Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 91: Chapter 91

Kael

I barely had time to dismount before the stable boys rushed forward to take the reins from my horse.

The animal was still breathing heavily from the long ride, its sides rising and falling beneath its dark coat. I ran a hand along its neck before stepping away.

Isadora climbed out of the carriage behind me. She had kept a cloak pulled over her head throughout the journey, hiding most of her face.

I had not asked her why. We had bigger matters to deal with, and frankly, I had been too occupied with everything that had happened at the southern border.

Still, the sight of her concealed face bothered me. We were already inside my territory. There was no reason for her to hide her face behind a cloak.

Unless she had one reason I did not know about.

I started toward the castle, and Isadora followed quietly beside me.

The moment we reached the entrance, Beta Bastian was already waiting.

His expression immediately told me something had happened.

"Alpha." He immediately called out walking briskly towards me.

"Beta Bastian." I responded.

His gaze shifted briefly toward Isadora before returning to me. "Kieren returned some time ago." I stopped as he continued. "He had returned with a vampire."

My eyes narrowed before asking. "Where’s the vampire?"

"He placed it in the dungeon."

I nodded once before asking again, "What about Sera?"

"She returned to her duties."

That answer surprised me more than it should have. After everything that had happened, Sera had simply returned to work?

I glanced toward Isadora. "Beta Bastian, have a guard take her inside."

He immediately understood, then signaled a guard who stepped forward and led Isadora away.

I watched until she disappeared through the corridor before looking back at Beta Bastian.

"Take me to Kieren." I ordered and he nodded leading the way.

We descended into the dungeon together. The cold air became heavier the farther we went underground. The smell of blood, damp stone and something burnt lingered in the passageways.

When we entered the final chamber, Kieren was standing near the far wall with a body hung there. Or what remained of a body.

The vampire’s body was charred almost beyond recognition. Its skin had been burned black in several places, and its clothes had been reduced to little more than scraps.

But there was something else that immediately caught my attention. It had no head.

I stared at the body before immediately asking, "Why is he missing his head?"

Kieren turned toward me. "Sera did that."

My brows drew together. "What do you mean by that?"

"She beheaded him."

"Why did she do that?" I asked with creased brows..

Kieren shrugged. "She said she didn’t want to take any chances."

I stepped closer to the corpse before asking, "She thought removing its head would stop it from returning?"

"Apparently." Kieren responded.

I exhaled slowly. "It changes nothing."

Kieren’s expression tightened. "What do you mean, Alpha?"

"If vampires can return from death, removing their heads will not necessarily stop them."

Silence filled the chamber while Beta Bastian looked from me to the corpse. "That’s comforting."

"It wasn’t meant to be comforting."

Before either of them could respond, Beta Bastian’s expression suddenly changed.

He had received a mindlink. He listened for several seconds before looking at me.

"Garrick just mindlinked me." He uttered.

"What does he want?" I asked.

"He says he had just brought in two more vampire bodies."

I looked at him without saying a word.

"He’s asking where they should be placed."

Kieren’s mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Two more?"

I nodded as Beta Bastian stared at me before asking. "Alpha, what really happened at the border? How did you end up taking the lives of three powerful creatures who were normally forbidden to fight against?"

I reached into my belt and pulled out one of the Vaelthorn spikes.

The dark wood looked almost ordinary in my hand, except for the faint silver veins running through it.

I held it between my fingers. "With this, they’re not as powerful as everyone believes."

Kieren’s eyes immediately focused on it. "I’ve seen those."

I looked at him. "Where?"

"I saw them at Sera’s cottage." His voice became increasingly suspicious. "There were dozens of them."

Beta Bastian stared at him. "Dozens?"

Kieren nodded. "Alpha, I didn’t know you allowed Sera to search lands inside and outside the pack for those things."

I slipped the spike back into my belt.

"She volunteered to search for them." I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

"She volunteered?" Kieren asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Plus I’ve heard Vaelthorn trees are extinct."

He looked at me before asking. "Then how did she find so many?"

"I don’t know." I paused. "And that is exactly why I’ve been suspicious of her. I believe finding one shouldn’t be as easy as Sera made it seem."

Kieren’s expression hardened. "You suspect Sera?"

"I suspect everything that doesn’t make sense."

He shook his head then faced me squarely before speaking. "You shouldn’t. She always hated vampires in ways that were unhealthy."

"That’s not what she hates." I pointed out.

Kieren looked confused as I turned toward him. "It’s Alpha William she hates."

