More Than a Warrior

Orion gave Kairen a long look before nodding.

Lysander carefully picked up the corpse plant, making sure not to damage its fragile roots, then excused himself. He headed toward the medical facility, already thinking about the countless experiments and records he would have to prepare.

Orion and Sophia were just about to leave when Kairen spoke up.

“Can I have a word with you, Alpha?” he asked nervously.

Orion glanced over his shoulder before nodding, then he turned and focused his attention on Kairen.

Kairen cast an uncertain look toward Sophia before looking back at Orion. He had planned to speak privately.

“You may as well just speak up because she’s not going anywhere,” Orion said. “Besides, even if she weren’t here, whatever you say would get back to her anyway.”

Kairen nodded before swallowing.

“Right.”

Silence settled over them for a few moments. Kairen rubbed the back of his neck, clearly struggling to find the right words.

Finally, he spoke.

“Would it be possible for me to join too?” he asked, his voice low.

“Join?” Orion asked. “Join what?”

“The fight,” Kairen answered quietly.

A cold breeze swept across the small field, rustling the snow around their feet.

“I know it’s not my place to ask, especially given my situation, but… I have nothing to do with the West anymore. I have no family. No loved ones. And the way I’m treated here…” He lowered his gaze. “…it’s far better than how I was treated there.”

Orion folded his arms.

“You do know you’re still a prisoner, right?”

“I’ll never forget that.”

Kairen answered immediately.

“I’m also not saying I’m better than those from the West. I’ve hurt people too. I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”

His voice became quieter.

“But I can use this opportunity, even if only a little, to make up for the mistakes of the past.”

He clenched his fists.

“I can try to become better.”

Neither Orion nor Sophia interrupted him as he continued.

“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness. I know trust isn’t something that can simply be handed over because I ask for it. But… if there’s anything I can do, I want to.”

Orion tilted his head.

“You aren’t that good of a fighter, though.”

There was no mockery in his voice.

It was simply the truth.

Kairen gave a bitter smile.

“I know that.”

He nodded without complaint.

“And I must admit, I’ve also heard the warriors of the pack training. Their training is far more intense than anything we ever did in the West.”

He laughed softly.

“I doubt I’d even last long against most of your warriors.”

His smile disappeared, and then he looked directly at Orion.

“But I still want to help. I’m not asking you to stop treating me like a prisoner. I am still one. But…”

“…why should we trust you not to betray us?” Sophia asked, interrupting him. “What if this is simply a scheme to get close to the battlefield so you can betray us and hand us over to Victoria?”

Kairen visibly flinched.

For a moment, genuine hurt crossed his face.

“I would never do that,” he said firmly.

His voice trembled slightly.

“I know I sound suspicious. I look suspicious too. I know I’ve given you every reason not to trust me. But I would never do anything to hurt this pack. I swear it.”

He took a slow breath.

“And as I’ve said before…”

He looked around at the peaceful land surrounding them.

“…I’m treated better here than I ever was there.”

His eyes softened.

“I’d rather have this. I’d rather wake up every morning knowing I don’t have to pretend to enjoy watching people suffer. I don’t have to cheer while innocent people die. I don’t have to laugh because everyone else is laughing. I don’t have to prove my loyalty by becoming crueler than the next person.”

His shoulders relaxed.

“I’d rather have this peace.”

Silence followed his words.

“I just want to help,” Kairen said softly. “I want to be useful.”

Sophia studied him for several seconds before speaking.

“But you are already helping.”

Kairen blinked at that, just as Sophia gestured toward the field where the corpse plant had been growing.

“You helped us cultivate the corpse plant. Because of you, our plans may work even better than we imagined. You’ve already contributed.”

Kairen looked surprised.

He hadn’t thought of it that way.

“There are different ways to help,” Orion said. “The healers are doing everything they can. They may never stand on the front lines, but they’ll save countless lives.”

He pointed toward the direction of the medical facility.

“They’re helping.”

He gestured vaguely in the direction of the smithy.

“The craftsmen working day and night to forge weapons. They’re helping. The cooks preparing meals are helping. The people praying for everyone else’s safe return are helping.”

He paused and then leveled a gaze at Kairen.

“Just because someone doesn’t fight physically doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. Everyone has a role. The main issue is how well you play that role. I can’t be a cook, I can’t craft anything, I can’t even plant or cultivate anything, I can’t help with healing either, I do not even pray, so I do what I do best. I fight. But that’s my way of helping. It’s not because that is the only way one can be useful, that’s just how I can be useful.”

Kairen remained silent.

Those words settled heavily inside him.

Back in the West, things had never been like that.

If you weren’t a warrior, you were worthless.

No one respected you, no one listened to you. No one even acknowledged your existence unless they needed something.

Everything revolved around Victoria’s army.

The warriors received the best food, the best clothing, the best homes, the most respect. And those who were willing to carry out Victoria’s cruelest orders were elevated even higher. The quicker someone obeyed, the more ruthless they were, the more valuable they were considered.

That was what usefulness had always meant to Kairen.

To stand at the front of every battle, to kill without hesitation.

Who cared about the healers? They were useless. Craftsmen? Useless. Farmers? Replaceable. Only warriors mattered. Only warriors were considered important. Only warriors deserved respect.

But now, he was being told differently. And after what he had learned since being a prisoner here, perhaps they were right.