The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 124

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The road into wraithborne–1

(Caius)

Isla didn’t look back.

I noticed it before anything else. Not once after Ashcrest disappeared behind the trees did her attention shift over her shoulder. She kept her eyes on the road ahead, one hand steady on the reins, her posture straight in the saddle. She looked like she belonged beside me.

That mattered.

She had asked for her own horse, and I had given it to her because the request was more than a request. It was a statement, one made in front of the pack that had spent years watching her walk behind everyone else. She wasn’t leaving Ashcrest behind my back or under my protection. She was riding out beside me.

The road stretched ahead through the trees, colder now that the sun had moved lower. Zeron rode at the front with two warriors, keeping the pace even. Pryor rode behind us with the

sealed records secured in a leather case. The rest of the formation moved around us in

silence.

No one spoke for the first mile.

There was no need.

Ashcrest was behind us, and every hoofbeat carried us farther from it. The trees grew denser,

the road narrowed, and the air lost the scent of old stone and pack grounds. I felt the difference through the bond before I saw it on Isla’s face. She breathed deeper.

I looked at her without turning my head fully. “Do you want to stop?”

Her eyes stayed forward. “No.”

“We can if you need to.”

“I know.”

That answer told me enough. She wasn’t refusing because she thought stopping meant weakness. She was refusing because stopping between Ashcrest and Wraithborne wasn’t

what she wanted. I understood that before she said anything else.

A few moments passed before she spoke again. “I don’t want to stop between there and

home.”

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<The road into wraithborne–1

Home.

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The word moved through me with more force than I expected. She said it calmly, like it belonged in her mouth now. Not Wraithborne. Not your territory. Home.

Vorak stirred beneath my skin but didn’t speak.

Good.

Some moments didn’t need his voice inside them.

I kept my eyes on the road. “Then we won’t stop unless you ask.”

“I won’t ask.”

“I know.”

She looked at me then, and the corner of her mouth moved slightly. “You say that like you

believe me.”

“I do.”

That seemed to satisfy her.

Pryor moved closer after another stretch of road. He waited until I looked toward him before speaking. He had always known when to bring me information. He also knew when to leave

silence alone.

“Final confirmation from the rear escort,” he said. “Ashcrest border is sealed.”

“Exiles?”

“Past the southern line and under external escort.”

“Transfers?”

“Received by the correctional compound.”

“And the new leadership?”

“Installed under crown supervision. First report due in seven days.”

I nodded once. “Good.”

Pryor glanced toward Isla, not in question, only acknowledgment. “The records are complete.

13

Isla heard him.

273

The road into wraithborne–1

+25 Points

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