Page 60 of Alpha's Rejected Warrior
They exchange another look, recognizing the dismissal for what it is.
“Understood, Commander,” Akila says, falling back into formal address, as she rises to her feet. “We’ll head to the dungeons now.”
“Guard him well,” I instruct. “No one goes near him without my explicit authorization.”
“Understood,” Conan says, standing.
They both file out, leaving me alone with daggers in my heart.
They’re right. About all of it.
I collapse backward onto my bed, covering my eyes with my forearm. Each point they raised, I’ve already tortured myself with in the quiet moments between crisis and action.
Beyond the political ramifications and my own fragile reputation, there’s the simple, brutal truth that Akila pointed out: This world is no place for a human. Even if by some miracle the Alpha King allows Ethan to stay, he’ll always be an outsider — vulnerable and at risk. No matter how strong I am, I can’t change that.
I’ll always be torn between protecting him and fulfilling my duties as Commander.
The deeper this goes, the more we both risk. It would be better to end it now, before it destroys us both.
Chapter 23 — Rhiannon
Different packs consult their seers in different places depending on their reverence and importance in the culture. I’ve even heard that the Alpha King built a temple for his clutch of Royal Seers.
Ours is a circular room in a quiet area of the fortress. Personally, I’ve only been on the outside of this room, guarding Xander or Luna Thea while they commune with the seers. I’ve never really had a reason to go inside until now.
The chamber sprawls before me, vast and much larger than it appears from the outside. The stone walls gleam, polished to a sleek finish that mirrors the clarity of glass. Every surface radiates a coolness, yet the room itself isn’t cold.
A circle of deep blue cushions surrounds a still pool at the chamber’s center. Five seers sit cross-legged on them, eyes closed in meditation. Above, cut glass triangles form an intricate mosaic across the ceiling, each piece catching sunlight and casting it downward. Prisms of light scatter across the water’s surface, transforming the pool into a liquid array of stars.
And there is complete silence.Complete.No sound of wind outside or even noise from the halls penetrates the chamber. It’s as though I’m standing in a void.
One of the seers lifts his head. I recognize him immediately. The head seer, Mahal. He is very pale, with hair as dark as his robes and gaunt features. He stands slowly and walks over to me.
“Commander,” he says, inclining his head as if completing a rite. “The Hall receives you. Speak what you seek.”
I hesitate to respond at first. Talking feels sacrilegious somehow. “I was hoping you could help with an investigation I’m conducting. I assume the Alpha has been keeping you informed of what’s happening with the summit.”
“The Alpha has not sought our counsel in days.” Mahal’s voice is low, almost reverberant. “However, the Hall does not sleep. We know of the violence, and of your wound. Does the flesh mend?”
I nod. “Yes, Olcan says I should be fully healed in a few hours.”
“Then the Moon grants you swift mending.”
“Unfortunately, two of our Shaman visitors have been more seriously injured. They say that one of our own was responsible.”
Mahal’s gaze stills. “Blood within the walls is never only blood.”
“Yes, I’ve been investigating the matter. Have you or the others seen a clue that might lead us in the right direction?”
Mahal goes quiet, as if listening to a voice beyond the room. “Perhaps. Remain.”
He leaves through a door on the other side of the chamber and returns moments later with a worn notebook.
“A sign has been repeating.” He cracks open the notebook and flips through the pages, searching for a particular entry. “It came rarely at first. Now, it returns as if insisting.”
“Is it an object or a specific individual?”
“No, it’s this.” He points to the drawing in the notebook. “Blackroot.”
