Chapter 9 lexie
I woke to the quiet rustling of movement around the camp.
The early morning air was cool, brushing softly across my skin as dawn slowly crept over the horizon. The sky was still dim, streaked with pale gray clouds and faint hints of pink where the sun was beginning to rise.
Around me, the camp was already stirring.
Soldiers moved through the narrow rows of tents, packing supplies and gathering their weapons. The low murmur of voices mixed with the clatter of armor and the creaking of wooden carts being loaded for travel. It felt strange hearing so much life after the heavy silence that had settled over the camp the night before.
I slowly pushed myself up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
My muscles ached from the long days of travel and fighting. Even my shoulders protested as I stretched, reminding me how little rest any of us had gotten lately.
When I turned my head, my breath caught slightly.
Alastor was still asleep beside me.
His dark hair had fallen across his forehead, slightly messy from the night. The sharp, confident prince I had grown used to seeing was gone in this moment. Instead, he looked peaceful… almost vulnerable.
His chest rose and fell slowly as he breathed.
For a long moment, I just watched him.
It still felt unreal sometimes.
Out of everyone in the world… he was my mate.
Careful not to wake him, I slid out from under the blanket and stood up quietly. The cool air made me shiver slightly as I stretched again.
Running my fingers through my tangled hair, I pulled it up into a messy knot before stepping outside the tent.
The morning breeze greeted me immediately.
Across the camp, Destiny was already awake and moving quickly between the soldiers, giving orders with the calm authority she always carried. A few soldiers hurried to obey her commands while others prepared the train carts that waited near the tracks.
But something about the camp felt different.
The energy was heavier.
The war had taken its toll on all of us.
I walked toward Destiny as she checked a list in her hands.
“Do you have any clothes I can borrow?” I asked quietly. “Mine are still back in demon territory… in my tent.”
Destiny looked up and studied me for a moment before nodding.
“Of course,” she said. “Come with me.”
She led me across the camp to her tent. Inside, she opened a small chest and rummaged through it before pulling out a folded bundle of clothes.
“This should work,” she said, handing them to me.
“Thank you.”
“You can change in here,” she added as she stepped outside. “I’ll wait.”
Once she left, I quickly changed.
The clothes were comfortable—black leggings and a red shirt dress that fell just above my knees. It was simple, but it felt good wearing something clean again after everything we had been through.
When I stepped back outside, the camp was even busier than before.
“That’s all the soldiers being sent home,” Destiny said as I walked over to her.
I followed her gaze toward the long row of train carts waiting on the tracks.
Some of them were filled with supplies.
Others… weren’t.
“Perfect,” a familiar voice said behind us.
I turned just as Alastor walked up.
He looked far more awake now, though his hair was still slightly messy from sleep. His usual commanding presence had already returned.
But the moment his eyes landed on me, something in his expression softened.
“You stole my shirt color,” he said lightly, glancing at my red dress.
I rolled my eyes. “It was the only thing she had.”
He stepped closer, his gaze lingering on me a little longer than necessary.
“It suits you.”
Before I could respond, he gently reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. The simple touch made my chest tighten.
Destiny cleared her throat loudly.
Alastor ignored her.
“I’ll make sure the letters get sent to the families of the soldiers we lost,” he said, lifting the stack of documents in his hands.
“I can help,” I offered.
His expression shifted slightly.
“Destiny will need help loading the soldiers who passed,” he said more quietly. “They deserve to be prepared properly before the journey home.”
I nodded.
Of course they did.
Before walking away, Alastor leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head.
“I’ll be back, little deer,” he murmured.
My face warmed instantly.
“Please stop calling me that,” I groaned.
He just smirked before walking away.
Destiny snorted beside me.
“Oh, he’s never stopping that now.”
I sighed.
Together we walked toward the train carts where several soldiers were carefully lifting the bodies of the fallen.
The atmosphere there was completely silent.
Each soldier moved slowly and respectfully, placing their fallen comrades onto the carts with careful hands.
I helped lift one of the stretchers, my arms straining slightly under the weight.
“I’m glad he finally found his mate,” Destiny said quietly after a while.
I glanced across the camp toward Alastor.
He was speaking with a group of officers, his expression serious again.
“We were starting to think he never would,” she continued.
I looked down at the stretcher.
“Me too,” I admitted softly.
Eventually, the last of the bodies were loaded onto the train.
Destiny and I climbed onto the final cart and sat down on one of the wooden benches.
I let out a long breath.
“These came for you,” Destiny said, pulling a letter from her coat.
She handed it to me.
I opened the envelope and smiled as soon as I saw the handwriting.
I’m glad you found your mate.
I hope we can have a double date soon. I would love to meet him.
Love, Mimsy.
I laughed quietly.
“One of my friends is dying to meet Alastor.”
Destiny chuckled.
“They’re welcome to visit anytime.”
Before I could respond, a sudden gust of wind rushed through the cart.
A second later, Alastor appeared beside me and sat down casually.
“Got the dead loaded up?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
He nodded.
“The train leaves in five minutes.”
Destiny stood up immediately.
“I’ll check the front carts.”
As she walked away, the mood between us shifted.
Alastor looked at me more seriously now.
“They’ve officially declared you a traitor.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
Even though I knew it was coming… hearing it still hurt.
My fingers tightened slightly around the letter.
“I thought they might,” I said quietly.
Alastor turned toward me fully.
“You’re not,” he said firmly.
“But they believe I am.”
His jaw tightened.
“If they come after you,” he said slowly, “they’ll answer to me.”
My chest tightened at the fierce protectiveness in his voice.
“Alastor…”
He reached out and gently placed a hand on my back, rubbing slow circles in an attempt to comfort me.
“You’re under my protection now.”
I looked down at my hands.
“What about my family?” I asked quietly. “And my friends?”
His expression softened instantly.
“We’ll send someone for them,” he said. “They’ll be brought to Glenndehl safely.”
Relief flooded through me so strongly my eyes stung slightly.
“Thank you.”
The loud whistle of the train suddenly echoed across the camp.
The engine rumbled to life beneath us.
Slowly, the train began to move.
I turned toward the window as the camp started sliding away behind us.
The sky stretched wide and beautiful above the world, glowing with soft pink and golden light.
“I never thought the sky could be this clear,” I said softly. “Westen was always dark… and cold.”
Alastor gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured.
I leaned slightly into him without thinking.
The train rolled forward, carrying us farther away from the war behind us.
For a long moment, we just sat there together, watching the sky.
“You know,” Alastor said quietly after a while, “being labeled a traitor might actually work in our favor.”
I looked up at him.
“How?”
He smirked slightly.
“Because now they’ll underestimate you.”
I laughed softly.
“You sound like you’re planning something.”
“Oh, I definitely am.”
I shook my head, smiling.
For the first time in what felt like forever… the future didn’t feel so terrifying.
And as the train carried us toward Glenndehl, with Alastor’s arm still around me, I realized something.
Maybe things really were beginning to change.