Chapter 83: You Actually Came

The boy did not answer. He pulled her hand, his small fingers locking on with surprising strength.

"Come on! We need to hurry! We need to reach him before dark, or the rogues will tear us apart in these woods," he said, his voice sharp with urgency.

Before Rhea could muster a reply, the child bolted, pulling her along the narrow mountain path. She stumbled for a fraction of a second before finding her stride, her boots digging into the damp earth.

They ran deeper into the forest. Shadows stretched long across the mountain slope, and the crisp alpine air burned in Rhea’s lungs.

Suddenly, the boy skidded to a dead stop in a small clearing. He let go of her wrist and turned around, staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.

Rhea paused, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She bent slightly, placing her hands on her knees. "What is happening?" she asked.

The boy simply watched her, his lips pressed into a tight line. He said nothing at all.

A cold dread coiled up Rhea’s spine. The silence in the forest was too absolute. No birds, no wind, no rustle of leaves. She straightened up immediately. Inside her mind, River lifted her ears, her fur bristling as she stood alert.

Then, the sharp crack of a dry branch snapping filled the air.

Rhea froze, her breath locking in her throat as the hair on her arms stood on end.

"Rhea," a voice sliced through the heavy quiet from behind her. It was terribly familiar, carrying a weight that sent a shudder down her neck.

She whirled around, her hands curling into fists as her gaze landed on the figure stepping out from behind a massive pine tree.

It was Kaleb.

Her eyes swept over his frame, taking in the drastic shift.

He looked nothing like the proud king who had once commanded armies. His posture was slouched, his dark hair messy and overgrown. Rough stubble covered his jaw, and his clothes were worn and stained with forest mud.

The only remaining trace of his former rank was the faded Ironfang crest embroidered on the hem of his traveling cloak.

It took everything in her not to shake her head at the sight.

Kaleb stepped forward into the dim light, a sad smile curving his lips. "Rhea Duskbane. You actually came back," he said, his voice tight with regret.

Rhea stared at him. The anger she had carried up the mountain faltered for a brief second, replaced by a dull pity for the ghost of a king standing before her.

"Do not look at me like that," Kaleb growled, his jaw clenching as he caught her expression.

"How did this happen?" Rhea asked softly, her voice barely carrying over the breeze.

Kaleb scoffed, throwing his hands up in disbelief. "What kind of question is that? Were you not there?" he demanded. His eyes flashed with bitterness. "It was all your fault. What were you expecting when you let them strip me of my crown?"

Rhea scoffed, shaking her head as a cold laugh escaped her lips. "I did not let anything happen," she said firmly, her tone hardening. "Look at where you are right now, Kaleb. It is time you started taking responsibility for your own choices."

Kaleb took a step closer, his breath ragged. "Did you come all the way up this mountain just to lecture me? To mock me at my lowest?"

Rhea looked at his disheveled frame, her expression softening into stern disappointment. "Do you even know that another Alpha is sitting on the Ironfang throne right now?"

Kaleb shrugged, casually brushing a streak of dirt off his sleeve. "Is that what you came here to tell me?" he asked, his voice entirely unbothered.

Rhea stared at him in disbelief. "The same man sitting on your throne attacked me at the sanctuary. He could have hurt my son. That is why I am here," she spat, her firm voice ringing through the trees.

Kaleb’s eyes flared a sudden, dangerous gold.

For the first time since she had found him, Rhea saw something familiar in his eyes. Not the broken man hiding in the mountains. The king. The man who had once been willing to burn kingdoms for what belonged to him.

Then it vanished.

Rhea interjected met his fiery gaze without flinching. "You should have never let it come to this in the first place."

"And what should I have done? Tell me!" Kaleb snapped, his voice cracking against the quiet woods.

"Fought!" Rhea shot back, her silver eyes blazing with fury. "You should have fought to defend your pack, Kaleb!"

"How?" Kaleb shouted, swallowing hard as he stared at her. Tears welled in his eyes, reflecting the dying sunlight. "The Grand Council stripped everything from me! My command, my crown, my Beta, my people! They took you from me!"

Rhea’s chest heaved as she held her ground. "You brought that down on yourself! You abandoned your own blood to the wolves, and you put a blade through my chest!" she reminded him, her tone icy. "Do not stand there and pretend this is anyone else’s doing. Actions have consequences, Kaleb. You know that better than anyone."

Kaleb bowed his head, a single tear escaping his eye and cutting a clean path through the dirt on his cheek. He stepped closer, closing the distance until he was standing just inches from her face. The scent of pine and stale sweat rolled off him, heavy and suffocating.

"I know I ruined everything," he whispered, his voice dripping with raw pain. "I lost my mind, I lost my pack, and I lost you because of my choices. But give me another chance, Rhea. Please. I want another chance with you."

"I want to tear the traitor’s throat out! Let me loose, Rhea!" River barked inside her mind, thrashing against her skin as Kaleb leaned nearer.

Rhea took a firm step back, breaking the suffocating proximity. Her eyes hardened like cold stone. But just as she opened her mouth to crush his hopes, a sudden shift in the wind hit her nostrils.

Cedarwood. Rain-soaked earth. Smoked pine.

The scent was so vivid, so electric, that it made her heart leap straight into her throat. Her head snapped toward the upper ridge of the mountain, her chest heaving.

Stay back, Adam. Do not interfere with this, she thought fiercely, throwing her intent into the dark forest.

Kaleb noticed her sudden distraction. His gaze followed hers toward the high rocks, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why did you really come here, Rhea?" he asked, his tone dropping into a guarded register.

Rhea turned her focus back to him, grounding her feet on the earth. "Ironfang is Eli’s heritage. My son’s birthright. I am here to make sure no usurper steals it from him."

Kaleb stared at her for a silent moment. Then, a hollow laugh burst from his chest. "Good luck with that," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "He can have the bloody chair. I want nothing to do with that curse anymore."

With that, Kaleb turned his back on her and began walking deeper into the dark woods.

"Are you really just going to walk away?" Rhea called out after him, her voice filled with anger. "A stranger is sitting on your father’s throne, and you are hiding in the dirt!"

Kaleb did not slow down. He kept walking, his silhouette fading into the evening shadows.

Rhea clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white, the fury boiling hot in her veins. She could not let him walk away. Not when her son’s future hung in the balance.

"What if I can get your crown back?" she shouted into the dark.

Kaleb stopped dead in his tracks.