Claimed By My Alpha Stepbrother.

26

Azriel

Old Maren laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She set down her wooden spoon and wiped her hands on her apron, her eyes on me.

"When you've lived as long as I have, young man, you just know." She tapped two fingers against her temple. "There's a feeling in your bones when danger walks in. A kind of coldness. These people—" she gestured vaguely toward the huts, "—they don't have it. I've been wrong before, but never about someone who meant us harm. The heart has a way of showing itself, if you know where to look."

I studied her face, searching for any hint that she was joking. She seemed sincere, but I'd met plenty of sincere people who'd led others to their deaths.

"Besides," Kofi added, leaning against his wooden stick with an easy shrug, "those terrorists never venture this far. And they never travel alone—always in packs, always armed to the teeth. We especially watch for groups of people and avoid them." He straightened, squaring his shoulders. "A man and a woman, exhausted, half-starved, with nothing but the clothes on their backs? Obviously not part of them."

It didn't seem like a solid plan to me—what if the enemy decided to adapt? Or change their tactics? But I let it drop for now. These people had survived this long; who was I to say their method wasn't feasible? Maybe there was more to their instincts than I understood.

I watched Kofi tap his foot on the ground, his chin resting on his hand.

"You don't really seem eager to leave this place," I pointed out.

Kofi blinked, surprised. He gave me a look that said my question didn’t make sense. "Leave? Why would I?"

"You're young. Strong. Capable," I replied, tilting my head. "Are you perhaps among those who came from the town?" I shook my head. "You don't seem from this place, though."

He laughed, shaking his head. "No. I'm Ghanaian, actually. Went on vacation to Millbrook about five years ago, back when things weren't so... tough." His jaw tightened. "Then I got trapped in the crossfire when everything went to hell. I was lucky to make it out alive, but I was stranded at the border." He spread his hands, gesturing at the village around us. "This island sits right at the edge. Too close to the chaos for rescue to reach us, too far from the rest of the world for anyone to care. I decided to just settle here. Found a wife." A smile tugged at his lips. "We have a three-year-old now. A little girl."

He pointed to a small girl wobbling on her feet next to a bunch of other kids playing in the sand. "Her name's Kaima. Beautiful, right?"

I nodded, still confused that these people had decided to just accept their fate and live on here. They weren't even trying so hard to get rescued and that was dangerous.

A man who has gotten comfortable was far more dangerous than a reckless man moving towards a crossfire.

He looked me dead in the eye and continued, "I have no intention of going out to find help again unless it comes to us itself. I'd rather spend my time protecting what I've built here. The family I've found. In a place I was certain of."

I nodded slowly, grateful for the information. I got the whole story. The island was at the border. That explained why rescue had been nearly impossible—why no one had come looking for us. We were in a dead zone. That meant we couldn't just rely on the one message we sent to Celeste. We would have to find other means to contact the outside world.

"Why is Millbrook a war zone? It used to be a vibrant tourist destination. How did it come to be overtaken and controlled by terrorists?"

It was perplexing to me that the information I was learning about this place was so different from what I had found online during my research. I realized too late that I should have reached out to one of my contacts for confirmation. Once again, Seraphina's school was reckless and irresponsible for not conducting proper research before sending students to a location like that. However, someone like Seraphina could be quite stubborn and may have disregarded any advice from her school against going. How on Earth did she even find such a place, of all options in the universe, for her project?

So much just didn't add up.

"Millbrook was once a paradise, thriving and full of natural resources," Maren started, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "One day, a group of refugees arrived and settled near the eastern borders of Millbrook, and we welcomed them. Before long, they brought even more people with them, which we didn't mind. But then one day, they began to attack the locals who had welcomed them, forcing us to flee. Gradually, they spread like oil on water, and before we realized it, they had taken control of all the regions in Millbrook."

"If that was the case, why didn't they preserve its beauty while still allowing people to visit as tourists and profit from it? The place is in ruins, bombing every day."

"When you take something without putting in the effort, you often fail to appreciate its value and end up misusing it," Kofi said with distaste. "But this goes deeper."

"How do you mean?"

"We're learning that this is a cover-up for something larger," Kofi attempted to explain, but Maren nudged him with her elbow. "No, Maren, I'm tired of staying silent. Besides, he isn’t one of them."

