Chapter 20 Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Scars From The Fire

~ Ignas

Two Days Later
It had been two days since the surgery. My body still ached me, but the pain had reduced into something I could handle. The poison was still in my blood–so the healers said, so it made me feel lightheaded and drowsy, but I wasn’t the type to sit around and whine. I was a damn Alpha. I had work to do. I had a pack to lead. I couldn’t afford to be weak, not for long, because now I had to check up on what had happened the two days I had been down.
I sat on the edge of my bed, swinging my legs off the bed and it dangled off the side of the bed as I stretched my arms, rolling my stiff shoulders. I groaned in pain as my wrapped torso started to hurt.
God, it smelled horrible in here.
My breath came out slow and steady, even though my body was begging me to rest a little more. I couldn’t afford to. I was a woman Alpha and to earn the bit of respect i needed, i had to prove i was capable. I was strong and i was worthy.
There was a knock at the door. Roy’s voice came through. “The elders are waiting, Alpha.”
I stood up, brushing my fingers through my tangled hair. “I’m coming.”
The meeting room wasn’t far, but each step made my legs feel like they weighed like a house. I didn't know i was this heavy. I kept my chin high though. I wouldn’t let anyone see the cracks or pain i was feeling. I pushed the heavy doors open and the elders were already seated, waiting for me. Their faces were calm, some lined with age and wisdom, some were newer but just as loyal.
“Alpha,” Elder Marven greeted me first, standing up as a sign of respect. The others followed his lead.
I sat at the head of the table, offering a small nod. “Let’s begin.” I uttered.
The meeting wasn’t anything new. It mostly consisted about talks of land, food supplies, training, and safety. The usual boring but necessary things that came with leading a pack. My mind drifted from time to time, the fog from the poison still not fully cleared, but I did my best to focus.
At one point, Elder Marven cleared his throat. “We’re grateful to still have you with us, Alpha. After what you went through.”
The other elders nodded in agreement. I looked around the table, seeing the real concern in their eyes. It wasn’t often that an Alpha was laid up in bed, healing from wounds.
“You’ve always been strong,” Marven continued. “And brave. We couldn’t ask for a better leader.”
Their words were warm, but they sat heavy on my chest. I managed a small smile, lowering my head slightly. I had bulit this pack from nothing. Although they owed me their loyalty, it was by choice. I had seen other female Alphas get overthrown by their pack simply because of disloyalty and not trust, but i was grateful for this one i had.
“I’ll always do my best for the pack.” I bow slightly.
A soft silence settled in the room for a while until Roy, who had been quiet since the start, finally spoke up. His voice was steady but sharp.
“There’s something else you should know, Alpha,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “The enemy’s pack, you know? the one that attacked us? The one that got you poisoned? it’s gone.”
My head snapped up. “Gone? Gone how?”
He nodded. “Burnt down to the ground. The whole place.”
For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I blinked, unsure if the drowsiness was making me hear things wrong. “When?”
“The night you were in surgery,” he said. “That very same night.”
My heart skipped a beat. I leaned back in my chair, staring at Roy, but his face told me it was the truth. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Burnt to the ground? How? Who?
And then his face came into my mind.
Lykon.
I remembered the look he had on his face the night before the surgery. The coldness. The way his stare had made my skin crawl. It wasn’t the usual Lykon. It wasn’t even the playful, teasing wolf I was used to. It was like something inside him had snapped. He looked like he was deadly. The way his eyes glowed… I suppressed a shudder so it doesn't seem like I'm weak in front of these elders.
Could it have been him?
No. I shook the thought away, feeling foolish for even thinking it. Lykon was reckless, sure. He was hot-headed, wild, and too proud for his own good sometimes. But this? This was something darker. I didn’t want to believe it.
I excused myself once the meeting ended. The elders stood and bowed, offering me more kind words about my health, but I hardly heard them. My mind was stuck on one thing or precisely, one person.
Lykon.
The day went on, and I found myself noticing something else too. I had barely seen him since I woke up from the surgery. He wasn’t the type to keep to himself for so long, especially when things were tense. He always had something smart to say, always hung around like a shadow. But now? It was like he had vanished. I thought I had been somewhat clingy, yeah, but this?
The thought wouldn’t leave my head. My feet moved on their own as I left my room, heading down the hall to his. The excuses I told myself sounded weak even in my own mind. I wasn’t going there for any real reason, I told myself. Just to check on him. Just to make sure he was fine.
Yeah. Exactly. That’s all.
The door to his room wasn’t locked, like always. Without knocking, I pushed it open, stepping inside quietly. My heart thudded in my chest when I saw him.
Lykon was standing near the bed, his back turned to me. He was pulling his shirt over his head, the muscles in his arms flexing with the movement. My eyes caught on something that made my breath hitch.
Bruises.
Dark, ugly burns covered his back. The kind you didn’t get from training or a simple fight. No, these were different. Deep, raw marks from heat. From fire.
My throat tightened. I couldn’t look away.
Before he could turn around and see me standing there, I stepped back, my heartbeat loud in my ears. My hand found the doorknob, and I quietly pulled the door shut behind me, my mind spinning.
I stood there, frozen in the hallway, staring at the closed door, my stomach twisting.
“Who'
s there?” A growl erupted from his mouth.