Chapter 281 281
Lucas POV
“Eight,” Fabrice answers as the heavy door swings open.
We step into the large holding cell. Eight male rogues line the back wall, pressed shoulder to shoulder. Every one of them is shaking as Damien lets his aura flood the room.
All except one.
Damien notices. So do I.
“I’m going to make this very simple,” Damien growls.
His eyes shift instantly, darkening to the deep navy of his wolf. The air thickens, the space shrinking under the sheer weight of his presence. Even my own throat tightens in response.
“I need someone to go undercover,” he continues coldly. “There’s a secret meeting involving several packs. I need information. That person will return to me with it. If they don’t, I’ll kill them. If they fail, I’ll kill them. If they betray me by not attending”
“You’ll kill them.”
The interruption comes from the rogue who hadn’t flinched under Damien’s aura. There’s a hint of amusement in his expression.
My snarl comes instantly. “Are you volunteering?” I snap, furious at the disrespect shown to my Alpha King.
“That depends,” the young rogue says calmly, “on the payment. The reward for completing the task.”
“You get to stay alive,” Damien roars, his dominance slamming into the room and reminding everyone exactly who was in charge.
The kid can’t be more than sixteen maybe younger but there’s something about him. Something sharp. Powerful. He isn’t like the usual desperate rogues scraped from the edges of pack territory.
“Me… I’ll do it!” another rogue blurts out, thrusting his hand into the air.
“And what happens if none of us volunteer?” someone else asks nervously.
The cocky one laughs. “You won’t walk out of here alive. Like he said he only needs one.”
I turn my attention back to him, my voice dropping into something more beast than man. “You seem awfully familiar with how an Alpha thinks. What’s your name?”
“My name can be traced,” he replies evenly. “I won’t say it in front of treacherous rogues. If I live long enough to carry out your orders, then I’ll tell you.”
Is this kid for real? Damien’s voice slips into my head, accompanied by a faint snigger.
Yeah, I answer without hesitation. I think he is.
“I’ll tell you what,” Damien says aloud, stepping back. “I’ll let you all decide.”
The rogues exchange uneasy glances.
“You came here with orders to kill,” Damien continues. “So I’ll give you the courtesy of choosing your own fate.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” one of them shouts as Damien turns and starts toward the door.
I know exactly what it means.
Fabrice doesn’t.
He looks at me, suspicion written all over his face, trying and failing to read some hint of explanation from me.
“I’ll see you in a few hours then,” the cocky rogue calls out just before the door slams shut and locks.
A chill creeps down my spine, mixed with an uncomfortable flicker of anticipation. I’m curious to see who if anyone walks out alive.
I’ll have to make sure Fabrice never learns what happens next. This would violate everything he and Aurélie believe in. But war doesn’t leave room for clean hands.
We are at war.
The charred ruins of the Lake House prove that. The photos of human soldiers armed with poisoned bullets sent to eradicate the Darkvale pack prove it again.
“Do I even want to know what that was about?” Fabrice murmurs as we slow our pace, Damien already several steps ahead of us.
“Honestly?” I reply quietly. “No. I’ll make sure it’s handled. Best if you steer clear of the cells for a day or two.”
I’ll need to organise our own warriors for the clean-up.
I won’t put the Darkvale warriors in that position.