Chapter 21: Fractured Peace

Wolfgang

It had been a couple of days since Aurora walked into the office and saw me making out with Tallulah. She had been more distant than ever.

I spoke with Mrs. Kala and decided not to send the sous chef away, on the condition that neither he nor Aurora were to be in the same room.

Aurora didn’t dare say anything to me about it. She would come every morning to give me my coffee, make the bed, and then leave as quickly as she could with the laundry.

She’d then bring breakfast and my clean laundry back up. Again, she’d make sure to spend as little time as possible around me before disappearing out the door.

At eleven, she’d come with another cup of coffee and place it on my desk before excusing herself and leaving without so much as a second glance.

At noon, both her and Mrs. Kala would set the table for Tallulah and I to have our lunch, but Mrs. Kala would dismiss her right after.

And she spent all afternoon in her room, so I didn’t see her again until dinner.

I couldn’t help but give her side glances. I noticed how frail she looked. She had bags under her eyes, and she seemed to have lost weight. Was she eating properly?

“Um, maid. What’s this?” Tallulah called to Aurora, breaking my train of thoughts

“Excuse me, Miss Wilhelm. That’s the chef’s specialty of the day. Roast duck with scalloped potatoes,” Aurora answered.

“Are you crazy? I’m lactose intolerant. I can't have cheese. Take this away immediately.”

Aurora rushed to her side of the table and took the plate back. I gave Tallulah an annoyed look.

“What? I can't eat that, babe. It makes me puffy,” she pouted.

“Aurora is my maid. She only takes orders from me,” I growled as Aurora placed a new plate of food in front of her, the potatoes replaced by salad.

“I’m sorry, babe. It won't happen again,” she said in her sweetest voice.

I finished my lunch and was on my way to my room when both Max and Remus’ voices boomed in my head.

~“Alpha! Alpha!”~

I immediately went on alert as I felt the urgency in their voices. ~“‘What is it?”~

~“There’s been a breach on the southern border,”~ Remus said.

~“Rogues have attacked us!”~ Max added.

All the hair on my body stood on end.

I rushed out the door and ran through the woods. I shifted into my wolf, not caring about my suit falling to shreds.

I got to the southern border, and found several of my warriors lying on the ground. Max and Remus were fighting a couple of rogues.

I charged at one and snapped its neck in two before rushing after another and biting into its back, incapacitating it.

~“How the fuck did all these rogues get in here?”~ I growled at my gamma.

~“We don’t know, sir. They got through the seekers and ambushed the warriors,”~ he answered, digging his fangs into the neck of a rogue.

~“How is that even possible? To get past the seekers, with their heightened senses of smell… That’s not something that can be done, unless…”~

That’s when the scent hit me.

~Aroma nullis.~ These rogues had a witch. And she had made a scent-nullifying potion and cast it on them.

~“Remus! Take anyone who is still alive to the healer immediately! Max and I can finish these rogues off.”~

~“Yes, sir.”~ He ran off to aid the injured as my beta and I finished off the remaining rogues.

~“Well, at least these guys were easy to get rid of,”~ Max quipped as I snapped the neck of the last rogue.

~“Too easy for my liking. It almost feels like it was a suicide mission. All these rogues were of low rank. There are no warriors here,”~ I commented to my beta.

~“But to think they’d seek the help of a witch. Do you think that…”~

~“Alpha! I need you over here. Now!”~ Remus called out to me.

I dashed over to where he stood, already in his human form. He was looking down at one of the wounded.

“This seeker. She’s badly injured, alpha. The healer won’t be able to do much here,” he said.

I froze to the spot when I recognized the person gasping for air at my feet.

It was Montana Craton, Aurora’s stepmother.

I quickly shifted into my human form, grateful when Remus extended a pair of pants and shirt for me to take.

“She won't last long, sir. I don’t have enough equipment to heal her here. She needs to be taken back to the hospital, but I fear she won't make it,” the healer said.

There was no time to waste. I picked her up and sprinted with her through the woods to the hospital.

“A-Alpha…” Mrs. Craton murmured through ragged breaths.

“Don’t waste your strength. We’re almost at the hospital. Hold on.”

“Take care of my Rory…” was all she said before closing her eyes and falling limp in my arms.

Aurora

“Mrs. Craton. You’re being summoned to the alpha’s office,” one of the guards commanded.

I was sitting in the backyard, reading.

“Um, okay.” I closed my book and headed inside the house, feeling edgy just thinking about facing him again. I’d done everything I could to avoid being alone with him for too long.

Maybe he just wanted a cup of coffee before bed, even though that would be rare at this hour.

I walked up to the office on the second floor and knocked on the door. It opened, and Max stood there with a gloomy expression on his face.

~That’s weird,~ I thought to myself.

“Come in,” he said. His voice was grim.

I stepped inside. Gamma Bowman was standing in front of Wolfgang’s desk.

“Have a seat, Miss Craton.” He signaled to the chair across from Wolfgang, who was sitting behind his desk with his back turned to me, looking out the window.

A strong scent of iron penetrated my nose.

“Miss Craton,” Wolfgang spoke without turning around to face me.

“Um, did I do something wrong?” I asked then cringed at myself for being so straightforward with the man who had declared his disgust for me over and over again.

But he didn’t seem bothered by it.

“No, Miss Craton. You did not do anything wrong.” Gamma Bowman took his glasses off and wiped them clean.

“There was a security breach near the southern area of the village. We were surprised by an attack orchestrated by the rogues.” Wolfgang finally turned to face me.

That’s when I saw the dried blood on his shirt. That explained the iron scent I’d notice earlier. But the blood didn’t seem to be his.

“The patrol group were defending that sector at the moment. We had many casualties,” he said, expressionless. “I’m sorry. You’re stepmother, Montana Perlett Craton, died.”

It took me a moment to digest his words. I covered my mouth, stifling a gasp.

“No…” I managed to croak. Tears were already cascading down my face.

“Rory, I’m sorry…” Max said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“No…that can’t be right! Why was she even on the southern border line? She’s always on the western side!” I screamed, shoving Max’s hand away.

“I ordered her to assist that patrol group today,” Wolfgang said.

I looked at him in complete shock. “What?! Why?!” I shouted, losing control of my senses.

~This can’t be happening. Montana can’t be dead!~

“That is none of your concern, Miss Craton. I am the alpha here!” he spoke with authority, rising from his chair so that he towered over me.

I didn’t answer. I only looked down at my feet. My body trembled uncontrollably.

Montana was the last person I had to call family. Now she was gone, and I was left alone once more.

“We did everything we could. Alpha Wolfgang brought her to the hospital as fast as he could, but she had lost so much blood…” Max said. “I’m really sorry.”

I looked up and glared at the alpha. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” I

All my strength left me, and I crumbled to the ground.

“I never got to say goodbye.”