Aidan would have burst out laughing out loud at such stupidity, but just one word from that old woman, just one, had made his soul shiver, and that word was “white”.

“Lidora, please, stop bothering the Alpha!” When General Nader’s voice echoed in the room, Aidan snatched the stained cloth from the woman’s hand and stuffed it into one of his trouser pockets.

“Nothing’s wrong, General,” he said, turning around in a crisp voice. “The lady here wasn’t bothering me.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” the general said apologetically and bowed his head a little as a sign of respect. “The years are already weighing heavily on her and she says a lot of incoherent things... but blood is blood and we cannot just abandon her to her fate.”

“The virtue of a family is reflected in the way it cares for its elders. I am glad to find virtue in your family,” Aidan replied, and the general seemed to swell with pride.

“That’s right, that’s right... We’re one of the oldest families in the race and—”

“And we’d better sta