185

185
With the exception of the distant muttering of soldiers caring for the injured and the sporadic clang of metal as weapons were collected from fallen foes, the battlefield was now silent. The commotion had subsided, but the sharp smell of smoke and blood still permeated the air. All that was left was the burden of everything that had brought us to this point.

Thalia stood on the ridge, looking out over the area where the most recent combat had taken place. The caravan in the distance was moving steadily forward, its presence an implicit guarantee of another conflict, this time of words rather than steel.

She gripped her dagger's hilt tighter, feeling grounded by the cool metal.

Beside her, Ryker stated in a controlled but cautious tone, "We should get ready for their arrival."

Thalia said, "We will," but she remained motionless.

Ryker looked at her for a second, then let out a breath. "What Bran said is on your mind."

It was not denied by Thalia. She said, "The alphas are observing." "They're looking for an excuse to reject Killian."

Ryker gave a nod. "That is advantageous to us."

She added, "But it also means we can't make a single mistake." Here, Killian isn't the only adversary. Someone else will attempt to seize power as soon as we exhibit weakness.

Ryker hummed softly, neither acknowledging nor refuting what she had spoken. He was as much in agreement as she was. Perception was just as important to power as actual strength.

Thalia's dark hair was stirred by a breeze that blew through. She closed her eyes and let it pass over her for a moment.

She would have once been terrified to stand here, on the brink of conflict, making choices that might affect the destiny of a whole territory. She would have questioned herself at one point and waited for someone else to take charge and make the difficult decisions.

However, that girl had been abandoned.

With a sharp gaze, she opened her eyes once more.

She remarked, more to herself than to Ryker, "I was never meant to be just a pawn in someone else's game." “I see that now.”

A voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Thalia, you were never a pawn."

She turned to see Zara coming toward her, her eyes full with something that seemed almost like pride, but her face was unreadable. The former Luna moved with the silent command of a survivor who had seen too much.

Thalia looked up at her. “I thought I was for a long time.”

Zara seemed to understand, as she nodded. "Because you were brought up in a society that taught you that survival meant submitting." She hesitated. "But haven't you discovered the truth?"

Thalia let out a breath and looked over the horizon. "Survival is more than just perseverance. It comes down to deciding to fight.

“And winning,” Zara said. "That you possess."

Thalia laughed quietly, but it was a serious chuckle. "The war has not yet ended."

"No," Zara concurred. However, you've already done what Killian was most afraid of.

Thalia's forehead raised. "And what is that?"

Zara's mouth curled a little. "You have inspired others to believe in you."

Thalia felt the weight of those words sink deeper than she had anticipated. since she was aware that they were accurate.

No one would have followed her into combat five years ago. She had just been a submissive Luna, a woman whose voice had been muffled by Killian's authority.

Warriors now turned to her for leadership. Survivors held on to her fortitude. She was starting to be seen as more than just a forgotten mate by the alphas who had previously disregarded her existence.

Thalia shook her head and said, "I thought I had to prove something to Killian for a long time." "That he would—" if I could simply prove my value to him. She halted herself. “But it was never about him.”

Zara's face became softer. "No, it wasn't."

Ryker moved next to her, his eyes unwavering. "Thalia, you no longer need to prove yourself to anyone."

She looked him in the eye. They did not harbor any skepticism or the contempt that Killian had previously shown her. There was just deference.

A beat of stillness passed before Rhea approached, her sharp eyes flashing between them. She said, "The caravan is almost here." "There are guards stationed around the perimeter."

Thalia nodded and took a long breath. "Well done."

Before she turned away, she gave the battlefield one more look.

because she had stopped looking in the past.

She had been plagued by the past long enough. She spent enough time thinking about the wounds Killian had caused her. She had struggled. She was bleeding. She was powerful now.

She was allowed to use it. To keep her safe.

A recognizable voice yelled out as they approached the caravan's arrival location.

"Thalia."

Lorcan was jogging toward them, his countenance enigmatic, when she turned around. "You must watch this."

Thalia clenched her muscles. "What is it?"

Before responding, he gave Ryker a quick glance. "Something was discovered by one of the scouts close to the northern ridge."

Thalia acted without hesitation. "Show me."

Lorcan guided them to a little rocky outcropping close to the boundary of their disputed area. Standing next to a small, partially concealed chest was the scout, a wiry young man with sharp eyes.

The scout nodded toward it and stated, "It was hidden beneath loose soil." "Not really profound. It's almost as if someone wanted it located.

Thalia's pulse accelerated. "What's inside?"

“We didn’t open it,” Lorcan remarked. "Thought you would prefer to view it first."

Before carefully pulling it open, she knelt next to the chest and brushed away the remaining dirt.

Her breath caught the instant she did.

There was a solitary dagger inside, wrapped in tattered fabric. Not just any dagger, though.

She was familiar with this weapon.

She had seen it before.

Additionally, Killian had held it the last time she did.

The weight of it was uncannily familiar as she cautiously raised it. There was no mistaking the elaborate hilt.

A shiver ran down her back.

This dagger's purposeful burial was the sole explanation for its presence.

A message.

Thalia's jaw clenched as she gripped the weapon more tightly.

This was not the end of it.

Killian was observing.

And he wanted her to know it.