Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Chapter 42

I had spent the morning catching plums with a few diligently delightful pups whose laughter filled the bushes with happiness.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed so much. By the time we were done, the sun was already high in the sky.

Hours had passed then.

We had begun this little adventure before the first light, and it had been marvelous ever since.

"Here you go, little ones." I passed a few plums to them, which they quickly hid in their tiny pockets while some even fought one another over the extras. "Now get back to town. We don’t want your Mamas worrying about you, you know." I finished, and they all gathered around me, chanting many adorable and slightly terrifying thank yous.

A familiar voice boomed behind me out of the blue, instantly shifting the atmosphere into something tense.

"Did I not warn you?"

"Nathan." I spun around, catching the wrinkles beside his eyes. "I’m just trying to play with these pups."

Just then, the kids scattered off, leaving me alone in the bushes with Nathan.

"I told you not to leave the cabin," he snapped. "Come on."

I rolled my eyes internally so he wouldn’t get further annoyed. In a sense, I was stuck in his custody and would very much like to keep my head attached to my neck.

"You know, I’m not a kid, and I know how to blend in."

"Very much indeed," he said as he walked a few steps ahead of me. I followed behind, leaning forward slightly to study his expression. "Those kids will go into town, and people will become aware that someone is probably hiding here."

"That’s too far fetched. No, they won’t." I pouted. "You do remember when we used to catch plums together. Oh, and apples. You really loved nature. In fact, you hated going on dates. You called them boring and stuff like that."

I had been rambling so much that I didn’t notice Nathan had stopped walking, so I bumped into him. I muttered an apology while he tilted his head to the side.

"Are you cajoling me?"

"No, I’m reasoning," I corrected.

"For whatever reason?" He seemed interested, arms crossed in a manner that showed he’d been piqued.

I shrugged and glanced away, but he took another step closer, urging me on with the mere gesture.

Ahead, the cabin sat in the middle of a clearing, across from a muddy stream and overlooking the beginning of the town in the distance. Nathan was hiding me for reasons he still refused to explain.

If I were to guess, I’d say the Alpha King of MoonBlade probably didn’t want to see me based on what happened the last time. He’d likely decapitate me if he knew I was in his territory.

But then, something told me there was more to why Nathan had decided to keep me hidden in the shadows.

"I asked you a question, Alex," he urged.

I exhaled sharply and slurred, "I’ve seen a bit of MoonBlade. From the last time I was here and from now. I’ve watched a few members of the Pack from behind the trees while they played in the streams. I’ve seen them chatter and laugh. They don’t seem like dangerous people. I don’t think they love the idea of war any less than SilverFang’s residents do. I think this is all just one huge misunderstanding that needs to be stopped entirely, Nathan."

Nathan scoffed and continued walking. Once we were inside the cabin, he settled onto a wooden stool. The cabin lacked refinement, by the way.

"So you did try to cajole me, trying to break through my walls by reminding me of when we used to be together. Mind I remind you how you stabbed me in the back in the end?" Nathan began.

"You knew why."

He grunted as he stood tall and imposing.

"There will be no reasoning with SilverFang. Your Pack believed they had the power and the strength, and that every other Pack should kneel beneath them. No more. It’s time to end that, and that’s exactly what this war will do."

I stepped into the light pouring in from the window as I countered, "Nathan, you’re an adviser. You can help stop this war. You don’t always have to use fire against fire. And if we’re being realistic, the people will be the ones to suffer while the Alpha Kings who declared the war remain in their chambers. It won’t be their blood staining the battlefield. We don’t need bloodshed, don’t you see?"

"But it is necessary." He huffed, nostrils flaring. "It’s fucking necessary. You’re a fucking child who doesn’t see that it’s all about survival. The strong will always overpower the weak. Why do you think anyone becomes Alpha King? Because they’re the strongest in the Pack."

"Or we could all just coexist and act like normal people. Call me childish or whatever, but you know I’m making sense."

Nathan laughed and turned away. "Alpha Frederick requires my attention. I’ll be back before the sun sets. Stay here."

"Nathan, please use this chance," I begged. Genuinely begged.

Nathan yanked his arm away from me, pointing a finger directly at my face. "Just do as you’re fucking told."

With that, he left.

Nathan remained the kind of man whose shell could never be cracked, always craving bloodshed while pretending it was all he had ever known. He once loved, and that was why I tried to reason with him. He hadn’t always been bad when we were together. In fact, I hadn’t even known he was bad until I learned the truth about his illicit actions, and then he began showing me his true colors.

He could have chosen good.

The rest of the day was spent on the porch. I stared into nothingness because there was nothing demanding my attention. I didn’t even realize when time slipped away and the sun had already begun setting, painting the sky orange while the breeze swayed the bushes gently.

When Nathan returned, he looked even sterner than before, his jaw tight and his words few.

He led the way to the tower, claiming it was time to call upon the One Tree. I myself had been waiting for this opportunity, considering it was one of the major reasons I had come here.

When we stepped into the tower, the candles flickered alive right after the heavy doors slammed shut behind us. Nathan pointed toward the magical entrance to the One Tree.

"Do your thing."

I was walking toward it when I turned back to face him again. "I had a deep thought earlier, and you want to know what I think?"

"Unimpressed. Uninterested. Do your fucking thing." Nathan snarled, his fangs exposed like he would bleed me out right there. Something must have gotten under his skin at that meeting.

Perhaps it had something to do with Kai...

"If this war were to happen, I think the only person who would savor it most would be you. You joined MoonBlade in order to turn them against SilverFang. It was your plan all along."

Nathan chuckled. "Yes, yes, you got that right. Now be a good pup and get the door open." I could tell his patience was wearing thin.

Seeing as he’d already made up his mind to be the villain in this story, perhaps it was time for me to choose my own path and stop trying to save him.

It truly was time.

Like before, I summoned each sigil. It felt easier this time unlike the first, as though I had gained experience.

The entrance folded into itself, and I was sucked into it, gravity twisting me through a tunnel like void.

Then I appeared before the One Tree.

The euphoric feeling engulfed my senses, and the ethereal voice of the One Tree echoed inside my head.

"Alex. We meet again."

"Hello, One Tree. I’ve come again for some reasons."

The One Tree paused, and the air stirred with unease. Then everything settled once more.

"Proceed," it said, and I did as instructed.