Chapter 38: Mercy’s Gamble

It was noon. Dax had been supposed to meet with Kael as planned, to step into the lion’s den willingly. But instead of knowingly walking into his trap, he decided to go against Jack’s advice.

The scent of blood and damp stone lingered in the air as Dax descended the stairs leading to the underground cells. The lights lining the walls cast flickering shadows, stretching and distorting the narrow hallway ahead. Two guards flanked the entrance, their stances rigid, their expressions unreadable.

They stepped aside without a word as Dax approached. His authority was unquestionable now—he had won. Yet the victory tasted bitter, and the war still loomed.

Kael sat in the middle of his cell, chained to the wall, his wrists raw from the silver cuffs biting into his skin. His head was bowed, golden hair falling messily over his bruised face. Blood had dried along his temple, but his chest still rose and fell with stubborn, even breaths.

Kael let out a low chuckle. “Come to finish the job?” His voice was hoarse, but there was no fear in it. Only defiance.

Dax stepped closer, gripping the cold iron bars. “I should.”

Kael tilted his head, his piercing gaze meeting Dax’s. “Then why haven’t you?”

Because it won’t end here. Because killing you won’t stop your pack from coming for us. Because I don’t want to be like Jack.

Dax said none of those things. Instead, he clenched his jaw. “What were you hoping to accomplish, Kael? Even if you had won, even if you had taken my place—you wouldn’t have walked out of here alive.”

Kael smirked, wincing slightly as the movement tugged at his split lip. “Maybe not. But I would have taken you with me.”

Dax studied him, his stomach twisting with something too tangled to name. Kael had been raised a fighter, but this was different. There was no desperation in his voice, no regret. Just certainty.

“I was born for this,” Kael said, his voice quieter now. “And so were you.”

Dax’s hands tightened around the bars. “I make my own fate.”

Kael exhaled a sharp breath, his smirk fading. “Then do it. Kill me. Prove you’re the better brother.”

Dax took a step back, his pulse hammering. He turned sharply, his voice firm as he addressed the guards. “No one touches him unless I say so.”

One of them, a warrior named Pierce, frowned. “Sir—”

“I said no one touches him.” Dax’s tone left no room for argument.

Kael let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “You think sparing me changes anything?”

Dax met his gaze, fire burning behind his own eyes. “No. But it changes me.”

Then he turned and walked away, leaving Kael in the dark.

But the weight of his choice followed him.

I was waiting for him when he emerged from the underground cells. I was leaning against the stone wall, arms crossed, the tension in my shoulders betraying my otherwise calm expression.

The moment I saw his face, I exhaled. “You didn’t do it.”

Dax stopped in front of me. “No.”

My shoulders sagged slightly in relief, but I didn’t smile. “Then what now?”

He glanced over his shoulder, back toward the corridor that led to the cells. “We plan for war.”

I swallowed hard. “You really think it’ll come to that?”

Dax’s jaw tightened. “His pack won’t let this go. They’ll come for him. For me. For you. For all of us.”

I stepped closer, placing a hand on his chest. “Then we fight smart.”

He covered my hand with his, his fingers lacing through mine. “We fight together.”

I nodded, the determination in my gaze matching his.

War was coming. And this time, we would be ready.

The war council convened in the great hall, the scent of smoke and steel thick in the air. Dax stood at the head of the long wooden table, his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the gathered wolves. Warriors. Strategists. Jack. Myself. Every face in the room was set with grim determination.

“We need to prepare for an attack,” Dax said, his voice steady despite the weight pressing on his shoulders. “Kael’s pack will come. The only question is when.”

Jack leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the table in thought. “We should strike first. We can take them.”

A murmur rippled through the room. I stiffened beside Dax, my gaze flicking to him. He knew what I was thinking—what he was thinking.

“We don’t have the numbers for an offensive strike,” Dax said. “Not without taking heavy losses. We’ve lost too many lives already with the battle against Talon. I’ve seen enough bloodshed to last me a lifetime.”

Jack’s gaze darkened. “And waiting will change that?”

Dax met his father’s stare, unflinching. “It gives us time to fortify, to prepare. They’ll come expecting us to be on the defensive, but that doesn’t mean we have to be weak.”

Pierce, the warrior who had been guarding Kael’s cell, spoke up. “We could set traps along the border. Force them into terrain that gives us the advantage.”

A few heads nodded in agreement.

I studied the map spread out before us, my brow furrowed. “What about drawing them in? Making them think they have the upper hand, only to cut them off?”

Jack huffed. “You want to invite them deeper into our land?”

I didn’t back down. “I want them to believe they’re winning, just long enough for us to take control of the battlefield.”

Dax felt a flicker of pride at the way I held my ground, unshaken by Jack’s scrutiny. He turned to the rest of the table. “We create a bottleneck. Guide them where we want them. If we do this right, we end the fight before it truly begins.”

A low hum of agreement passed through the gathered wolves.

Jack studied Dax for a long moment before nodding. “Fine. But if this plan fails, we finish it the old-fashioned way.”

Dax inclined his head slightly, knowing it was the closest thing to approval he’d get.

The meeting continued for another hour, hammering out the finer details of the defenses, assigning patrols, preparing for the inevitable. When it finally ended, Dax lingered by the table as the others filed out.

I stayed behind, resting a hand on his arm. “You did good.”

Dax let out a slow breath. “We’ll see.”

I tilted my head, studying him. “You don’t think it’ll be enough?”

He hesitated. “I think Kael’s pack expects us to act like our father. To be ruthless. If we fight like him, they’ll be ready.” He met my gaze. “We need to be smarter than that.”

I squeezed his arm. “And we will be.”

For the first time that day, I allowed myself to believe it.

Night had fallen by the time Dax made his way back to the underground cells. 

Kael was awake.

He sat against the back wall of his cell, his chains rattling slightly as he moved.

“You’re preparing for war,” Kael said before Dax could speak.

Dax leaned against the bars, arms crossed. “So are you.”

Kael smirked, slow and deliberate. “They’ll come for me.”

Dax met his gaze, unflinching. “I know.”

Kael studied him, then tilted his head slightly. “But you didn’t kill me.”

Dax exhaled through his nose. “No.”

A beat of silence stretched between them before Kael chuckled, low and dark. “You’re not weak, brother. But mercy won’t save you.”

Dax held his stare, his expression unreadable. “Neither will being a murderer.”

Kael’s smirk faltered.

Dax turned and walked away, the weight of his choice heavy in his chest.

Because the truth was—he had shown mercy.

And in war, mercy was a gamble.

One he prayed wouldn’t cost them everything.