Alpha Kade returned to the castle as the sun set, his footsteps heavy with an exhaustion that went deeper than the long journey. He entered the fortress, shrugging off his heavy cloak and handing it to a waiting servant without a word. The familiar scents of home did nothing to quiet the chaos in his head. The whispers had grown louder during his journey back to the fortress, phantom voices that clawed at the edges of his mind with increasing persistence.
The business in the outer territories had taken two days longer than planned. Two days of negotiations with the Eastern Alphas, who were beginning to push his limits with their useless negotiations. Two days of maintaining his mask while the voices in his head grew louder. Now, he was standing in his own halls, but it still did not feel like peace.
