Chapter 204

Chapter 204: Chapter 204

Dron didn’t like the way people kept looking at him.

It had started sometime during the first half of the day but continued even as they made their way to the last leg of the journey.

Every time there was a problem, someone came to him. When one of the humans collapsed from the heat, they came to Dron. When a group argued about whether they should stop and rest, they came to Dron. When one of the creatures attacked and four people were killed, everyone turned to Dron as if he somehow knew what the hell they were supposed to do next.

He didn’t.

Dron knew how to lead soldiers. Give him a mission, a destination and a group of trained fighters and he could get them there. He understood formations. He understood combat. He knew how to assess an enemy and decide the best way to kill them before they killed him.

This was different.

These weren’t soldiers.

There were children walking among them. Injured humans. Skoq. Betas. People who had never held a weapon in their lives mixed in with alphas who had probably killed more people than they could remember. Some were hungry. Some were injured. Most of them had lost someone within the last few days.

And for some reason, they kept looking at Dron.

"Dron."

He looked over.

Kraznek was staring at him.

"What?"

"I asked if you want the stronger alphas to move toward the rear. The group is stretching too far apart."

Dron glanced behind him.

Moon Goddess.

There were even more people than there had been the last time he looked.

"Yes. Move some to the rear. Keep enough along the sides that we aren’t exposed."

Kraznek nodded and immediately left.

No argument.

No questioning.

That bothered Dron more than it should have.

He continued walking.

Tempest had moved ahead with Mexyn some time ago. Dron had allowed it only because he could still see her. Every few moments his eyes found her without him even trying. She was there. Safe. Walking.

Apparently, asking her every few breaths if she was all right was irritating her.

Dron didn’t understand why.

She was clearly uncomfortable.

He could feel it through their bond even if she refused to admit it.

There was something else there too, something warm and restless that Dron recognized even if he was trying very hard not to acknowledge it while surrounded by nearly two hundred people.

Her heat was coming.

Of course it was.

Because apparently the Moon Goddess found his life amusing.

"Dron!"

He closed his eyes briefly.

What now?

A beta hurried toward him from the left side of the group. "There are several people asking if we stop when the suns lower or continue until we reach the settlement."

Dron looked toward the horizon.

They were close.

At least he believed they were.

The landscape had started looking familiar several hours earlier. If they stopped now, they would lose more time and more supplies.

"We continue."

The beta nodded.

Dron caught his arm before he could leave.

"You don’t have to ask me everything."

The beta looked confused.

"Who should we ask?"

Dron opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

The beta waited.

Dron released him.

"Continue until we reach the settlement."

"Yes, Mark Chief."

The male hurried away.

Dron groaned.

Rynax appeared beside him as if summoned by his misery.

"You look terrible."

"Go away."

"I would, but apparently you have become important."

Dron glared at him.

Rynax smiled.

"You should try looking less angry. These people are frightened enough."

"I am not their leader."

Rynax glanced behind them.

Dron didn’t need to look to know what he was seeing.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Rynax."

"I merely find it interesting that the male who is not their leader has spent the entire journey deciding when they eat, when they rest, where the fighters stand, who carries the injured and what direction everyone walks."

Dron stared at him.

Rynax lifted his hands. "But you are absolutely correct. Clearly, they are following someone else."

Dron wanted to hit him.

Instead he kept walking.

His bigger concern was Tine.

The last time Dron had left her settlement, he’d departed with only a small group and an agreement that he would return. Tine had provided resources because she believed he and Tempest could help her people.

Dron was about to repay her generosity by arriving with enough people to empty her food stores in a short time.

He could already imagine her reaction.

She was going to be furious.

Dron had spent the last several hours trying to figure out exactly how he was going to explain it.

The humans needed somewhere safe to recover.

Crilium’s stronghold had been destroyed.

They had injured people who needed shelter.

Dron could send hunters out immediately. He could organize rationing. His alphas could sleep outside if there wasn’t enough space.

It would only be temporary.

At least, he hoped it would.

He was still organizing his argument when the settlement appeared in the distance.

Relief traveled through the group like a wave.

People started calling out.

Some walked faster.

Dron didn’t.

His stomach tightened.

"Moon Goddess."

Tempest had returned to his side.

"What?"

"Tine is going to kill me."

Tempest laughed.

"I’m serious."

"You didn’t invite everyone."

"I am leading them directly to her home."

"Technically, it’s a settlement."

"That makes it worse."

Tempest slipped her hand into his.

Dron looked down at their joined hands before squeezing hers.

Whatever happened, they would deal with it.

Together.

It was deep in the night when they approached, Dron noticed figures gathered near the entrance.

Then he saw her.

Tine stood directly in the middle.

Waiting.

Dron’s steps slowed.

She didn’t look surprised.

That was the first thing he noticed.

