Chapter 26: FOREWARNED MISTAKE

ZARA POV

A WEEK AGO

The scratchy sun shone its face against the earth, its heat radiating over the camp, leaving everywhere calm. The silence in the camps indicates that our absence made a difference.

Our entrance into the campground broke the silence, every wolf coming out of its tent to welcome us. All eyes bore into us as I struggled to keep pace with my injured arm,

“Hey Zara, you injured?” Emily rushed me as I entered.

“No I'm fine,” I lied, “just a little injury”

“This is not little you big head” she teased

“I said I'm fine; I'm healing already,” I muttered with pain in me. Ignoring her teasing.

“If you say so,” She said, backing off.

“You know I missed you, right?” she flattered, still supporting me to walk gradually. “So how did it go?”

“Can I at least sit and rest first, before bugging me up with questions?”

“Ok…ok…ok… And who are those?” she stammered slowly.

—

Earlier in the woods, Kael had warned me not to tell anybody, especially Emily about the still existence of Brindlemark, He wants her to maintain the belief that she is the only remnants

“You must not, Zara… I have my reasons” he would repeat over again. I kept my face unyielding, giving him the impression I wasn't ready to comply with his private reasons,

Then he finally spit it out. “If she knows Brindlemark is still alive and she is not the only remnant,” he paused for a while.

He turned and raised his head “She might want to rebel against me.” I shadow of fear in his voice.

His words struck me but I tried to mask it with a pale expression. I could understand his insecurities but keeping the truth from Emily is just one task I'm not sure of keeping.

—

“Who?” I asked, pretending not to know who she was talking about.

“The guest you came with,” she replied, as she assisted me to my tent.

I gradually sat down, thinking of how to keep it a secret from Emily, and then I saw Kael's piercing gaze on me as if reading my lips.

“Erm… I don't know,” I stammered, my thoughts searching for the fastest way to change the conversation, but she was smarter than that.

Her face quickly went pale; her eyes bore through me; I could sense she was reading my thoughts.

“What are you hiding from me, Zara”

“I don't understand, what do you mean?” I cut in sharply, trying to play pretend.

“Why are you masking your thoughts from me?” She paused, her face etched with confusion, my face stuck to Kael whose eyes were still stuck to us

“Don't I deserve to know what you are hiding?” She continues, her voice low and piercing, “Don't I deserve to know about them, Zara? I thought we were supposed to trust each other”

Her low-toned questions struck my heart, and I could see disappointment etched on her face.

“No… Emily, it's not like that, it's just that…”

“Just that what?” She cuts me, her voice shaky,

Just then, I saw Kael talking to Brody as if directing him on something, and he gradually left the camp's arena.

“Just that you don't trust me anymore, huh? She asked confused

“Listen to me, Emily.” I started, my eyes searching to know when he would come back to the Camp.

“You must not tell anyone this!!” I warned with a commanding voice “Kael told me not to tell you… but you deserve to know.” I said, my eyes stuck on her curious eyes

“What is it?”

“You are not the only Reminants of the Brindlemark Clan”

Her expression turned skeptical “What do you mean?”

“I'm serious” I tried convincing her, my voice low

“You see that man and the woman, they are the leader of over 100 remnants and…” I explained to her how they attacked us and their plans against the Eastern Coast.

“Zara!!” She leaped in Joy silently, trying to suppress her joy “My people are still out there, waiting to invade the Murderous Eastern Coast”

“This only draws my dream closer Zara,” she continues, with a cold look “With my people still out there, I can break free from Kael, take vengeance on his father, and return to our land,” she said feeling satisfied,

“You must not let Kael know you are aware of this! I promised him a secret of this.”

“You have my word, Zara,” she said, smiling mischievously.

“**

FEW HOURS AGO

‘Why isn't he answering?’ I wondered as I gazed back at Kael who looked lost staring at me,

I have been with the pack for years now and I have never seen Kael in this state before with anyone. He looks completely lost. I tried convincing myself that he wasn't lost in me, I mean… in my beauty…or could he be recalling the sex we had a few days ago?

“So what do you say about it?”. I reminded him I was still here.

Asking him for his response shook him off his reverie; he tried masking it, but I already saw it before he could mask it.

“Uhhhh… youuu meeean about theee…” he stammered, his eyes rolling and his face up, his hands motioning in the air. Could he be trying to recall what I just asked him?

“The Brindlemark couple.” I reminded him, his expression unreadable; I could sense he wasn't aware of what I asked about the couples, but for some reason, he pretended to know.

“Is it a Yes or No”

“Of course, yes,” he replied sharply.

Did Kael just allow me to go with Emily to talk to King Arin? No, this isn't Kael. Something doesn't add up.

Asking him to go talk to the couples was something I knew was never going to be approved; he has made me promise not to tell Emily the truth about them, and he has warned everyone to stay away from them.

Allowing me to go to them was something I never anticipated

I just wanted to prove to Emily that he was never going to accept, but I guess I was wrong; for some reason, he allowed me, and as I left, I just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was strangely into me. But I waved it off.

***PRESENT***

“Let's go, let's go… before he changes his mind” I whispered to Emily as I approached her

“Wait, what? did he approve it?” She whispered back, a smile on her face as she hung her hand on mine.

“Surprisingly…he did,” I muttered as we made our way to the couple's tent.

KAEL POV

As I watched Zara and Emily sneak away, I felt a pang of unease. Zara had just disobeyed my rule, and I had let her. Why? Because I couldn't bring myself to stop her.

Miera's warning echoed in my mind: 'The more you get attached to her emotionally, the closer your destruction comes!'... 'Just use her to get the powers…the throne you want and…kill her…else she will kill you,'

I thought back to our conversation earlier, where Zara had asked me about the Brindlemark couple. I had hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

Now, as I stood there, frozen in indecision, I realized that I had made a mistake. I had let my emotions cloud my judgment, and now someone will pay the price.

When did I become so Dumb?

When did I lose myself?

When did I become ashamed?

Where is the Kael that I know?

He must have left without my face.

I need to act fast now before things get out of hand.