Page 29 of Conflicted Fate
“You know what this means,” I said quietly.
“Yes, I do,” he rumbled. “It means that when they free Lycaonus …”
“… the other Alphas will already be there,” I finished. “Waiting for him.”
Kiel bared his teeth. “We have to get to Lycaon.Now. Teagetes will be in no rush. He’ll take the full four, maybe even five days, to make the journey. Partially to not push himself, but also to show Lycaon that he’ll take his time responding to orders. If we run nonstop, we can beat him there. Barely, but we can.”
“What will we do when we get there?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we can’t stay here. Come on, we have to leave.”
We started to go, but Jurvin took a step forward, blocking our path. Behind him, his warriors fanned out.
“We were promised the death of an Alpha, vermin,” he growled ominously. “And you haven’t given us what we want.”
Shit. We didnothave time for that.
Chapter Fifteen
To my surprise, Kiel didn’t instantly lash out. Instead, he spread his hands wide in apology.
“Listen, Jurvin,” he said calmly. “I’m sorry this didn’t end how we wanted. But it’s still been a huge success. The guards are scattered and defeated. We killed plenty of them. Your men are largely unhurt. The entire city is open to you. Take what you want from it and leave unimpeded. This isn’t a loss.”
I frowned, thinking quickly. “Or you could come with us,” I added, providing another option.
Kiel made a warning sound in the back of his throat, his body twisting slightly, showing his disdain for the idea.
I ignored it.
“The Alphas are assembling in Lycaon,” I pointed out. “All those remaining will be there. That’s where we’re going. And we’ll be striking at them. Don’t know how yet, as you heard, but if you want to kill an Alpha, coming with us will be your best chance. Who knows, maybe we can kill multiple Alphas.”
An eager growl ran through the group of warriors. Low and barely heard, but felt all the same, it spoke to their eagerness to kill the empire’s leadership. I was playing off that desire, trying to sway the court of public opinion in our favor. Right then, I honestly didn’t care if they wanted to join or not. I doubted they could keep up with the pace Kiel and I intended to set.
But if they could … Well, any help would be both appreciated and necessary.
The big centaur shook his head. He definitely did not toss it. Or whinny.
“Lycaon is a trap,” he said. “Too many soldiers. Too much danger. Coming here was a risk, but one we could handle. Following youthroughyour own territory to thecapitalof your empire is the height of folly. We will not go that way.”
So much for that.
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” I said. “But I can understand it. Thank you for helping us here, but I suppose this is where we part, then.”
Jurvin chuckled nastily. “I don’t think so.”
“So, you’re coming with us anyway?” I asked, feigning ignorance in hopes of finding a way out of the situation.
“Not quite, little pup,” the centaur said, leaning down to bring his face to my level. “You are coming with us. Back to the prince. There, you will explain how you intend to atone for the death of three of my men during thisfailureof yours. Three of us dead, and no body of an Alpha. Unacceptable.”
“You’re fucking joking, I hope,” I hissed. “You can ransack the entire damn city if you want. The guards have fled. That is no failure.”
“It is. We could do this any time. We don’t because of the reprisals it invites,” Jurvin said. “Do you think we’ll just go on home and enjoy our life in peace? No. Word will spread, the Alpha will hear of it, and the men in steel will come for us. They will burn our homes and our lands. Drive us back into the wilds. All becauseyoufailed. You have to answer for your—”
Kiel’s fist came flashing in out of nowhere.Crack.
I stepped back as the centaur crashed to the floor, knocked clean unconscious by the blow.
“Your conflict resolution skills weren’t working,” Kiel said. “So, I tried mine. They worked.”
