Free Web NovelChapter 29: The Boy Is Gone
Meanwhile, back in Ironfang, the heavy oak doors of the packhouse banged open.
Kaleb and his remaining warriors marched into the grand hall, dragging the thick, metallic stench of fresh blood and humiliating defeat along with them. The air was suffocating, heavy with the frantic pheromones of broken wolves.
Kaleb stalked into the center of the room. With a savage growl, he ripped his dented shield and blood-stained broadsword from his arms and threw them to the floor. The heavy metals clattered violently against the stone, the echoes ringing off the walls.
He sank heavily into his grand Alpha chair, his chest heaving. He dropped his elbows to his thighs and shoved his face into his hands, his fingers digging ruthlessly into his own scalp.
"What the hell happened out there?" Beta Daniel muttered, his broad shoulders sagging with a mixture of raw exhaustion and sheer disbelief. He leaned heavily against a stone pillar, his uniform torn.
"I still do not understand how Alpha Thorne and his mongrels could anticipate our every move," one of the elder war councilors breathed, his chest heaving as he collapsed into a nearby seat. "They were waiting for us."
"The most guarded secret in our entire strategy was the Whisper Pass," another elder rasped, his nostrils flaring as he tried to process the slaughter. "That narrow canyon has always been our ultimate tactical advantage. How could they possibly—?"
"Are you still asking stupid questions?" Kaleb cut in, his head snapping up as he bolted to his feet. His golden eyes blazed with fury. "That bitch betrayed us! She sold out her own pack to my uncle!"
"You mean the same pack that pushed a knife into her first?" A quiet, razor-sharp voice sliced through the heavy tension.
Every head in the room whirled toward the doorway. Standing in the shadows was Jaxon, the lead war strategist who had worked side by side with Rhea for years. He pushed his shoulders off the stone wall and walked slowly into the torchlight, his expression entirely deadpan.
"This is exactly what happens when a pack arrogantly believes they can thrive without the master architect who designed the very defenses keeping them alive," Jaxon murmured, his eyes locking onto Kaleb without a hint of fear. "In her brilliance, Rhea—"
"Enough!" Kaleb roared, his wolf surging to the surface as he charged across the floor, stopping inches from the strategist’s face. The scent of Kaleb’s unstable alpha authority flooded the space. "How dare you defend a traitor? She committed high treason against this crown, and she was executed for it!"
"No, Alpha," Jaxon replied, his voice dropping into a chillingly calm register. "She took a poisoned arrow straight to the ribs to protect you on the battlefield, and you and her sister killed her for it. It is about time this council starts speaking the truth." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
A low murmur of agreement spread through the room. Kaleb’s gaze snapped from face to face, catching lowered eyes and tightened jaws. They were questioning him. They were choosing her side.
Kaleb’s vision went entirely red. His chest heaved in ragged patterns. His eyes scanned the quiet, judging stares of his elders. Cornered by his own guilt, his hand automatically ripped down to his belt. Before anyone could draw a breath to stop him, Kaleb drove his hunting blade deep into Jaxon’s stomach.
Sharp gasps echoed through the hall. Horrified murmurs broke out among the lower-ranking guards. Jaxon gasped, a thick line of crimson spilling past his lips as he collapsed onto the stone floor.
Just then, Kat rushed into the living space, her gown rustling loudly. "What is happening in here? Kaleb, what have you done?" she screamed, her eyes widening in absolute horror as she looked down at Jaxon, a dark puddle of blood rapidly pooling around his torso.
"Someone help him!" she barked at the frozen guards. "Get the pack healer, now!"
Two servants scrambled forward, hurriedly lifting Jaxon’s limp body and rushing him out toward the medical wing.
Kaleb turned on his heel and walked rigidly back to his chair. He sank into the leather, his chest heaving as he ran his trembling, blood-slicked fingers through his dark hair. Several of the elder war councilors stared at him for a long, uneasy moment before turning their backs on their King and walking out of the room.
Kat watched them leave, her scent souring with intense panic. She whirled around to face the Beta. "Daniel, talk to me. What the hell happened out there?"
Daniel looked at Kaleb’s form, then shifted his grim gaze back to her. "We were woefully defeated, Luna. It was a total massacre."
Kat’s brows pulled together, her jaw dropping. "How is that even possible?" she demanded, her voice rising to a shrill peak. "Ironfang hasn’t lost a border engagement to anyone in over a decade!"
Daniel let out a heavy, defeated sigh, shaking his head. "Our own blueprints were used against us. Every bottleneck, every secret ridge. They knew it all."
"So that traitor really did it," Kat sneered, her lips curling with pure, venomous hatred. "She sold out her own—"
"Luna Kat!"
A frantic scream cut through the air, shattering the remnants of the conversation. Every head snapped toward the grand hallway.
Kat’s frown deepened as she watched the head nursery maid stumble blindly into the room. The woman’s face was completely drained of color, her chest heaving as she sobbed.
"What is wrong with you? Why are you howling like a wild rogue in my living space?" Kat snapped, her tone dripping with irritation.
"The boy!" the maid cried out, choking on her own tears as she struggled to draw breath. "The prince! He is gone! Someone bypassed the western gate and took him from his bed!"
Kaleb’s golden eyes widened as he launched himself out of his seat. "What do you mean he is gone?!" he roared, the sheer force of his Alpha voice vibrating the glass windows. "Who took him? Speak!"
"Who took my son?!" Kat shrieked, sprinting forward and grabbing the maid by her shoulders, shaking her violently. The scent of her panic turned sharp and suffocating. "Tell me who took him, you worthless omega! Who?!"
"I—I didn’t see their face," the maid wailed, cowering under Kat’s grip. "But the scent left behind, it looked like a woman."
Kaleb’s heart instantly dropped straight into his stomach, heavy as a stone. All the heat left his body. "A woman," he breathed, his mind racing at a terrifying speed. He could almost smell the faint, ghostly scent of winter rain and silver fur mocking him from the corridors.
Kat let go of the maid and whipped around to face Kaleb, her chest rising and falling in ragged, panicked gasps. "Was it her? Kaleb, did that bitch come into my home and steal my son? Did Rhea take my baby?!"
Before Kaleb could form a coherent thought to answer her, a low-ranking guard stepped into the entryway, his head bowed low to avoid the explosive alpha tension radiating through the room.
"Excuse me, Alpha," the guard stammered, his voice trembling.
"What is it?!" Kaleb snapped, his fangs pushing hard against his lower lip.
"There is a rogue rider at the iron gates, Alpha," the guard announced, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "A midnight messenger from BloodVeil demands your immediate audience."
