Chapter 16 Just from her scent
Ruel’s POV
I listen to what sounds like two warriors being bitter.
“…I’m telling you, the Alpha King is planning something big,” one whispers.
“And Commander Ruel isn’t doing a single thing about it,” the other spits. “Not one damn move.”
Fury spreads through my veins.
“Who the hell is that?” Krist fumes.
The first one continues, “He thinks our lives are useless. How can he withhold such crucial info from the Alpha King yet he claims to be our commander.”
What the hell are they talking about?
“We should request a new commander,” The first guy mentions.
Leaning a tiny fraction of my face out of the tree, I see the faces of those talking.
David and Luke. They both joined the force two years ago. How can they talk like this? Do they know how hard I've been trying to get the Alpha King to do things in our favor?
The other snorts. “Scarface would do better. At least he got a response from the Alpha King. Doesn’t that prove our commander never tried in the first place? I mean Scarface showed us the note… Commander Ruel requested a sex slave. Our men are dying and that's all he thinks about!”
I stand still, my jaws tightening.
I know they won't be saying this if they had any idea I could see and hear them. Still it doesn't stop my hands from fisting in wrath.
The smell of earth quickly fades away and suddenly all I can perceive is the scent of my own anger.
“We risk our lives,” The first man continues. “Certainly we deserve someone who actually cares if we live or die.”
"How didn't we see what Scarface was doing behind our back?" Krist voices.
I feel so stupid for putting him in charge whenever I'm away. And why in the damn moon will the king respond to him and not me?
How the heck did he even get across to Alpha King Andre?
A humorless laugh escapes Luke, the second man. “What do you expect from a man without a past or family, huh?” He jests, kicking a stone forward. “Commander Ruel is a fucking ghost. They don't have emotions. Who knows, he probably eliminated his family as the psychopath that he is.”
They both laugh.
But my chest does something I don’t like. It feels like someone placed a stone right on my heart.
I release a long breath as they disappear deeper into the woods, still complaining, their voices soon fading away.
“A ghost,” I whisper to myself.
“I'm sorry I can't help us remember.” Krist mutters, sounding just as depressed as I feel whenever I'm reminded of my inability to remember my past.
“It's not your fault,” I say quietly.
A commander who never tries.
Someone who doesn’t care if his men die…
Those words stay on repeat in my head causing my thoughts to tumble around in a mess.
I sit on a fallen log, letting the cold weather seep through my uniform. I don't believe I have no family. Yes there's a possibility they all died in the sempyr war but until I remember, I'll never completely let go of all hope to find them.
“If they were still alive, someone would have come looking for us.” Krist says softly.
I close my eyes, knowing it's useless before I even try to remember anything beyond the age of ten. Anything at all.
But all that comes is the same image–
The sky pitch dark with thick smoke from houses and almost every other thing around me burning. Then a face comes into view.
It's Alpha King Andre. He has a lot of blood on his neck. Slowly he raises his sword and thrusts behind me, killing whoever it was.
That's all I remember. I wouldn't have known it was the sempyr who wounded me that he stabbed if he had not told me so.
That's how bad my memory is.
He'd saved my life that day and now I owe it to him. That's why I've judiciously killed every stray, especially sempyrs because they ripped my family away from me.
Ripped away my every memory of them.
Now I must serve Alpha King Andre in hopes that he allows his seer look into my past.
He'd promised over a decade ago that he'd grant me the gift of knowing what my life looked like before the war if I pleased him.
I've done my best over the years. I've hunted, fought, bled, obeyed every damn command. Yet every year, the Alpha King tells me, “Not yet, Ruel.”
Do more.
Prove yourself.
And every year, I do.
And still… I know nothing. The seer won't show me anything. They don't even let me get as close as the pack house anymore.
Now my men don’t trust me.
They think I’m a coward.
They think I’m unworthy of leading them.
The weight in my chest tightens and I stand abruptly.
Dry leaves crack beneath my shoes as I saunter out of the woods. My strides are fast but my thoughts move faster.
I only realize where I'm heading after several minutes.
Not toward my room, not the drill ground either.
My eyes widen when I realize I'm behind the servants quarter.
“Krist!” I curse under my breath, stopping every movement.
“It's not my doing. You brought us here yourself. Moreover I didn’t see the need to stop you.”
I shouldn’t be here.
The lamps are still on and I can hear multiple voices but they are all brief and in tiny whispers as if they are preparing for bed.
She's probably asleep.
Not like I care or anything.
I wonder what she looks like with her eyes closed, without a glare on her face.
This is insane. I'm literally standing behind the servants quarter like an idiot. If anyone should find me...
Exhaling, I take a step back. But then a scent hits me.
The familiar sweetness singles itself out, floating into my nostrils.
I inhale once… and my heart drops.
“Ira,” It rolls off my tongue like a sinful desire.
The more I inhale her scent, the more my body relaxes. My shoulders loosen, my breathing steadies. I stand dumbfounded as the ache in my chest grows dull and for the first time all day, my head clears.
Just from her scent.
That thought worsens the fear coursing through my veins.
If our enemies find out she is mine… they will make sure to end her life in the most brutal way possible.
My breath shakes but I force myself to step back until I'm covered in the shadows once more.
I need to put an end to this cursed bond.