Chapter 19 You're the Leader
Bram
“Walk with me, Commander Bram.”
Alpha Kaelen gives me an order, and I obey it, even though I’m immensely busy at the moment. We are in the process of preparing for our newest attack against Moon Falls Pack. Normally, our preparation doesn’t involve any sort of weapons because it’s considered dishonorable for wolf shifters to fight with weapons. But… Alpha Kaelen has decided he doesn’t care about honor at this point. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to destroy the enemy. So we aren’t just loading up the supplies we will need–food, water, shelter, supplies for the healers–but weapons as well. Metal claws that fit over our regular ones, body armor, even bows and arrows and knives that some of our warriors will shift into their human form to use. Alpha Kaelen pointed out that the enemy used arrows against us last time, so it’s justified.
Of course, he has no idea that the enemy he thinks attacked us last time knows nothing about what happened.
Pulled away from my work, I fall into a comfortable pace next to the Alpha. He’s only a few years older than me. It’s hard to believe this boy I grew up with is in charge of the entire pack, especially when I think about all the stupid things I saw him do when we were younger–like… run headfirst into a tree because someone told him there was a portal to another dimension there. Or… snort sugar up his nose because he thought it would make him run faster. He’s not the brightest.
But in my position, that’s a good thing because that will make it easier for me to convince him that I know nothing about the attack we’re about to walk into–I hope.
We stroll along without speaking for a bit, and Alpha Kaelen leads me to the rose garden the Luna before last planted around the castle. It’s lovely, with bright red, pink, yellow, and white flowers blooming. The fragrance fills the air with a calming floral scent. Large thorns stick out from the bushes–a reminder that something beautiful can also be deadly.
Kind of like Lyra.
“As you know, we are determined to take the western route, despite your advice,” the Alpha finally says once we are far away from the other warriors who are readying for our trip. We are scheduled to leave in the morning. Alpha Kaelen thought it would be wiser to move during the day so that we can better see any traps. I wish I had a chance to let Lyra know that, but she’s had nearly a week since I spoke to her to get her shit together. With Jorin’s help, she should be able to do something.
“Yes, we shall see if it is the right decision, Alpha,” I say, infusing my voice with respect I don’t feel. “Hopefully, all will go as planned.”
“Yes, I do hope so.” He pauses next to a babbling fountain with stone wolves howling at the moon. The howling wolves spit water up to the moon, where it collects in a receptacle and bubbles up all around where the wolves are standing, flooding the larger bottom basin of the fountain. It’s an interesting concept, I suppose. I’m not sure why the wolves are spitting….
“You’re having reservations.” It’s not a question. It’s quite clear from the Alpha’s expression that he isn’t sure he’s made the right decision.
Alpha Kaelen gives one long nod. “I’m afraid we will end up losing many more men because of the decisions I have made. What if you’re correct and Commander Robert only suggested we take the western path because he’s tipped off the enemy, as we’ve discussed, and we lose another couple hundred warriors or more? Then, what will we do?”
I nod, sticking my hands into my pockets, and take a deep breath, rocking back and forth. “That is definitely something we need to be precautious about. We’ll just have to have a plan in place and move cautiously so that if something does go down, if we are attacked, we can retreat. Of course, if the enemy is there, we can fight back immediately.”
He strokes his chin and tips his head to the side, contemplating my suggestion. “I have a good feeling about this,” he says. “But we have to be prepared for anything.”
“I agree. We can’t afford to lose a couple hundred more warriors before we even attack the village.” I sigh and shake my head, thinking of all the troops we’ve lost. I do feel bad for the families, so it’s not too hard to pretend to be upset.
“I think I’d like for you to take the lead on this one,” he says, catching me completely off guard.
My eyebrows raise. “Alpha?”
“I know it’s risky, having you at the front of the column, especially when the danger came out of nowhere and so many of our soldiers at the front were lost. But you are smart. You have a keen eye. I can’t trust that sort of responsibility to just anyone.”
“I’m honored, Alpha,” I say, pretending like I really want the assignment–which I absolutely don’t. “But… won’t Commander Robert be offended by such circumstances?”
He scoffs, shrugging. “He’ll get over it. Besides, if we are attacked, then I’ll know he’s the one responsible. My mind is made up, Bram. You’ll lead us.” He claps me on the back. “Good luck to you. And if you live, and Commander Robert is shown to be a traitor, you shall be the new Commander-in-Chief of the army.”
My mouth falls open. I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want that job–I don’t want to be here at all, but I don’t have any choice. “Thank you, Alpha.” It’s all I can say.
He nods and turns to walk back to where the warriors are preparing. I wait a moment, letting him go alone. Then, I sink down onto a bench near the fountain and attempt to catch my breath.
All I can think about is Lyra. She’s out there right now, probably preparing for the attack. Jorin is a genius. He’ll come up with something different, something we’ll never see coming. But I’ll be at the front of the pack, trying to figure out what I’m looking for, pretend to stumble into it without getting killed or badly hurt, and make sure no one else catches on so we can take out some more of these bastards. If that all goes according to plan, I’ll be the commander.
I don’t want to be the commander.
Depending on how many people she takes out this time, I might decide to disappear after this battle. For now, I picture Lyra’s beautiful face and wish I were out in the woods with her now. I wish it were me striking out against this evil Alpha with her instead of Jorin.
I can’t help but feel a little jealous. I know that Lyra’s never had any sort of romantic feelings toward Jorin. If anything, she looks at him as a father figure. Still… she’s living alongside him, seeing him every day, and I haven’t even touched her in months.
I miss her so much.
It’s clear to me that my feelings for her are more than they used to be, or more than I used to acknowledge them to be, anyway. I want her in my arms, not just beside me as a friend.
This is all the more reason to make sure I don’t die.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to reach Lyra through the mind-link before we run into the attack so she can tip me off as to where I should be cautious and what I need to look for. Otherwise, she might just end up killing me.
If I die and it gets her closer to her goal of killing Alpha Kaelen and destroying his army, so be it. But I’d just as soon not have to die so that I can continue to help her in every way possible.
It’s three of us against the world at this point.
With a deep breath, I get up and head back to help the troops get ready for battle. It’s strange to be amongst them, hoping they all die, but I did it last time, and I can do it again.
I don’t have any other choice.