Darius reclined in his chair, closing his eyes. He had given himself a few minutes of respite before returning to the endless stack of propositions.
Shuffling through the pile, his gaze landed on an envelope adorned with golden embellishments. Even before he picked it up, he knew the sender: Beatrice. Content originally comes from novel·fıre·net
Clicking his tongue, he tossed it aside, resisting the urge to throw it directly into the fireplace. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
But she had changed that. Now, because of Serena, he was forced to attend, to ensure everything went smoothly.
"How could she be so... hardheaded?" he muttered, rubbing slow circles at his temple.
He sighed and leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk but the moment the breath left his lips, he caught himself.
Ever since Serena pointed out his habit of constantly sighing, he had become painfully aware of it.
A few hours passed, and as lunchtime approached, he stood, stretched, and swiftly left his office for the pack’s meeting hall.
Darius needed to brief the Elders and Ryker about this unexpected development. He could already picture their reactions, their displeased expressions.
He lamented silently once again. If only Serena had stayed put, none of this would have happened. Rubbing the back of his neck, he pushed open the doors to the hall.
Everyone was present, thankfully. He took his seat and nodded to Ryker.
"Elders. Beta Ryker," he greeted. "I’ve called this emergency meeting to brief you all on a new development."
They exchanged glances, already forming their own opinions and predictions.
Elder Iris, leaned forward, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Perhaps the Western province has finally decided to pay their debts," she mused, fingers idly tapping against the polished wood of the table. She presided over the treasury and pack economics.
"You only care about money, money, money," Cedar, Emmett’s brother, grumbled. "Maybe the wolves here are actually happier." As the Elder overseeing the pack’s welfare, it was a predictable response.
"It doesn’t matter much to me unless I’m getting exceptional warriors to join the troop," a stocky, black-haired Elder remarked. Silas, the head of Ironshade’s military.
At the far end of the table, Julian muttered to himself, his quill scratching furiously against the pages of a worn ledger. His brows were furrowed in deep concentration, though Darius knew he was listening. As the Record Keeper, he was always preoccupied.
Finally, there was Elder Evelyn whom everyone simply called Nana. The oldest wolf in the pack, her white hair was loosely gathered into a bun atop her head. She remained silent.
Ryker, too, said nothing.
Darius unclasped his hands, rising from his seat at the semi-crescent table. He walked forward, facing the council.
"Elders," he said, his tone firm. The room immediately fell silent. "This is not a favorable update."
Elder Julian raised a brow, peering over his glasses at Darius. He and Iris were the most rigid of the group.
"Well, go on," Nana finally spoke.
"It’s about the rogue," Darius began, placing his hands behind his back.
Ryker perked up, his expression unreadable. "Has anyone discovered her true status?"
"It’s complicated," Darius admitted. "Beatrice ran into her on the quieter side of Howler’s Market... Cutting out unnecessary details, she is under the impression that Serena is an Ambassador from Crimsonclaw."
Iris stiffened, her sharp blue eyes flashing with disbelief. "What?" she demanded, the word laced with irritation.
She scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unbelievable."
Cedar leaned forward, his brow furrowing. "My apologies, Alpha," he began, his tone slow and deliberate. "I didn’t quite catch that."
At this point, Julian dropped the quill into his book and shut it. He took off his glasses and looked at Darius squarely. He was the second-oldest in the room.
"Beatrice believes Serena is an Ambassador from Crimsonclaw. This meeting is to inform you of this news."
A heavy silence fell over the room, save for the soft creak of leather as Ryker shifted in his seat. Then, with little effort to mask his disdain, he muttered, "We should have just thrown her out."
Silas spoke up, "the prison would have sufficed, or-"
"Enough," Darius interrupted coolly, raising a hand. He felt a flicker of irritation at how they spoke about Serena, how odd. "What’s done is done. We can only move forward."
"We simply cannot gloss over this, Alpha." Cedar shook his head. "It’s... everything is too delicate right now, and now this."
His voice was firm, carrying the weight of a leader who spoke for the people. Among the Elders, he was the heart of the pack, second only to Nana in respect.
"Cedar is right," Julian spoke up, rubbing his beard. "The timing is not ideal. We can take her out...quietly."
Darius narrowed his eyes. "What are you implying?" he asked slowly.
Julian exhaled, as though he had already made peace with his decision.
"From the pack code, you already know how we deal with rogues." His words were measured. "We kill the girl. A lot of harm has already been done, no more."
Darius opened his mouth to speak, but Nana raised her hand.
"That girl is strange, yes," she said, her voice calm yet weighted. "But don’t you see, Julian? The effects of the curse has taken root in your heart."
The room fell silent at the mention of the curse, the unspoken shadow that had plagued them since the final days of Magnus, Darius’ father and the former Alpha. No one among the higher ranks spoke of it openly.
"She is a rogue, yes," Nana continued. "But she has done no harm yet. And we are indebted to her for three lives. Three is plenty."
"I am opposed to taking her life."
The statement had come from Iris. For the first time, the room did not erupt in debate. Instead, they turned to her, stunned.
"I as well," Cedar said. "Everyone knows my stance, she saved my brother and niece’s life, if this is how I replay her then so be it."
"Four votes to three," Darius said, as the Alpha his vote was worth two people’s. "And so as the final authority on this, she will stay."
This was the first hurdle, the next few hours were used to get everyone’s story in order and to go through the dynamics of having a fake Ambassador over.