Chapter 57: Chapter 57

Atticus

No matter how many times Atticus told himself that his move on the Sea Pine pack was tactical, and for the benefit of Blood Moon, there was a kernel of truth nestled somewhere deep within him that would not remain quiet.

That kernel was the reason he had distanced himself from his parents, Ralphin, and Trove. He felt their judgement in waves whenever he was near to him, and Atticus could have sworn that their eyes followed him around their encampment whenever they stopped to rest.

They needed food. They needed a show of strength. But, above all, Atticus needed Lily.

He spent his nights curled up atop his bedroll, hardly noticing the way he shivered as his thoughts swirled within his skull. He imagined what his life would have been like had he not rejected her, and the pain of that imagined reality only served to send him spiralling further.

In the days, he marched. He sent runners to gather information, and he growled orders at any who dared talk. As they neared Sea Pine, after two weeks straight of walking, hunting, and shivering through the lonely nights, Atticus could no longer stand the sound of chatter. It was joyous, hopeful. It was an irritation.

“Alpha Atticus,” greeted Ralphin. He’d long since lost his dashing smile, and his onyx eyes were shadowed with exhaustion. “May I have a word?”

Atticus sighed. He dropped the bone he’d been picking at; the crows would find morsels of meat he couldn’t. Settling himself, he gestured for his Beta to sit across from him. “Go on.”

“Att…” Ralphin bit his lip. His hair was longer than Atticus had ever seen it, the usually short sides already starting to curl around his ears. He slicked the top back, and stared across the camp grounds. Canvas tents were dotted between the trees, though most of the Omegas were forced to sleep with no protection from the elements.

“Spit it out, Ralph.” Atticus toyed with the bone he’d dropped. He already knew what his Beta had come to say.

“Our people are hungry. They’re tired. Half of them don’t even have a bedroll to sleep on.”

“My people, Ralph,” tutted Atticus. Staring intently at the bone, he added, “And they should have thought of that when they packed.”

Ralphin just shook his head. “They need rest before the full moon. We don’t stand a chance against the Sea Pine pack like this.”

“Elijah’s pack is useless. There’s a reason we’ve never bothered with them before.” He cracked his knuckles. “I alone could defeat them. They are weak.”

“Then why now, Att? Why go all this way to a pack that’s no threat to us?”

“None of the packs we fight are ever a threat to us. That’s half the fun of it.”

“Stop lying to yourself. I… I used to believe in you, Att. I used to believe in us.”

Atticus went deadly still. “And now?”

“And now there is unrest within the pack. We have a leader we no longer understand. They used to want to fight for you. But now – now they’re just scared.”

Tension coiled in the air between them. Atticus bristled. “Don’t they see that I’m doing this for them?”

“Are you? Truly?”

“We are the most powerful pack in Eldda,” he said, with confidence bolstered by his past arrogance. “We deserve to be. We march on Sea Pine to claim new land; there, we will find food, water, and resources. There, we will be strong once more.”

Silence. Every quiet sound that usually went unheard suddenly sounded loud to Atticus: the swaying branches of the trees, the crunch of dry grass beneath his pack’s feet, and the slip of canvas over canvas as others awoke to the dawn.

“Lily doesn’t want to be found,” sighed Ralphin, standing up and shaking his head. “We will fight with you, Atticus, always. But I fear you may lose more than you gain in this endeavour.

“Your people were once at the heart of who you were. They follow you blindly, without question, and yet with the utmost devotion. But you have forgotten that your power as Alpha comes with responsibility. And these people, your pack – they are your responsibility. Fight not only for Lily, though I know you must. Fight for them.”

Before he could retort, his own Beta turned his back on him and walked away.

Though he tried to downplay it, Ralphin’s words weighed heavy on Atticus’s mind. He’d had a similar conversation with his father the day before, and one with his mother the day before that. Once, having heard such a thing from one of them alone would have snapped him out of his mood. Now, his obstinate frame of mind made him unwilling to accept counsel but, as they neared the Sea Pine pack’s territory, the reality of his situation was becoming increasingly clear.

He would be seeing Lily in a matter of days. Atticus’s throat bobbed at the thought of it. Would she have changed from how he remembered her? Would she wear her hair differently? Would there be new fire in her eyes? Standing abruptly, he stared down at the canvas tent he’d spent the night in. What if Ralphin was right? What if she didn’t want to be found?

He shook his head. He was the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack. Of course she would want him to find her – to rescue her from Elijah’s weak clutches.

But in order to get his mate back, he needed his pack to be strong. They had marched relentlessly. Atticus thought they could spare a day, so long as they were careful in their movements and kept up their patrols.

