Chapter 22: The Commander's Shaman II
1100 Words
Kyle glances at the man helping with meal preparations beside him, the one gifted to him by the witch. So far, he has been quietly obedient, waking before dawn every morning along with the other men to train. Kyle can’t tell his age for certain but judging by the gray in his hair and the crow’s feet around his eyes, he would guess him to be of advanced age, possibly even elderly. Nevertheless, the man, who said his name is David, never complains or makes it known how rough the exercise must be on his aging body.
Kyle is also familiar with the name David from the case files he had to memorize months ago before taking on this assignment. The David in the files was a shaman as well, and his age fits. He can’t be certain, though, since this man doesn’t seem to like to talk about himself and has given only vague descriptions of his background. Kyle very badly would like to know if this is the same David and has been considering how to make him feel safe enough to open up.
If David is who he thinks he is, then that would mean that the very same dark witch who placed a curse on the man’s family has been holding him captive for the past twenty years, and Kyle can only imagine what that experience has been like. The trick will be to find a way to distinguish himself from the rest of Alpha Preston’s goons and make David see that he can trust him without blowing his cover. There is a chance that even if this is the same David, he is no longer the same person he was before.
The work Kyle has been doing here, the men who are loyal to him, it could all fall apart if he takes a chance on this David only to discover that he has been sent here as a spy because Alpha Preston suspects that Kyle is not who and what he claims to be. Finally, it occurs to him that if this is the same man as in the files, then his greatest weakness is his family, the family he broke so many rules to protect in the past, despite otherwise being a model werewolf citizen.
“I’ve heard that the girl’s name is Kylie,” Kyle casually mentions, soft enough that only David should hear him.
David can’t help the way his head snaps up and turns to regard the commander working beside him, though he quickly tries to recover, returning his attention to the vegetables he is chopping.
“What girl?” he asks as though he couldn’t care less and is just trying to respond to the small talk the commander is making with him.
It gets tiring, the way this commander seems to always want to chat him up. It was easy with Hazel, who is so used to being alone that she mostly only talks to herself. With these new men, though, people are always curious about him and he struggles to find responses for them that are close enough to the truth that he won’t forget them, but without giving too much away. Hazel said the commander is not what he seems and that he would help, but so far, he just seems like another commander following orders.
“The one people say is gathering an army to stand against Black Moon. The one who wants to be Alpha,” Kyle explains nonchalantly.
David fights to control his reaction to this news. Hazel had told him war was coming and bringing Kylie with it, he had assumed as the mate of some ambitious Alpha, but this is worse than he feared. Then it occurs to him that if Kylie herself is vying for Alpha, then she must have found some way to break the curse and unlock her wolf. He feels conflicted and knows that the commander can know none of that, so he must be careful what he tells him. Unable to think of something to say, he merely grunts in response.
Kyle leans in closer to whisper, “I’ve also heard rumors that her mother was the one mated to Alpha Preston’s brother. They say the girl looks just like her. I met her once, you know. The mother.”
David pauses what he is doing, clutching the knife he has been using to chop carrots and fighting his emotions. Those few sentences make him feel so much. He is relieved to hear that Olivia is alive, for her death is something he has feared all along. He suspected that he might have been taken away from their home to allow Alpha Preston the chance to get to Olivia and assumed that his motive was to get rid of her. On the other hand, it almost seems worse that she ended up with his brother.
“Oh?” is all David manages to say in response, but it is enough.
Kyle saw his true reaction and knows he has hit a nerve with the man. There is only one David he knows of who would respond like that.
“Listen, I know who you are,” Kyle admits to him in a soft whisper, trying to make it seem to anyone observing them that he is just assisting David with his work, demonstrating to him the way he needs it done to feed so many.
David says nothing and resumes his careful chopping in the way Kyle is showing him.
“And I know you have little reason to trust me by confirming or denying what I know, but just know that I’m not what you think I am. I can help you like I helped your wife,” Kyle offers to him. “I am risking everything by trusting you with even that much, but if it helps, Abigail is safe now. Or perhaps you know her as Olivia. Either way, she’s safe. I’m on your side.”
David looks up and meets his gaze for the first time since joining the unit. He doesn’t say anything, but Kyle can see that he feels every bit of what he just told him. David nods once and then looks down again, continuing his work with the vegetables, smiling softly to himself with the realization that his trust in Hazel was not misplaced.
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