CHRIS


    Days had passed and Lucy was nowhere to be found. Glen hadbed all of the neighboring pack in search of her but she wasn’t there. Where could she have disappeared to?


    Cade on the other hand wasn’t helpful. He refused to say a word despite all attempts to make him speak. An unsettling cloud of uncertainty shrouded me. The elders were on my neck, they demanded proof to clear Lucy’s father’s name like I said I would, a task easier said than done.


    My visit to the dungeon was fruitless, it was a tormenting routine. I sought the truth from him, interrogating him with a zeal fueled by desperation. Yet, he remained adamant and refused to say a word to me.


    “He wouldn’t speak because you are too lenient with him,” Glen insisted. “A little bit of torture and he’ll be spilling the truth of his evil deeds.”


    Glen was right, he had a valid point. I was too calm with the man who had ruined my family, the man who killed my father out of greed. I assembled a few of my guards to the dungeon to meet Cade again. This time, I was fuming with rage, ready to get the truth out of him.


    “Good to see you again, young alpha,” Cade mocked. “What is the purpose of your visit this time? I thought I already told you all you needed to know. I have nothing more to say to you.”


    “We’ll see about that. Tie him up,” I ordered. “I’m not through with you yet until I get the answers I want from you.”


    Cade burst intoughter, causing me to boil in rage. “Nothing you do can break me, child. I already lost everything so you can go ahead and kill me. It’s betterpared to being confined to this shithole.”


    Violence was employed but Cade’s defiance held strong. “Listen, Cade, I don’t want to hurt you further than I already did, but if you don’t tell me what I need to hear…… well then we are going to have a big problem,” I sneered.


    “Go ahead, give me your best shot,” Cade mocked again. Holding a hot de, I pierced his side with it. He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    “Why did you kill my father?” I yelled, “Why did you kill Lucy’s father?”


    “I already told you, they deserve what they got,” Cade said, panting. “On the path to leadership, you’ll have many enemies, those who pretend to be your confidant. That’s what your father failed to understand and that is exactly the same path you are walking in.”


    Cade whimpered in pain as he spoke. “what else are you waiting for? Kill me already, isn’t that what you desire?”


    “There’s more to what you are not saying. Why did you do it?” I asked again.


    “You think I killed your father,” he scoffed. “His foolishness killed him. You’ll end up like him, naive and betrayed.” His words were encrypted and echoed another warning from the past.


    The mage’s words came to mind,  “You’ll end up like your father.” those were the exact words the mage had said to me a few months ago.


    My thoughts danced between Cade’s prophesy and the enigmatic words of the mage. The resemnce unsettled me; it insinuated that there was someone trusted who would betray me.


    “You have an enemy within and I wished it was just me you had to deal with,” Cade said.


    “Who was the enemy within?” I mused, wrestling with my thoughts and the realization that my victory was far from over.


    “Let’s get out of here, he’s ying with your mind,” Glen said, pulling me out of the dungeon.


    Who was the enemy within? These words ran through my mind all day, what could he possibly mean? Cade hadn’t owned up to his deeds, all he did was put me in a state of confusion.


    I returned to my chambers to have a rethink on all that had happened so far. This wasn’t how I nned for this to go and I had to find a way to fix this.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The web of trust I had carefully wove seemed to unravel. Everyone in the pack began to look suspicious beginning with the elders whose gaze now bore scrutiny, showing signs of deceit.


    “Someone here knows more,” I muttered, torn between loyalty and suspicion.


    “Is there anyone you suspect, Alpha Chris?” Glen asked, his tone expressing his concern.


    “No onees to mind except the elders especially those who had been against my reign as alpha, but that doesn’t make them my enemies,” I exined.


    “I’ll keep my eyes on them for any suspicious activities,” Glen suggested. I couldn’t be more grateful for having a loyal friend and beta by my side. I watched as he left the chambers and began to dish out orders to the other guards.


    As he left, my thoughts returned to the events that had unfolded in the past few days. Lucy’s disappearance and Cade’s resilience under torture had left me wrestling with two adversaries: one in chains, concealing secrets, and another veiled in shadows, concealing intent.


    Cade’s warnings haunted me, causing me to seek sce in the mage’s words of advice. Yet, the mage repeated those ominous words which deepened the uncertainty that shadowed me.


    “Your death is closer than ever,” the mage’s prophesy echoed through my thoughts. “Keep my advice with you and you might get lucky.”


    On my way back to my chambers, I crossed paths with Lothar, my ever-trusted ally and elder. “How did it go with Cade? Has that bastard confessed to his deed?” Lothar inquired.


    “Nothing yet,” I said, exempting the other things Cade had said to me.


    “There’s no course for rm, young alpha. I’ll speak to the elders concerning this issue. Anything you need, juste to me,” Lothar pledged, his loyalty unwavering.


    Filled by Lothar’s steadfast support, I brushed off the suspicions and warnings. The weight of the burden on my shoulder seemed to lift, reced by a fragile confidence in my trusted friend.


    “I won’t let fear cloud my sense of judgment,” I said with a renewed sense of resolve, embracing a newfound peace.


    Yet, despite the alliances and secrets, threats unseen to me lurked around. Posed on the bluff of revtion, I navigated a treacherous path where allies were likely to turn to adversaries, and trust could unravel like fragile threads.