Rejected and Claimed by her Alpha Triplets

Chapter 316- whole pack

316

~Fridolf’s POV

I limped back to the hut, my foot dragging on the wet grass, just to perfect my act as an old man. It was getting more fun.

I leaned against the wooden wall, closing my eyes for a moment. "Think, Fridolf... think. You can’t die here. Not now. Not yet."

I opened my eyes and looked around the hut. Broken jars, dried herbs, and piles of old papers littered the floor. The smell of something earthy and bitter hit me. I looked through his place, and that’s how I got my hands on his journal. Maybe it had something useful.

I looked through it, and it contained various herbs and their uses.

"Good... good..." I whispered to myself. "If I can just find the right one... this wound..." My hand traced the page that described a herb to stop bleeding and ease pain.

I jumped up, searching the hut. My hands trembled as I grabbed a small pouch, dipping into it to find the dried leaves I needed. "This should work... yes... this should work," I muttered, preparing the poultice. I pressed it against the wound. Pain flared, but then... slowly, it dulled. Relief washed over me, and I let out a shaky laugh.

But then my eyes caught something else. A thin, yellowed document tucked under a pile of papers. I pulled it out. At first glance, it looked like a list, names, places, and small notes next to them. I squinted. "What is this?"

I scanned it. My heart skipped. "No... no way..." I muttered under my breath. The palace... it was there. And the names next to it, herbs, shipments, times. The old man had been supplying the palace with herbs.

I sank onto the floor, staring at the document like it was a treasure. "This... this could be it. This is the way in... the way in I’ve been looking for." My fingers shook as I traced the names. "All this time... I didn’t need brute force. I just needed to... become him."

I leaned back, laughing softly, almost crazed. "I can do it. I can act like him. No one... no one will know it’s me. Not if I wear the old man’s cloak, not if I use his herbs... his methods..." My chest rose and fell quickly. The adrenaline was addictive.

I sat there, imagining the palace. The guards, the halls, the faces of those I wanted answers from. "And tonight... tonight I start planning. I can get close... closer than anyone ever imagined."

I read through the ledger again, whispering each line as if it were a spell. "To the east wing... Tuesday... a handful of nightbloom...supplies for the healer. Yes... Yes, this is perfect." I could feel a smile stretching across my face, my mind racing with possibilities.

Then I paused. Fear crept in. "But... what if someone recognizes me? What if someone...?" My voice faltered. I gripped the document tightly. "No. No... I can do this. I have to. I will."

I got up and moved toward the small mirror in the corner. My reflection stared back, dirty, bruised, and worn. But I imagined it differently... gray hair, bent posture, cane in hand... just like the old man. "They’ll never guess it’s me," I whispered. "I’ll be invisible. Untouchable."

I sat by the fire, ledger in hand, reading, planning, whispering to myself. Every name, every time, every herb... I memorized it. "I’ll need to know the old man’s habits, his voice... his pace. Yes... yes... I can do it."

Hours passed. The hut grew colder. I wrapped my cloak tighter around me, still muttering. "If I can get in... just in once... I can see everything. Every secret... every weakness..." My hands trembled, and I laughed softly.

I spent the evening practicing. I mimicked the way an old man walks, his stoop, the way he shuffled his feet. "Slow... calm... weak... harmless." I tested my voice, soft, trembling. "Yes... this... this could work. I could fool them all."

By midnight, I had a plan.

I went to bed, exhaustion hitting me, but my mind raced. Sleep didn’t last long. I kept turning over the ledger in my hands, tracing names, memorizing patterns. I couldn’t wait. I wouldn’t wait.

Morning came, and I moved as quietly as a shadow. I gathered the herbs I would need, the old man’s cloak, the journal, everything. I looked at myself in the mirror. "This is it... Fridolf."

I took a deep breath, my heart hammering in my chest. The palace gates loomed ahead, tall and imposing, but the ledger had shown me the way. I bent my back a little, muttering under my breath, "Slow... weak... harmless..."

The guard at the gate squinted at me. "You there... what’s your business?"

I coughed, hunched over my cane, shoving the herbs carefully in the basket in front of me. "Ah... ah... deliveries... herbs... for... the palace," I said, voice trembling.

The guard looked me over. Gray hair, old coat, shaking hands. "Hmm... alright. Go on, old man."

I swallowed, barely daring to breathe, and shuffled past. My heart was racing, but my face stayed calm... weak... harmless.

Inside, the palace smelled different, clean, sharp, and a little... alive. I gripped the basket tighter and muttered to myself, "Stay calm... stay calm..."

Finally, I reached the clinic. I knocked softly on the door.

"Enter!" a sharp voice called.

I stepped in slowly. The healer’s eyes snapped to me immediately, narrowing. "You’re two days late!" he barked, pointing at the basket. "Do you know what happens when the alphas are left waiting for their herbs? Do you?"

I winced, dropping the basket slightly, then steadying it. "I... I... I apologize... I haven’t been feeling... well," I said, voice shaking, keeping the old man’s weak tone.

The healer snorted, exasperated. "Not feeling well? That’s not an excuse! The alphas also need to be well. If they suffer... It’s not just their health, our whole pack suffers!"

I nodded quickly, murmuring, "Yes... yes... of course..."

As he unpacked the herbs, I couldn’t help but hear him muttering under his breath, more to himself than to me. "The alphas, especially Rowan and Kael, need these..."

Curiosity bit me like a snake. I leaned a little closer, pretending to inspect the basket. "Rowan? Kael?" I whispered to myself. I could feel my pulse racing.

The healer glanced at me sharply. "What are you mumbling for? Keep to your work!"

"Yes... Yes... of course," I said quickly. My heart pounded. That was close. Too close.

I stayed as long as I could, helping him unpack, making small, weak noises like I was exhausted from the long journey.

Finally, the healer slammed a hand on the table. "Tomorrow, you need to supply more herbs! Don’t be late. And make sure the mixes are correct!"

I bowed low. "Yes... yes... I understand," I whispered, voice trembling.