CHAPTER 238: I FOUGHT FOR THEM

Casaio and Dominick arrived at the border, where rows of wolves from their side stood in disciplined formation. The rustling wind the only sound between the two confronting forces.

Across the invisible divide, Luke appeared, flanked by his own pack of wolves, their stances equally firm.

Luke stepped forward. "As per our deal, I have brought Estelle, Casaio Sinclair. However, before you see her, I want clarity on your negotiation terms."

He narrowed his gaze. "If you’ve come expecting me to surrender, then you’re gravely mistaken. Since you’ve uncovered pieces of my past, you should already know, I’ve no interest in forgiveness. My only goal is to bring down every official who silenced me, who kept my petition from ever reaching your Alpha King. Berik is already out of the way. There are five more to go."

"Berik never let your petition reach the Alpha King!?" Casaio frowned.

"Yes. That’s why I used him against you. He was a money-hungry fool. But it wasn’t easy to infiltrate your palace or seek out any major information. Zilia ended up choosing you over me. I must say Gabriel did a wonderful job in taking away Idris right under my watch. He’s the only one, who always intrigues me," Luke remarked with a smirk.

Luke scoffed, the corner of his lips twitching in amusement as he crossed his arms. "You speak like a noble soldier, Casaio. But we both know nobility doesn’t win wars, ruthlessness does."

Dominick’s voice cut through the charged air. "How did someone of omega blood ever rise to the rank of Alpha?"

Luke tilted his head slightly, almost as if pleased by the question. "A fair point," he admitted. "I was adopted. An orphan with no roots. But the family who took me in, they treated me like their own. And when it was my time to repay them, your system, your fucked up administration, left me with empty hands and clipped wings. My family was killed. I had no choice but to rise beyond your hierarchy."

He took a slow step forward, not crossing the border though. "The South was a wasteland to you. While you dined in palaces and polished your ranks, I built the Blood Dominion from dirt and dust. The people there... they chose me. They respect me. They follow me, not because I inherited a title, but because I fought for them."

Luke’s expression turned sharper. "Zilia and Idris were mine. And though Zilia betrayed me, you can have her. She no longer belongs to the Dominion."

Casaio’s jaw clenched as he replied, "You boast about power, but your pride came at the cost of countless innocents. You used Idris, a mere child, as a pawn to break Zilia. You shattered homes just to justify your pain. That’s not strength, Luke, that’s cruelty masked in ambition."

Luke’s expression hardened. "Don’t twist this into a lecture. You want Estelle alive? Then here’s my offer, sign a pact that your King will stay out of my land. I want no interference and no attempts to annex or infiltrate."

Casaio didn’t flinch. "And what about the spies you’ve placed in the capital? Don’t act like we don’t know. This pact will only proceed after a full investigation. Every single threat to my King must be extracted and every informant will be removed. You know well we have the strength to bring you into ruins. So, you have to cooperate too."

The muscle in Luke’s jaw twitched and his fingers curled up. "I thought we would sign the pact today."

Casaio’s eyes narrowed as Luke’s threat lingered in the air like poison.

"It’s not possible," Casaio said firmly. "As I mentioned, a pact of this magnitude isn’t signed in haste. There are protocols. Investigations are made. Accountability is being checked. A lot must be considered before we reach the final agreement."

Luke’s expression darkened. "Then I’ll take Estelle back," he declared, turning slightly as if to walk away. "You can contact me when you’re ready to talk on my terms."

"That’s not what we agreed to," Casaio countered, stepping forward. "Establishing trust was the first condition. You’re supposed to release Estelle now. Only after that can we proceed to the next step, Luke. Without trust, this negotiation will fail before it even begins."

Luke turned back with a mocking smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Trust? From people who never cared for the weak? You speak of trust, Casaio, but I’ve seen how your kingdom operates. You defend a system that let my family die under false accusations. I believed in your officials once, trusted them. And that trust cost me everything."

He took another step forward as his voice laced with fury. "You call me cruel, but it was your king, your administration, that made me this way. I learned betrayal from the best. If you want Estelle back alive, then kill the five officials I name. Only then will I consider releasing her."

Casaio clenched his fists, his features tightening as Luke delivered his final decision.

"The more you delay," Luke warned, "the closer Estelle inches to death. She’s already fighting for her life. Don’t make her sacrifice worthless."

"Did you hurt her?" Casaio took a step forward this time. "You were not supposed to lay a single finger on her."

"Why? Are you scared of losing your beta? Well, you should remember this fear of losing someone. I was at that place once too, where no one cared for the truth. My parents were hanged to death without a proper investigation," Luke said with a dark gaze.

"Luke, name the five officials to whom you approached," Dominick said. "We will proceed with their punishments. Also, it may take some time. Probably by tomorrow we will be done investigating what they did in the past. But you need to trust us. Return Estelle. That’s the best for both side. We don’t want the situation to escalate between us," he affirmed.

"I promise you with my life," Casaio then began, bringing a shock to everyone’s face present there.