I didn’t see Alek Volkov for a couple of days after he proclaimed his loyalty to me. It was unnerving and I didn’t know why. There was something that gnawed uncomfortably and incessantly inside me, calling for one thing— one man to come.
“Business.” Rafail would say when I looked particularly put off at dinners.
I stab the meat in front of me. “He promised to show me the lands.”
Rafail flushed, cheeks as red as the borscht he was eating. “I, uhm, I didn’t know. He’s still handling a few issues around the outer villages.”
“Rouges?” I asked, surprised.
He hesitated, eyes faraway. At that moment, I understood he was speaking with Alek through the mind link, asking permission if I could be told of what his ‘business’ was. “To name a few, Your Highness. The Alpha is still clearing a few
