scarred by the Alpher, claimed by his touch.

Caidren stood at the center of the courtyard, the morning frost still clinging to the stone beneath his boots.

The soldiers had been assembled in a rough line, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity. They had not been summoned for battle. There was no enemy to face.

But they were about to learn that there was a reckoning.

Caidren let the silence stretch. Let them shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze. He had led men into war for years—he knew the weight of silence. Knew how it could crush a man more effectively than words ever could.

His voice, when it came, was quiet. Cold.

"You believe yourselves warriors."

The men stiffened.

"You think because we wait for battle that you may do as you please. That you may turn your boredom into cruelty. That I will not notice."

No one dared move.

Caidren took a slow step forward, his gaze sweeping over them. "I left this stronghold in your care," he continued. "And you failed."

His voice did not rise. It did not need to.

"You let your discipline slip. You lost control. And worst of all—you thought I would not care."

His eyes locked onto the soldier who had kicked the bucket from Elias's hands days ago. The man's face was pale now, his jaw clenched.

Caidren did not look away.

"You are not children," he said. "You are soldiers. And soldiers obey. They do not lash out in frustration like undisciplined fools. They do not prey on the weak because their hands itch for war."

Still, silence.

Then—

A sharp crack as Caidren's fist slammed into the soldier's jaw.

The man staggered, eyes wide with shock. Blood dripped from his split lip.

Caidren did not let him recover. He grabbed the front of his tunic, dragging him forward until their faces were inches apart.

"You will never disobey me again," he said, voice low and lethal. "You will never lay a hand on something that belongs to me again. Do you understand?"

The soldier swallowed. "Yes, my lord."

Caidren released him with a shove.

His gaze swept the rest of them. "This is your only warning," he said. "If you cannot control yourselves, I will break you myself. Do not test me."

The tension in the air was thick. No one dared breathe too loudly.

Caidren turned on his heel.

The matter was settled.

His men would fall in line.

And Elias—

Caidren shoved the thought aside.

This was not about the boy.

This was about discipline.

Nothing more.

Nothing more.