Page 82 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
Finlay moved to the opposite side of the table, his broad fingers tracing the eastern approach. “If Alpin’s testing our borders, he’ll likely press from here next.” His weathered face was grim as he met Constantine’s eyes. “We should double the patrols on this route. If he’s fool enough tae try forcing his claim through bloodshed, we’ll be ready.”
Constantine studied the map with the same intensity he’d once used to plan mercenary raids.
Rowena had taken her place opposite him at the table, arms crossed, hazel eyes sharp as she scanned the familiar territory of her homeland. She leaned forward, tracing a route with her finger that curved along the southern border of her clan’s lands. “There’s a hidden pass here, through the old sheep trails. Me faither used tae take me riding there when I was young. Alpin might ken it, but he wouldnae expect anyone else tae.”
Constantine’s dark eyes followed the path she indicated. “Could a small force move through there undetected?”
“Aye, if they kent what they were daein’.” Rowena hesitated. “But it’s dangerous terrain in winter. One wrong step and ye’ll lose horses, maybe men.”
Finlay nodded thoughtfully. “It could work tae our advantage. If Alpin daesnae expect an attack?—”
“Then we use that against him,” Constantine finished. He straightened, hands planted flat on the table as he surveyed their options. The room fell silent except for the crackle of the fire in the hearth.
When he spoke again, his decision was final. “We’ll hit him where he daesnae expect it. A targeted strike on the border settlements where his influence is weakest. Bold enough tae destabilize his hold, small enough nae tae provoke full clan war.”
His gaze swept across each face at the table. “We spread word that Rowena MacKenzie lives. We let the truth dae half the work fer us.”
Rowena lifted her chin. “I ride with ye.”
The words hung in the air like a blade drawn from its sheath. Constantine’s expression hardened immediately. “Nay. Ye’ll stay at Duart where ye’re safe.”
“Safe?” Rowena’s voice sharpened, and fire flashed in her eyes. “While he uses me supposed death tae steal what belongs tae me, using me people’s grief for his ambition?” She stepped closer to the table, her knuckles white as she gripped its edge. “He stole me name, Constantine. I want tae be present when we take it back.”
“She has a point,” Theo said, earning a sharp look from Constantine. The older warrior held up a hand before his friend could speak. “Hear me out. If we ride in claiming she’s alive, but she’s nae there tae prove it tae her clan…”
“They’ll think we’re the liars,” Finlay added. “But if she shows herself?—”
“If she shows herself, she’s a target,” Constantine cut in, his voice dangerously low. “Every arrow, every blade will be aimed at her.”
“These are me people, Constantine. They need tae see that I’m alive, that I’m fighting fer them. Ye wouldnae cower behind castle walls if it were yer clan at stake.”
Constantine stared down at her, jaw working as he fought between his protective instincts and the logic of her words. He could see the steel in her spine, the same strength that had carried her through weeks of exile and uncertainty.
Theo cleared his throat. “She could ride disguised,” he suggested carefully. “Hooded, armored like any other warrior. Stay at the rear until it’s safe tae reveal herself.”
Constantine’s hands clenched at his sides. Every instinct he’d honed through years of mercenary work screamed against bringing her into danger. But as he looked at Rowena he realized he had no choice. She was right. This was her fight as much as his.
“Ye stay at the rear,” he said finally, his voice rough. “Ye dinnae move forward until I give the word. And if things go badly?—”
“They willnae,” Rowena interrupted, but her voice had softened. She understood what it cost him to agree.
Constantine nodded once, sharp and decisive. “Then we ride at dawn.”
That afternoon, the council chamber felt different with Constantine in the laird’s chair. The carved oak seat that had belonged to his father now bore the weight of his authority, and though some of the assembled elders still watched him with skeptical eyes, there was no mistaking the shift in power. Rowena sat at his right hand, while Theo and Finlay stood to his left, steady as stone, the men who had fought beside him and now guarded his rule.
The room buzzed with restless energy. Constantine let the murmur of voices continue for a moment before he stood, and the silence that followed was immediate and complete.
“Ye all ken why we’re here,” he began, his voice carrying easily through the stone-walled chamber. “Alpin has declared me wife dead and seized control of her clan through lies and manipulation.”
He gestured to Finlay, who stepped forward and showed the pieces of evidence. A low growl of anger rippled through the gathered men. Even among hardened warriors, there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and fabricating a woman’s death for political gain crossed every one of them.
Constantine’s jaw tightened as he looked at the evidence of Alpin’s deception once again. “But we ken the truth. Rowena sits among us, alive and whole. And it’s time her people learned the same.”
He turned slightly, and Rowena rose from her chair beside him. “Me husband speaks true,” Rowena said, her voice carrying the same authority that he was certain had once commanded respect in her father’s hall. “Alpin has stolen more than me clan, he’s stolen the truth itself.”
Constantine laid his hands flat on theº. table, leaning forward slightly. The map they’d studied earlier was spread before him, and he began outlining their strategy with the precision of a seasoned commander tae everyone who would get involved.
“We’ll strike fast and clean,” he explained. “A precision assault on the border settlements where Alpin’s influence is the weakest. We spread word that Rowena has returned, and we give her people a chance tae choose their true heir over an usurper.”
