Chapter 174

The advisors badmouthing me haven’t seen me yet, hidden as I am behind the brush.

Their words sting me, but they aren’t anything that I haven’t heard before. The advisors might have the king’s ear, but they’ve never been kind to me. So I’m not particularly alarmed by thing insults, more annoyed by the blatant disrespect to Caleb, who has chosen to favor me.

Caleb wouldn’t likely take kindly to these callous remarks against me. No matter what they might plan, there is no way that Caleb would ever cut me out of his life. If he was going to do that, he would have done so by now.

He wouldn’t be pushing back so hard against Annabelle to ensure that I stay around.

So I’m able to brush off most of their words without too much trouble. What stays with me, however, are the things they are saying that Caleb is planning.

Caleb wants to add commoners to the court.

I’m still hurt that he continues to choose Annabelle, even though it hurts me, but I cannot deny that this move by Caleb, an effort to be more inclusive of the everyday person, fills me with pride.

The rebels hate Caleb, thinking he’s trapped up in his golden tower, unwilling to learn of the plights of the common man. He might have been trapped away, but it hasn’t been for any malicious reason. Instead, it’s been ignorance keeping him there.

As the pack leaders were the ones who were supposed to keep him well informed, it is their failing that weakened his perspective on the rest of the world. They were to be his eyes in the packs, but they were purposefully blinding him.

Likely they wanted to protect their fragile pride by keeping the pack’s problems away from the knowledge – and judgement – of the king.

Regardless of their reasons, and regardless if those reasons were good or not, in the end, Caleb is the one who has taken the blame, and now the rebellion wants to overthrow him.

This new action, adding commoners to the court would allow Caleb to have more direct access to his people. This could only be good for everyone, despite what the advisors thought.

I anticipated that Caleb would not take kindly to any interference the advisors might try to make with his plans.

As I am thinking over Caleb and this new choice, one of the advisors notices me through the rose bush.

His face pales at once. “C-consort Harper!”

The other advisors immediately straightens, alarmed.

“I apologize for not making my presence known sooner,” I say, walking around the bushes to join their small group. “But you seemed to be having a riveting conversation that I did not feel necessary to intrude on.”

“Yes, well…”

“We didn’t…”

“If you would…”

As they struggle for words, they steal glances at each other and then at me.

I know I caught them in an embarrassing moment. The things they said about me were unlikely intended to be overheard.

“I’m sorry,” says one of the advisors, the oldest, and bows. “We should not have spoken about you like this. Please don’t tell King Caleb.”

He’s only apologizing to save himself, yet, I have no desire for bloodshed or revenge.

“Maybe be more careful in the future,” I says. “Caleb doesn’t think too highly about loose tongues. You are lucky that I happened upon you and not him.”

“Of course,” says one of the other advisors.

“I also heard you doubt the King’s plan to bring commoners to court,” I say.

“Can you blame us?” says the youngest advisor. “It’s a wild plan that will deeply upset the other members of the court.”

“Unusual it may be, but it will lift Caleb’s reputation among the common people, which he sorely needs,” I say. “The nobility might be unhappy with it, but they will adjust.”

“While the common folk have rebelled against Caleb,” one of the advisors says, “the nobility have remained loyal. It would be in poor taste to throw that back in their face now.”

“But why have they remained loyal?” I ask. “Is it because they are as ignorant as Caleb was about the strife going on beyond the capital walls?”

The advisors look at each other, but I seem to have struck the mark.

“I hope you aren’t planning on standing against Caleb with this decision,” I say.

“No,” the advisors say quickly, each affirming that they would not. “We are Caleb’s advisors. It is our duty to question him and offer advice. But we are all loyal to the crown. We will never stand against our King.”

That answer, at least, satisfies me, and I nod.

With a sigh, one of the advisors says, “Perhaps Caleb needs another Beta to help guide him –”

“No,” I say at once.

Despite what Caleb said, I firmly believe that Tristan is alive out there somewhere. He might be in a bad place as a prisoner, but if he’s alive, we can save him. We can help bring him home.

“We have to accept that Tristan is gone,” says one of the advisors.

“No, we don’t,” I reply.

Everyone seems to be giving up on Tristan, but I never would. He is Caleb’s best friend and Beta. That alone made him worth saving, even if we didn’t also owe him several life debts.

But I don’t care what the advisors say, or what they agree to. No matter what, I would find a way to save Tristan, however I can.

Later, back in my room, Bethany and I sit at the small table. We haven’t truly had a chance to speak since my return, so she asks me to tell her everything that happened during my trip with Caleb.

As I’m explaining, her face goes from frowning to outright grim, especially when I bring up Tristan’s potential fate.

“A Beta is always loyal to his Alpha,” Bethany says. “I hope they know that. If they are trying to get information from him, they will not succeed. He couldn’t tell them anything even if he wanted to. His oath would forbid him from speaking out against Caleb.”

“Surely Samuel knows that,” I say. I just hope it would matter.

Samuel is different now from how I knew him before. He’s colder, crasser. The boy I thought I knew all those years ago would never hurt someone just for the sake of it, but now I’m just not sure.

How hardened must one person be to run a rebellion?

“I want to rescue Tristan,” I say.

Bethany looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “To do that, you would have to travel into rebellion lands, infiltrate their most secret bases, and get the both of you out, all without being recognized.”

“I’m sure there’s got to be some way. Maybe if we bribed enough people?”

“Tristan was much more experienced at this sort of thing that you, and he was captured.”

That is a good point, but I won’t let it stop me. “I won’t give up. Maybe if we could at least narrow down where to find him, then we could develop some kind of plan…”

“Harper, I’m telling you it’s a terrible idea,” Bethany says. “Say you sneak out. What if something happens to you out there? Caleb would raze all of the pack lands to the ground in his search for you.”

“He wouldn’t,” I say.

“I would,” Caleb says from the door.