Chapter Seventy-four
Faelen’s POV
That night, I lay in bed, turning over every possibility in my mind, knowing Alpha Zodd wouldn’t let his recent defeat here go unanswered.
I couldn’t shake the thought that he’d already heard of my defection. Someone must have informed him by now, and I knew the rage he’d feel.
I could even almost picture it… Zodd’s eyes blazing, his infamous rage twisting his face as he unleashed his anger on anyone nearby.
I used to stay far from his wrath, feeling an instinctive survival need to avoid setting him off, yet now, the very idea of him made me feel only disgust.
I wondered how I had spent so much of my life under him, convincing myself I could tolerate it, or that it was simply the way things were.
And now, lying in the safety of the Howle Wulf pack, I felt something I’d barely dared to hope for back in Belladonna… a fierce gladness that I’d escaped.
I knew I might have stayed in Zodd’s shadow forever, accepting his cruelty, believing I had no choice.
My heart tightened with a pang of sadness as I thought of the ones I’d left behind. Raid… my closest friend in Belladonna.
She had always seen Zodd for what he was. “I believe in you,” she’d said quietly, the day I left, with a rare sadness in her eyes. “Just stay alive, Faelen. That’s all you owe him.”
I could still hear her voice. She was a survivor, Raid… had been through so much already under Zodd.
I didn’t know if her hatred came simply from being a slave in his pack or if she had deeper reasons, but she’d hated him as fiercely as I had once feared him.
I could only imagine her joy if she knew I’d finally broken free. A crazy thought started to form in my mind.
What if there was a way to save her, to bring her here to freedom? The idea made me sit up, my heart racing.
I could sneak back into Belladonna… reach out to Raid… I knew the territory well enough, the secret paths, the times when Zodd’s guards would least expect it.
I thought that wouldn’t be enough simply to slip in and rescue one person, though. That would be too risky if he even suspected something similar to what he did with me.
But if Hunter and his warriors struck at Belladonna first, before Zodd had the chance to gather his forces, we could dismantle his power completely.
We could take him by surprise, weaken him where it mattered most. If we waited, he’d only grow stronger.
Attacking him now, while he was caught off guard, seemed the surest way to truly break him.
As the idea solidified in my mind, I couldn’t stay still. I got up, pacing back and forth in the small room, my thoughts tumbling over one another.
The idea seemed sound… strike first, dismantle Zodd’s power before he even knew what hit him. But was it something I should bring to Hunter immediately?
The night was quiet, the pack mostly asleep, and I was exhausted after the long day. Maybe I should let the idea sit, give it a night’s rest.
Still, every time I tried to convince myself to wait, another thought sprang up. The longer we delayed, the more time Zodd would have to gather his forces, to adapt.
I knew him well enough to know he was already regrouping, already plotting his next move, probably plotting revenge on me, too.
Simply thinking of his looming threat filled me with urgency. I could almost picture him, raging through Belladonna, his gaze murderous as he searched for me to take my head.
I had never truly liked Zodd before… feared, dreaded, but not liked. Now, the idea of him marching on the Howle Wulf pack with all his anger made me shiver.
As I paced, I thought of Raid. She’d likely heard by now that I had defected, that I was here. I wondered how she was.
I hoped she knew this was where I was meant to be and felt some pride for me, or at least that she understood it.
She’d always been the one person who made me feel understood. And now that I was on the outside, I wanted so badly to find a way to get her out too.
The only way I could do that was by dismantling Zodd’s power completely. Only then would people like Raid truly be free.
And that thought… the hope of it… made me certain the attack was the only way. But when?
And was it truly safe to bring this to Hunter, or would he think I was rushing into something reckless, driven by emotion instead of logic?
I stopped pacing and sank back down onto the edge of the bed, pulling my robe tighter around myself.
My heart was thudding, a mix of anticipation and nervousness. I wanted to march straight into Hunter’s chambers, and demand he listen to me, but… I knew I had to think this through carefully.
This was a huge step, and if I wasn’t careful, it could backfire. I couldn’t afford to lose his trust now, not when I’d just started to earn it.
Maybe giving the plan a night’s rest would be the smart thing to do, just so I could think it over from every angle.
Yet, a small voice in the back of my head kept nudging me. If you wait, you might lose your edge. He needs to hear this from you, tonight.
As I sat there on the edge of my bed, the idea weighed heavily on me, persistent and urgent. I couldn’t ignore it any longer…
This wasn’t just a strategy…it was a chance to keep the Howle Wulf pack safe and to finally dismantle the hold Zodd had on so many people.
With a sharp breath, I jumped off the bed. That’s it. I had to tell Hunter, now.
I pulled on my nightgown, grabbed a robe, and quietly slipped into the hallway.
The dark corridors stretched ahead of me, quiet and empty, and I tiptoed down, barely making a sound.
When I reached Hunter’s door, I paused, took a calming breath, and knocked softly. I waited, listening closely, but heard nothing from the other side.
After a few seconds, I knocked again, a little louder this time. Still nothing. I tried one more time, knocking softly and pressing my ear against the door, but I was met only with silence.
Maybe he was in a deep sleep. I almost turned away, thinking this was a bad idea. He’d had a long day, after all, and I didn’t want to disturb him if he was resting.
But… something tugged at me to try again. Hunter wasn’t one to sleep so deeply… he’d told me himself how he was always a light sleeper, something that came from years of being responsible for others.
Even the smallest sound usually had him alert, on edge. Maybe this was a strange intuition, or maybe just concern, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.
I turned back, hesitated for a second, then reached for the handle. The door clicked open… it was unlocked. That surprised me.
Stepping inside, I took a quick glance around the empty sitting area, then tiptoed further into his chambers, moving straight to the bedroom.
My heart was racing, and I softly called his name. “Hunter?” I whispered, leaning around the doorway, half-expecting him to grumble at me for waking him.
But his bed was empty, the covers undisturbed. A ripple of worry swept through me. Maybe he’d stepped out for something brief.
I glanced around, checked the bathroom… empty. No Hunter. I checked the other rooms attached to his chamber, but everything was still.
The only signs of life were the faint scent of his cologne lingering in the air. I slowly made my way back out, closing the door behind me just as I’d found it.
I hurried back down the hallway, toward my own room, glancing around as if someone would appear at any moment.
Checking the time when I reached my room, I saw it was nearly midnight. Where could he be at this hour?
Could he be with another woman? I thought jealously. I knew Hunter had no lack of women after him. He had the entire estate fuming over him. Even the servants too.
I lay back down in bed, though my mind kept spinning with every possibility. I thought about everything we’d talked about earlier, the details I’d given him on Zodd’s strategies and his habits.
I’d even had dinner alone tonight, here in the privacy of my room, figuring I’d let Hunter and the others review the information without me hovering around.
But now… I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe he was out there dealing with something dangerous, something related to Belladonna.
As I lay there, watching the ceiling, every idea, every piece of information I had on Zodd, came flooding back, and my resolve only strengthened.
If we struck him first, we could dismantle his strength and finally free all those stuck under his thumb. And maybe… maybe I could even get Raid out.
But the plan was risky. I needed Hunter to lbelieve in it as much as I did. He had to understand how much Zodd could devastate this pack if we made one mistake.
Rolling onto my side, I sighed, feeling more awake than ever, my thoughts full of Hunter.
Finally, after what felt like ages, my eyes began to grow heavy. I promised myself I’d find Hunter first thing in the morning and tell him everything.
Starting first with the sneaking attack plan and ending with how Zodd could use my defection as an excuse for a merciless strike.