"That happened rather quickly... you see, I wasn’t informed."
General Silas shook his head and sighed. "We know that. What do you take us for, fools?"
Darius perked up, his brows scrunching. "Silas, enough. That’s not what she’s saying... she has to speak in front of the warriors without prior notice."
"Alpha..." Serena said calmly, drawing Darius’ attention as she lifted her gaze to meet his. "May I have a word with you outside?"
His mouth parted as if to question her, then shut again. After a brief pause, he gave a nod and rose from his seat, gesturing for her to follow. The door closed behind them with a dull thud.
"What is this about?" Serena asked once they were out of the general’s earshot.
Darius looked at her, something regretful flickering behind his eyes. "I’m sorry, Serena, but it would look strange for us to slip in and out. We’re trying to do the heavy lifting before that delegate arrives."
Her gaze dropped to the ground, to the slight smudge of dust on her boot. It wasn’t that she couldn’t give a speech. It was the fear of not doing it well enough...of misrepresenting the role she was meant to play.
"I understand, but I don’t appreciate being swept into decisions without my knowledge," she said.
Darius nodded in understanding. "Again, I apologize. This is the best compromise I could come up with. The General can be quite difficult."
Serena didn’t need a fortune teller to tell her that the general was a hard man, and rightfully so. "What am I to say?"
"A speech has been prepared. All you have to do is be bold and use that accent you’ve been using. It’s rather convincing."
Serena touched her throat briefly and glanced up at Darius. "Thank you."
After a beat of silence, she cleared her throat. It hadn’t been so long since they’d kissed under the moonlight. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought. She glanced at the warriors gathered off in the distance.
She exhaled. "I would like to read it."
Darius walked in front of her and held the door open. He watched as she crossed the room and took a seat across from Silas.
He nodded to the general and walked to the small shelf where he kept the few books he owned. He retrieved a scroll and placed it in Serena’s hands.
He remembered, with embarrassment, how he’d once asked if she could read. He sighed inwardly. There was a lot he had to apologize for. So many ways he could’ve addressed her, yet he’d picked the most condescending one.
Darius watched as she unrolled the paper and skimmed over it. She was done quicker than he expected, and her eyes met his.
"So, can you do it?" Silas asked, his tone dry, almost taunting. "Or is the task too much for you to handle?"
Serena turned to him and nodded, ignoring the mocking undertone of the question. "I can."
The speech was rather interesting but limited, which was expected, as it had been written from the knowledge in their books. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel•fire.net
A knock on the door drew everyone’s attention. The knob twisted, and there stood Alexander in a rigid posture.
"They have been rounded up and the podium has been set," Alexander said.
"Well," Silas said with a clap of his hands, "it is time."
"Already?" Serena asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes, of course. You are a busy woman, after all."
Serena looked down at the paper and folded it. Right. She was a busy woman indeed. She felt Darius squeeze her shoulder, a weak attempt at comforting her.
Serena had smoothed her dress more times than she could count. The scroll was tightly squeezed in her hand, creasing the paper.
Her eyes met Alexander’s, who gave her a smile and mouthed, You look beautiful.
Serena nodded and smiled. It was all an illusion, after all. Silas had said there was no need for her to change, the warriors wouldn’t care. It was more about her delivery.
She walked across the field and stood behind the rickety wooden construction they had called a podium.
The crowd stretched before her in quiet lines. Broad-shouldered men and lean, sharp-eyed women. Elders with weather-creased faces, younger wolves with fire in their eyes. Some folded their arms and others simply watched, all of them waiting.
She unfurled the scroll and looked up once again.
Serena remembered her former alpha giving her a pat on the head. He had told her she would be a great leader and a great wolf when she grew up. Her mother had said she was wiser than the elders themselves.
She shuddered. Why was she remembering their words now? Serena found Darius looking at her, and he gave her a nod.
Trust yourself. Her father’s words. She looked at the paper again and sighed. It was a terrible speech that General Silas had written for her.
"Warriors of Ironshade, I bring you greetings from the eastern snows, from the halls carved into frost and stone."
Serena gripped the podium as she spoke, not once looking down.
"I stand before you not just as a guest, but as a representative of Crimsonclaw, an honour I do not take lightly. I’ve walked your grounds these past few days, and though your lands differ from the biting snows of the East, the strength I’ve seen here is something that needs no translation. I see it in your discipline. In the way your warriors carry themselves with pride."
She pushed her hair behind her ears, her voice sounding clear and loud in her own ears.
"I stand before you not to boast, but to observe. To forge something stronger between ourselves, perhaps even stronger than steel."
Her eyes landed on that young boy, Ethan- the one she had corrected. He stood near the back, chin lifted, watching her with wide eyes. The corners of her lips lifted.
"You have earned your reputation as warriors of the West. Our packs may be distant, but we are wolves before anything else.
Your Alpha has shown a rare kind of vision. Trust, after all, is never easy among strangers. I do not ask for yours blindly. Let time and action speak louder than this moment. For now, know this: Crimsonclaw does not waste its breath on things it does not respect.
There was a moment, a breathless second where the wind whistled through the trees behind them. Then a roar erupted. Applause, shouts, claps that echoed in the forest.
Serena smiled at the crowd. She had done well enough.