She could clearly see the enormous group behind him, but there was no confusion on her face.

No anger either.

Dron didn’t know if that was better or worse.

"Tine."

"Dron."

Her gaze moved past him.

Dron cleared his throat.

"There was an attack."

"I assumed something happened."

"The human settlement was attacked first. Crilium’s stronghold as well. We lost people. A lot of people."

Tine’s expression hardened, but she remained silent.

"The survivors couldn’t stay there. We need somewhere secure until we decide what to do next. I know this is more people than you expected, and I know you don’t have unlimited food or housing, but if you can temporarily take everyone in, I can organize hunting parties. My alphas can stay outside the settlement and we can ration the supplies until..."

"Dron."

He stopped.

Tine looked irritated now.

There it was.

"I understand this is a lot to ask."

"Stop talking."

Tempest made a strange choking sound beside him.

Dron looked at her.

She was trying not to laugh.

This wasn’t funny.

Tine walked past him.

Dron turned as she surveyed the people still approaching.

Humans.

Alphas.

Skoq.

Thraqens.

Crilium’s fighters.

Families.

Survivors.

People who had joined along the way for reasons Dron still didn’t completely understand.

Tine smiled.

Dron frowned.

"What?"

"I’ve been waiting for you."

"You knew I was coming?"

"No."

That made even less sense.

Tine turned toward him. "I’ve been waiting for you to understand."

"Understand what?"

"That you weren’t going back to Thraqe and quietly returning to your old life."

Dron stiffened.

"You were still thinking about it when you left here. You wanted your mate. You wanted answers. You wanted to finish the mission you were given and somehow find a way to put everything back where it belonged."

Dron glanced at Tempest.

He hated how accurate Tine was.

"I told you before, Dron. There are too many people who are tired of living the way the High Royals demand."

"I remember."

"But you still thought we were scattered groups."

Tine gestured toward the crowd.

"Look."

"I have looked. We have nearly two hundred people who need food, shelter and medical care."

"No. That is what you keep seeing."

Dron frowned.

"What am I supposed to see?"

Tine stared at him as if the answer should have been obvious.

"An army."

Dron went silent.

His gaze traveled over the crowd again.

This time he forced himself to really look.

Kraznek was organizing the alphas without being asked.

Gerax was moving among the injured with several humans helping him.

Aliq was speaking to a group Dron didn’t recognize. Crilium had already started separating his fighters from the civilians while Rynax directed another group toward the supplies they had carried from the destroyed settlements.

They were different.

All of them.

Some had probably hated each other only days earlier.

Now they moved together.

Not perfectly.

Not yet.

But together.

"This isn’t an army," Dron said.

"Not yet."

Tine smiled.

Something cold moved through Dron’s stomach.

He had spent his entire life surrounded by military forces. He knew exactly what an army looked like.

Training could be taught.

Formations could be learned.

Weapons could be made.

What couldn’t be manufactured was a reason to fight.

Every person behind him already had one.

Dron looked at Tempest.

She was staring at the crowd too.

Her eyes widened as if she had reached the same realization.

Tine stepped closer.

"So, Mark Chief, what do you need?"

Dron almost corrected her.

Almost told her he wasn’t the leader of these people.

Then someone behind him called his name, asking where the injured should go.

Another voice followed.

Then another.

Dron looked at Tine.

She raised one eyebrow.

Fine.

He would deal with whatever the hell this was later.

Right now, people needed him.

"We need fighters," Dron said.

Tine nodded.

"More than I have now. If the High Royals discover what is happening, they won’t send a small force."

"No, they won’t."

"We need supplies. Food. Water. Weapons. Medicine. Gerax will need somewhere to treat the injured."

"Done."

Dron blinked.

"And I need a way back into Thraqe."

That made Tine pause.

Tempest’s fingers tightened around his.

Dron continued.

"I need routes that aren’t monitored by the Royal military. Crilium knows some. Rynax knows trade routes, but that won’t be enough if we’re moving this many people. We need information about Royal forces, checkpoints and who might be willing to stand with us once we get there."

Tine’s smile slowly disappeared.

For the first time since they arrived, she looked completely serious.

Dron felt the weight of what he had just said.

This was no longer about hiding humans.

It wasn’t about helping one Poor-class family.

It wasn’t even about protecting Tempest.

The High Royals had lied to their people.

They had sent soldiers into Skoq based on those lies. They had planned to clear land for humans they intended to control. People had died. Settlements had burned.

Running wasn’t going to fix any of it.

Dron was tired of running.

Apparently, so was everyone else.

He looked back one final time.

Nearly two hundred people had followed him through the desert.

Maybe Tine was right.

Maybe this was the beginning of something.

"What happens now?" Tempest asked softly.

Tine looked at Dron.

Dron met her gaze.

"We prepare."

Tine’s mouth curved into a slow smile.

"Then we finally go to war."