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Chapter 111 Vige Campaign
Chapter 111 Vige Campaign
ARDEN
The sun was high, casting golden light across the roofs of a northern vige nestled at the base of the mountains.
We had been moving from vige to vige for days now, and today was no different. With at bundle of flyers clutched in one hand and a scarf pulled tightly around my neck, I stood beside Cade in the central square, handing out pamphlets that bore his name and tform.
Some took them without a word. Others nced once at the names and shoved them into their coat pockets without so much as a nod. A few gave cold stares–suspicion painted across their faces.
Most of them were guarded and wary.
And I couldn’t me them.
The people on the borders of the North had been overlooked for too long. Promises made by candidates never came to fruition. Hands were shaken only when votes were needed. And so, naturally, when Cade stepped forward and offered his hand, they didn’t reach back.
Still, Cade stood calmly before them. He met their eyes, not with arrogance, but with quiet, steady intent.
“I know words can feel empty,” he said. “But I’m not here to give more of them. I’m here to show you that your voice is part of our future.”
Some scoffed while a few looked away.
His voice didn’t falter. “I’m here because I know the North has always been the spine of Fenra. And I want you to know you’ll be part of my decisions and ns.”
Even so, silence answered him.
I nced around at the faces–tired, worn, hardened by winters and broken promises. I swallowed and stepped forward. My <b>voice </b>was unsure at first, but louder with each word.
“Cade Cahan doesn’t just say things,” I said. “He does them.”
A few heads turned.
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I cleared
my throat. “When the North Bridge dam cracked and threatened to flood two Towns, it was Cade who assembled the task force and coordinated the repairs overnight. The engineers couldn’t believe it was fixed in less than forty–eight hours.”
One man furrowed his brow, looking over.
“And when the children from ten different viges had no ess to basic education, it was Cade who worked with donors and nners to build the first elementary school at the center of the North,” I added, unable to keep the pride from seeping into my voice.
That caught their attention.
I smiled a little, encouraged by their gazes. “He didn’t stop there. The irrigation system that allowedst year’s harvest to double its yield? Cade led that initiative.”
I suddenly felt like someone’s politician wife–smiling, boasting, campaigning beside a man. with ambition and a gentle smile.
But before I could spiral too far, Cade leaned closer and whispered, “You don’t have to say any of this.”
“I know,” I murmured back. “But someone should.”
That’s when one of the women looked up and asked, “Those projects… they were by him?”
Her tone wasn’t usatory. It was tinged with disbelief.
“Howe we never knew?”
“Because,” I said softly, “Cade never wanted the credit. He just wanted to help. I’m not standing here to brag for him. I’m here to tell you what kind of leader he truly is.”
A long pause settled over the vige square. Then, a few people began nodding to themselves.
“That irrigation saved our harvest,” one man muttered.
“My niece studies at that school,” someone else added.
Then, from the back, <b>one </b>of the elders stepped forward, leaning on his walking stick. His eyes, though dimmed by age, were sharp with wisdom.
“You should’ve said so, young man,” he said, his voice deep and hoarse. “We’re tired of empty
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promises, so we turned cold. Every candidate that came before spoke with sugar on their tongues but never delivered.”
He looked directly at Cade. “But you.. You’re different.”
Cade smiled humbly and bowed his head.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Another elder chuckled from beside him. “And you should be thankful for your wife.”
I was surprised by the insinuation. “Oh, I’m not-
“Thank you,” Cade said quickly, cutting me off with a charming grin as he draped one arm around my shoulder. “My wife is very beautiful. I’m very lucky.”
My cheeks flushed crimson.
“Oh, don’t ever let her go, young man!” someone called from the crowd. Others echoed their agreement with chuckles and grins.
“Don’t worry,” Cade said smoothly, giving me the gentlest squeeze. “I won’t.”
I looked up at him, eyes wide. He was smiling calmly at the crowd, but his arm remained wrapped around me, and the warmth that radiated from him made it hard to breathe.
I nudged his side gently. “You should marry me first before you could say that.”
“I know,” he whispered back.
Before I could say anything else, one of the vige women stepped forward and beamed. “Well, since you’ve all made your point and changed our hearts, we’ve prepared something. Come on now, all of you. Don’t just stand around like trees.”
She gestured to a long table being set up just outside a hall. tters of food were already being brought out–smoked meats, root stew, baked tbread, and dried fruit.
“Let’s eat!” she dered.
Cade smiled down at me, and I smiled back, my heart full.
As we made our way to the table, we were greeted with warm smiles.
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I sat at the end of the children’s table, a wooden spoon in one hand, a bowl of steaming vegetable stew in the other, trying to keep up with a group of kids who had somehow decided I was their personal Luna for the day.
“Luna! Luna! I want more potatoes!”
“No, me first! She promised me next!”
“She didn’t promise you anything, liar!”
“I’m not lying! She looked at me when she said it!”
I couldn’t help butugh as I scooped more stew into their bowls, trying my best to y fair. Some were barely tall enough to see over the table, their hands still stained with mud and berry juice from whatever game they’d been ying before the meal. But their eyes sparkled. with mischief, and their mouths chattered nonstop.
They called me Luna.
I hadn’t corrected them.
Technically, Cade wasn’t even eligible to inherit the Alpha title of the North–not by blood, anyway. Adoption didn’t pass the rite of lineage, not by the ancientws that still dictated our kind. But looking at the way these children adored him and the way their parents had epted us, even weed us with full hearts and open kitchens.. blood didn’t seem to
matter.
Respect did.
And he had earned theirs.
I nced across the hall toward the elders‘ table, where Cade sat with a straight back and soft eyes, listening intently as one of the old men told a story. He was good at that–listening. He didn’t try to impress with loud speeches or perfect words. He just listened.
He must have felt my gaze, because he turned slightly and caught my eyes. For <b>a </b>moment, the buzz around us faded.
We simply smiled at each other across the room–me surrounded by soup–sttered children, him surrounded by wise old wolves. But the space between us didn’t feel far at all.
I was about to lift another spoonful to a little girl’s bowl when a sharp voice cut through the
warmth.
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Chapter 111 Vige Campaign
“Is this true?”
The tables quicted.
I looked up. A middle–aged woman stood at the edge, her face pale. Everyone turned toward her, theughter <b>and </b>chatter dying instantly.
“Is it true that Bethany Spirit has Viremia?”
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