The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 61: Bowed by The Alpha

Chapter 61: Bowed by The Alpha

The forest was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint glimmer of stars and the moon’s soft glow to light the way.

The leaves rustled softly in the cool night breeze, creating an eerie whispering sound that seemed to echo through the trees.

The entourage had settled down near a stream. Following the incident of the wolves’ attack, the commander ordered his men to descend the alternative path to the valley.

As the night wore on, the campfire flickered dimly in the darkness. The sound of wood crackling and popping filled the night’s air.

The knights gathered around the blazing flames, their features obscured by the dancing shadows.

Among them sat Rafe, the only one who got hurt in the aftermath, his head swathed in bandages.

The healer closed his eyes as he sought warmth from the campfire. He then asked Ayden for a drink of water.

"Here, take mine."

Eric, who sat next to him, handed him his waterskin. Rafe promptly took it, opened the lid, and poured the contents into his mouth, quenching his thirst.

"How’s your head so far? That was quite a blow you took," said the knight with genuine concern.

Despite their constant quarrelling, it was clear to all within the knighthood that they shared a close bond.

"It’s fine and still usable as usual. No cracking skull or fractures. Ayden was just making a fuss to bandage my head," answered Rafe sarcastically.

"Yeah... Hearing your reply, I can sense that the knock still doesn’t repair your brain," teased Eric.

"Do you have to pick up on me at this moment? You surely have no empathy!" Rafe pouted as he glared at the knight.

"All right, all right! I take it back. My bad. Let’s not fight tonight. At least not until you recover. Anyway, you’re lucky the wolf retreated. Otherwise, you would’ve become its meal," said Eric nonchalantly.

"I was unconscious after the fall. Luckily, nothing bad happened. Did the commander knock down the grey wolf?" asked the healer.

"No. We were besieged by the rest of the wolf pack. I think there were around twenty of them in total. Somehow, they suddenly just ran off," Eli intervened.

"Huh, that’s weird. Didn’t you guys see the grey wolf that attacked us? It was so huge! I’ve never seen a wolf as big as that before," Rafe responded.

"The grey one? Yes. I had seen it from a distance. You’re right. It’s the biggest of them all. I think that’s the alpha," said Luke.

"The alpha doesn’t go around attacking the weak. It would’ve challenged the strongest in our team," countered Alex.

"However, it was strange for them to just run away like that. They were attacking ferociously before. Don’t you think so?" asked Eli.

"Yes, it was. I saw it too. The grey wolf was the biggest. The strongest and fiercest will become the alpha in a pack of wolves. I think Sir Parker is right," replied Damon.

"Then, why would an alpha go attacking them? It didn’t make any sense. The three of them, especially the lady, are the weakest in our team," said Drystan.

Hearing the knight’s statement, Ayden gulped. He had not told them what he had witnessed during the incident until now.

The assistant healer had been keeping to himself after treating the commander’s wife and the healer, which was unusual for him. Noticing his silence, Eric became curious.

"You’re exceptionally quiet tonight, Ayden. What’s got into you?"

Out of all the Knights of Gerhard, only Eric and Garin addressed the healer and the assistant healer by their first names. The two held high positions in the knighthood, of which the first served as the second-in-command knight and the latter as the third in rank.

Ayden’s wandering thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Eric’s question. Startled, he turned his head to face his companions, who all seemed to be staring at him.

Rafe inquired, "Is something troubling you?"

The assistant healer sighed.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the flickering orange flames of the campfire mirrored in his eyes.

"Why are you giving up before even trying?" Eric sneered at Ayden.

"What is it? You were quiet after attending to the lady. Is she getting worse?" Rafe asked with interest.

"No. She woke up a while ago after fainting. She was just shocked to see the commander covered in blood. She had never seen him in battle before, so she was scared," Ayden explained.

"So, what’s on your mind? Knowing you, you won’t keep anything away from me," Rafe questioned.

Ayden sighed again, this time longer.

"Can I speak to both of you privately?" he finally asked Eric and the healer.

"Hey.... Come on! Why keep the secret from us? We want to know, too," Luke raised his voice to him.

"It doesn’t concern you! Besides, you’ll only make fun of me!" said the assistant healer as he stood up and moved away from the crowd.

"Fine!" Luke clicked his tongue, and the rest of the knights continued their conversation.

Eric and Rafe trailed behind Ayden, who eventually stopped under a tree by the stream, a safe distance from the camp.

The knight directed his attention to the assistant healer and asked, "What is it?"

Meanwhile, Rafe adjusted his robe as the wind tousled his unkempt grey hair. Although he previously fainted from the wolf attack, his injury was not severe. He only sustained a head wound and experienced dizziness after waking up.

"Don’t you find it weird that the wolves suddenly retreated?" Ayden began their talk with a question.

"Somewhat," Eric confided. "I heard the alpha’s howl, summoning its pack. Maybe they were scared of our aggressive retaliation and defence."

The assistant healer vehemently shook his head. "That’s not what happened! They didn’t retreat because of you but because of her!"

Rafe squinted his eyes at Ayden’s words and asked, "Her? The lady? How come?"

"When you fell unconsciously, the grey wolf approached us. I thought it was going to swallow me and the lady! But she shouted at it, telling the wolf not to harm us. Then, I saw it with my own eyes! The wolf bowed to her!" Ayden earnestly told them as he recounted the alarming incident.

"A wolf bowing to a human? Ridiculous! You must have been delusional for being scared of it," scoffed Eric at the idea.

