Chapter 36 - A Bitter Truth
1099 Words
Kevin walked slowly across the courtyard after finishing his patrol. The afternoon sun hung low above the rooftops of the pack houses, warming the stone paths and wooden fences that surrounded the training grounds.
For once, his mood was not entirely sour.
The patrol had been quiet. No disputes among the younger wolves, no complaints from the farmers near the outer fields, no signs of trouble near the forest line. For the past few weeks, the pack had seemed strangely calm.
Kevin stretched his shoulders slightly as he walked.
He was still thinking about the upcoming council meeting when movement on the far side of the courtyard caught his attention.
Marcus Drake was crossing the yard.
And he was carrying an enormous bundle of supplies.
Kevin slowed his steps.
Marcus’s arms were full—flour sacks, wrapped meat, bundles of cloth, and what looked like a crate of preserved fruit tied together with rope.
Kevin frowned.
The Drake family had never been wealthy. Everyone in the pack knew that. Their house was small, their land modest, and their resources barely enough to maintain their place among the warriors.
So why was Marcus walking around like a merchant returning from market day?
Kevin followed him with his eyes as Marcus continued across the yard and disappeared around the corner toward the lower housing district.
Something felt strange about it.
Kevin turned his head and began searching the courtyard.
It did not take long to find the person he was looking for.
Timothy sat on the edge of a wooden water trough near the training yard. His elbows rested on his knees, his gaze fixed somewhere far away.
For several days now, Timothy had looked like a storm cloud ready to break.
Kevin approached him.
"Marcus got promoted?" Kevin asked casually.
Timothy blinked, pulled from his thoughts. He looked up slowly.
For a moment he seemed to debate whether he wanted to answer.
Then he sighed.
"Yes," he said. "He did."
Kevin raised one eyebrow.
"Really."
Timothy nodded.
"They gave him a higher rank among the warriors."
Kevin leaned against the trough beside him.
Marcus was a good fighter. No one denied that. Strong, disciplined, reliable in battle.
So a promotion was not entirely surprising.
But still…
Kevin frowned slightly.
"And the supplies?"
Timothy looked at him.
"They gave him a new house."
Kevin turned his head sharply.
"A house?"
Timothy nodded again.
Kevin let out a short breath.
"Well, that explains the shopping."
But something about the explanation still bothered him.
Marcus was worthy of promotion. That part Kevin understood.
But a house?
A real house inside the pack territory?
Those were given only for serious service… or political reasons.
Kevin crossed his arms.
"Still strange," he muttered.
Timothy watched him quietly.
Kevin shook his head.
"My father must be rewarding the Drake family for something."
Timothy said nothing.
Kevin glanced sideways at him.
"What?"
Timothy hesitated.
Then he said carefully, "It wasn’t just about Marcus."
Kevin frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Timothy studied Kevin’s face.
"You really don’t know."
Kevin snorted.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."
Timothy exhaled slowly.
"This morning," he said, "Florence was taken away."
Kevin blinked.
"Taken away?"
"Yes."
Kevin straightened.
"What do you mean taken away?"
Timothy rubbed his forehead as if the conversation itself was exhausting.
"Alpha Anthony sent for her."
Kevin stared at him.
"Anthony?"
Timothy nodded.
"She’s been taken to his estate."
Kevin’s confusion deepened.
"For what?"
Timothy shrugged.
"He made her his personal antique appraiser."
For several seconds Kevin simply stared.
The words did not seem to make sense.
Florence.
That weak girl.
The one everyone had whispered about.
The one who had nearly died.
Kevin’s lips curled slightly.
"That doesn’t make sense."
Timothy’s expression darkened.
"Doesn’t it?"
Kevin shook his head.
"So what, she just leaves the pack now?"
Timothy looked at him sharply.
"She’s not part of our pack anymore."
Kevin’s eyes widened slightly.
Then a slow smile crept across his face.
"So she was exiled."
Timothy stared at him in disbelief.
He lifted his hand and tapped his own temple with one finger.
"Are you serious?"
Kevin frowned.
"What?"
"You actually think the Alpha would exile a girl just because she’s weak?"
Kevin shrugged.
"It wouldn’t be the first time someone useless got sent away."
Timothy let out a harsh breath.
"No," he said. "That’s not what happened."
Kevin’s smile faded.
"Then what?"
Timothy looked him straight in the eye.
"She was bought."
Kevin blinked.
"What?"
"Anthony bought her."
Kevin laughed.
"Bought her?"
Timothy nodded slowly.
"Three kilograms of gold."
The laughter died instantly in Kevin’s throat.
Three kilograms of gold.
That was not a small price.
That was the kind of payment used for rare weapons… or valuable political alliances.
Kevin stared at him.
"You’re joking."
"I’m not."
Kevin felt something cold settle in his stomach.
"And Marcus?"
Timothy continued.
"Your father paid the Drake family with Marcus’s promotion and a house."
Kevin’s jaw tightened.
"For her recovery."
Silence stretched between them.
Kevin’s mind raced.
Florence.
The useless girl.
The weak one.
The one everyone had expected to die.
She hadn’t died.
She had been taken by Anthony.
Paid for.
Protected.
Promoted.
Kevin felt heat rise slowly in his chest.
Timothy stood up and stretched.
"I’m going home," he muttered. "I need to wash the sweat off."
Kevin barely heard him.
Timothy walked away toward the lower houses, leaving Kevin alone in the courtyard.
Kevin stood very still.
His fists slowly clenched.
Florence.
That pathetic little informer.
She hadn’t died.
She hadn’t disappeared.
She had risen.
Higher than most wolves in the pack.
Higher than warriors who had fought for years.
Kevin’s breathing grew heavier.
Why would Anthony do that?
Why save her?
Why spend gold on someone so worthless?
Kevin kicked the bucket beside his foot.
The metal container flew across the courtyard and shattered against the stones.
The sound echoed sharply through the yard.
A few wolves glanced in his direction.
Kevin ignored them.
His chest burned with anger.
That weak little creature had not only survived.
She had been lifted above them.
Above warriors.
Above those who had strength.
Kevin’s eyes darkened.
And now…
She belonged to Anthony.
Kevin turned toward the distant forest line.
His thoughts churned like a storm.
Florence was no longer weak prey.
She had become something else.
Something dangerous.
And Kevin hated her for it.
More than he had ever hated anyone before.
And somewhere deep inside him, a new thought began to grow.
A quiet promise.
One day…
He would make sure she paid for it.
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