Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Kael

The southern border was the main entry point into Blackbourne. It was also the strongest.

The battlements stretched across the horizon like a wall of stone built to withstand an army.

Towers stood at intervals along the massive structure, each one occupied by guards who kept watch over the surrounding forest and the roads leading into the pack.

The walls had protected Blackbourne for generations, and every Alpha before me had trusted their strength.

But I knew better.

Walls could stop werewolves. They could slow an army. They could make an enemy think twice before invading but Vampires were different.

No matter how thick our walls were or how many warriors stood behind them, none of it guaranteed victory against creatures who could move faster than the eye could follow.

As I approached the southern gate, Garrick and the pack general, Arden, came forward to meet me.

Several warriors were already unloading the mega carrier. The four horses that had pulled it stood nearby, restless and snorting as the warriors secured them.

Garrick bowed his head. "Alpha."

I stopped before him. "Report."

His expression immediately hardened. "We saw the vampire convoy leave through the gates."

My eyes narrowed. "What about the vampires themselves?"

"We didn’t see them."

I looked toward the road beyond the gates. "What happened?"

Arden stepped forward. "The carriage is still outside."

My gaze shifted toward him. "Still?"

He nodded. "Their carriage hasn’t moved. It has been sitting there since the convoy left. We assumed they intended to return for something."

"Have you spoken to the coachman?"

"We tried." His hesitation told me everything I needed to know.

"And?"

"He isn’t responding."

I frowned. "Explain what you mean by that."

Garrick answered this time. "He appears to be in some kind of hibernation state. We’ve called to him several times. Knocked on the carriage. Nothing."

"And no one has approached him?"

Arden looked uncomfortable. "Some warriors tried. They became frightened."

I sighed. Of course they did.

After what had happened inside the castle, fear had spread through the pack faster than any order I could issue. My warriors were trained to fight. They were trained to protect our people. But knowing there were vampires somewhere within our territory had changed everything.

I started up the stairs leading toward the top of the battlement while Garrick and Arden followed.

"You should both know something," I said. "The fourth vampire they are perhaps waiting for was murdered."

Arden stopped halfway up the stairs. "What?"

I continued walking. "The vampire is dead."

He hurried after me. "Alpha, with all due respect, why would you allow something like that to happen when we are already dealing with three others?"

I stopped as I slowly turned around, making Arden immediately stiffened.

My Alpha aura spread through the narrow stairway. "Watch your tone, General."

His face paled as he bowed. "Yes, Alpha."

"I did not allow anything to happen. I made a decision based on the information available to me."

He lowered his head. "I apologize."

I held his gaze for another moment before turning away. "We will handle this."

When I reached the top, I looked over the wall. The carriage sat exactly where Garrick had described it.

It wasn’t close enough to the wall to be a threat, but it wasn’t far enough to suggest the coachman intended to leave either.

I studied it carefully. Something was wrong.

My original plan had been simple. If the vampires believed Alpha William was leaving Blackbourne, they would follow him. I had expected them to take their carriage and pursue him beyond our borders.

Instead, the carriage remained. My jaw tightened. My trick hadn’t worked completely.

I turned to Arden. "Did you speak to the coachman yourself?"

His lips parted. "I..."

I waited even after knowing I’m to hear another excuse.

"I attempted to."

"Attempted?"

"He didn’t respond." He said, making me scoff.

I stared at him then I raised my hand toward the guards. "Open the gates."

Garrick immediately looked at me. "Alpha?"

"Open them." The heavy gates began to move.

Arden followed me down the battlement. "What are you planning to do?"

I ignored him.

"Alpha, this may not be wise."

Still, I said nothing as we stepped through the gates. The moment my boots touched the ground outside Blackbourne’s walls, I felt the attention of every warrior watching from above.

I walked toward the carriage. The coachman sat at the front, holding the reins loosely.

He looked almost ordinary. That was the first thing I noticed.

