Chapter 63 — Watching Wolves
1177 Words
Alpha Illarik stood at the tall window of the western tower, his hands resting behind his back.
From this height he could see most of the inner courtyard of his stronghold. The morning sun had finally burned away the last remains of the storm clouds, leaving the stone yards bright and sharp beneath the pale autumn light.
Soldiers crossed the training grounds.
Servants moved quietly between buildings.
Life in the fortress flowed in its usual controlled rhythm.
But Illarik’s attention was fixed on two figures walking across the far edge of the yard.
Linda.
And Stanton.
They moved side by side through the open space, heading toward the outer gates that led to the forest beyond the territory walls.
Illarik’s eyes narrowed slightly.
They hadn’t informed him.
That alone was enough to make him suspicious.
Most wolves understood the simple rule of living under another Alpha’s protection: if you left the territory, you informed the Alpha.
Stanton knew that rule very well.
Which meant this silence was deliberate.
Illarik tapped one finger lightly against his arm.
“Olson.”
The Beta, who had been standing near the door reviewing several parchment reports, looked up immediately.
“Yes, Alpha?”
Illarik gestured toward the courtyard.
“What do you know about that?”
Olson stepped closer to the window.
He followed Illarik’s gaze until he spotted the pair crossing the training yard.
For a moment he simply observed them.
Then he cleared his throat slightly.
“I may have heard something.”
Illarik glanced at him.
“May?”
Olson shifted his weight.
“Linda’s training has improved significantly over the past few days.”
Illarik’s brow lifted slightly.
“That is not news.”
“No,” Olson admitted. “But this morning I heard Stanton mention something during breakfast.”
Illarik turned toward him more fully.
“What did he say?”
Olson hesitated only briefly.
“He told her that if she truly wants to survive outside a pack… she needs to learn how to hunt like a lone wolf.”
Illarik’s gaze drifted back to the courtyard.
Linda and Stanton were now halfway to the outer gate.
“Hunt like a lone wolf,” he repeated quietly.
Olson nodded.
“He said that fighting like a pack hunter won’t help her in the wild.”
Illarik considered that.
Then he asked calmly,
“And how exactly do you know this?”
Olson coughed lightly, suddenly aware of the question’s direction.
“I… overheard them.”
Illarik’s eyes shifted to him.
“You were spying on them?”
“No,” Olson replied quickly. “They were speaking openly in the dining hall.”
He paused before adding,
“I simply happened to be close enough to hear.”
Illarik studied his Beta for a long moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“That sounds like something Stanton would say.”
His gaze returned to the courtyard.
Linda had once declared openly that she intended to learn how to survive without a pack.
How to become something else entirely.
A lone wolf.
Illarik had almost forgotten that declaration.
He watched as Stanton reached the gate and exchanged a brief nod with the guards.
They were allowed through immediately.
No questions asked.
Illarik sighed quietly.
Perhaps there was nothing suspicious about it after all.
Perhaps.
As he continued watching the yard below, movement near the doorway caught his attention.
A servant girl passed through the corridor outside the chamber.
She paused briefly in the doorway.
Just for a moment.
Then continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Illarik noticed everything.
He always had.
His gaze followed her retreating figure down the hallway.
Then he exhaled slowly.
“Trent.”
Olson raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
Illarik rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“My son has started entertaining the servants again.”
Olson suppressed a small smile.
That was not exactly a secret.
Trent’s attention toward the household staff had been noticeable lately.
Illarik spoke again, his tone calm but firm.
“Make sure the girl doesn’t suffer any consequences.”
Olson nodded immediately.
“Of course.”
He understood exactly what the Alpha meant.
Servants who caught the interest of powerful wolves sometimes ended up with more trouble than they could manage.
Illarik would not allow unnecessary complications inside his own walls.
“See to it personally,” Illarik added.
Olson inclined his head.
“Yes, Alpha.”
Then he left the chamber.
The door closed softly behind him.
Illarik remained at the window.
The courtyard was nearly empty now.
Linda and Stanton had already disappeared beyond the outer gates.
For several moments he watched the distant forest line where the path vanished between the trees.
Then he leaned back slightly against the stone wall.
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
They looked convincing.
Very convincing.
From the outside they appeared exactly as they should.
A mated pair.
Two wolves bound by instinct, moving together without hesitation, their bodies unconsciously matching pace and rhythm.
Anyone watching would assume the bond between them had already become something deep and unquestionable.
But Illarik knew better.
He folded his arms slowly.
Did Linda know?
Did she know what role Stanton had played in shaping her fate?
Or was the mate bond already strong enough to blind her to the truth?
Illarik’s gaze darkened slightly.
Because the truth was far more complicated than either of them likely understood.
Years ago…
Before Linda had become the pack’s greatest hunter…
Before her parents had vanished into the wilderness…
Orders had been given.
Orders from Damien.
Orders meant to eliminate a threat.
A lone wolf.
A dangerous one.
A wolf who carried the blood of an Alpha.
A wolf who might one day return to challenge the pack that had exiled his family.
Illarik remembered the report clearly.
Damien had sent two of his most capable hunters to deal with the problem quietly.
A man.
And his mate.
Two wolves known across the region for their loyalty.
And their skill.
Linda’s parents.
Illarik’s eyes drifted back toward the forest.
They had been sent to hunt Stanton.
To track him down.
And kill him.
The irony of the present situation was almost amusing.
Now the daughter of those hunters walked through the forest beside the very wolf they had once been ordered to destroy.
Bound together by the oldest force wolves knew.
The mate bond.
Illarik shook his head slowly.
Did Stanton know the full story?
He likely suspected part of it.
But suspicion and truth were two very different things.
And Linda…
Illarik doubted she knew anything at all.
If she did…
That bond might not look quite so peaceful.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant trees.
“Fate has a cruel sense of humor,” he murmured quietly to himself.
Because sooner or later—
Truth always surfaced.
And when it did…
The bond between those two wolves might become either the strongest weapon in the region.
Or the blade that destroyed them both.
- Writer
