Alpha King’s Secret Baby (The Runaway Mate #1)

Chapter 11

Bastien

I sat in the guard post, having just completed my final perimeter check of the night. I was glad to be the only one on duty, even if I thought it was foolish. When I’d been the leader of the pack protectors, I always stationed two men on night watch. But I hadn’t been the leader for five years.

Why Kildaire had replaced me with Duncan, of all people, was beyond me. I couldn’t think of a less suitable leader. It was likely because many of the men were loyal to me back then, and Duncan most certainly was not. If I’d had my pick, I would have put Jules in charge. He knew as much as me about strategy, and the rest of the men respected him. Duncan came from the Kildaire school of leadership, commanding with force and punishment instead of integrity.

I sighed and propped my feet on the table in front of me. I should be grateful I had a role in the pack protectors at all and hadn’t been thrown out of Moon Edge after Casey left.

I occasionally wondered if that wouldn’t have been a better outcome instead of suffering this indignity. I’d thought about leaving but couldn’t make myself go. Some pack members were insufferable, like Duncan and his cronies, but there were many more I was fond of. The elderly women who had looked after me when my parents died, those in the pack protectors who still valued me—there was a lot to love about the pack, even if Kildaire was an ass. Most importantly, Jules and his mom were like family, and if I left, there was no coming back. To leave the pack was the ultimate betrayal, and showing my face again could get me executed. Kildaire might not value loyalty, but he did demand it of us. He presumably would’ve hunted me down if I’d left. Besides, this pack was all I knew. What else was I supposed to do?

I’d replayed the day Casey had left a thousand times. The sting of her betrayal had faded to a dull ache, like an old injury that hadn’t healed right. On long nights, she often wandered into my mind. It was one of the many reasons I hated being on guard duty—I couldn’t keep the memories at bay. Worse than recalling her betrayal was reminiscing about the night we spent together. As much as I didn’t want to, I still longed for her. Our connection wouldn’t wither, no matter how much I wished otherwise. I didn’t want a mate, but fate wouldn’t let me forget I had one. I felt more resentment toward Kildaire than anything. While Casey’s seduction had threatened my autonomy, enough time had passed that I could understand she was trying to do as fate dictated. I’d never heard of anyone rejecting the mate bond before. But Kildaire hadn’t just tried to force me into a bond I didn’t want—he’d also demoted me to the lowest rung of the pack protectors. The pack was in danger because of his actions. He couldn’t handle the fact that I hadn’t obeyed him. The year prior, we’d lost a good wolf during a skirmish with another pack who’d entered our forest. Duncan had sent a handful of newbies to take care of the small contingent of wolves, and they’d been underprepared. I’d never have let a group of protectors engage in combat without me leading them. But this was what I got for refusing to mate, and despite everything, I still didn’t regret my choice.

The crunch of boots on gravel caught my attention, and I got up. It was probably my replacement, but it never hurt to be prepared. I stepped out of the guard post and found James walking toward me, ready to relieve me of my shift. He should have been promoted long ago, but Duncan only let his buddies rise in the ranks. James was a good guy, not to mention a dedicated pack protector. I didn’t have close friends besides Jules, but I liked James. It was people like him that made me want to stay.

“Quiet night, sir?” James inquired. He hadn’t adjusted to being at the same level as me, even after all these years.

“Yes. Nothing to report unless you’re interested in the fact that I saw an owl,” I said, managing a half-smile.

He laughed awkwardly.

“Well, I’ll be on my way,” I said. “Have a good shift. It’s time for me to get some shut-eye.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to delay your nap,” he said with an apologetic grimace. “On my way in, Duncan told me the Alpha wanted to speak to you.”

My skin tingled with discomfort, and my shoulders tightened, but I didn’t react.

“Thanks for letting me know,” I replied.

I left James at the guard post and walked into town. I didn’t think I’d done anything to attract Kildaire’s ire—again, at least. He hadn’t spoken to me since the day Casey left, and he’d rained holy hell down on me for rejecting her. Any orders came through Duncan, and the Alpha had no reason to speak to a lowly guard like me.

My stomach twisted as I approached town hall. I couldn’t imagine Kildaire wanted to speak to me for a positive reason. I entered with my back straight and my eyes trained on the floor. The act of submission wasn’t something I missed.

“Alpha, I believe you wanted to see me?” I said in a flat voice.

He was sitting in his usual chair, with Tobias on his right. Tobias looked even more shriveled these days, and I could smell fresh herbs on him, the potent scent making my nose twitch. He must have induced another vision. That couldn’t be good news for me.

“Bastien,” Kildaire spat. “I have an assignment for you.”

I frowned. Why was Kildaire giving me an assignment himself instead of passing the orders through Duncan?

“Yes, Alpha?” I said with all the reverence I could muster—which was zero.

