chapter 57: fox

Elias stood frozen beneath the Alpha's gaze, his heart steady even as he forced his breathing to remain uneven. Every flicker of movement, every shift in posture, was calculated to maintain the illusion.

A fragile Omega.

The Alpha had stepped closer, watching him with an expression Elias couldn't quite place. Amusement? Curiosity? Or something more dangerous?

"You weren't sent here willingly," the Alpha murmured, as if tasting the words on his tongue. "Tell me, Elias, why do you think your parents chose you?"

Elias hesitated, carefully crafting his response. "I—I don't know."

A lie, wrapped in enough uncertainty to be convincing.

The Alpha chuckled, low and knowing. "That's not true."

Elias tensed, eyes flickering up to meet his for the briefest second before darting away again. "I don't—"

"You don't lie very well, little Omega," the Alpha interrupted, taking another step forward.

Elias forced himself to shrink back slightly, letting his fingers twitch at his sides. He had spent years perfecting this act, yet the Alpha was peeling through it with alarming ease.

He had underestimated him.

"I—" Elias swallowed, lowering his gaze again. "They never told me why."

The Alpha tilted his head, watching him with sharp interest. "No? Then tell me what you think."

Elias exhaled softly. "I wasn't… useful to them. They had a daughter, a proper Omega. I wasn't what they needed."

This time, the truth came easily.

The Alpha was silent for a long moment before he hummed, stepping past Elias as though the conversation no longer interested him. "You intrigue me, Elias. Most Omegas would do anything to be in my favor, yet you act as though you want to disappear."

Elias hesitated, then softly replied, "Isn't that what you want, Alpha? For me to stay out of the way?"

The Alpha turned, his smirk returning. "Perhaps."

Elias remained still, waiting. The Alpha was testing him. Probing for weaknesses.

"You remind me of something, Elias," the Alpha mused, as if speaking more to himself than to him. "A fox in a den of wolves. Small. Unassuming. But clever."

Elias swallowed, lowering his head further.

"Foxes are tricky creatures," the Alpha continued. "They survive not through strength, but through wit. They adapt, they deceive, they endure."

A pause.

"Are you a fox, Elias?"

Elias clenched his fingers into his tunic, shaking his head slightly. "No, Alpha."

The Alpha hummed, unconvinced.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, as if deciding something, the Alpha turned back to his table, brushing his fingers over the battle maps. "I have a task for you."

Elias stilled. "A task?"

The Alpha glanced at him. "Since you seem so keen on staying unnoticed, let's see how well you listen. You will observe the soldiers today. Listen to their whispers. Report to me anything interesting."

Elias hesitated. It was another test. Another way to see if he would slip.

"You want me to spy?"

The Alpha chuckled. "Spy is such a harsh word. Call it… paying attention."

Elias shifted. This was dangerous. If he did too well, the Alpha would only become more suspicious. If he failed, he would appear weak—but perhaps that was the better option.

"Yes, Alpha," he murmured, bowing his head.

The Alpha waved a hand dismissively. "Go. And remember, little fox—I'm watching."

Elias's Next Move

Elias walked through the camp, every movement deliberate.

The soldiers paid little attention to him, though some cast wary glances his way. The Omega the Alpha had taken an interest in. That alone was enough to stir quiet gossip.

Elias allowed himself to drift near small clusters of men, listening without appearing to. They spoke of supplies, upcoming patrols, the usual chatter of war. But beneath it, there were murmurs.

Uncertainty.

Fear.

"The Alpha's been restless," one soldier muttered.

"He knows something we don't," another replied. "Something's coming."

Elias tucked the information away, careful to show no outward reaction. He moved on, passing by another group near the training grounds.

"I heard about the Omega," one whispered.

Elias stilled, adjusting his pace to seem casual.

"Strange one, isn't he?"

"Too quiet. Not like the others."

"He's hiding something."

Elias forced his steps to remain even. He had known there would be rumors, but hearing them confirmed was unsettling.

Still, this was valuable.

If the soldiers were suspicious of him, it meant they were also distracted. A weakness he could use later.

By midday, Elias had gathered enough information to satisfy the Alpha's test without giving too much away. Now came the harder part—deciding what to report.

The Return to the Alpha

When Elias returned to the war room, the Alpha was waiting, seated in a large chair, sipping from a goblet of wine.

"Well?" the Alpha asked lazily.

Elias bowed his head slightly. "The soldiers are restless."

The Alpha raised a brow. "Restless?"

"They sense something coming," Elias continued carefully. "They don't know what, but they know you do."

The Alpha smirked. "And what do you think?"

Elias hesitated. "I think they're right."

Silence.

Then, to his surprise, the Alpha laughed.

"A clever answer," he mused. "And yet, you tell me nothing I didn't already know."

Elias swallowed, keeping his posture submissive. "I only hear what they say, Alpha."

The Alpha stood, approaching slowly. "Indeed."

He stopped just in front of Elias, studying him closely.

"You passed my test, Elias," the Alpha murmured. "But I wonder… was it because you were careful, or because you're truly as unassuming as you want me to believe?"

Elias remained still. "I don't understand, Alpha."

The Alpha smiled, but there was no kindness in it.

"Of course you don't," he said softly. "But that's the thing about foxes, isn't it? They never let the wolves see them coming."

And with that, he dismissed him, leaving Elias to wonder just how much the Alpha truly saw.