Chapter 406 Settling dispute

Chapter 406: Chapter 406 Settling dispute

Talia’s POV

I looked at the Stoneclaw wolf. "What is your name?"

"Garrick, Luna."

I nodded. "Garrick, tell me exactly what you saw."

Garrick took a breath. "He took two extra skins of water, Luna. I saw him. And we have been told to ration, so it is not fair to the rest of us."

I looked at the Silver Ridge wolf. "And your name?"

"Roland, Luna." He replied.

"Roland, did you take two extra skins of water?" I asked.

Roland hesitated. Then he shook his head. "No, Luna. I took one extra skin because my wolf has been thirstier than usual, and I did not think it would matter."

I looked at both of them. I could see the weariness in their eyes, and I could see the fear. They were not enemies, they were exhausted, hungry, and scared.

"You are tired," I said. "You are scared, and you are far from home. I understand that because I feel the same way."

Garrick looked at me, and Roland looked at me.

"But you are not enemies," I said. "You are allies. You are family. And family does not fight over water."

I looked at Roland. "Return the extra skin to the stores. If your wolf is thirstier than usual, drink from your own ration, and we will see if we can spare more."

Roland nodded. "Yes, Luna."

I looked at Garrick. "And you will not accuse your allies of betrayal because of a misunderstanding. If you see something that concerns you, bring it to me or to your Alpha. Do not let it fester."

Garrick lowered his head. "Yes, Luna."

I watched them both return to their packs, and then I walked away with Kaelen beside me.

The whispers stopped when I passed, but I could feel their eyes on my back. The silence was heavier than the words had been.

"You handled that well," Kaelen said.

I shook my head. "I am tired of handling things,"

Once the short resting hours were over, we resumed the march, but the tension did not disappear. I felt it in the way the packs looked at each other. I heard it in the whispers that followed me.

That evening, we made camp, and I walked through the camp again. Groups of wolves huddled together, and they stopped talking when I passed. I heard whispers, and I heard the words "Stoneclaw" and "betrayal."

I found Jax and pulled him aside.

"What is happening?" I asked.

Jax hesitated for a moment, then he told me. “Some of the wolves were saying the Stoneclaw Pack had been talking to Malachai’s scouts. While others were saying the Stoneclaw Pack was planning to abandon the alliance when the battle turned.”

My brows furrowed together because I did not believe it. I knew Alpha Stone, he was proud and stubborn, but he was not a traitor.

But I also knew that fear made wolves do strange things.

I called a meeting and gathered Alpha Stone, Alpha Thornwood, and the other pack leaders around a fire.

"I have heard whispers," I said. "Whispers about betrayal, and whispers about the Stoneclaw Pack."

Alpha Stone’s jaw tightened. "That is a lie."

"I know," I said. "But whispers do not stop because we deny them. They stop because we give our wolves no reason to believe them."

Alpha Stone stared at me. Then he nodded slowly.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Keep your wolves close," I said. "Keep them disciplined. And when the battle comes, fight like your honor depends on it, because it does."

Alpha Stone straightened. "We will."

I looked at the other leaders. "And all of you will do the same. No more whispers, and no more suspicion. We are one pack."

The leaders agreed, and they left to speak to their wolves.

I watched them go, and I whispered to myself. "You said what needed to be said. Now you have to believe it."

But when I walked back to Kaelen, I could not shake the feeling that something was still wrong.

That night, I sat with Kaelen by the fire.

"I do not trust this," I said.

"Neither do I," Kaelen replied. "But we cannot force loyalty. We can only prepare for anything."

I looked at him. "What if they betray us?"

"Then we will fight anyway," he said. "We will fight, and we will win, and we will deal with the consequences after."

I nodded, but I did not feel better.

The knot in my stomach remained, and it tightened with every step.

I woke at every crackle of the fire, and every shift of the wolves around me. Each time, I reached for my dagger before I remembered where I was.

The night stretched on, and I watched the stars fade one by one.

The third day began with a gray dawn and a cold wind.

The land was dead now. Completely dead. There was no grass and no trees, just gray earth and gray sky.

I felt the cold in my bones, and I felt the weight of the Ashen Lands pressing down on me. My magic felt weaker here, and I could feel it being pulled, but I did not let it show.

The army moved slower now. The wolves were tired, and they were afraid. But I kept walking because I could not stop.

Then we reached a river.

It was shallow and slow, and the water was dark. I remembered this river from our journey to rescue my mother. We had crossed it before we reached the thin line of earth where the green grass met the dead ground.

"We are close," I said to Kaelen.

He did not speak for a moment. He just looked at the river, and then at me.

Then he nodded. "I know."

We crossed the river carefully, and the army followed. The current was slow but steady, and it pulled at my legs as I walked. The water was cold, and it soaked through my boots, but I did not complain.

We reached the other side, and I stepped onto the dead earth.

The green was gone. The earth was gray and hard. The sky was gray and heavy. And in the distance, across the dead land, I saw them.

Malachai’s army.

They were not moving, they were just standing there, waiting. There were thousands of them, their eyes were black and empty, and I could see that their souls were gone.

I stopped walking, and the army stopped behind me.

I felt a chill run down my spine, but I did not look away.

I had imagined this moment a hundred times, and I had told myself that I was ready. But the reality of it pressed down on my chest, and I could not breathe.

Kaelen took my hand, and I squeezed it, grateful for the warmth it provided.

I looked at the border of the Ashen Lands, and at Malachai’s army in the distance without fear, and I was ready to face them.