In the West Wood Pack.
The walls of the ancient eting hall trembled with the fury of the Elder Council. Old voices - gravelly, cracked, and cold with outrage clashed, bouncing off the walls of the hall, as if the walls themselves were afraid to accept the fury the voices carried.
"We march to the Black Moon Pack with ten thousand warriors! Burn the pack down and make them pay!" An elder bellowed. Others concurred, echoing his voice with unwavering approval.
The weight of their anger made the air thick, suffocating.
Beta Theon stood alone on the raised platform, beside the empty Alpha’s seat. He was barely recognizable, with sunken eyes rimd red, lips dry and split, skin pale as ash. But it wasn’t the three days of sleepless travel that had broken him. No, it was what he had witnessed.
That man had appeared out of thin air in the hall - no scent, no warning, no sound. One blink, and there he was. Theon hadn’t just seen what he’d never thought was ever possible in his life. He’d felt it.
And then ca the true horror.
As they made their way out of the hall of the Black Moon Pack, rushing towards their horses, that thing – that man – had slipped into his mind.
He shouldn’t have been able to break into his mindlink. There were natural laws - no pack mber could mindlink another mber from a different pack.
But that man did it. And he didn’t just break the natural law, he defiled all odds.
Mindlinks sounded like zaps, like a shock of current coursing through you, but that thing...that man, ca like a storm crashing through the fragile walls of Theon’s sanity. Theon’s knees had buckled under the invisible weight. His heart seized.
’Breathe a word about to anyone,’ the voice had thundered through his skull, ’and watch how I rip you from the inside out.’
Theon had scread in silence. His mouth never moved, but his soul howled and his wolf scurried to hide, shrinking away from sight. And just when he thought the pressure would cave in his ribs, the voice continued:
’You’re to beco the Alpha. Otherwise...’
Nothing. Just silence followed. But that silence was worse than death. His heart stopped. Literally stopped. For five agonizing seconds, the world froze. Darkness nibbled at the edge of his vision.
Then, his heart beat resud again, one beat, two... and life returned, but the dread also remained, snatching every fabric of strength from him as he crumbled to the ground, shivering.
’Is my warning clear enough?’
"BETA THEON!"
That ear-splitting bellow was enough to snap Theon back to life. He blinked. His head turned from left to right, only to see everyone focused on him.
"Wh– what...?" His voice croaked as confusion painted his features.
Elder Garrick stepped forward, his piercing gaze bore into Theon like a blade. "What were you doing when our Alpha was being ripped apart?"
Theon’s heart was still pounding from reliving his nightmare. However, seeing that he was within the walls of his pack, the fear subsided...just a tiny bit. But that question sent a chill down his spine. He didn’t want to revisit that scene, yet knew he had to give his people an explanation.
"Alpha Killian does not have the pack’s interest at heart."
Theon’s statent was like a bomb. It detonated on the elder council like a lightning strike in the middle of a drought.
Murmurs erupted around the circle, so sharp with outrage, others laced with disbelief. Elder Garrick’s brows furrowed, and he raised a hand to silence the crowd.
"What are you saying, Theon?" he asked, voice low, dangerous. "Speak clearly."
Theon clenched his jaw, nostrils flaring as he fought against the tremble in his limbs. "I’m saying our Alpha sought a fight with Luna Reana of the Black Moon Pack against my pleas. He cussed her, treaded on her dignity as a woman, and accused her of heinous things. Her pack mber present at the scene couldn’t take it and..." Theon didn’t finish. He shut his eyes, letting the council paint the picture of the horror themselves.
Silence.
A long, deafening silence that could split the air like a blade descended on the hall.
The council mbers exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from disbelief to quiet fury. No one dared breathe too loud. Even the wind outside seed to hold its breath.
Then ca the sound of a chair scraping back - slow, deliberate.
Malric, Alpha Killian’s brother, stood, his silver eyes fixed on Theon. "Are you telling us," he said, each word enunciated like a sentence, "that my brother stupidly insulted Luna Reana, of the Black Moon Pack when he should be pleading for her help?"
Theon nodded stiffly. "Yes." He paused and added, "I tried to stop him. He beat up and said he didn’t care about the pack."
Gasps echoed around the chamber. One elder stood in shock. Another crossed himself.
If there was any trustworthy person in the pack, it was Beta Theon. Everyone knew him and respected him for always speaking and siding with the truth.
A chuckle.
Then a peal of laughter. Malric couldn’t hold it in, even as everyone fixed him with death glares. "What?" he asked amidst laughter.
"This is not funny!" Elder Garrick growled.
"Why is it not funny?" Malric asked, tilting his head as amusent danced in his eyes. "I told you. My brother is not fit to rule this pack but you didn’t listen. Now, see what he’s done. He’d not only destroyed our relationship with the Blue Ridge Pack, he’d also broken our relationship with the Black Moon Pack. He should have had his throat slit, not just his hand."
"Malric!"
Malric turned toward the council, his expression sobering though the humor still lingered in his gaze. "Tell , how many more mistakes will it take before you realize he is a disease eating away at the core of this pack?"
"Alpha Killian is still your brother," Elder Garrick snapped, though even he faltered under the truth Malric had just spewed.
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