"Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light."
― Kamand Kojouri

DARREN'S POV

"If the Brindesey pack accept to be our ally, then the war will probably stop, Alpha."

"I agree. Adrien isn't stupid. He won't pursue a fight he has no chance to win."

Some said that the end of the war between the Ravenstgh pack and the Downhill pack was only a matter of days, weeks at most. There were hardly any battles on the field, it was more a matter of who would get which part of which territory.

Darren was also optimistic about the end of the war, he just hoped it would come soon. Negociating was a delicate and exhausting undertaking. One wrong word, and hostilities could be reignited.

As an Alpha, his main goal was to protect his pack and warriors. That was why Darren had never behaved like a conqueror.

Greed lead to combat, combat meant bloodshed.

Unfortunately, the same could not be told about Adrien, the leader of the Downhill pack. The latter seemed to be bored in peace time, and regularly provoked other packs leaders by claiming territories over which he had no right.

"Are you okay, Alpha?"

He turned to look at Noura, a Beta and very skilled and reliable warrior, who was in charge of training the younger wolves. She bit her lower lip nervously, but spoke up her mind:

"You look a bit distracted. Are you - uh, worry about your mate?"

He nodded, rubbing his tired eyes. Noura hesitated a bit longer, before putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"How is he?"

"A bit better. He woke up a few times, but only for a couple of seconds. Nate said his life isn't in danger."

Nate was an amazing healer. He had spent hours taking care of Kyle, preparing potions and concoctions to prevent his mate's wounds from getting infected, and to lower his fever. Even after Kyle's state had started to stabilize, he had insisted to stay by his side. He and Nate had taken turns to watch over him, although Darren had wanted Nate to rest longer. There was no convincing the stubborn Beta, though.

"Well, that's good news, right?"

"Of course"

"Then why do you wear such a guilty expression?"

He sighed, but did not tell Noura off. Not only was she an excellent warrior, but she also was one of the only members in the pack that Darren felt he could confine in.

"I failed to protect my mate."

"You did what you thought was best. Plus, he is a warrior, Alpha. He's bound to be hurt, more than once." the woman retorted in a stern voice.

It was true that he had done what he had thought was best. Fleeing in opposite directions to escape the Hunters had been Kyle's idea, an idea that made sense since the Beta was incredibly fast. However, as he was running Darren had quickly sensed that something was wrong. He had came back as soon as he could with an injured limb, only to find Kyle completely passed out on the ground and surrounded by the Hunters. They had worn pleased expressions on their faces, looking down at him with the obvious intent to kill him in a painful way.

Darren had seen red at the sight. Theoretically, he shouldn't have been able to take all those Hunters down, especially not in his condition. However, he had been so enraged that it had been an easy business. The men were dead now, and he didn't feel the slightest guilt about it. It was good that Kyle hadn't been awake to see this, though. Death was never a pretty sight, even for someone who witnessed it regularly.

"Those are kind words, Noura, but I don't think I deserve them"

As he could feel that she was about to protest, he quickly added:

"You mentioned someone wanting to talk to me?"

"Yes, Alpha. Someone from the Downhill pack."

He straightened up at that. Was Adrien finally admitting defeat? But then he should have come in person, not send a messenger. What if it was a trick?

"Let them in, but make sure they are unarmed" he eventually ordered.

"I don't think this precaution is necessary, Alpha" Noura replied, bowing slightly before exiting the event.

He only felt mild irritation at Noura's reply. The woman wasn't usually one to discuss his orders. Why would she think making sure their enemy came unarmed was unnecessary?

He had his answer a few seconds later.

"Good morning, sir."

Well, he had not known what to expect, but certainly not for his visitor to be 5 years old at most.

"Who are you, pup?" he gently asked.

"My name is Miléna, sir. I wanted to see my friend Marshmallow, but the lady said he was sleeping."

He looked down at her, at loss for words.

"Marshmallow?"

"I call him Marshmallow. He said his name is Casper." she said with a bright smile.

Maybe he should call Nate. Nate was much better at interacting with children than he was. Children were confusing, and definitely too clever and observant for their own good. They also had no filter, and made the big scary Alpha uncomfortable.

