Alliance of Shadows, Book 4: DRESON

Differences and Decisions

The front door opened and closed again, and Phillip’s voice rang out.

"In by the stairs, Phil," Henry called.

When the Beta reached me, he carried me up to my room, laying me carefully on the bed before inspecting my upper body with practiced precision. His fingers pressed gently over my skin, his expression shifting between concentration and mild concern. He hummed and hawed, finally shifting his attention to my arm—the one that had started to burn.

"There won’t be any tree-climbing for you for a while, little Druid," he remarked, his tone edged with humor but firm with certainty. Turning to my father, he delivered his assessment. "Dislocated shoulder, but I see no other injuries that are cause for concern. Other than the arm, he may have some bruises and bumps from the fall. As it stands, he’ll need at least six to eight weeks to heal fully with limited range. Once the arm is healed, you can go ahead with physio to return the muscle mass back to its original strength and state."

"Is he going to be okay?" Neil asked, his voice tight with worry as he restrained Kaden.

My brother was a mess of tears, his face streaked with snot, his sobs raw and unfiltered. The sight of my injury had wrecked him, as if watching me in pain was akin to watching me fade away entirely. To a five-year-old, it might as well have been. Yet, even in his disheveled state, there was nothing ugly about his sorrow—just the sheer, unrelenting proof of how much I meant to him.

“I hope so,” Colt breathed. He looked at me sheepishly, his usual grin back in place. "Don't worry, we're still friends."

Phillip pulled out some bandages, his movements smooth and practiced as he demonstrated to Celestia how to wrap my arm properly. His hands worked with a quiet efficiency, securing the fabric snugly so my arm wouldn’t move too much. The material felt stiff, pressing against my skin like a layer of controlled pressure, holding my limb in place. When he finished, he exchanged a few words with my father and Alpha Henry, their voices low and measured, before taking his leave.

Kaden and Neil turned their attention to me, concern tightening their features. Kaden, in particular, looked tense, his brows furrowed, his lip tucked between his teeth in a mix of worry and frustration. "Why were you mean to Colton?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions. I hesitated, my throat tightening as my gaze flickered between them.

"I... don’t know," I murmured, barely above a whisper. "I just... I guess because Neil was my first friend, I got jealous." Each word felt like an admission I wasn’t entirely ready to make, the weight of them pressing against my chest. I didn’t want to tell them the real truth—that I was jealous Colt got to spend more time with my crush than me, his home closer, his presence more constant.

Colton, sharp as ever, seemed to catch the flicker of hesitation in my voice, the silent fears I hadn't dared say aloud.

"Hey, it’s cool," he said, his tone easy, reassuring, like he knew exactly how to smooth things over. "I was scared, but I’m not hurt like he is. He ran to get help and fell over the stairs, so he got the worst of it."

His words settled over me like a quiet understanding, cutting through some of the tension that had built in my chest.

"Holy smokes, Dreson," Colton’s gasp of surprise stunned me as he wandered my bedroom, his wide-eyed curiosity taking in everything like he’d just stepped into some secret treasure trove. He lingered near my bookshelf, trailing his fingers along the spines of my books, then moved toward the game cupboard with a renewed burst of excitement. His entire face lit up, and he pulled a box out with barely contained enthusiasm.

"You have Mousetrap! I’ve been dying to play this game, but Mom and Dad don’t think it’s educational enough." He turned the box over in his hands, inspecting the pieces through the clear plastic window like he was trying to memorize every detail before setting it on the table.

I frowned. "My Dad says that you can learn from anything. I guess we lead pretty different lives, huh?"

"I guess so," he replied, his voice quieter now. A flicker of discord crossed his eyes—a subtle moment of thoughtfulness—and I knew exactly why. His family didn’t have as much money as mine or Neil’s, but we didn’t care. It was an unspoken thing between us, something he didn’t like bringing up. He ran his fingers along the edge of the box, hesitating for just a second before lifting his head. "Wanna play with me?"

I blinked, waiting for the usual playful remark, the teasing grin, some joke to smooth over the moment. It was as if seeing my room stilled something inside him, something I didn’t understand. There was an ache inside me that almost sent me spiralling into another bout of tears as I realized that this was probably as close to being included he’d ever come.

"Do you really want to be my friend, Colton?" I asked, unsure. "I mean, I did hurt your feelings." The words felt heavier than I expected, like they carried more weight now that we were really talking about it.

"Yeah, but you said you were sorry, and you meant it. Plus, you got hurt going to get help for me, so let’s call it even, okay? Actually, Dre, you’re kinda cool. Even if you do rat yourself out without meaning to," he said. His voice was steady, the words spoken in a matter-of-fact tone, as if the whole thing had already been settled in his mind.

I shook my head, “You do know that Neil and I can give you some stuff to take home if you want, right? At least then, if we visit you, we have something to do.”

“I guess. I don’t like pity, though. It’s why my cousins never liked me. They think I’m a dreamer for wanting to be a Warrior instead of remaining as an Omega.” He started pulling pieces out of the box, organizing them with the careful precision only a kid totally invested in a game could manage. He kept looking back at the instructions, aligning things like they were set up on the game cover so carefully it was like he was scared to break something he couldn’t pay for. Looking up from the table, he grinned at the youngest of us, "Hey, Kaden, do you know how to play this?"

"Uh-huh!" my little brother piped up, his voice bright and eager. "Dreson and Daddy and Mommy taught me. It's easy!"

“There’s nothing saying you have to stay in your rank, either,” Neil grunted. “If you wanna get strong like a fighter, you gotta train hard. If you stay being my friend, though, I’m going to give you the Beta title.”

His eyes wide, Colton blinked back the tears threatening to fall. “You mean it?”

“Well, yeah,” Neil said with a shrug.

Kaden didn't quite grasp the weight of the conversation happening just moments before, but in a way, that was comforting. For him, everything was just another adventure waiting to happen.

Neil stood beside me as I sat on the bed. "You feel bad about it, huh?"

Nodding, I told him everything that happened, carefully choosing my words while skimming over the truth, I sidestepped the one thing I couldn’t bring myself to say. The crush I had on him gnawed at me, lurking beneath my words like a secret that refused to quiet. Neil was my best friend—the one person I could share everything with.

Except this.

I had no other choice but to bury the truth, lock it away so deeply that not even I could let it slip by accident. It had to remain hidden, untouched, something I never allowed to see the light of day.

But terror gripped me as I remembered what Dad had said about my training in the Sage Tower. The words echoed in my mind, cold and unrelenting. At the end of my stay with the Sages, however long it would be, I would have to face seven trials. The first was Acceptance, the second Friendship, and the third, Faith or Spirituality. Then came the Test of Honour, Trust, Balance, and finally, Truth.

I had no doubt I could pass the others—each one demanded something I understood, something I had trained for. Acceptance, because I had learned to embrace what I was. Friendship, because I knew how to rely on those closest to me. Faith, because the journey of reflection was inevitable. Honour, because it was expected of me. Trust, because my instincts had never led me astray. Balance, because I had learned patience, discipline.

But the Test of Truth?

The thought sent a shiver through me.

To pass, I would have to accept every flaw, every weakness, and expose every hidden part of myself. And that meant admitting what I had worked so hard to keep secret. It was the one test I feared, the one trial I could never prepare for.

I shoved the thoughts aside before they swallowed me whole.

Dropping into the last open chair, I grabbed the die and tossed it across the board. The satisfying clatter of plastic against the table drowned out the storm in my head. The game pulled me in, just enough to forget my worries for a little while.