"No, Sir Navin! I’m perfectly aware of what happened! She told the wolf to leave, and it backed off immediately with its pack!" the assistant healer insisted.

"You’re not making this up, aren’t you?" Rafe inquired.

Ayden exhaled a breath.

"Do I look like I’m joking or something?" He glared at them as he put his hands on his waist.

"It doesn’t make any sense!" Eric grunted.

"I know! But... Anyway, Mr Amares, do you remember what you said during the last dinner?" the assistant healer turned to Rafe.

"About what?" The healer curved his eyebrows.

"About the direct descendants of the Ro’an Emperor. Could it be that she is one of them?" guessed Ayden.

"I heard you talked about it. She didn’t match their features. Besides, she’s too fragile. There’s no way she is," Eric countered, shaking his head.

"So you heard us, huh? I had that thought too at first. But then, I ditched it. She must be brilliant and strong-willed to learn the Ro’an language that fast," said Rafe.

"Well... she is a determined person despite her frailty," Ayden looked down, reflecting on the Laradie plague incident. He had seen the lady’s persistence in aiding the case’s resolution.

"Still, I think she is more than what we see. I guess the commander knows but didn’t want to tell us," Rafe added.

"You do?" the assistant healer flung back a question to him.

The healer nodded lightly and said, "He didn’t seem surprised that the lady’s blood is the cure for the plague. He surely knows something."

"I expected it. The lady is not an ordinary person. She’s not a common slave like Sir Jarr thought. But I haven’t figured it out. That’s why I keep quiet," stated Eric.

"However, that still doesn’t clarify what I witnessed! It’s perplexing how someone as delicate as her could overpower a robust animal without lifting a hand. Even Max didn’t react aggressively towards her, which is unusual for him. Only the descendants of the Ro’an Emperor have that kind of magical abilities," added Ayden.

"Are you really sure about this, Ayden?" Eric asked him again.

"I swear to God she did!" the assistant healer earnestly insisted.

’Crack!’

A branch suddenly snapped, making the three men stop discussing and turn their heads. Damon approached them shortly afterwards.

"Forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but the commander called you, Sir Navin. He wants to speak to you immediately," reported the knight.

"All right." The second-in-command knight nodded and looked at the other two men.

"We’ll talk about this again later," he told them as he began to leave and walk to the commander’s tent.

All of them dispersed at his words and returned to the campfire.

***

"Yes, commander."

As Eric approached Kyren, standing outside his tent, he bowed respectfully.

"How is the lady faring? Ayden mentioned she fainted from shock," he inquired.

"Indeed, she was. She’s sleeping right now," replied the grand duke.

"Thank goodness she was spared from the attack," Eric responded.

"Yes. But, as you know, she’s not fit to travel by horse. It has affected her condition greatly. We need to change the transportation method and the journey’s course," explained Kyren.

"How do you want it to be? Right now, we’re in the middle of the forest, and we don’t have any other transportation than the horses," the knight said.

Kyren pondered for a moment.

"How about I search for a nearby village and see if we can get a carriage?" Eric then suggested.

The commander shook his head.

"I’m worried that if it gets dark during the journey, she might experience a panic attack again. A short trip would be fine, but I don’t want to risk her health during the long travel," he expressed his concern.

Kyren glanced over at the stream near the camp. The gentle sound of the flowing water provided a soothing and peaceful ambience throughout the night.

"How wide is the stream?" he suddenly asked, eyes looking in its direction.

"Sir Mills went scouting this area and reported that it’s pretty wide and gets larger to the west," replied Eric.

"Open the map," Kyren ordered him.

The knight promptly grabbed a nearby torch, retrieved a map from his hip bag’s scroll case, and presented it to the commander.

Kyren carefully examined the parchment, illuminated by Eric’s light. His eyes squinted in concentration.

"We’re here now."

The commander indicated a particular spot, to which Eric concurred. Kyren traced his finger down the stream path, eventually pointing to a confluence.

"We’re currently near a tributary that connects to the main river," he explained.

"The main river stretches far and has a few settlements along the bank. This suggests the presence of a water transport jetty. If travelling by land becomes difficult for the lady, we can opt for water transport," Eric exclaimed enthusiastically.

Kyren wore a smug smirk on his face.

"You read my mind, Eric. From the river, we will travel through the sea and reach Port Braska, right in the capital," said Kyren, pointing towards a marked port in Gantz.

"Excellent plan, commander! But the journey will be longer as we must travel around the cape. We’ll be delayed. Is His Majesty all right with it?" asked Eric.

"His Majesty will have to be patient if he wishes to meet my wife," Kyren uttered.

"Tomorrow morning, send two knights to search for the closest jetty. Arrange for a mode of water transport and get a carriage from there to here. Bring my insignia badge and announce to the provider that this is an order from the Grand Duke of Gerhard. Once everything is settled, dispatch two knights by land to notify the palace in advance of the delay," he instructed.

"Yes, commander. I will proceed at dusk," obeyed the knight.

"Good. Brief our men immediately," he ordered.

"Will do." Eric nodded.

The knight’s call interrupted Kyren’s steps just as he was about to turn around.

"What is it?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Ayden told me something... about the lady." A curious expression was written on Eric’s face.

"What about her?"

"Before I tell you, can I ask you something?" The knight looked at him with determined eyes.

"What?"

"Lady Anna Raychard... Who is she, Commander?"

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