Chapter 12 Sacrifice - Aleksandr’s POV
I watched the girl beside me reach for a piece of bread with trembling fingers. Her hesitation was palpable – each movement calculated as if she expected to be punished for taking what I had explicitly offered her. Blackwater droned on about the attack, but my attention remained split between his report and the half-starved creature at my side. Skoll prowled restlessly in my mind, his anger rising like bile as he took in her condition. 'She reeks of fear and silver,' he growled. 'And old pain.'
"The attack came before dawn," Blackwater was saying, his voice pitched to convey appropriate gravity. "They moved with unusual coordination for rogues – almost like they had a leader."
I nodded, watching as Amelia broke off a minuscule piece of bread and placed it carefully in her mouth. Her heterochromatic eyes – one green, one blue – darted between me and her plate, never lingering long enough to be considered disrespectful. The bruises on her neck were poorly concealed beneath makeup. Someone had tried to hide the evidence, but my eyes missed nothing.
"Five warriors dead," Blackwater continued, standing rigidly before my desk. "Twenty-three wounded, eight of them critically. We're still not certain if all the gravely injured will survive."
Amelia's fingers twitched at this news, a slight flinch that would have been imperceptible to anyone paying less attention. Interesting. The information wasn't new to her, but something about hearing it stated so baldly seemed to disturb her.
"In that single attack," Blackwater said, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness that made my teeth ache, "we lost nearly half our trained warriors. Our medical supplies are exhausted, and our healers are working in shifts without rest."
I lifted my wine glass but didn't drink, swirling the dark liquid instead. "And you believe they'll return."
"Without question, Your Majesty." He nodded emphatically. "They tested our defenses and found them wanting. The next attack will be worse."
I set down my glass and turned to the girl beside me. She'd managed to eat half a slice of bread and a small piece of cheese – nowhere near enough to begin addressing her malnutrition, but she seemed hesitant to take more.
"Is this true?" I asked her directly.
Her eyes widened, fear flashing across her face as she glanced between me and Blackwater. She seemed momentarily frozen, caught between two predators.
"Y-yes, my king," she finally stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alpha Marcus is telling the truth."
'She's terrified of him,' Skoll observed, his mental voice dripping with disgust. 'Look how she watches for his reaction.'
Indeed, Amelia's eyes had immediately darted to Blackwater after answering me, as if gauging whether her response had angered him. I didn't miss the subtle tightening of the Alpha's jaw – he hadn't expected me to address her directly.
I leaned back in my chair, studying Blackwater with new contempt. Here stood a man who had failed his pack twice – first by allowing the rogues to breach his territory, and second by his treatment of the girl before me. Wolves protected their own. Even the weakest member of a pack deserved basic dignity.
'Worthless Alpha,' Skoll spat. 'No wonder his borders fell.'
"I'll support your pack in this conflict while you rebuild," I stated, my decision made. "Future efforts and the precise terms of our arrangement will be discussed at a later date."
Relief washed over Blackwater's face, quickly masked by appropriately respectful gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty. The Frozen Mountain Pack will not forget this generosity."
I reached for the intercom on my desk. "Councillor Kane to my office," I said simply, then released the button.
The silence that followed was filled only with the sound of Amelia shifting slightly in her chair. I gestured toward the food tray. "Eat more," I told her, not a suggestion but not quite a command either. "Your body needs it."
Her eyes met mine briefly – a fleeting contact that revealed intelligence behind the fear – before she reached for another piece of bread, this one slightly larger than before.
Kane arrived with characteristic efficiency, not a minute later. He entered silently, closing the door behind him.
"Arrange for a contingent of royal warriors to accompany Alpha Blackwater back to the Frozen Mountain territory," I instructed without preamble. "Twenty should suffice for the immediate threat. And have the medical team prepare a comprehensive supply package – enough for at least fifty serious injuries."
Kane's expression remained neutral, though his eyes flickered briefly to Amelia. "Of course, Your Majesty. How soon should the warriors be ready to depart?"
"By nightfall," I replied. "The journey to the Frozen Mountain is long, and I'm sure Alpha Blackwater is eager to return to his pack."
Blackwater nodded quickly. "Yes, Your Majesty. The sooner we can shore up our defences, the better."
"The warriors will remain under my direct command," I added, watching Blackwater's face carefully. "They report to me, not to you. Consider them guests in your territory, not subordinates."
His smile tightened fractionally. "Of course, Your Majesty."
Kane bowed slightly and withdrew to make the arrangements. Blackwater launched into an effusive speech of gratitude that I endured with practiced patience. Beside me, Amelia had managed to eat another small piece of cheese and several grapes – progress, if inadequate.
"I'll send you a formal wedding invitation," I said, cutting across Blackwater's stream of thanks. "The ceremony will likely be held within the month, assuming no complications arise."
Blackwater turned to face me fully, his expression carefully composed. "No need, my king. The Frozen Mountain Pack has already received all we could hope for from this arrangement." His meaning was clear enough – he had no interest in seeing the girl again, now that she'd served her purpose.
'Let me tear his throat out,' Skoll growled, pressing against the edges of my control. 'Just once. Quick.'
I kept my face impassive despite my wolf's rage. "As you wish."
With a final bow, Blackwater turned and walked out, never once looking back at the girl he'd delivered to me like a sacrificial offering. The door closed behind him with a soft click that seemed to echo in the sudden silence.
I turned to find Amelia staring after him, her face a study in carefully suppressed emotion. Shell-shocked was the word that came to mind – not surprised by his abandonment, but still processing the finality of it.
"Well," I said, drawing her attention back to me. "It seems you're now officially my problem."