THE ALPHA KING'S BASTARD SON

🌒 THE INVESTIGATION AND SECRET CONFESSION

The heavy tension of the Southern Meri ambush faded into a fragile, and uneasy peace. The building was broken, and the stone walls were burned. Most of the rogues died, only a few of them were captured by the Alpha King warriors while some of them successfully flee.

Following the brutal skirmish, is when finally, the Alpha King granted Danriv a temporary leave of absence to recover fully from his wounds.

Farther away from the political shadows of the palace, Danriv’s physical wounds finally began to close. Seizing his time away from active duty, he set out to build a modest, small house of his own. He wasn't alone in the labor, his three closest childhood friends: Echo, Choy, and Mankel, had joined him to help clear the timber and raise the beams. Though they had grown up together, the three men were currently assigned to this specific village as local guards under the direct command of Captain Kenneth.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, amber glow over the newly raised wooden frame of the house, the men sat down to rest, wiping the sweat from their brows.

Choy looked around the tight, compact perimeter of the single, room structure and smirked. He nudged Danriv playfully with his elbow.

"Hey, Danriv. Now that you've got a roof over your head and the King's favor, when are you finally going to settle down? When are you getting yourself a woman to marry?"

Mankel chuckled, leaning back against a pile of leftover lumber. "Yeah, look at this place. It’s barely big enough for you and a couple of hunting hounds."

Danriv slowly wiped the sawdust from his hands. His expression remained perfectly calm, but a dangerous, ambitious glint flickered deep within his eyes. He looked up at the small roof, a proud smile spreading across his face, before he said. "My house is small, I have no wealth. But I have a plan to get my ten wives in here."

Echo, Choy, and Mankel froze for a fraction of a second before bursting into loud, booming laughter that echoed across the village lot.

They shook their heads, completely dismissing the statement as nothing more than a ridiculous, arrogant joke from a recovering warrior.

"Ten wives!" Echo shouted through his laughter, slapping his knee.

"You'll need to build a fortress, not a hut, you madman!"

Danriv let out a soft chuckle, joining in on their laughter to keep the mood light. But beneath his grin, his mind was already mapping out the steps. They laughed because they thought it was a fantasy, they didn't know that every move he made, and every person he intended to conquer, was already part of his grand plan.

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With the threat being neutralized for now, Elora quietly returned to the safety of the Omega house, her mind still haunted by the dark shifts in Danriv's behavior.

Meanwhile, her father, Garrick, was officially tasked by the King to launch an initial investigation into the Southern Meri. He oversaw the remaining imprisoned rogues, remaining on-site until the region's management returned to a steady, and normal operation under the officers in charge.

Deep within the stone walls of the Omega house, the air felt heavy and suffocating. Elora sat near the window, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the wooden table. The memory of the one night stand in the scout outpost still made her throat tight with fear.

But when she heard her father’s heavy footsteps approaching, she forced her posture to straighten, trying to wipe the anxiety from her face.

Garrick entered the room, his armor dusted with the gray dirt of the Southern Meri. He looked tired from days of managing the cleanup and overseeing the prison rogues, but his sharp eyes immediately locked onto his daughter.

"Oh father.." she called him softly.

Garrick looked at his daughter. He felt something unusual to her after the riot in Southern Meri.

"You've been quiet since you returned, Elora," Garrick said, his deep voice carrying a tone of strict but genuine fatherly concern.

"The entire city is known Danriv's bravery. The King speaks highly of him. But you look as though you've seen a ghost." Garrick added.

Elora swallowed hard, looking toward the door to ensure no guards were listening. She couldn't keep the secret alone anymore. The psychological weight of Danriv's threats was crushing her.

"Father," Elora whispered, her voice was trembling slightly.

"Father, I have to tell you something. But promised me you will not do anything for now, after you hear this out" Elora said.

"If it's you, I have to shut my mouth willingly!" her father answered.

"Danriv is not the hero everyone thinks he is. In the outpost... when I was treating his wounds, his demeanor completely changed. He didn't just want my help, or the Alpha King forgiveness. He wanted control or power on the throne."

Garrick’s expression hardened instantly, the aura of a powerful warrior flaring around him. "What did he do to you?"

"He threatened me," Elora said, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and fear.

"He told me that if the King ever finds out that the ambush was just a staged performance, he would make sure I take the blame first. And then..." She paused, the memory of his hand forcing hers down chilling her to the bone.

"He used his physical strength to intimidate me. He expects me to belong to his narrative now. He is dangerous, Father. He is playing a game to get close to the throne, and he is using everyone as chess pieces."

Garrick slammed his fist onto the table, the wood cracking under his immense strength. "He dares threaten my blood? I will rip his throat out myself before he ever steps foot inside the palace gates again."

"No!" Elora grabbed her father’s arm, pulling him back.

"If you attack him now without proof, the Alpha King will see it as treason. The King trusts him blindly because of the rescue. We have to be smarter than him."

Garrick took a deep breath, forcing his anger down. He realized his daughter was right. If they acted rashly, Danriv's new status as a kingdom hero would shield him.

"I am returning to the Southern Meri tonight to finalize the investigation of the remaining prison rogues," Garrick said, his voice dropping into a dark, low rumble.

"If Danriv truly staged that ambush, one of those captured rogues will know the truth. I will break their silence, Elora. And once I have the proof, I will dismantle his grand status piece by piece."

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Meanwhile, back at the Sandoval village, the booming laughter of Echo, Choy, and Mankel slowly faded into the evening air. Believing Danriv’s talk of ten wives was merely a drunkard's boast, the three friends eventually gathered their tools and headed back to their guard barracks, leaving Danriv alone under the skeletal frame of his new home.

The moment they left him, chuckling facade vanished from Danriv's face. He walked over to a loose floorboard near the back corner of the hut, prying it open to reveal a hidden leather satchel. Inside lay a piece of parchment rolled tightly, containing the names of the kingdom's highest officials, their daughters, and the women with high influences he needed to conquer, to secure his absolute revenge.

Elora’s name was at the very top of that list.

"We're done Elora.." Danriv said, and marked an "X" on her name.