Chapter 48 Chapter forty-eight
The soldier ran as fast as he could ran, branches whipping at his arms, roots threatening to trip him with every steps he made. Night had already come, and it was only the moon above guided him through the path of the forest.
He burst into they hideout, an abandoned cottage sited in the middle of the forest. Roger who was sitting by the fireplace turned sharply as he stumbled in.
He rose to his feet slowly, as if unfolding a great weight or deciding which bone to break first.
“what took you long?” Roger asked, his voice dangerously calm.
“My....my apologies, Beta,” the soldier gasped, dropping to one knee. Sweat slid down his temple, stinging his eyes. “I have delivered the letter.”
Roger came closer, the firelight revealing the wicked smirk in the corner of his lips.
“To whom?” Roger asked.
“I gave it to the Luna,” the soldier answered.
The fire crackled. Roger didn’t move at first. He just stared at the soldier, as if the answer didn’t make sense.
Then it happened.
Roger seized the soldier by the hair and slammed his head into the ground so violently the earth seemed to tremble. The soldier cried out, hands scrambling uselessly for balance. But Roger was merciless. He slammed the soldier again. And again.
“You fool!” Roger roared, his voice raw with rage. “It was meant for Claus!”
The soldier’s forehead struck a rock, and blood trickled down the side of his face. Dirt filled his mouth as he struggled to speak. “I didn’t see Claus, Beta, he wasn’t at sight . Ellie was the only one there. I swear. she’ll give it to him....”
Roger kicked him hard in the ribs, sending him rolling across the ground. The soldier curled in the floor as pain thundered through his body.
“She won’t,” Roger snarled. “She won’t hand anything over to him. Not now. Not ever.”
Roger paced like a mad man, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm the anger that stretched dangerously across his nerves.
“Ellie…” he muttered “Of all people… you gave it to her.”
The soldier, trembling and breathless, raised his head weakly. “Beta, forgive me....I thought.....”
“You didn’t think!” Roger roared, suddenly crouching and gripping the soldier’s face with his claws. “You assume. You acted foolishly. And your stupidity may ruin everything.”
The soldier winced as Roger shoved him back and stood again. Roger inhaled sharply, trying and failing to steady himself.
“She will keep it,” Roger whispered, voice dark with certainty. “She won’t give Claus a damn thing. Not if she knows what it contains.”
One of the soldier finally stepped forward.
“Master,” he said cautiously, “if Ellie won’t hand over the letter… what do we do now?”
Roger’s gaze lifted slowly, like the rising of a storm. He keep quiet, pacing across the room, thinking of something sinister.
“What we should have done from the start,” he said, his gaze went from one soldier to the other “We take the healer.”
Confusion rippled through the circle. There was low murmuring.
“The… pack healer?” another man asked. “Cyprus?”
Roger nodded “She’s the only one smart enough to find an antidote to the poisoned water. Claus may suspect something, but suspicion is nothing without proof. And without her, they’ll have no cure.”
The low murmur passed among the soldiers again.
“But the healer is well guarded,” the first soldier said. “I don't think we stand a chance . And the pack—”
“Is weak,” Roger snapped. “Growing weaker by the day as the sickness spreads. We strike tonight. Before they realize what’s happening.”
The men exchanged glances but nodded. They trusted Roger. They feared him. And sometimes the two were the same thing.
Another soldier, younger and bolder.or perhaps simply foolish tilted his head. His voice carried a hint of curiosity, maybe even humor.
“Beta,” he said, “why are you so sure Ellie won’t give Claus the letter? They hardly cross paths. Besides… how do you know Sylvia and Ellie are in love? People barely talk about it.”
The clearing went still.
Roger stared at the young soldier.
Then he laughed.
It was not a pleasant sound. It was a hollow, dark, grating noise that crawled over the skin like a spider. Every man stiffened.
Roger stepped closer to the soldier until they were nose to nose. His smile was a cold, jagged slice across his face.
“You ask how I know?” Roger murmured. “Even a blind wolf could see it.”
The soldier swallowed hard.
Roger straightened and began pacing around the fire, his hands clasped behind his back.
“I’ve watched them,” he continued. “Ellie always gravitates toward him. The way Sylvia looks at Ellie, even Claus doesn't look at Ellie like that.”
He tilted his head, expression unreadable.
“People in love,” Roger said softly, “are predictable.”
He looked at each of his men, one by one.
“And predictable people,” he whispered, “are easy to manipulate.”
Silence hung heavy around them. The fire spat a shower of sparks as it burn away.