THE ALPHA KING'S BASTARD SON

🌒 THE FIGHT BEHIND ELORA

"Danriv, please take care of yourself. You are like a son to me... hold on tight, we will make these things work out," Captain Kenneth said, his voice thick with a heavy, paternal worry as he tightened his grip on the young man's shoulder.

Behind them, Elora, the daughter of the Omega, stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully toward the ruler.

"Alpha King, father, we are going now to the Southern Meri."

With a firm nod from the Alpha King, the company set off, leaving the dark, blood-scented underground cell behind. But the moment the castle walls faded into the distance and the thick canopy of the forest swallowed them, the somber atmosphere shattered.

Elora and Danriv burst out laughing, their deep, breathless chuckles echoing through the trees.

They congratulated themselves, utterly thrilled by the flawless show they had just put on in front of the Alpha King.

"The Alpha King trusted me with this mission, and now you have earned his trust too," Elora said, a brilliant smirk playing on her lips as she held the straw and guided the horses forward.

"You should be a good warrior starting now." Danriv wiped a theatrical tear from his eye, his bruised face stretching into a grin.

"Nobody knows that we are secretly friends. It's a good thing that you also trusted me, Elora."

"That's nothing compared to you saving my life before," Elora replied, her tone softening just a fraction, though her eyes remained sharp.

"We are even now." Elora added.

Danriv turned his gaze back, watching the twenty elite warriors walking behind them, marching in tight, and silent formation. A wave of gratitude washed over him, but there was no real sense of fulfillment in his chest.

However, the true satisfaction was still far out of reach. He had a hidden agenda to everyone, a secret revenge burning deep within his soul, and he needed to play the long game to achieve it. First, he had to completely secure the Alpha King’s absolute trust. Second, he needed to recruit powerful allies among the closest officials in this kingdom. This performance was merely the first chess piece on the board.

Shifting back into command mode, Danriv looked at Elora. "I should be headed first. You may now proceed to your position."

Elora nodded, her playful demeanor instantly hardening into that of a seasoned commander.

She turned to the marching men and said, "All of you, follow me!"

Urging the warriors forward, Elora quickly and systematically divided her team into three distinct, strategic groups.

The first team was ordered to crawl quietly up to the high tower where the siren was kept, tasked with silently eliminating any rogues patrolling the perimeter. The second team melted into the dense foliage of the forest, scaling the trees with their bows at the ready to provide deadly cover from above.

Meanwhile, the third team joined Elora directly behind, hiding in the shadows and holding their breath.They waited, tense and perfectly still, biding their time for the exact right moment, the moment when the rogue leaders would release the captured women in exchange for Danriv's head.

Danriv stepped out from the treeline alone, his hands raised slightly to show he was unarmed, though every muscle in his back was tense. He could feel the eyes of Elora’s archers tracking him from the high branches above.

Up ahead, in a clearing scarred by old campfires, a group of heavily armed rogues emerged from the ruins of a collapsed stone outpost. Two of them dragged three trembling, bound women forward. At the center of the clearing stood the surviving rogue lieutenant, a fierce-looking man with a notched axe resting on his shoulder. He spat onto the dirt as Danriv approached.

"Look what the tide washed in. The Alpha King's little pet. We didn't think you'd actually show up alone."

"I keep my word. Release all the women, and my head is yours." Danriv said, completely hiding the adrenaline surging through his veins.

The rogue lieutenant sneered, gesturing for his men to shove the women's forward. As the frightened captives stumbled toward the path where Danriv stood.

Danriv caught Elora's signal from the brush a sharp mimic-call of an owl.

Now.

Just as the last woman crossed the safety threshold, the air was sliced by the sharp hiss of arrows.

From the canopy, the second team unleashed a perfectly synchronized volley. Three rogues guarding the perimeter dropped instantly, arrows buried deep in their chests.

At the same instant, a loud explosion of wood and stone echoed from the nearby tower.

Elora's first team had breached the upper deck, successfully cutting down the guards before they could sound the alarm or trigger the siren's defenses.

"Ambush!" the rogue lieutenant roared, reaching for his axe, but he was already too late.

Elora charged out from the thickets with the third team, her blade unsheathed and gleaming under the filtered forest light.

"Protect the captives! Leave no rogue standing!"

The clearing erupted into violent chaos. Danriv didn't hesitate. He dived to the ground, dodging a frantic swing from a nearby rogue, grabbed a dropped dagger from the dirt, and drove it upward into his attacker's guard.

While the battle raged around him, Danriv kept his focus entirely on the rogue lieutenant. Killing this man under the guise of defending the kingdom would perfectly solidify his status as a loyal hero in the eyes of the Alpha King's court.

With a dark smile hidden by the shadows of the forest, Danriv lunged into the fray.

Danriv parried a desperate swipe from the rogue lieutenant’s axe, the metal screeching as sparks flew in the dim forest light. The lieutenant was heavy and powerful, but Danriv was faster, fueled by a calculated hunger for glory. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elora rushing forward, her blade raised to assist him.

"Stay back, Elora! He's mine!" Danriv shouted, so the surrounding warriors could hear him.

Elora caught his meaning instantly. She skidded to a halt, shifting her stance to cut off the lieutenant’s escape route instead. With a fluid, brutal move, Danriv dodged under the heavy axe swing, drove his blade straight through the lieutenant's armored collarbone, and twisted.

The giant man choked, his knees hitting the dirt before he collapsed face-first into the mud.

Danriv stood over him, breathing heavily, ensuring every elite warrior present witnessed him delivering the final, heroic blow. Once the remaining rogues were cut down or scattered into the deep woods, the clearing fell silent. The rescue was an absolute success.

"Take the women back to the capital immediately," Elora commanded the elite squads, her voice echoing authoritatively through the trees.

"The Alpha King is waiting. Report that the territory is secured, and that Danriv took the commander's head."

The warriors nodded, quickly forming a protective ring around the rescued women and beginning their long march back to the city.

As the sounds of marching boots faded, the heavy silence of the Southern Meri settled over the clearing.

Danriv suddenly winced, his hand pressing tightly against his side. The adrenaline was wearing off, and a deep slice across his ribs, sustained during the duel, was beginning to bleed heavily, soaking through his tunic.

"Come on," Elora said softly, stepping over to support his weight.

"There's an old scout outpost tucked near the river. Let's get you inside before that wound infects."

They limped away from the battlefield and slipped into the hidden, moss-covered stone hut. Elora quickly set to work, lighting a small fire and gathering clean water.

Danriv hissed in pain as she pressed a damp cloth against his torn flesh.

"You played that perfectly out there," Elora said, her eyes reflecting the orange glow of the flames.