The masked figure’s tone dripped with malice. "Oh, you do," he sneered. "Your father is Elder Thomas, a high-ranking mber of the pack’s council. Surely, he’s shared so... enlightening information with you."
"He knows nothing," Xavier repeated, desperation creeping into his voice. "I told you, Luna Reana keeps her own thoughts. Even my father, as a mber of the council, is only privy to what she chooses to share."
Victor’s eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with disdain. "Are you indirectly saying you’re useless?" he sneered. "Did we go through all the trouble of capturing you, only to find that you’re nothing more than a hollow shell of information?"
Xavier’s voice was laced with defiance. "I didn’t ask to be captured. Or to be dragged into your twisted gas."
Victor’s eyes flashed as he lashed out, his fist flying towards Xavier’s face with brutal precision. But before it could collide with its intended target, the masked man’s hand shot out, grasping Victor’s wrist in a vice-like grip, halting the blow re inches from Xavier’s good-looking face.
"Don’t be trash, Victor," the masked man’s voice was calm, but the undercurrent was unmistakable. His words carried a weighty warning, a subtle threat that made Victor’s eyes narrow in resentnt.
He tried to snatch his hand back, but found out he couldn’t. The masked man’s grip only tightened, his fingers digging deep into Victor’s wrist like a shackle.
Victor and the others’ eyes widened in surprise. The masked man was frail, his fra gaunt and wiry, yet he held Victor’s wrist in an iron grip, his strength belied by his fragile appearance.
Although they’d never seen the masked man’s appearance, they assud he was weak and feeble, reason he chose to hide behind a thick dark cloak with his face masked.
anwhile, Victor was a brute, renowned for his formidable strength and aggressive nature, so for him to be abruptly subdued by the masked man was a shocking turn of events. And could only an one thing: none of them were safe.
Who was this man?
They knew nothing about him - not his na, his face, nor his past. He had erged from nowhere, claid affiliation to no pack, and wielded unparalleled knowledge on politics and war tactics.
It was he who had proposed the audacious plan to temporarily unite the four rogue groups for their cause.
Before, the rogue leaders hadn’t felt threatened by him, believing he was just a clever strategist, a mastermind with no physical prowess to back up his clever plans. But now, their belief has been shattered.
"My guest needs to rest. It’s nightti. We continue this discussion in the morning," the masked man declared, his tone firm but asured, as he released Victor’s wrist. He turned to Xavier, his gaze piercing through the shadows. "Trying to escape will only cost you your life. I expect you to be cooperative, Xavier. Your..fort depends on it." With that, he turned and walked away.
’MY guest?’
The rogue leaders exchanged skeptical glances, their faces reflecting a mix of confusion and anger at the masked man’s peculiar choice of words.
Was he trying to imply that this operation had nothing to do with them? Yet, they’d all participated in the planning, invested their resources, and risked their own necks.
The masked man’s phrase hung in the air, an unspoken challenge to their authority and a reminder that, despite their bravado, they could be rely pawns in what they had assud was their ga.
They exchanged silent glances, each with their own thought, but not sothing to be saof aloud.
Xavier, in particular, narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening with resentnt at being referred to as a "guest" rather than a captive.
...
Zeta Tara stood confidently before Beta Thane and the council, seven ornate chests overflowing with gold ingots hung open in a dazzling display of wealth, their contents glinting in the flickering torchlight.
Elder Collins’s eyes widened in astonishnt as he gazed upon the treasure trove. "H– how did the Luna procure over three thousand warriors and workers, and accumulate such vast wealth in re days?" he stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper, as if the sheer scale of the Luna’s achievent had left him breathless.
"From the Silver Ridge and West Wood Packs," she replied with a smug smile, her respect for the Luna soaring even higher.
Her mind drifted back to the encounter with the arrogant Alpha of the West Wood Pack, who had desperately blocked her path when she was returning from the Silver Ridge Pack with two thousand workers in tow.
The idiot had thought the Luna was among them. He hoped to appease her to help his pack, as his pack suffered another monster attack for three consecutive days, forcing him to offer a lavish tribute: four chests of gold and one thousand five hundred n.
He had presented this offering in a desperate bid to show his sincerity and apology. Zeta Tara wasn’t the Luna’s right-hand advisor or even the closest to the Luna, but she had accepted the Alpha’s tribute on the Luna’s behalf. Whether the Luna agreed to help the West Wood Pack after she returned, that was a different matter entirely.
After all, their own pack was racing against ti to finish building the wall and prepare for the harsh winter that would soon descend upon them, a daunting task that needed to be completed within a re two to three months. Every able-bodied warrior and worker and money were a precious commodity.
As the group marveled at the staggering wealth and manpower spread out before them, a warrior rushed into the hall, "Beta Thane, Delta Xavier has escaped from the dungeon!"
Beta Thane’s face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "What?!" he thundered, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "How is this possible? I gave explicit orders to triple the guard!"
"My son would never!" Elder Thomas growled, his face reddening with indignation as he took a step forward, his eyes blazing with a fierce protective instinct. "You’re accusing Delta Xavier of commuting a capital offense, and I won’t stand for it!"
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