100: Yes, Alpha.

100: Yes, Alpha.
Bane pov

The fire had burned down to a low, stubborn heat by the time I sat with Max and Damon.

The rest of the camp was quiet, no one talked louder than they needed to. This was exactly how I liked our camp the best - nose got people killed and I’d be damned if I watched more men die because of one delusional bastard that had lost his mind. 

Max had a map spread across a flat rock and Damon sat opposite me with his arms crossed, watching the treeline more than the map. 

“Repeat it again,” I told Max, eyes darting between his face and the map. “Slower this time, I need to hear every reason for the decision you made before we can agree on anything. I made it clear - I’m not risking losing more men, regardless if it’s to rogues or nature.” 

Max nodded and pointed at the map, “Alpha, there are three usable routes from here. The first one follows the service road and cuts to the east. It’s fast on paper, but also more exposed to attacks. The second one leads through thickened cover, but it adds almost a full day to travel - safer, but slower.” 

I nodded slowly as my eyes followed his finger moving over the paper, “and what about the third? Risks?” 

“That one thales us along the cliff line - the scene isn’t pretty there, but it knocks off a day from our route and if anyone tries to attack, we can see them before they strike. Also, if we choose that route, we don’t leave tracks for anyone to follow us.” Max explained. 

Damon let out a loud huff, “all good things aside, the third option sounds like a death trap. Alright, we’ll see an ambush if one comes our way, but also, we won’t be able to hide or cover during one.”

I hated to admit it, but Damon had a good point. All things aside, the ability to hide behind anything at all was important too.

“Yes, but it also means there are fewer places for them to spread out wide,” Max insisted before I could voice my opinion. “If Bastian’s people are watching all the roads, which I wouldn’t be surprised about, the cliff route is the one they won’t expect a team this small to take. They know Alpha is dangerous, but they also know he’s not reckless and won’t risk his own men for a chance to only possibly get to Bastian. If they believe we’re taking a safer approach, they won’t see us coming.” 

My eyes traveled from Max down to the map, where his finger was still pressed against. On paper, the trail looked clear, safe even, but in real life it would be loose stone, bad footing, and no room for a mistake.

“How bad is the drop?” I asked.

“Bad enough that you don’t want to be shoved,” Damon said, the usual scepticism still lacing his words. “But not bad enough to die from a fall. It’s risky and I really fucking hate to say this, Alpha, but Max is right. Even considering all risk factors, it’s still worth it to save a day of travel. We’re a team on a mission, not some fucking tourists.” 

Max grinned and turned to me, “you wanted to cut the travel time, Alpha. I think we found the answer you were looking for.” 

“It sounds promising,” I grumbled and pinched the bridge of my nose, “but I also want to see all men return to the castle alive, on their own two feet, or four, depends how grand of an entrance they want.”  

Damon shrugged, looking far less worried than he was a minute ago. “At the end of the day, we follow your command. From what I see, if we take the long way, Bastian gets more time to keep moving. If we choose the cliff trail, we might as well send him a text that we’re coming and he won’t have enough time to pack up his camp. Sounds like a big risk, but between all of them, the cliff line is the least stupid of three bad options.”

I looked between them, taking extra time to watch them. Max waited patiently while Damon looked like he was ready to jump into battle just to prove he could. 

Both of the men I trusted with my life for completely different reasons - Max always had his nose in maps while Damon was ready to show claws without a warning.

“Cliff route,” I finally made the decision. “As soon as the light breaks, we’re moving. Make sure to tell the men no one plays hero and walks close to the edge. If the trail looks suspicious, we back off and eat the extra hours on the road. I’m not losing a single man just to save a couple of hours.”

Max nodded and started folding the map. “I’ll brief the others and make sure keeping away from the edge is the Alpha’s command.”

“No need to hurry,” I said calmly and looked around the small camp we built. “Let them finish eating first, people listen much better when they’re not busy chewing their food and trying to silence the hunger.”

Damon chuckled and shook his head, “well, I’ll be damned, look at you - our Alpha is growing up.”

“Don’t get used to it.” I grumbled but my words weren’t unkind. 

Damon and Max were still discussing the plan for moving forward when I remembered about the coffee I made earlier. It was already cold, but I didn’t care, I needed a little caffeine boost to survive the questioning that was surely to come my way soon - the men would want answers. 

Just as I turned to reach out for the cup, a commotion broke out by the treeline and soon enough, a scout was running toward me. The man stopped barely seconds before he’d land in the fire and dropped to his knees, breathing hard, “Alpha.” 

“Report,” I said without looking at him.

“We caught a rogue on the east loop. He wasn’t sniffing for food or trying to attack, he was looking for us. The guy says he has a message to deliver to you.” 

As soon as the words left him, the entire camp grew tense. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that two men were already on their feet and Damon had his hand near his belt like he was ready to gut the poor scout for daring to bring a report. Next to him, Max went unnaturally still.

