CHAPTER <b>33 </b>


    Elias brought me to the house situated at the highest point in the vige–it was clearly thergest one there–and when I stepped inside, I was genuinely taken aback by what I saw.


    The house felt quite new and was beautifully maintained inside. Apparently, his entire pack had secretly constructed it themselves. This exined why there were far more people here than I had initially assumed were part of his pack. It seemed there were many more members spread out, possibly working on this building or elsewhere, so no one really knew the true size of his army.


    They had built Elias a two–story home, though it wasn’t nearly as grand as Father’s packhouse. It wasn’t a mansion by any means; it felt much more like a cozy, lived–in home than anything extravagant.


    Elias led me upstairs and showed me my bedroom, which was located directly across the hallway from his own room. I was relieved that he still wasn’t pushing any expectations on me. His room had an ensuite bathroom, but there was another bathroom right next to mine, which I found perfectly eptable.


    After that, Elias went to settle into his room while I closed my door and gazed out the window<i>. </i>The view was a clear, unobstructed look out into the forest, where I could see wolves patrolling the territory.


    I decided to take a shower since we had been in hiding for a few days. Once clean, I changed into fresh


    clothes, returned to my room, and closed the door behind me.


    Looking at the bed, which seemed incredibly inviting, Iy down and found it was just asfortable as it


    appeared.


    Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.


    “Your Majesty, the vampires are drawing dangerously close. The war is approaching the castle. I strongly believe the royal family should evacuate,” a guard informed the King.


    “We aren’t going anywhere. If the vampirese here looking for a fight, they will get one,” the King dered firmly. They were seated in the throne room of a very old castle, dressed in garments reminiscent of the 1400s. The scene felt surreal, and his Queen, sitting beside him, looked utterly


    stunning.


    “My love, please think carefully about what he is saying. We are losing members of the royal family due to targeted vampire attacks,” the Queen pleaded.


    “They aren’t true royals,” the King dismissed.


    “They are your family–your cousins, second cousins, members of the royal bloodline. They just don’t descend directly from the heir to the throne,” the Queen argued.


    “I’ve only heard that a few have been killed by vampires,” the King said casually.


    “Try thirty–six. I’ve been keeping track. They are systematically wiping out everyone with royal blood. And


    < CHAPTER 33


    More Rewards >


    next, they wille for us–for you and our children-anyone who might hold any power against them,” the Queen said with eyes full of desperation.


    “There’s nothing I can do for my rtives. They are isted in their own viges, and I don’t even know where most of them are. They move around too often. But if the vampires dare approach my home, they


    will face the full strength of royal power,” the King asserted.


    “I don’t even know what the true force of royal power is,” the Queen admitted quietly.


    “That’s because I’ve never had to wield it before. But our children will be safe. I will be safe,” he promised.


    “What about me?” the Queen asked, fully aware she wasn’t truly royal by blood and held <i>no </i>powers–not <fn286a> Chapters first released on find{n}ovel</fn286a>


    even after being marked by the King.


    He simply looked at her, then away, refusing to answer. He believed casualties were inevitable in war and


    was prepared to find another mate if necessary.


    When I woke up, the smell of something cooking downstairs immediately caught my attention, and it


    smelled absolutely delicious. So, I got out of bed and headed downstairs, where I found Elias once again


    in the kitchen.


    “You really enjoy cooking, don’t you?” I asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.


    “Yeah. It helps me rx. After everythingtely, I needed it,” he said.


    “Makes sense,” I said, grabbing a drink from the kitchen.


    “How was your nap?” he


    “It was good. Why didn’t you nap? You look tired,” I said.


    “I’ll get some sleep tonight,” he answered.


    “Alright, if you say so,” I replied.


    “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured me.


    After he finished cooking, we sat down at the table to eat. I already knew this entire pack was made up of


    kids who had been abused but had grown into incredible warriors, now one of the most respected packs in the country. Still, I found myself increasingly curious about Elias.


    He’d told me his father was an alcoholic and that he and Luke had run away together, but that was all he’d


    shared. He seemed to know so much about me, yet I hardly knew anything about him.


    “You want to ask something–I can tell,” Elias said, watching me.


    “It’s nothing. None of my business,” I replied.


    “Maybe I should decide what’s your business,” he countered.


    “I was wondering about your life before the pack,” I admitted, waiting for his answer. His expression was


    unreadable.


    “You mean living with my parents? Where my father abused me?” he said.


    “Yeah,” I said.