"I don't know any Casper" he declared carefully.

She laughed. "Of course not, silly! Casper is a ghost!" She resumed with a more serious tone. "I guess you call him Kyle. I think Marshmallow suits him better, though. He is really nice, like a marshmallow."

Suddenly, Darren remembered Kyle mentionning a girl named Miléna to his dead mother. He smiled fondly at her. That was certainly sweet, and she was right that the nickname suited Kyle. It didn't matter if she was from an enemy pack. She was a child, and she had shown kindness to his mate.

As if she could read his thoughts, the little girl added:

"I am Kyle's friend. Are you Kyle's friend, too?"

"I - I used to be. I guess I am."

He wanted to be. Even before what had happened on that night, he and Nate hadn't been the friends they had sworn to always be to Kyle. How could have they been blind to the point of not seeing that his uncle was treating him very poorly?

Sure, part of the explanation was the discovery of their bond. When you found your mate, the rest of the world tended to disappear, and teenagers were more strongly affected than adults by the link. Still, they had left Kyle to suffer alone, and he couldn't forgive himself for their previous lack of care.

"Kyle is very sad" Miléna whispered.

"I know he is" he whispered back.

They stayed silent for a short moment, both lost in their own thoughts before Darren resumed: " Miléna, you know it's not safe to wander in the woods alone."

Her cheeks flushed and she looked down at her foots for a few seconds, before raising her head and declaring with the confidence of someone on a mission:

"I know, but I had to give Kyle the pills."

Darren immediately tensed up at the words, but tried not to let his concern show too much on his face.

"Which pills, Miléna?"

"The pills his friend told me to give him. I think they are candies."

"May I see them?"

She hesitated a bit but eventually nodded, pulling out a tiny flask from her pocket and handing it to Darren. The Alpha took it and briefly looked at the violet pills inside. He wasn't sure what they were exactly, but without a doubt they weren't candies. He would need to ask Nate for confirmation, but they looked like Ambosius, a very deadly and illegal poison.

The child started to rock from one foot to another. She looked anxious, Darren thought. She can tell I'm upset.

"Thank you for telling me this, Miléna", he said sincerely, and she beamed. "Can you tell me who was this friend who gave you the pills?"

"Yes, Sir. His name is Alex. He said Kyle was sick and that I could help him by asking my dad for the violet pills. He said my dad would agree because he was a good friend of Alex."

"And who is your dad?"

"He is the Alpha of our pack." she replied proudly. "Alex also told me to never put those pills in my mouth, because they're not for children" She shrugged, looking a bit sad: "I could not open the bottle anyways".

That was his confirmation that the pills were dangerous. He would have never expected Alex to do such an horrible thing, but then again, he didn't know the werewolf very well. He was a secretive kind of guy, a bit more talkative than Kyle, but still very quiet.

Feeling anger threatening to overcome him, he forced himself to take a deep breath. He had to have the pills analyzed first, before making a decision.

"Miléna, listen to me closely. Those pills are very dangerous, and I will make sure Kyle never eat them. Now, I will ask Noura to take you back to your camp, because it's not safe for you to be alone in the forest."

"Could you tell Kyle that I came to visit him, Sir?"

He smiled. "I will. When the war is finished, you will be able to see him more often."

"Yay! I can't wait for the war to be over." she exclaimed happily.

"Me too, Miléna. Me too."

He called Noura, and asked her to walk the little girl home. The warrior nodded happily, and extended her hand to the child, who took it without a second thought.

Darren waited until the two were out of sight, before closing his eyes. If he was right about the pills, he would have to confront Alex about it. That couldn't be pleasant. He wasn't sure how he himself would react to someone trying to kill his mate, and the fact that Alex had pretended to be Kyle's friend only made it worst.

Poor Kyle. Alex had been his only friend in the last few years. How was he going to react to the news? Darren grimaced darkly, his anxiety growing. This was going to be a serious blow, and there was no doubt Kyle would need all the affection Nate and himself could give him. All he could do was promise himself that this time, he would not fail Kyle.

But first of all, he needed to talk to Nate.