Affliction - Book One - Man x Man

Chapter 41

We scramble to get dressed, our antics making us later than my captor ever cares to be. I can't help but grin every time I'm directed an annoyed look. "Worth it." I mouth to him as we make our way out of the castle and down the path towards the city, as we reach the tree line and I'm sure there's not a chance we might turn around, I decide to ask my question. "So, why are we meeting Haryek by ourselves?"

To this, Alpha does not seem amused. "Gathering a small force to take with us would take even more time and we are already late as it is. I won't give that elf another damned thing to look so smug about."

At times, it's hard to remember that beyond his inhuman mentality, he was still a man. "Really? We're going out on our own because we're running late?"

Glowering at me, his expression speaks for itself and I swallow back my sarcasm. "It's Haryek, I'm sure he's found something or wants to make some sort of threat. I very much doubt that he has anything that could surprise me. It'd be a waste to gather any sort of party for something so simple and then what? If he attempts to ambush us, the pack would never forgive him. Then we would truly have to execute him and you seem unwilling to do that."

 I take in his tight long sleeve and sigh as I force myself to focus on the task at hand. Haryek will certainly be displeased with our tardiness. As we leave the city limits, he starts to slow. "I haven't seen Sota in a while, have you?" He mentions and I give him a look that suggests Sota is the last person I want to see. 

"If I had you would the first I'd come to find. The man practically wants me dead." I can't help but be bitter at the fact that Sota would do anything to keep us apart. "So you're saying it's my fault that Haryek is alive?" 

With a devious grin, he shrugs one shoulder. "If the shoe fits. I'd much rather see him dead. It continues to amaze me the things I do to appease you."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I laugh at him in a dry tone of disapproval. I decided to ask a different question that might satisfy me a bit more. "Was banishing Tonic really what was best for him?" We have a long walk ahead of us, might as well fish.

Alpha tracks the tree line as he speaks, cautious in his steps and yet confident his path."Yes. He's free of the bounds of an omega. He can do whatever he wants now. Besides, anyone who kills him is breaking the law now and nobody wants that with this power struggle going on." I realize that I'm not up to date at all with what is going on.

 We exchange back and forth as I try to fill in the gaps of my knowledge about pack politics. Frost really has been promoted, to Delta position. Havoc is trying to gain the general position but there is stiff competition. When Ziduri is taken, they will have a real ranking ceremony and redetermine ranks but for now, this is the way it has to be. 

Older wolves aren't happy with the lack of dedication to tradition and I find that I think it's a good thing the traditions are dying off. Society would have such an easier time accepting them if they weren't a war based culture. The fact that they take after Vikings and believe in War-torn heaven is a little off-putting. 

"Are we ready to move on Ziduri?" In the short answer, no. In the long answer, who knows? Alpha explains to me that the magic users are trying but the elves are struggling to teach the lycans how to shoot Elven bows. 

The bows are too small and not a heavy enough weight for lycan strength but Alpha is currently working with a rebel from the outer magic camps who has seen a longbow that could be used from the breast. With Bogdan due tomorrow, the lycans are struggling to find many positives and morale is low.

With a heavy sigh, I see his shoulders begin to relax as he speaks to me. "Nobody wants to die. Even if you believe as we do that glory is to be won in battle. War is ugly, I think it's settling in that we are moving out and there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's hard to look at your brothers and wonder which ones you will never see again, which ones you'll carry home and if you will come back yourself."