    “Not much to tell. He was just brutal,” Elias said.


    “Any brothers or sisters?” I asked.


    More Remarth


    “Yeah, but they’re all older than me. By the time I ran away, they had already left. Dad had worn them out with his beatings, and they got out as soon as they could. So, I was thest one left. There was a big gap between me and the sibling before me, so I spent a long time alone in that house,” he exined.


    “Did your mother ever try to stop him?”


    “She tried sometimes, but not very hard. She knew how bad his temper was, and I think she preferred him


    hitting us kids instead of her,” he said.


    “So after you left, he only had her,” I pointed out. Elias nodded.


    “Yeah, I guess I never really thought about that before. I suppose she had no choice but to take the beatings once I was gone,” he said, looking somewhat satisfied with that realization.


    After dinner, I cleaned up, washed the dishes, and put everything away. Then we sat down to watch a


    movie. Elias pulled me close so I was resting against his side, with his arm wrapped around me as he


    gently rubbed my arm.


    While we were watching TV, someone knocked at the door. Elias called out for them toe in, and Luke entered carrying a tablet. He showed it to Elias while we were still sitting on the couch.


    I nced at the screen too. It was surveince footage from another pack–children of very young ages lined up outside, naked, being whipped and punished by the Alpha.


    “Where is this?” Elias asked quietly.


    “It’s from Ironcliff Pack. The Alpha there is aplete piece of work–based on what we’ve seen, he’s abusing most of the kids in his pack. And it’s clear he gets some twisted pleasure out of it. These photos just came through,” Luke exined, and both Elias and I leaned in to get a closer look at the tablet.


    “We have to get those kids out of there,” I said firmly. Elias looked at me in a way I wasn’t expecting- almost like he was proud, like he was relieved that I understood what this pack stood for. That I recognized our mission was to save victims and offer them safety.


    “Yeah. We absolutely need to get them out–sooner rather thanter,” Elias agreed.


    “I’m already assembling a group of warriors. We’ll start working on a strategy right away,” Luke said. So Elias and I stood and followed him to the gathering area where everyone was meeting.


    Liam, the head warrior–aside from Elias–was already there with a mapid out in front of him.


    More Rewards


    “Alright, here’s what we know. The Alpha’s name is Rhydian. He took control of the pack around fifteen


    years ago, after his father mysteriously died. Officially, it was med on a rogue attack, but most suspect


    that Rhydian murdered him to take power. And honestly, no one would be surprised. Everything we’ve seen


    points to him being a violent, sadistic bastard, and it’s only been getting worse. The pack is located


    roughly eight hours from here. We’re going to be away for a few days. Luckily for us, their borders are wide


    open, which makes this a very viable target. An ambush won’t be difficult to pull off,” Liam briefed the


    group.


    It wasn’t the entire pack gathered there, but there were a good number of people present. I had a feeling


    Elias was going to tell me to stay behind. And even though I didn’t want to be left behind if he was going, I


    also knew I couldn’t fight. I wasn’t trained, so I wasn’t sure what I’d contribute in an actual mission.


    Everyone was discussing tactics, and the whole process moved swiftly. They nned everything with


    such skill and uracy, it was clear they’d done this kind of thing many times before. After the meeting


    wrapped up, Elias and I headed back to the house.


    “You okay? You were pretty quiet out there,” Elias asked as he shut the door behind us.


    “You guys are the professionals when ites to this stuff. I was just there to observe,” I said, starting to


    walk off, but he caught my hand before I could.


    “There’s something else on your mind. I can feel it,” he said.


    “You’re going to be gone for a few days, and I already know you’re going to ask me to stay behind because


    I can’t fight. I get that–I do. But that doesn’t mean I want you to leave,” I told him honestly.


    “I know it’s not easy, but this is what we have to do. And once I’m back, we’ll dive straight into your


    training. If everything goes well, this will be thest mission you’ll have to sit out,” he promised.


    “Yeah. Alright,” I replied, forcing a smile that I hoped looked more convincing than it felt.


    But he didn’t buy it–he pulled me into a hug instead. He understood that I wasn’t thrilled about him going


    away, even if it was only for a few days. Still, I knew this was exactly why he formed this pack in the first


    ce–to save kids from situations like the one at Ironcliff. His job was to protect them. So I wasn’t going


    to make a big deal out of it. I just needed to keep my emotions in check and let him do what he was


    meant to do.


    <b>2 </b>


    <b>Comments </b>