"I promise I’m not," I reassuringly placed my hand on Maren's shoulder.

She sighed, her eyes sharp like those of an eagle.

"It's just that the darkness there is overwhelming. Some believe we have hidden natural resources that the government and royals around the world are exploiting while using terrorism as a smokescreen," Maren said.

"Others think they are conducting experiments on something that could ultimately end us all—a true abomination," Kofi glanced around to ensure no one was listening before continuing.

An abomination? Hmm.

Maren cleared her throat. "That's enough talking for now."

By now, the village had stirred to full life, the aroma of food filling the air. The women were already walking around, calling on one child while chastising another. Low murmurs of morning conversation could be heard from every angle. Another man by name Mike joined us.

The door to our hut, which we could see from where we were opened. Seraphina walked out leisurely, rubbing her eyes. Her braided hair slightly messy from sleep. She wore one of the simple dresses the women had given her, the fabric hanging loose on her slender frame. She blinked, looking around the village center until she saw me.

Her face brightened, and she walked straight to me, dropping onto the bench beside me with a huff. Immediately, she clung to my arm, pressing her forehead against my shoulder with a groggy murmur.

"You weren't there when I woke up," she complained, her voice thick with sleep. "The bed was cold."

I felt the now-familiar warmth that spread through my chest whenever she was near me. I tapped the tip of her nose lightly with one finger, chuckling. "That's because you're such a sleeper, little one. The day had already broken. I couldn't lie there forever."

"Seraphina must have needed the rest a lot," a voice cut in.

I glanced up. It was Mary, a petite brunette with kind brown eyes and flour dusting her forearms. She'd been kneading dough when she spoke, but now she looked up at us with a distinct twinkle in her eyes—one that suggested an innuendo I caught immediately.

Seraphina, however, did not.

She nudged me with her elbow, pouting. "It wasn't my fault," she said, obviously meaning that she was just too tired from all the stress we'd gone through. "I was just tired."

Everyone froze for a second, then burst into laughter almost at once. Mary covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking. Even Old Maren cackled from her pot, shaking her head in amusement. The men exchanged knowing grins, nudging me with their elbows and giving me teasing, exaggerated winks.

Seraphina blinked, clearly confused. "What? What did I say?"

I said nothing, only looked down at her in bewilderment. How could she be so naive? I wondered. So innocent she didn't understand what her words must have meant.

I didn't correct them. Let them think what they wanted. The wolf in my head certainly didn't mind.

They didn't stop chuckling as the food was served. It was a simple meal. Stew and flatbread. But in an isolated place like this, and after days of eating the worst things imaginable, this was already a feast.

The children ate first, then the women, and finally the men. I still didn't understand why it had to be in that order.

After breakfast, the men gathered in a looser circle near the center of the village. The village head asked someone to bring out the liquor, and I was shocked. Liquor? In this deserted place? These people were definitely living their best lives. No wonder they didn't want to go back to the reality of paying taxes, rent and every other draining crazy bills.

Mike came back with weird-looking bottles containing a dark amber liquid the villagers had fermented themselves.

To welcome me, they invited me to drink with them.

"To new friends," the village head said, raising his cup. "And to survival."

"To survival," the men echoed, and we drank.

The women, meanwhile, had descended upon Seraphina like a flock of bright birds, pulling her away and whispering something to her. She giggled out loud, letting them drag her away from us.

I smiled, watching her throw her head back in laughter.

I have never felt more welcomed, at peace and at home anywhere until here. Not even back home when my mother was still...

I swallowed that thought. I wasn't going to entertain it or disaster might happen.

Kofi continued talking about how beautiful Millbrook was and he wished that there was some sort of salvation for it.

It was one thing if it was just an exploitation of mineral resources and settlers refusing to leave. It would be another thing and more difficult if it was indeed a laboratory site for creating "an abomination."

I was already an abomination created by the government and my father. I knew what dangers and abominations carried.

But, I was the only survivor. The rest like me had all died in Bogotá. So, if truly Millbrook was an experimentation site, does that mean that there were still more like me that they didn't want us to know about? Or, was there something worse than me about to exist?