Kildaire released an angry puff of air from his nose, but he had nothing to reprimand. I was behaving as I was supposed to.

“Many years ago, a pack member named Frankie Delacorte betrayed us and ran away. You know how I feel about wolves who don’t follow orders,” he said.

I frowned, wondering why he was telling me. He couldn’t want to dole out punishment after all this time, right? I waited for him to continue.

“Tobias had a vision, and apparently, Frankie has resurfaced in a coastal town called Delta Springs,” he said, still not explaining why I was involved.

“I have seen only flashes; something is blocking the full vision,” Tobias chimed in, slurring his words. “Some magic.”

I’d never known anything to block Tobias’s Sight before, but then again, I didn’t understand his magic in the slightest. He was the sole member of our pack with witch blood—the only way a wolf could use magic—and his herbs had robbed him of the ability to have children long ago. He kept the concoction a secret, though whether that was a safety precaution or to prevent others from inducing visions, I didn’t know.

“I see,” I lied.

“I want you to find Frankie,” Kildaire said, finally getting to the point. “Bring him back to face trial for his crimes.”

Said trial was a poor euphemism for execution. Whatever this Frankie character had done, I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring him back to the pack to die.

“And what were his crimes, exactly?” I asked, risking a glance at Kildaire’s face. He glowered at me.

“I see Duncan still hasn’t managed to make a good soldier out of you,” he growled. He didn’t like to be questioned, but I wouldn’t be responsible for someone losing their life for no good reason. I’d killed to protect our pack, but that was war.

I didn’t have a response for Kildaire, nor did he need one.

“But since you require an incentive to do your job,” he snapped, “you should know that Frankie was in the same squadron as your father the night he died.”

My head snapped up. I couldn’t continue to feign reverence.

“Are you saying he had something to do with it?” I asked, wondering if I could trust Kildaire’s word. My father had been killed by a rival pack, along with several others.

“Through his cowardice, yes,” Kildaire said. “He fled that night, refusing to own up to his failure.”

I swallowed my anger. I had no reason to believe Kildaire anymore, but I did know my father’s squadron had been outnumbered. I’d heard that from Jules’s father before he passed away. He’d served in a different squadron, and I trusted his word. According to him, they’d all been slaughtered in the fray, but at least they had died with honor. To hear that someone had fled instead of perishing with his comrades made my blood boil.

But is Kildaire telling the truth?

“I will find him,” I said, allowing my anger to bleed into my voice. I’d decide for myself if Frankie was guilty. But whether I’d bring him back to the pack was another matter entirely.

“See that it is done. I expect you to leave today,” Kildaire said, dismissing me.

I nodded and left the hall, not taking a full breath until I was outside. I stopped near the door, my head spinning with the potential revelation. I didn’t know what to think of Kildaire’s order, but I did know I needed answers.

I was about to head to my cabin when I heard Kildaire speaking with Tobias. I hesitated, straining my ears to listen to their conversation.

“Are you sure Bastien must be the one who goes?” Kildaire asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Things could get complicated.”

Complicated? Did Kildaire still not trust me? That was no surprise, but it still rankled. I’d only disobeyed one order in my lifetime. And I was still paying for it. Perhaps there was another reason for this complication.

“He’s the strongest wolf we have, and with magic clouding my vision, I don’t know what he’ll be walking into,” Tobias replied. “Unless you want to leave Frankie alone, this is our best option.”

“No, Frankie needs to pay for what he did,” Kildaire insisted. His fury was genuine.

There was a brief pause, and for a moment, I thought the conversation was over. Then, Kildaire spoke again.

“Our pack should have been stronger by now,” he said. “It’s been twenty years, but this new generation of wolves is too weak.”

I frowned. I wouldn’t have described our pack as such. We’d defended our territory successfully for decades, and my father had died doing it.

“We lost a lot of strong bloodlines that day,” Tobias said.

What day?

Twenty years ago, my father and his squadron had died. Were those the bloodlines he was referring to?

“A sacrifice I had to make to keep our pack safe,” Kildaire snapped.

I’d always known Kildaire gave the order that sent my father to his death, but it was different hearing him say it. A sacrifice to defend our pack—I’d always thought of it as such, but Kildaire’s words didn’t feel honorable.

I stood still, taut like a bowstring, waiting for them to speak again, but they remained quiet. The commune was waking and starting their morning routines. I couldn’t hang around any longer.

I returned to my cabin, but despite being awake all night, I knew I wouldn’t sleep. I didn’t know what to make of the conversation or Kildaire’s obsession with strengthening the pack. My father’s death had indeed been a sacrifice in the line of duty, but something about the way Kildaire said it didn’t sit right with me.

I knew one thing for sure—I wouldn’t find any answers here.

I packed my bag quickly, eager to get on the road. I’d head down to Delta Springs, and maybe Frankie could shed some light on the situation.