Slowly, I turned to look at the scout, “this rogue is still alive?”

“Yes, Alpha, and he’s not fighting at all. I don’t like the lack of survival instinct,” the scout hissed the last part quietly enough for only me to hear. 

“Neither do I.” I admitted silently and glanced at Max and Damon, “bring him in the camp. Make sure he’s close enough to the fire to stay warm - we treat him like a threat, but we don’t act unkind. If the message he’s bringing is important, we must remember how to treat guests.”

The men in the camp abandoned their food, drinks and whatever they were doing, moving like a well-oiled machine the moment a command was spoken.

I sat on a rock and waited. When the rogue was brought in, I stilled for a moment. The man, or should I say the boy, was way younger than I expected a rogue to be. He had barely reached adulthood.

My men had bound his hands behind his back and he was walked toward me like a captive rather than a messenger, which was the one thing I didn’t want, but I’d have a discussion with men later after we found out what the rogue was bringing.

Before the rogue boy could speak, I raised one hand to address the men in the camp. “We don’t have to hear him out. What he’s bringing might be bait, Basitan’s attempt to stall, or any other trickery. I want opinions before I let him open his mouth.”

Max stepped closer to me, “Alpha, if he’s here to waste time, we lose minutes, but if he’s here because he has actual information about Bastian, we’d lose much more by sending him away.” 

Damon, on the other side, didn’t seem to share the same feelings as Max. “I hate messages, especially delivered by rogues. They can’t be trusted.” 

“I know,” I muttered in agreement with Damon and turned to the men seated around the fire.

One of the older trackers spat to the side. “Hearing him doesn’t mean believing him.”

“That’s the first smart thing I’ve heard since he arrived,” I agreed and let a wide grin spread across my lips. “We listen to what he has to say and decide after? Anyone objects?” 

I scanned the faces to make sure everyone was on the same page. No one spoke against me, even if a couple of them looked like they wanted to. That was fine, I didn’t need enthusiasm about the decision, it was enough that the men still stood behind me. 

Turning to the rogue, I nodded, “talk and be fast.”

He swallowed hard and met my gaze. “Garrick sent me.”

I arched an eyebrow and stepped closer. “Keep going.”

“Bastian’s lost it,” the rogue said, voice shaking, “he promised money to get the girl, but there’s no money. He misled everyone, lied and kept pulling us deeper into his madness. The men are done dying for a story that only exists in his head. Garrick wants out of the deal and we want to live - that’s the message.”

“Awfully convenient.” Damon grumbled under his breath.

The rogue’s eyes snapped to him. “You think I walked into Bane’s camp for fun? You think I want to be standing here with my hands tied while you decide if I’m worth the air I’m using?”

“I think desperate men say whatever keeps them breathing,” Damon said.

“Then listen to the desperate part!” The rogue spat back, his chest heaving. “Bastian’s still focused at Ryker. He thinks if he kills him, the rest falls into place. Garrick thinks if we stay, we die in a war that isn’t ours, he sent me because waiting for Bastian to see reason is pointless.”

I watched the boy’s face while he spoke. There was something about the look on his face and the fire in his eyes that made me actually believe that he wasn’t lying or luring us into a trap.

“Where is he?” I asked.

The rogue hesitated before he looked at me. “I can take you. Garrick made it clear that’s the deal - I can’t stand here, draw you a map and wait until you kill me the moment the paper is in your hands.”

Okay, as annoying as his words were, the plan was also smart. He was ensuring his survival, which I couldn’t blame him for. 

Turning back to men, I spoke again. “He stays close, don’t let him wander or whisper with anyone. If he so much as leans toward the trees like he’s thinking about home, you stop him.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Max said, his voice followed by the chorus of the entire camp. 

I pointed a finger at the rogue. “You wait. I’ll give you an answer when I’m done thinking.”

Max nodded at the men and the rogue was pulled back toward the trees, still close enough to the fire to keep him warm, but far enough to ensure he wouldn’t overhear a thing. 

I nodded at Max and Damon to follow me then stepped away from the others. “Well?” I whispered, glancing at the rogue sitting almost peacefully. 

Max was the first one to speak, “could be a trap, Alpha. It’s a classic scenario - send one scared man, offer the thing your enemy wants the most and trick him into coming to you.”

“But it also could be exactly what the rogue said,” Damon added, “Bastian was never running a crew, he was renting one. We all know the renters dip the moment the pay stops.”

I arched an eyebrow and scratched the stubble on my jaw, “you believe him?” 

“I believe he’s scared,” Max corrected me, “and that he reeks of more fear than just his own.”

I glanced at Damon just as he added his opinion. “The kid didn’t come in swinging and didn’t try to bargain for a better deal. He led with ‘we want to live’ and crazy as it sounds, I think he’s not lying.”