The Silver Wolf novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: On Their Knees

On the eleventh day, the Alpha came to the cairn himself.

My stitches had been out for three days.

The scar on my shoulder was a thin pink line, and Cormick had put me on his back twice that morning, which I counted as a win.

I was washing out the bucket at the pump when Hesper said, "Many. All Cedar Fork. The old one leads."

I went up to the stone cairn at the top of the ridge, where Cormick was already standing.

He had the knife on his back.

His hands were empty.

Below us, on the open slope, the whole Cedar Fork patrol stood in a half circle at the boundary line.

There were thirty of them.

Edric Hartwell stood in front, in his tailored grey jacket, with his hands folded.

Alder stood at his shoulder.

Lorelei stood on the other side.

Alder looked terrible.

His skin was grey and damp.

He was leaning on his father's arm, and when he coughed, a thin line of red came onto his lip, and he wiped it away with his wrist.

"Calla," Edric called up. His voice was warm and easy and carried all the way. "Dear girl. We've missed you."

I came down to the last flat stone and stopped there.

"Alpha," I said.

"I'm told you've been hurt."

"I'm fine."

"I'm so glad. When I heard about the incident on the ridge, I was beside myself. My men were told to bring you home, not to harm you. There's been a terrible misunderstanding."

"Your men tried to take me by force."

"My men were overzealous. I've spoken to them." He opened his hands. "Come home, Calla. There'll be a place for you. A real place, not charity. Alder wants you back."

I looked at Alder.

He didn't look at me.

He looked at the ground, and his throat moved.

"Does he?" I said.

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