Chapter 13
13 Chapter 13 Confirm You Are
Dead
Faye’s POVR
The air in the tent felt suffocating as Hardy’s voice cut through the silence like a blade dipped in venom. “How fascinating,” he drawled, settling back in his chair with the lazy confidence of a predator toying with prey. “The great Alpha abandons his warriors to the Raven Deons just to check on family matters p>
My father’s jaw tightened, but Hardy wasn’t finished.
“Tell me, Alpha Rowan, are your men screaming your name as they bleed out beyond that ridge? Or have you forgotten they exist p>
“My lord,” Father began, his voice strained with barely controlled anger.
“Your consort is alive,” Hardy interrupted, each word sharp and deliberate. “Though I wonder if that disappoints you. Shouldn’t a true leader be more concerned with the enemy tearing through his
territory than playing the devoted father p>
I pressed myself deeper into the shadows behind Hardy’s chair, the heavy cloak making me invisible to everyone except the man who commanded this deadly game. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I was certain they could hear it. This wasn’t where I belonged. These weren’t words meant for my ears.
But Hardy had been clear earlier when he’d pulled me aside. “Stay behind me. Don’t speak. Don’t move. Let me handle this dance.” The way he’d said it, like he was preparing for battle, should have warned me.
Alpha Rowan’s hands clenched at his sides, but his voice remained steady. “My wife has been denied access to our daughter. She wants to see Faye. That’s not unreasonable p>
Hardy leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and smiled. It was the kind of smile that made my skin crawl. “No p>
The single word hit the tent like a thunderclap.
“No?” My father’s composure cracked just slightly.
dangerous. That was what made him so compelling.
“Let’s dispense with the pretense, Alpha,” Hardy said, his voice dropping to something more dangerous. “If you truly cared about your daughter’s wellbeing, you would have secured a proper marriage for her years ago instead of throwing her at me like damaged goods. If this alliance was so important, perhaps you should have offered me Sally instead. Or are you still hoping
I’ll take a second wife p>
My father’s face went white, then red. “How dare you suggest something so obscene while my daughter lies wounded, possibly dying p>
Something inside me shifted as I watched my father’s rage build. Alpha Rowan never lost control. Never showed emotion in front of other Alphas. He was calculated, cold, strategic to the point of cruelty. But here he stood, trembling with fury, his careful composure shattered.
Not for me, though. For Sally.
His anger wasn’t the quiet, controlled type I knew. This was raw, paternal, desperate. The anger of a
father protecting his precious daughter. Just not the daughter standing invisible behind his enemy.
“If I didn’t know better,” Hardy continued, “this performance would almost convince me. A father so desperate to save his child that he abandons the battlefield to beg for her life.” His sneer was poisonous. “Almost p>
I couldn’t understand what was wrong with that picture until Hardy raised his hand. Physician Allen stepped forward immediately, crossing the tent to hand my father a folded document.
“What is this?” Father frowned.
“A detailed analysis of the poisons used in tonight’s attack,” Hardy explained casually. “The list keeps growing p>
My father unfolded the parchment, his eyes scanning the contents. The deeper he read, the darker his expression became.
“This is impossible,” he muttered.
“Precisely,” Hardy agreed. “Raven Deons are savage,
unpredictable creatures. They don’t employ strategy or calculated methods. Yet here we have evidence of toxins specifically engineered to kill wolves with Alpha bloodlines p>
My breath caught. He was right. I’d seen those wounds, felt the deadly precision of whatever had poisoned Parker and the others. These weren’t crude concoctions mixed in forest camps. They were sophisticated, lethal, designed to bring down the strongest warriors.
“You’re implying someone is supplying the Raven Deons?” Father’s voice was slow, careful.
“That’s for you to investigate p>
“This information suggests someone wanted to destroy Duskwood Pack entirely p>
“Perhaps,” Hardy said with practiced indifference. “You’ll be quite busy from now on. I won’t escort you
out p>
“But my daughter p>
“I’ve answered your question, Alpha. Don’t make me
suspect this entire performance is meant to distract me from the real threat we’re facing p>
Father hesitated, staring at the document. Finally, he gave Hardy a stiff bow. “I’ll take my leave p>
He turned and strode from the tent without another
word.
As the tent flap settled, I heard Hardy chuckle softly. “I wonder how long it’ll take him to realize that list was complete fiction p>
My blood turned to ice. “You lied to him p>
“Not exactly.” Hardy turned to face me, that predatory smile returning. “I told him exactly what he needed to hear p>
“Why p>
“Your father isn’t here out of love, Faye. He came to confirm you’re dead p>
The words hit me like physical blows. “What p>
“If he truly cared about his daughter, his blood, he wouldn’t have left without demanding to see you with
his own eyes. Not once did he ask for proof of life, even when I mentioned you were resting.” Original content can be found at
He closed the distance between us in three fluid steps, stopping just close enough that his presence overwhelmed everything else.
“They already believe you’re dead,” he said quietly.
My lips trembled as pieces fell into place. The conversation I’d overheard between Sally and Mother. Their plan to marry me off to the Dread Lord. “Did they send the assassin p>
Hardy’s smile turned deadly. “You already know that answer.” His fingers brushed my cheek with disturbing tenderness. “So here’s my proposition. Since they’re all expecting you to die, since in their minds you’re already dead, why not make it real p>
Morh Lucia
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.