with the weight of the encounter. He had protected Cara, for now. But as he turned back toward the packhouse, his heart felt heavy. He had lied, deceived, and played a dangerous game. He wasn’t sure how long his deceit will be before they discoverd that it was all a lie.
When he entered the packhouse, Emma and Emily were waiting for him. They had looks on their faces, as if asking him who the visitors were.
Taking a deep breath, Alexander told them everything.
“You lied to them,” Emma said, her voice cold, her eyes hard. “You pointed them in the wrong direction, and now they’ll come back. Worse, they’ll come back angrier.”
“I had to,” Alexander replied, his voice defensive. “They were going to take her. I couldn’t let that happen, I may be a bad leader or a selfish one for choosing someone above my pack but I didn’t have a choice.”
Emily touched his arm gently. “You did what you had to, brother,” she whispered. But her words, meant to comfort, only added to the ache. His sisters… they had always been his strength. But now, he felt as if he had failed them most of all.
“I hope so,” Alexander said softly, his voice breaking. He felt the eyes of the pack on him, looking for reassurance, for hope. But he had none to give. The burden of leadership, the weight of their lives, crushed him. He couldn’t show them the guilt tearing him apart, the fear that maybe-just maybe-he had doomed them all.
Emily looked at him a long time before she embraced him, ” you did what you had to do brother”.
Alexander’s heart moved at his sister’s words. He had promised to protect Cara, but in doing so, he had been forced to put everybody’s life in danger as well.
He had betrayed his whole pack for a girl. The betrayal hung in the air between them, unspoken but heavy.
“We must be fast, we are immigrating before they come back”.
And so in a few minutes, following Alexander alerting the pack through mindlink, everybody was gathered with their bags and luggage. even Jacob was there with a frown adding to his twisted face, clearly not happy on the turn of events.
Murmuring echoed across the crowd on hearing that they were becoming travelers again. Confusion etched on their faces, they looked up at Alexander.
After telling everyone that they were immigrating because the council had found out their current location, feelings of grief and sorrow came over the whole crowd as those weak in mind started weeping there and there, increasing the burden on Alexander’s heart.
Alexander stood at the edge of the clearing, watching his pack move with solemn purpose. The air was thick with the scent of pine, damp earth, and something far more unsettling, fear. His heart ached as the faces of his pack members, once full of hope, now reflected the same dread that churned in his own chest.
They were leaving everything behind. Again.
But his sisters Emily and Emma , were there beside him throughout the ordeal, after everything was set they set out into the great woods.
Alexander wore a hard face throughout the packing and moving, not expressing a feeling for once even when they started their journey, leaving their old home and venturing into the great forest, a dangerous and forbidden land.
But deep down, the guilt gnawed at him. He had deceived everyone, and lied just to keep the cupbearer, Cara safe. And the life of everyone was now on his hand. His pack members silently cried a dagger that consistently pierced through his heart.
with every step into the forest, the weight of that lie twisted inside him. He had done what he had to do, he had no regrets about protecting Cara, but what if the price of that protection was his entire pack?
But he had a consolation that wherever they were going, if successful they would be safe and won’t ever run from the Council again, throughout their life again. He had protected the pureblooded cupbearers, of the legends, he had gambled his pack on the hope that Cara is really the prophesied messiah Ellorin have been waiting for.
*******************
Days later, those same strangers stood on a barren large expanse of empty land. It was where the Silverware Pack had once called home. The once-thriving village was now nothing but empty houses and the fading scent of wolves long gone.
The leader of the group, his face covered in dust, from days of chasing false leads, stood in the center of the abandoned territory, seething with rage. His dark cloak billowed in the wind as his eyes, sharp and cold as steel, scanned the deserted land.
“They’re gone,” one of his men muttered, his voice thick with exhaustion. They had traveled far and fast, searched all the area where the young alpha have pointed at at them, but it had all been for nothing.
The leader’s expression twisted in fury. That brat… that young alpha had lied to them. He had been made a fool of, and now their only lead to the Cupbearer was gone.
“Search the area,” the leader growled, his voice low and dangerous. “They can’t have gone far.”
The men scattered, their movements quick as if their life depends on it. they searched round the empty territory. But it was clear, the Silverware Pack had vanished without a trace. There wasn’t even the scent of an insect left behind.
One of the other cloaked figures, an elder with silver hair and a crooked nose, stepped forward. His voice trembled with fear. “We… we’ve lost her. How will we explain this to our superior?”
The leader’s eyes darkened. He knew what failure meant, what it would cost them. Their superior would not forgive them for losing the Cupbearer. Failure was not an option.
“We’ll find them,” he snarled, his voice barely restrained. “And when we do, I’ll make sure every single one of those wolves pays.”
His words sent a shiver down the spines of the others. They had all seen the brutal consequences of failure under their superior. The price for losing Cara, the Cupbearer, would be severe. But the price for deceiving them, and making them spend precious days chasing false leads? He will pay.
“We’ll kill them all,” the leader continued, his voice venomous. “And his sisters… we’ll make sure he watches as his sisters are serviced and given a good time.”
His men came forward dragging a ragged, frail looking man. ” leader we found this man lurking around”.
“Please, don’t kill me, I know where they went to, I can show you the direction, that arrogant bastard want to lead us to our death by telling us to go to the great woods”. The frail looking old man pleaded falling at the feet of the leader.
“Hmm, finally someone who knows his place, hahaha” the leader’s laughed evilly. ” and how sure am I that you were not sent to stall us”.
“I swear with me life, I promise you they don’t even know that I am missing” the old man said.
The other elders exchanged evil glances, but none of them dared speak. They just watched, the man and what their leader will say. They had been deceived by a young alpha, outwitted by a boy. It was a humiliation that none of them would forget.
Continue searching,” the leader barked. “They couldn’t have gone far. We’ll track them down with the help of our friend.”
“Hahaha, even the moon goddess is by my side,” the leader motioned to the man
“get up my friend, take me to the Cupbearer”.