Confrontations inside the settlement were forbidden. Everyone knew it. If caught, the punishment wasn't just harsh, it was the kind of thing no one laughed about later. But outside the walls, the rules shifted. The wilds didn't care for laws, and that was where men like Lukas thrived.
He'd been squeezing Andrew and his squad for months now, demanding "protection fees." After all, when Andrew ventured into the trial wilds, who would keep him safe? Who would stop Lukas and his boys from making his life hell? No one. And in the wilds, where real treasures lay buried in blood and risk, no guard would step in.
That was why Andrew and his squad had been avoiding the wilds altogether. It wasn't that the altars were scarce, it was Lukas. And now Lukas had cornered him at last.
"Well, Andrew," Lukas drawled, leaning closer, his hand pressing down on Andrew's shoulder. "You trying to play me?"