He was the Alpha. But an Alpha was nothing without their pack.

“Ralph!” he called out. Ralphin turned back, his dark eyes narrowed.

Still, he answered his Alpha dutifully. “Yes, Alpha Atticus?”

“Gather the pack. All of them, save those patrolling. I am to give a speech.”

“As you wish, Alpha.” He inclined his head, and Atticus thought he saw the beginnings of a smile on his lips.

* * *

Atticus ran a hand through his honeyed hair. His spine clicked as he stretched, feeling the pull of his muscles down his back and across his shoulders. Slowly, he smiled.

He’d had no reason to doubt his Blood Moon wolves. They were fierce, they were loyal; they were his. As the sun rose, sweeping across the horizon and leaving behind a sheen of glowing, dusky orange, pale hues of pink and purple streaking the cold blue sky, so too did the mood of his pack. Their Alpha was to give a speech, after all.

He would make them strong again.

As always, he had no words prepared. And, today, truly, they would have to come from the heart. He would praise them for their strife, for their ongoing determination, and then…

Then he would reward them. Atticus planned to give them a day’s rest at the encampment, offering them the chance to gather their strength before they marched on Sea Pine. They were no more than a day and a half’s walk away, now, and he wanted – no, he needed – his wolves to fight for him, to want to fight for him. Ralphin, though he was loath to admit it, had been right. Blood Moon would always fight with him. But would they always fight for him?

Swallowing his pride, Atticus made one final decision before he left to speak to his wolves. His father had always encouraged him to be strong, to show no weakness.

Maybe it was time to let his guard slip. Perhaps a little honesty would be just the motivation they needed.

Puffing out his chest, Atticus walked straight towards the burning light of the sun.

“Alpha!”

Clenching his jaw, he stopped in his tracks. Squinting against the dawn light, Atticus made out the silhouette of Marley’s short frame.

“Young Medic Marley. Do you bring news of Red Ripper’s movements?”

His scouts had been tracking them, but they were impossible to pin down. They had evaded patrols at every turn. Word of their magic, of their might, was spreading across the continent.

Until they had taken Sea Pine, Atticus planned only to evade them. Certain though he was that Blood Moon remained the most formidable pack in Eldda, he was not arrogant enough to believe that they could defeat Red Ripper in their current state.

Marley nodded. His brown skin gleamed with sweat; it beaded at his temples and soaked into his textured hair. “They’ve been sighted. Using magic that doesn’t make sense. Magic that – that shouldn’t exist.”

“Of what nature was this magic?”

“They moved the trees, Alpha. And they shifted at will.” He intertwined his fingers together. “There’s more.”

“Speak, Young Medic.”

“Two captives were seen with them.” He gulped, and seemed afraid to meet his Alpha’s gaze. Atticus’s head pulsed with anxiety. He rolled his hands into fists.

“Were the captives in any way noteworthy, Marley?”

A pregnant pause swelled between them. It made Atticus’s whole body itch and his muscles ache with tension.

“The scout reported one of them as being from our pack, Alpha. The Warrior Wolf, Maveln Cole. And… and his daughter, Lily.”

Atticus’s chest exploded. The space where his heart had once resided was left nothing more than an empty, desolate cavern. His throat closed. Nothing felt real.

Lily was gone. He was so close, and she had slipped through his fingers once more. Had they hurt her? She was their captive, their prisoner…

Unbidden images of Lily, wounded, bleeding, crying, filled his mind. As fast as he could construct walls around them new ones sprung forth. Her face, lacerated, blood and mud streaked with silver rivers of tears. Her hands, trembling at her sides. Her eyes, determined, brave, even as a gag was wound around her mouth.

Atticus fell to his knees. He had failed her.

He had failed her again.

No.

He hadn’t failed her again – not yet. It was impulsive, and dangerous, but he had a chance. An Alpha was nothing without his pack – and a pack was nothing without their Alpha. He would be better, he would be everything they could ask, could dream, and more, if only he could make her safe.

Atticus stood.

“Thank you, Young Medic Marley.” He clapped the boy on the back.

He had a speech to give.

* * *

“Blood Moon pack!” he cheered. Usually, Atticus would have stomped his feet and clapped his hands, rousing his pack for a full moon fight or a feast. But, as it was, they had already broken every rule of covert movement across the continent. They were a bold and blatant target, but Atticus was used to being the Alpha of the most infamous pack in Eldda. He’d always had a target on his head.

And this time, he had something real to fight for.

“Two of our own have been captured by Red Ripper,” he declared, sweeping his gaze across the assembled wolves. “With their capture, our priorities have changed. Their rescue is of the utmost importance. As such, I am calling off the attack on the Sea Pine pack.”