His skin was mildly pale, but not unnaturally so. His face lacked the sharp, predatory features of the vampires I had encountered. There were no obvious fangs when he turned his head toward me.

I stopped a few feet from him. "Having trouble tracking Alpha William?"

The coachman looked at me. "My masters instructed me to remain here."

"Why?"

"They went after Alpha William themselves."

I nodded slowly. "And they left you behind?"

"They told me to wait for the fourth member of their company."

My heart gave a hard beat. So there had really been a reason for the carriage remaining.

I kept my expression neutral trying to act oblivious. "The fourth member?"

The coachman smirked. "Don’t pretend, Alpha."

I studied him without saying anything.

"You knew vampires were in your pack before they revealed themselves. You aren’t foolish enough to have missed them."

I said nothing. Instead, I looked at him more carefully. There were truly no fangs, no unnaturally pale complexion, and no strange eyes.

My gaze narrowed as I spoke out. "You are a werewolf." It wasn’t a question.

His expression changed instantly then the amusement disappeared and coldness replaced it.

I stepped closer. "How did you become a coachman for vampires?"

He looked away. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yes, you do."

"My masters hired me."

"Your masters?"

He remained silent while I studied his face. There was something familiar about him. Not his features, but his mannerisms.

The way he avoided my eyes. The slight tension in his shoulders. The guardedness that wasn’t natural to someone who had freely chosen his occupation.

I lowered my voice. "Whatever keeps you in their service, I doubt it began with a choice."

His eyes flickered but I continued anyway. "You have a family somewhere in the werewolf realm."

He swallowed as I added. "Probably Caelresth." His breathing changed and that was enough for me.

"You have mildly pale skin," I said. "You’ve spent enough time around vampires for it to affect you, but not enough to make you one."

He looked at me sharply as I took another step. "How long have you been with them?"

He didn’t answer as I asked again. "How were you taken?"

His jaw tightened. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You know exactly what I’m talking about. I only knew she-wolves were given to vampires but not males."

I waited but he still refused to answer. Eventually, I stepped away.

"Fine." His eyes lifted as I looked toward the road. "If your last master is truly in my territory, he will return."

The coachman’s expression changed just slightly but I saw it before walking away.

Behind the walls, Arden approached me. "Alpha, how is it possible that they have male slaves?"

I looked at him. "We shouldn’t conclude that yet."

"Didn’t he admit he was taken?"

"He admitted nothing. Right now, we only know one werewolf is working for them. We don’t know whether he is doing it voluntarily or under coercion."

Garrick nodded. "It could be a special arrangement."

"Exactly." I looked back toward the carriage. "We cannot assume this is common across the realm based on one man."

For a moment, nobody spoke then Garrick glanced toward the coachman. "What do we do with him? He obviously isn’t leaving until his master returns."

"Then we may have to force him away." I pointed out with a straight face.

Garrick hesitated. "Wouldn’t that send a negative message to the vampires?"

I looked at him. "That’s what I’m counting on."

Not long after, I ordered the gates opened again. Warriors mounted their horses and rode out.

From the top of the battlement, I watched them surround the carriage.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I saw the coachman look upward and his eyes met mine.

For a moment, neither of us moved, then he shook his head.

I raised my hand and the warriors raised their spears.

"Now!" I commanded and they unleashed them.

The spears struck the ground around the carriage, deliberately missing the coachman.

He immediately drew his own broadsword, making my eyes narrow. He moved with surprising skill.

"Don’t hurt him!" I shouted. The warriors pressed forward without attacking his body.

The coachman fought defensively, forcing them back several times.

It took longer than I expected but eventually, they managed to force him away from the gates.

He turned his horse around but before leaving, he looked back straight at me.

There was no fear in his eyes. Only defiance.

Arden came to stand beside me. "We’ve just invited doom to our doorstep."

I kept my eyes on the disappearing carriage. "With me on the throne, it was always bound to happen."

I turned toward him. "Position the feral wolves at strategic points along the entire length of the wall and behind the gates."

Arden nodded as I added. "Chain them well."

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