Chapter 284
Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Lucien Duskgrave only shook his head, his voice steady, “Don’t worry. I’ve already handed the work over to Duke p>
up
Riley fell silent for a moment before nodding. She knew once Lucien had made his mind, there was no force in Stormridge-or beyond-that could sway him.
Caelum Knox already had the vehicle waiting at the gates. When Riley and Lucien stepped inside, he started the engine with practiced ease.
From the back seat, Riley gazed out at Mooncrest-the city that had been her cage and her sanctuary. Her eyes softened, not out of love for the city itself, but for the few souls she was loath to leave behind-Lucien, and Matriarch Duskgrave. She knew once she stepped away, there might never be a way back.
The drive was quiet. By the time they reached the foothills of the distant mountains, the sun had already begun its slow descent, casting the path in jagged gold and shadow.
The mountain road was treacherous-narrow, uneven, and pitted with stones sharp as wolf fangs. Riley’s limp made each step a brutal struggle. She gritted her teeth, determined not to falter, but Lucien saw through her fragile mask with ease.
He crouched before her, his voice low, a growl softened into something almost tender.
“Climb on. I’ll carry you p>
Riley shook her head quickly. “These roads are dangerous. If I slow you down p>
“Enough,” Lucien cut in, his tone leaving no room for argument. His eyes burned like stormfire. “If you fall, it’ll be on me. Now… up p>
The weight of his command left her no choice. After a moment’s hesitation, Riley pressed herself against his back, feeling the solid strength of him as he rose with ease. His hands locked firmly around her thighs, as though he would never let her slip.
Caelum led the way, clearing a path over jagged rocks and gnarled roots. The air smelled of damp earth and faint blood-rogue territory.
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Chapter 284
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Lucien moved carefully, every step measured, even as sweat glistened on his brow and soaked through his shirt. Riley rested her head against his shoulder, guilt gnawing at her chest.
“You should put me down,” she whispered against his ear. “I can walk p>
Lucien only huffed a short laugh. “You’ll stay where you are. We’re almost there p>
His voice was steady, commanding, and Riley stilled. She reached up once, brushing the sweat from his temple. His lips curled faintly, exhaustion eased by her touch.
After what felt like an eternity, the jagged line of ramshackle huts appeared in the distance, half-hidden in the shadows of the mountain. They stood crooked and broken, scars of a place abandoned by any true Pack bond.
That was where Alpha Alaric of the Ebonclaw Pack and Scarlett had been cast to survive.
Lucien finally set Riley down, and together with Caelum, they advanced. The closer they drew, the tighter Riley’s chest became. Old memories, sharp and poisonous, surfaced with every step. Lucien’s hand found hers, his grip firm, grounding her.
But before they reached the first hut, shadows stirred. A handful of Rogues slunk from the brush, their eyes gleaming yellow in the failing light. Scarred, ragged, and half-mad with hunger, they circled, teeth bared and claws flexing.
One lunged, snarling-only to freeze mid-stride.
Lucien’s growl thundered across the clearing, low and resonant, carrying the weight of an Alpha’s bloodline. His aura surged outward like a storm breaking over the mountains, slamming into the Rogues with invisible force.
The air thickened, heavy with dominance. Weaker wolves dropped instantly to their knees, whimpering as their throats bared against their will. The one who had lunged choked on his own snarl, his body trembling, eyes wide with terror as his wolf crumpled under the sheer pressure.
Lucien’s stormfire gaze cut across them, merciless and unyielding. “Try it,” he said softly, the promise of death clear in every syllable.
Not one Rogue moved. The hunger in their eyes curdled into fear. With tails
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Chapter 284
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tucked and ears pinned back, they slunk into the shadows, the threat of violence dissolved by a dominance they could never hope to match.
Only when the last had fled did Lucien release the pressure, his hand still steady on Riley’s. Her pulse raced, not from fear-but from the sheer reminder of what he was. Alpha-born. Stormridge’s Prince. Untouchable.
Caelum, unruffled, gave a small smirk as though he had expected nothing less. “That saves us some trouble p>
They pressed on, Caelum leading them straight to the right dwelling.
The structure was pathetic-a crumbling clay house, its walls split with deep cracks, its roof sagging under missing tiles. The stench of filth and unwashed bodies lingered in the yard where half-starved chickens and ducks scrabbled in the dirt.
And then, from within, came the voice.
A man’s roar, harsh and venomous, split the silence.
“Alpha Alaric, you used to be so powerful, but now you can only be a puppy among us. Where is the glory you once had when you attacked the Rogue gathering place p>
The voice grew harsher, spitting hatred like poison.
“As for you, you bitch! You’re as filthy as that whore of a mother of yours! Two thousand coins I spent to buy that wench, and she had the audacity to defy me, to refuse my bed! If not for the son I needed, I would have slit her throat the first night and fed her to the dogs p>
A cruel laugh followed, jagged as broken glass.
“And the son she gave me? A rotten wolf, a traitor, a cripple. If I’d known, I would have slaughtered you both at birth and saved myself the trouble p>
His words dripped with venom, echoing through the broken house.
And Riley realized, with a cold chill crawling up her spine, that Alpha Alaric-once the proud leader of Ebonclaw Pack, the wolf who had hunted Rogues mercilessly- had become their plaything.
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Chapter 284
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The Rogues would not grant him a warrior’s death. No-he would be left to rot, tormented slowly, until nothing of the Alpha remained.
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