Dark Wolf Unchained: Alpha Rising 3 by Ryan Evans

Author:Ryan Evans [Evans, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Alexander sat atop his horse, riding slightly back from the rest of the group. His flask was at his side, and he was all too aware of its near-emptiness. He’d been acutely aware of his stock ever since the campaign that saw Rikar killed and Valian taken.

Rikar had been one of the last people to know of Alexander’s past, and one of the few that had been his friend despite that knowledge. Now, he was gone, and Alexander was having a hard time banishing the guilt and responsibility he felt over it.

Thinking of the others that had known him throughout his life, Alexander couldn’t think of a single one that was still around. Most had been killed. A few had disappeared so thoroughly that no trace of them was ever found.

In his past life, that usually meant they were dead, but it couldn’t be confirmed. He liked to pretend that some of them had simply gone into hiding and shed their old lives completely. In that fantasy, he imagined that they found the things in life that made them happy, whether it was money, love, or family.

The blind seer knew of his old life, but Alexander hated the man for all he’d foretold, for all the misery he’d promised. Deep down, he knew that the old weasel-kind was just the messenger, but emotion rarely cared about reason. He needed someone to blame for the scars no one could see, and the seer was an easy target.

Alexander reached for his flask, shaking off the line of thought. He knew from experience that the guilt followed closely after the anger, and he wanted to head it off if possible. Even as he thought it, he knew it was impossible. He’d led Valian to the seer, supported the madness with Rikar, and then ridden away with the other Fero House members without looking back. He was so tired of the guilt.

Taking a long pull from the small container, he felt the burn on his tongue and the back of his throat. He felt the warmth filling his gut and radiating out as the spirits worked their way through his body. The stuff tasted horrible, but it was the strongest proof he could find. He was half convinced that it’d eventually eat its way through the bottom of the container, but that changed nothing. It was one of the few things that could touch his constitution as a noble, and he relished the few seconds of numbness he found.

Despite his longing to feel numb, he stuck to the caustic spirits in his flask. He didn’t dare venture down the path of more potent concoctions. Growing up in Krinshir’s criminal underworld, he’d seen what they could do to the best of people. Noble or commoner, it didn’t matter, and he refused to lose himself that way.

His body already shaking off the effects of the alcohol, Alexander put the flask back on his hip. He only had so much for the trip, and he’d already drank most of it.

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