The Alpha's Second Chance

The Shadow of the Past

There was a knock on the door.

Lily's body stiffened against Jax's. Her fingers tightened on the blanket.

Jax looked at her. For a moment, there was no sound between them. Then he gently removed his hand from her shoulder and stood up.

"Come in."

The door creaked.

Marcus was standing in front. His face clearly indicated that the matter was no small matter.

"Come down, Leader. Now."

Jax nodded once. Before leaving, his eyes fell on Lily.

"Stay here. Have your soup. And don't open the door until I return."

Lily didn't reply.

Jax went out.

Three warriors were already waiting for him in the hall downstairs. The air smelled of sweat and iron.

"What happened?"

Marcus placed a piece of torn leather on the table.

"Blood River."

Jax's eyes narrowed.

"Three of their spies were caught on the southern border. They hadn't come to fight. They were looking for something."

Jacques stepped forward and picked up the torn leather on the table. It was quite old and covered in dried river mud. Without saying a word, he silently stared at the faint lines on it. The only sound in the hall at this moment was the faint sound of the remaining wood in the fireplace smoldering; all else was a heavy silence.

"Where are those three at this time?" Jacques asked. His voice was very low, but it carried a strange coldness that added to the solemn atmosphere of the room. "They've been locked in the dungeon downstairs," Marcus replied, resting his hands on the table. "Our boys caught them as soon as they crossed the border. They didn't find any major weapons, just this torn map. They didn't enter here with the intention of attacking. They were simply looking for clues to our secret routes. They knew exactly where the river's water level was low during this season and where they could sneak in quietly."

Jacques' fingers lingered on the map. The nerves in his jaw tensed.

"Did they open their mouths? Did they say anything?" Jacques asked again.

Marcus raised his tired eyes and took a deep breath. "The youngest boy didn't last long. He blurted out everything out of fear. Caleb has gotten wind of it. He's learned that the girl has escaped from his captivity and come to our territory. He didn't lose his way in the rain. Caleb was just lying in wait. " He wanted to see which door the girl would knock on after getting tired. Caleb sent this message, Jacques. He's given us a deadline of tomorrow afternoon."

The same heavy silence descended upon the room. The three boys silently stared at Jacques' face, as if waiting for his next decision. The fire in the fireplace was about to die down, leaving only red embers whose faint light spread across the stone floor.

Just then, a boy standing in the corner took a step forward. The thud of his heavy boots echoed on the floor. "Leader, we are severely undermanned. If Caleb arrives at the southern edge with his entire army, our few men stationed at the border posts won't see the morning sun. " We must send more men there immediately, or the outpost will fall."

Jax simply raised a finger. The boy stopped and fell silent instantly. The sound of everyone's breathing became clearly audible in the room.

Jax looked at his palms on the table. A vision of the room upstairs flashed before his mind. The girl, who was currently sitting alone, was wrapped in a blanket. The black marks on her wrists flashed before his eyes. Caleb had kept her in chains. He had starved her. And now he wanted to come here and impose his terms? Want to rule?

"We're not sending her back," Jax said. The sentence was short, but its edge was sharp.

Marcus leaned forward slightly. He gripped the corner of the wooden table tightly. "I knew this would be your answer. But we have to face the truth, Jax. Caleb has gone completely mad right now. He's been looking for an excuse to take over our land for the last three years. If we don't listen to her, this won't be a small border skirmish. It will be a full-blown war. The clan elders will question us sharply. They will ask why we are shedding the blood of our own sons for a stranger. We will have no answer to shut them up." Jax slowly raised his head. His deep eyes focused on Marcus's face. There was a determination in that gaze that completely silenced whatever little atmosphere remained in the room.

"She's not some outsider, Marcus. She's my life partner. This decision was made the moment her bare, bloody feet touched our soil. If the elders have a problem with this, they can come to the field and stand before me. I'll speak to them myself. But as long as I'm on this throne, no one from Blood River can step inside this threshold. That girl will remain here."

The three boys standing there looked at each other. The confusion on their faces had completely vanished. It was replaced by a stern, deadly readiness. When their leader says something so clear and certain, there is no question of backing down.

"What are your orders?" Marcus asked directly, clenching his jaw.

"Double the guard on the southern bank immediately," Jacques ordered, short and direct. "Post five more spies on the hill above. Tell them to keep their ears to the ground. If even a dry stick breaks across the river, I must have news here before the sound dies down. And listen, move the women and children of the tribe into the safe stone rooms inside before midnight. When the sun rises tomorrow morning, there must be nothing here to distract my men. Everyone must focus only on the front."

"And what about the people in the dungeon down below?" Marcus asked, looking at the dark, cold passage leading to the dungeon.

Jacques removed his hands from the table. He stood upright. His broad chest rose with a deep, heavy breath.

"Take this map. Go down. Strangle that oldest spy. Have the other two send his head back. Tell Caleb that this is the only answer he'll get from the Midnight Clan. If he wants his slave back, he'll have to walk over my corpse. And yes, tell him to bring as many men as he can, because he'll need them tomorrow afternoon. I'll be waiting for him in the field." Marcus nodded his head gravely. A clear understanding had been reached between the two men. "This job will be done by midnight."

The boys turned and left the hall. Their heavy footsteps echoed down the cobblestone corridor until they were completely out of sight. Jacques stood alone by the wooden table for a long time. The fire in the fireplace had completely died down, leaving only smoldering embers that cast a ruddy glow on the floor. The few minutes of peace he had found upstairs were now completely gone. The cold, stark reality of the impending battle had taken its place. He turned and headed for the stairs, his mind preoccupied with preparing for his encounter at the border tomorrow morning.