Yes, My Alpha: Mother of an Empire

Chapter 7

Refusing to let her day be ruined, Ophelia stepped out from behind the large tree. When she stepped out, she stepped into the direct path of the Snowfel men. Ophelia looked stoically at the surprised and shocked expressions on their faces. Counting silently, she noticed five rather than the three she had counted from their footsteps. Two of them must have been hunters back home from how soft their walking had been. 

Instantly when seeing Ophelia, the men took a step back. The shortest of the lot was shoved to the front. "W... Who are you?!" he stuttered out, Ophelia stared at him, he was young with unkept hair that was pushed back from his face. His lips were chapped from the wind and his face was pale. Ophelia shifted resting her axe on her shoulders. "Ophelia." She replied frankly, "Oph... Ophelia?" He stuttered out, "What are you doing out here?" He asked, "Cutting trees down." Ophelia replied motioning over to the tree she was working on. 

"What are you doing out here?" She asked eying the men, if she could just scare them off without problems then everything would end peacefully. However, as Ophelia motioned to the tree her coat opened, "She's... She's one of the imperials!" A man standing at the back of the group explained. Stiff silence settled over the group and Ophelia frowned deeply. 

"What a shame..." She clicked her tongue feeling annoyed, "I was going to let you go." She narrowed her eyes, "We... We won't say anything!" The man up front stuttered. Ophelia looked just past him and saw his comrades drawing their weapons. "I don't believe you." She replied irritated. There was nothing more annoying than being lied to.

The men from behind the one up front charged her, Ophelia felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her, it had been a while since she had fought a group of men with only her axe. Funnily enough, it was in the woods too. But unlike those men, these men wouldn't walk away with a few broken bones. 

The sickening ease that Ophelia's axe cut through the neck of one of the men was almost surreal. His head went flying through the air and the men who had charged Ophelia previously froze in their tracks. An archer who had drawn back an arrow accidentally dropped it into the snow. 

Ophelia towered over the men as she stood to her full height, she felt the blood spatter on her face and she narrowed her eyes. "Be thankful I've sharpened my axe," Ophelia spoke cooly, one of the men dropped his sword and ran but Ophelia threw her axe and it embedded itself into his head. A gory sight that Ophelia's eyes didn't linger too long on. 

Ophelia lifted up the abandoned sword and looked at the men, "You should've stayed in Snowfel." Sounds of screaming followed soon after those words left her mouth, and all too soon, the forest went silent. 

 After that, the steady thuds of chopping were heard. Ophelia trudged through the snow with two logs on her shoulder. The wood was dead, so it was light. Her axe was in her free hand, clean and gleaming as if it hadn't just been used for its original purpose. Ophelia looked up at the grey sky momentarily. It was such a nice day, she thought to herself, a frown formed on her lips after a moment. It was... But not anymore.

After that brief moment, Ophelia continued walking towards the camp. With each step she took she left behind bloody footprints in the white snow. Even her long coat left a sickening red trail behind her. Ophelia ignored the smell of copper coming off of her deciding that could wait until after she got the firewood ready.

As Ophelia entered the camp, she ignored the stares she felt from other soldiers who caught sight of her. She was well aware she had blood on her face still. She made her way over to the woodpile and took a brief moment after setting the logs down to wipe her face and hands with a rag she pulled from her jacket pocket. Using the snow to wet it, it was quick work to straighten her appearance up. 

She then began to chop the logs up until usable firewood. As she worked Spencer Spade, Ophelia's commanding officer, approached. "Cadet Reeds, where have you been?" He asked looking frustrated that she had gone missing... Yet again. Ophelia held back her amusement it was sort of fun watching the small alpha man become frustrated with her. Even if she didn't care for his naggy rants that he often went on.

"Chopping wood," Ophelia replied motioning to the small yet growing pile of wood in front of her. "Why?" Spencer questioned a bewildered look on his face, "I was told we needed some." Ophelia shrugged, Spencer sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "That was Johnson's chore today-." Ophelia felt Spencer's eyes scan her body before snapping back up to her face. 

"Did... Did the trees bleed?" He asked in a humorous tone, "Trees don't bleed Spade." Ophelia replied shaking her head, "They could have red sap!" Spencer argued. "This kind of tree doesn't." Ophelia replied, "Then what is that on your uniform and coat? Did an elk bleed on you?" He asked motioning to her. "No." Ophelia looked down at herself feeling annoyed. It would take forever to get rid of those stains. 

Spencer opened his mouth to question her some more but Ophelia spoke up, "But the soldiers from Snowfel did." Ophelia spoke nonchalantly. "Oh, that makes sense." Spencer replied, Ophelia, shrugged and turned to chop more wood as she raised her axe, Spencer explained, "Wait what?!" He shrieked his voice raising an octave, Ophelia lowered her axe wincing.

"What do you mean the soldiers from Snowfel bled on you!? Why would they bleed on you?!" Spencer shrieked, "Well they were dying." Ophelia replied exasperated, "Why were they dying?!" Spencer's voice cracked, "I was killing them." Ophelia deadpanned, "You do realize we're in an army right?" Ophelia stuck her axe into the log. 

Spencer grabbed fistfuls of his hair pulling, "Why did you kill them?" He looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "They were a scouting group and they drew their weapons on me," Ophelia replied frankly, Spencer stared at her opening and closing his mouth, he then took a deep breath. "Well at least you defended yourself." he spoke to himself, "Where are they now?" he asked, "Same place I found them. In the woods, they're not going anywhere." Ophelia shrugged, Spencer gawked staring at her.

Ophelia stared, "Are... Are you breathing?" Ophelia questioned not seeing a trail of mist leave his lips. A long trail then left Spencer's lips as he exhaled loudly. He ran his hands down his face with a low grown. "How many?" He asked, his hands cupping his mouth. "Five." Ophelia replied, "FIVE?!" His voice was muffled but loud. "You're just a cadet...!" He clearly had a headache, "Spade." Ophelia spoke, Spencer who was staring at the ground looked up, Ophelia stood to her full height and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"R... Right." He stuttered, in the time that Ophelia had joined Spencer had gotten good at understanding her mostly wordless replies. Often serving as a translator if Ophelia couldn't be bothered to explain things to others. Though that skill was mostly developed out of survival, or so Spencer claimed. "Are you sure they aren't going anywhere?" Spencer questioned, Ophelia turned back to her work chopping wood. "It's just like I told the commander, whether it's a sword or an axe..." Ophelia pulled her axe out of the log,  "People tend to die if you hit them hard enough." She observed, staring at the sharp blade of her axe, "Or if you cut off the right parts." She added then brought the blade down splitting the log in half.

Ophelia glanced over at Spencer feeling satisfied with her explanation, this should serve as a good enough report right? The much smaller alpha man stared at Ophelia with a conflicted expression, he was about to speak when... "Officer Spade! Officer Spade!" Another cadet ran up looking pale in the face, "Some psychopath cut off all the heads of some soldiers in the woods!" He reported as another cadet followed after looking like he was barely holding back his breakfast. "It was horrible!" He cried behind his hands, his face was green.

The cadet rushed behind a nearby tent loudly throwing up. Spencer's conflicted look faded and a much more familiar annoyed look appeared. "Sweet holy mother." He grumbled pinching the bridge of his nose. "I told you they weren't going anywhere." Ophelia joked, however, the commanding officer didn't find her joke funny and glared. "You're way too casual about this!" he pointed at her, "How many people have you killed?!" He questioned, Ophelia raised her brows before deadpanning. "Only five that you can prove."