"Do I need to remind you what the Veil Code states about pack members who trade secrets and resources with outsiders?"
"Or would you prefer I refresh your memory right now?"
The fake smile froze on his face. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and he instinctively took half a step back. His wolf ears flattened against his skull.
"And you." I turned to the she-wolf who'd said I was "past my prime and no pack would claim me." "Selene, I recall your introduction to the council claimed you were skilled in reading scent-trails and tracking enemy movements."
"Would you like me to describe aloud that territory analysis you submitted last moon cycle—the one with more gaps than a rotted fence—so everyone can evaluate your level of 'skill'?"
"Or perhaps we should ask the hunting party who got ambushed because of your faulty recommendation how they felt about losing three deer and our standing with the Silvercrest allies?"
Selene Frostveil's neck stiffened, ready to bare her fangs.
But under the suddenly shifted gazes around her, she didn't dare make a sound.
I swept my eyes across the den, letting them settle on the ones who'd been most eager in piling on.
"And you lot—the records of you sleeping through guard rotations, sneaking off to gamble with the border traders, shirking patrol duties to gossip by the fire. Want me to pull the ward-keeper's logs and help you relive those moments? Then present them to Alpha Ashthorne at the next council gathering?"
"Rowan Stormhart who maintains our communication wards and I get along quite well. Shouldn't be any trouble."
The air turned to ice.
The den that had been buzzing with noise moments ago was now silent enough to hear a heartbeat.
Face after face cycled through red and white, veins pulsing at temples. Not a trace of mockery remained—only humiliation and fear.
They'd grown accustomed to making me their entertainment.
What they hadn't expected was that the wolf who always kept his head down, grinding away without a shred of political cunning, actually knew this much.
Garrick stood at a distance, that easy smile of his finally cracking. His gaze turned dark as he watched me, his scent souring with barely contained hostility.
I didn't look at him again. Didn't look at anyone.
The few personal items I'd planned to gather suddenly seemed pointless.
I bent down, picked up the half-filled leather satchel, and walked out.
I'd just reached the edge of my family's small territory when my communication stone hummed with warmth.
The signature pulsing through it: Aurora.
I answered. Said nothing.
"Kael!"
Her voice dripped with displeasure, crashing down like a wave of Alpha command.
"Do you have any idea what hour it is? What's going on with the Crowfang alliance pact?"
"Their emissary has asked three times already. I told you I needed the first draft of terms before moonrise."
"You're not responding to summons, you're not at your station in the council hall—"
"Where in the territory are you?"
I looked up at the warm glow spilling from my den's entrance, where my mate waited. My voice stayed flat.
"Alpha Ashthorne, I've already withdrawn my oath and returned home. My formal withdrawal—didn't you tear it apart?"
Dead silence on the other end.
Then her voice shot up, that imperious Alpha tone thickening.
"Kael! Are you done with this defiance? I told you, that whole thing is in the past!"
"Next season's rank raise—I guarantee I'll make it happen!"
"You're still hung up on that bit of hunting rights and resources? Seriously? It's not that significant!"
"Do you have any sense of pack duty? The pack needs you right now!"
I almost laughed.
"Alpha Ashthorne, is your 'pack duty' giving scraps to the wolves who actually defend our borders, while the ones who grovel and steal glory walk away with the finest portions and warmest dens?"
"Is your 'pack duty' dangling promises season after season, working the loyal wolves until they collapse from exhaustion?"
"You—"
Aurora choked on her words. After a breath, her tone softened slightly.
But it still carried that air of superiority, like she was granting me a favor.
"Kael, I know you're upset."
"But Garrick... he does fit certain aspects of what the pack needs right now."
"You're a seasoned member. You need to understand the pack's difficulties and strategic adjustments."
