Darius was still pondering over the question Serena had asked him before.
Have you ever been in love?
What an odd question she chose to ask. To be frank, he had actually prepared himself to answer a question pertaining to his parents. Serena had seemed interested in them, or at least curious to know what had happened to them.
But this... it was absurd and out of the blue. It would have been complicated to give an answer to that question. It was strange, almost laughable, how a simple question could render him mute.
He had loved many people. But being in love? He was not quite sure.
Alexander’s snap of his fingers drew Darius out of his thoughts, and he blinked slowly. They had wound up in the Ficus Hall, or more popularly known as the Strategy Hall.
Alexander and Serena stood just ahead, speaking, but their voices were only muffled noise until their eyes turned to him in unison. Their expectant eyes rested on his, and he looked between the two of them.
"Alexander said you are a Shadewright," Serena said.
Darius’s brows drew low, his gaze snapping to Alexander with the faintest flicker of irritation. Of all the things to bring up in this hall.
Being a Shadewright took immense dedication to various forms of art, not just painting, and it was overseen by Elder Evelyn.
Darius could no longer hold up a brush after the death of his father. He seldomly sketched anything these days. The last rough piece he had made was that of Serena’s face.
"Yes, but I dropped that title years ago," Darius said with an exasperated sigh.
The title had no meaning to him anymore. Painting was something his father did, but Darius had surpassed him in the craft. His mind wandered to when he would beg his mother to sit still so he could capture her features.
He had a peculiar painting style, not like the traditional one his father did. Nana had said he was able to see people’s true intention, to capture that aura onto a canvas.
"Really? Why?" Serena asked.
Alexander butted in before Darius could offer an answer. "It is because of his father’s death."
Serena’s shoulders fell. Everything seemed to circle back to the former Alpha. Darius must have mourned hard for his parents to drop a title like that. Alexander spoke of Shadewrights like a revered title, perhaps he even wanted it for himself.
She glanced at Alexander. His tone wasn’t sympathetic. It was clinical, like he wanted to cut open the wound and lay it bare.
"Enough about that," Darius said coolly. "You came to show the ambassador the hall, please do."
Serena looked between the two men, and then she flashed a smile in Alexander’s direction. It was obvious to her now that he was trying to provoke Darius, and the fact irritated her.
"Yes, we have a goal to achieve today," Serena said.
Alexander hesitated, then nodded and turned toward the chamber, his tone suddenly businesslike. "This is the meeting hall," he said, sweeping a hand across the vast space. "We gather here for general meetings- usually on more serious occasions, to mobilize troops or deliver updates."
Serena nodded to his words. Everything was so new to her, and she could not help but compare it to Silverstone, her former pack. The Alpha was mostly in charge of the military aspect and had an elder to assist him.
Her late husband had never desired the spotlight. But he was the one poring over trade agreements, tightening supply chains, drafting reports by the firelight while Serena sat beside him with ink-stained fingers and aching eyes. The source of this content ɪs novel⸺fire.net
She exhaled slowly.Silverstone could have thrived under his watch. Should have. And yet here she was, years later, still wondering who had taken him from her.
"How is it like in Crimsonclaw?" Alexander asked.
Their footsteps echoed through the wide, hollowed chamber as they walked. Serena’s eyes flicked to Darius, trailing behind. She wanted to silently ask for help, but his eyes were averted, his lips were turned down in a frown as well.
Serena looked forward and walked on. She was on her own for now. She sighed and pressed her palms to her sides, and she smiled at Alexander.
"Ah, you see, that would be revealing our secrets," she said with an uneasy laugh.
Alexander, oblivious to her discomfort, laughed with her and shook his head. "My lady, I did not know you were such a funny woman. Ironshade has bared herself to you, and I’m naturally curious about what lies beyond the West."
Serena nodded, cursing inwardly. There was no way she could get out of this.
She cast her mind back to candlelit nights spent at her father’s side- his gruff voice filling the dark with tales of distant places, twisted politics, and brutal betrayals. He’d never spared the details, not even when she was just a little girl perched beside her brother, wide-eyed and far too young to know what blood truly meant.
She figured that she could mix the stories her father had shared oh so long ago with the books Darius had given her, as she had always done. But this time, mixed in with sprinkles of lies.
"Our military base is split into two sectors," she began, voice clear and even. "I will not speak of the second- because, as I said, it remains a secret."
She saw Alexander lean in slightly, listening with rapt attention.
"The first is near our Alpha’s estate. It houses several garrison buildings, quarters where our warriors train, eat, and rest. A hall of this size," she gestured subtly around them, "would be unnecessary. Our needs are... more precise."
"Wow," he breathed. "I’d love to travel as far as the East someday."
Serena tilted her head, arching a brow. "Why?"
"It just seems so... different. Otherworldly, even," Alexander said, eyes alight with boyish wonder. "Hard to believe wolves even live there, but here you are, nothing like I’ve ever seen before."
Serena smiled and nodded. "You would have to thank your Alpha for making it possible for this to happen."
"Ah yes, Alpha Darius never fails to show his wit," Alexander said.
Darius soon matched their pace and leaned down to Serena’s ear and whispered for only her to hear, "I am sorry that I left you to fend for yourself. I am feeling rather disoriented, but well done, my fine student."
Serena blinked, surprised by the quiet apology, then allowed the corners of her mouth to lift, just barely.
"I’ll be expecting extra credit," she whispered back.