Chapter 139

[ 1,030 words ]

The first rule of war

139: 139.

The first rule of war Kade

The Hunter, Kendrick, is sitting in the same spot, perfectly still when we enter.

Still the look of defiance I expected is nothing more than a blank mask.

I’m not sure if that is a good thing, but either way we will get exactly what we came for today.

The tides are shifting in our favor.

I can feel it.

Maybe it is because the Parexilla is working in his system.

Kendrick shifts causing the shakes on his wrist to clink to the stone ground.

His breathing remains steady, pupils slightly dilated, his muscles relaxed in a way that lets me know he’s ready to head my call.

Aria stops by the wall along with Elliot and Ransom.

The Alpha nods to me, letting me know to start.

We had agreed that I, being the only faint, would take point.

Elliot folds his arms while Ransom remains near the back wall like he’s bracing himself for whatever he’s about to hear.

I knew, intellectually, that all hunters couldn’t harbor the hatred we thought they did.

But knowing Hazel and Ransom made it clear that they were much darker than we originally thought.

Warm him up, my wolf says.

I’m not a novice.

Then get on with it, he huffs irritated.

He is making our packmates uneasy.

What?

“Hello, bird. I’ve missed you,” Kendrick croons.

I look around and realize it wasn’t the situation making the wolf pissy, it was Ransom’s reaction to the hunter.

Ransom’s hands were balled into fist and Elliot was so close to him the sides of their bodies were touching.

“That wasn’t the message I got when you tried to kill me,” Ransom says, his voice even despite how pale he looks.

“Would you rather it be someone else?” Kendrick asks, sounding genuinely confused.

“You know I would never allow that.”

I caught Elliot watching him too before looking back toward the prisoner.

I crouched until I was eye level with Kendrick determined to keep this conversation on track.

“Do you remember me Kendrick? I’m Kade and I’ll be asking the questions today.”

His eyes drifted lazily toward me.

“I know you wolf.”

“Do you know why you’re here?”

He shrugs.

Not bothering to confirm nor deny.

I keep my voice calm.

“Tell me why you think you’re here.”

A pause.

“I’m here so you could use me.

Because you’re desperate.

You know nothing and you understand how that puts you at a disadvantage.”

“whata your last name?”

“Why are you planning to give me a proper burial?”

“Your name,” I repeat lowering my voice and pulling at the extra set of vocal cords that controls me Call.

“Hale,” he replies his eyes darting back to Ransom.

“What position do you hold?”

“Heir Commander.” He gives Ransom a cruel yet adoring smile.

“You remember, don’t you bird, I taught you everything you know.”

Elliot exchanges a quick glance with Aria.

“Do you work directly under the head?”

“Yes.”

“And what does the Heir commander do?”

“I mold our future leaders. Strip them of weakness, harden them, make me everything we need them to be.”

There is something smiley about his words.

I can’t quiet put my finger on it but it unsettles me.

I resist looking back at Ransom not wanting to give Kendrick a reason to put any more of his attention on him.

“How long have you served as Heir commander?”

“Twenty-seven years.”

“Where did you present when the alliance was made with the Assembly?”

His eyes blinked slowly.

“Yes I was there for that disgusting display of weakness.”

Interesting.

“Who usually gives your orders?”

“The heads of family, though the mutts do sometimes.”

His breathing remained even.

His pulse never changed.

“So you’ve met Aldrin personally?”

“Many times. Smug bastard.”

His eyes drift past me as if he can’t help himself.

“I dream about you. About what we had,” he says to Ransom.

Ransom’s jaw tightens.

Elliot growls a warning.

I shift slightly to block his line of sight.

“Focus on me.”

Kendrick ignores me.

“Do you miss me, bird. So you miss how we used to play?”

Everything inside me is shocked to stillness.

Silence filled the room.

My wolf snarls.

But Ransom doesn’t answer.

That only seems to spur Kendrick on more.

“You remember the training grounds and the long nights that followed don’t you. No one’s ever forgotten you. You were our best boy.”

A wave of nausea swirls with a sharp spike of anger.

The spike of Elliot’s scent puts me on alert.

“You always healed fast,” Kendrick continues.

Elliot takes a threatening step forward.

“What of their allegiance?” I ask.

“What are their we plans now?

Kendrick starts to laugh.

“He’s like a child, you know.

Aldren.

Always whining about his seat and his Vail.

But we all know without us he has no power.

Not since the witch wolf died.”

“Then why do they still align with him?”

“Convincince.

He will get us where we need to be with less work.”

“What do you mean?”

“What is the first rule of war, bird?

“Know your enemy better than you know yourself,” Ransom says.

“This whole thing was a farce.”

Kendrick smiles, a wild, manic thing.

“You know better than anyone what position desperation puts you in.

Frankly, it was easy to pretend we didn’t see if.

To lure them into a false sense of authority.”

“What do you plan to do with them?” I ask.

“We plan to fight. Drag you from your mountain and rid you from the world, like our ancestors should have done.”

Ransom’s scent gets strong as he comes beside me, looking at Kendrick with narrow eyes.

“And what do you plan to do with the Assembly?”

“We plan to betray them.”

“How?”

“Rigth before we attack the mountain, we will remove them from the playing board. We have no need for them when we know everything we need to know.”

Aria looked horrified.

“They’ve planned this all along.”

“Years. We always knew they would come. After all, they were the ones who started the first war.”

My mind raced.

If this was true then this isn’t just a plan built by ambition, this is a rewriting of history.

“When do they plan to attack?”

He smiled.

“The first night of the Blood Moon.”

Aria inhaled slowly.

“We’ve got less than a month.”

I nodded.

Everything we’d been preparing for had just accelerated.

But with this information, we could use it to our advantage.

A final play.

“Thank you, Kendrick.” I look back at Ransom.

“He’s yours now.”

I walk out taking Aria with me as we lock that piece of shit inside with Ransom and Elliot.

Elliot will make that piece of shit pay.

I hope it will take a long time.

But right now we have to plan for our advantage.

And when the Blood Moon rises we will be ready.

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