His face fell slightly as I added. "Because he killed her entire family!"

I started toward the exit. "Don’t confuse vengeance against one man with hatred of an entire race."

Neither of them answered as I left the dungeon. My mind was already elsewhere. Selena!

I had left her earlier with questions she deserved answers to. Now that I had returned, I needed to speak with her.

When I reached the chamber where I expected to find her, I found her there with Isadora.

The moment Selena saw me, she rushed forward. "Alpha Kael!"

She threw her arms around me. My body instinctively wanted to hold her but Isadora was sitting only a few feet away.

Selena realized it too so she immediately stepped backward.

"I’m sorry." She quickly apologized.

I gave her a small nod before speaking. "There’s nothing to apologize for."

Her eyes searched mine as she muttered. "Isadora told me everything."

I looked toward Isadora then back at Selena. "Then you already know what happened then."

"Yes." Her voice lowered as she asked, "What happens now?"

I sighed. "Now?"

She nodded. "Now that we’ve started a war with vampires."

I grunted. "Walk with me."

Her eyes widened then she whispered. "Kael, people are watching."

"I am the Alpha." I started walking then added. "I can be seen speaking with whoever I wish."

She hurried after me. "But that doesn’t mean they won’t notice."

"They can notice." I glanced at her. "What they think is irrelevant."

We moved through the corridor until we reached an empty training yard.

The moment we entered, Selena stopped then asked."What are we doing here?"

I faced her. "We are Preparing."

"For what?" She asked again.

"Preparing for the war." Her expression changed as I continued. "You’ve been preparing your own way. You’ve been speaking to servants. Building a group. Giving people hope. Teaching them that the vampires aren’t invincible."

She swallowed as I added. "I know about your revolution. I’ve known for some time."

I stepped closer. "And I admire what you’re doing."

She stared at me. "But?"

"There shouldn’t be a but." I paused then continued. "We have the same enemy. You have something I don’t. People listen to you because you understand what they’ve suffered. I have warriors, resources and authority."

Her eyes slowly softened as I added. "We could combine them."

"Exactly." She nodded. "I’ve been thinking the same thing."

"Then answer me something." I said.

She stiffened before asking. "What?"

"What were you doing in the streets earlier today?" I inquired and her face immediately changed.

I had seen her. When I was returning to the castle, I had caught sight of her standing on the streets.

Every instinct in me had screamed to stop and approached her but I hadn’t.

Selena straightened then boldly spoke out. "I was going to a noble house to spread the hope I was spreading within the castle walls but ended up at a different noble house."

"Which one?" I asked with creased brows.

"I literally ended up at the House of Lord Hawthorne."

I perked up immediately and asked, "Did they do anything to you?"

"They didn’t hurt me. I had disguised myself very well." She uttered, making me sigh in relief.

"Tell me everything."I requested.

So she did. She explained the carriage, the wrong house, the kitchen fire, the servants, Lord Henry and Lady Sophia. She told me about the conversation she’d overheard.

She told me about the peasant girl impersonating the real Sophia. And finally, she told me about her escape.

I listened without interrupting.

When she finished, I was silent before finally speaking. "House Hawthorne isn’t an ordinary house, Selena."

"I know."

"No. I don’t think you do." I stepped closer. "They have enough influence to turn half this pack against me."

She frowned as I continued. "They provide food, shelter, employment and other necessities."

I looked toward the castle walls. "People love whoever keeps them alive. They provide basic amenities to the masses so they already had the hearts of half my people. Not that I didn’t either, but if they were forced to poison people’s minds against the Alpha, they could."

She crossed her arms as she asked, "You think they can turn people against you and you’re scared?"

I looked back at her but didn’t answer directly. "There’s nothing we can do about the innocent girl right now."

Her expression hardened. "What? You told me you wanted a different world."

"I do."

"Then why are you backing away from the first opportunity to create it? You claimed you wanted a different world than what the vampires gave us and yet you’re cowering away from the first step."

My jaw tightened. "I’m not backing away."

She turned to walk away but I quickly held her back from leaving.

"Then what are you doing?" She snapped.

"I’m being logical!"

She laughed bitterly. "Logic won’t win a war against vampires. Sometimes it takes more than tactics and precision to win wars, Kael."

Her voice became firmer. "Sometimes it takes courage." She pulled her arm free from my hold. "And valiant acts."

I reached for her, but she stepped away.

"Nothing will stop me from saving that girl." Then she turned and stormed away.

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