Shattered and Saved (Ashen Wolves #2)

38

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A V R I L

As soon as we arrived at the venue, all eyes turned to us.

I had a feeling we were going to be the talk of the town. After all, this entire event had been orchestrated because of us, under the false pretense of discussing the fall of two long-standing packs. Among werewolves, rumors spread like wildfire, and it was obvious they’d heard about us.

As we strode through the hotel lobby toward the elevator, the crowd appeared even more perplexed upon noticing the mating marks on our necks. Pretending to be overwhelmed from their attention, I shrank into Koen, who held his head high and brushed the back of my hand with his thumb in a soothing gesture.

It was all an act. Their intense stares didn’t intimidate me in the slightest, and Koen knew it. We were both well-rehearsed; every detail had been meticulously calculated to make our story unquestionable, starting with how we were dressed

I wore a simple yet elegant navy long-sleeved dress. It was appropriately presentable, as an alpha’s representative should be, without drawing too much attention. After all, omegas weren’t supposed to stand out, especially in the presence of important leaders.

Koen, on the other hand, was dressed to impress. From his expensive smoke-gray suit to his designer shoes, everything about his outfit exuded wealth and power. He had to look the part - he was still an alpha, after all. We wanted everyone to believe that nothing had changed, except for us falling in love.

Arriving at our suite to drop off our belongings, we decided to take a brief breather. With half an hour left before we set off to deliver the performance of our lives, we both needed a moment to simply be ourselves.

Time slipped away quickly, and as we prepared to leave, I checked Koen’s mark one last time. Like mine, it was concealed beneath bandages, hidden further by his long-sleeved shirt and suit. There was no chance anyone would catch a glimpse of it.

Just as I finished rolling down his sleeve, hiding our secret, his hand lifted to my face. He caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers, and I leaned into his touch, soaking in his warmth. It was the fire I needed before diving into a cold water tank filled with piranhas.

As my eyes fluttered back open, they stared deep into his. I reached for his face again, cradling it between my hands to whisper, “Are you ready?”

A quiet chuckle escaped him. “I don’t think I’m as good a liar as you,” he said playfully. “But I might have learned a thing or two when I was caught in your web.”

I could barely contain a laugh. “Should I be proud or worried?”

“I’ll let you know when we’re heading back home after all of this is over,” he replied, closing the distance between us to press his lips against mine.

With that, we left the comfort of our private room and headed to the top floor of the hotel, where the conference room for the meeting was located. When we stepped inside, some shifters were already present, scattered around the space and chatting as they awaited the event's start. However, quite a few people had yet to arrive.

Our timing was perfect. We ensured we were neither the first to arrive nor the last. Arriving too early might give the impression that we were eager to get it over with, while showing up late could suggest we were hesitant or afraid of being questioned. Instead, we exuded tranquility, as though we had nothing to hide and no reason to fear.

We greeted the leaders, who now wore political expressions, concealing their real opinion about us. Once the elders appeared at the door, every alpha, luna, and beta stopped talking, lowering their heads in respect before taking their assigned seats. In utter silence, the five members of the council made their way to their seats at the main table.

Before the meeting was even called to order, the head of the council’s eyes locked on me. His voice resonated through the room, sober and commanding, as he addressed me, “I reckon you are not the alpha of the Azure Smoke Pack.”

I cowered in my seat, pretending to react to the Elder’s powerful aura while making sure he couldn’t detect mine. Koen gave my hand a reassuring squeeze for everyone to see, and I acted as if I were encouraged by it. With a nod, I straightened my posture, though my gaze remained fixed on the table.

“Yes, your Honor,” I began in the most humble voice I could muster. “I am Avril Fletcher, Omega of the Azure Smoke Pack, chosen as the alpha’s representative for this meeting.”

“Why you, a lowly omega?” a different elder questioned.

His comment wasn’t meant to offend me; it was simply the truth. It was, at the very least, curious why an alpha would choose to send an omega as their representative. I had expected that question, and the answer was already on the tip of my tongue.

“The alpha treats everyone equally in our pack. In her eyes, we are all warriors, regardless of the difference in strength,” I began, keeping my gaze low as a sign of respect. “I have acted as her representative before when I visited Whispering Hills, shortly before its doom. Since my mate,” - I glanced up at Koen - “was also invited to the meeting, she insisted it made sense for me to accompany him and assume this prestigious role a second time.”

“We have commanded her presence. If she wished to remain anonymous, she ought to have sent her second- or third-in-command,” the same Elder complained.

“With all due respect, your Honor, the Alpha has no legal obligation to reveal who her Elite members are,” I reminded him, citing the Insurgent Pack Law. “She recognizes that the lack of information about Azure Smoke is a major reason why it has managed to thrive thus far, and the alpha wishes to use this to our pack’s advantage until she is no longer permitted to.”

“Hm.” The Elder pressed his lips into a thin line, not satisfied but at a loss for arguments.

Touché.

Resigned, the head of the council rose from his seat and announced, “Without further delay, I hereby declare the commencement of this meeting.”

The council went on to explain the schedule of events. Tonight, the focus of our debate - though it sounded more like a trial - was the attack on Blood Rose Pack, and the legitimacy of Azure Smoke’s reasons. Tomorrow, we would discuss the situation of the defeated packs and the claiming of their resources. And the fact they were starting off with an interrogation made their intentions quite explicit.

As soon as the clarifications were over, I was back under the spotlight. “Avril Fletcher, Omega of the Azure Smoke Pack, chosen as your alpha’s representative.” The call anticipated his first question. “Azure Smoke takes responsibility for initiating the attack, following the unjustified capture of a fellow pack member by Blood Rose. The course of events is described clearly in the letter we received, yet one issue remains a mystery.” He made a dramatic pause, lifting his eyes off the paper to stare at me. “If Azure Smoke truly hasn’t reached the fifty member mark, how did you win against a pack with three times your numbers?”

After taking a moment to organize my thoughts, I spoke, “As I have mentioned earlier, all pack members at Azure Smoke are trained warriors. At Blood Rose, probably only half of their total numbers were actually capable of fighting.”

In traditional pack structure, each member played an individual role in a pack. At the top of the hierarchy was the Elite, who ran the pack. Then, there were Zetas, the best warriors who had major achievements in battle. Just after them came the Kappas, shifters who pursued a higher education, using their studies to help improve their community, followed by Sigmas, who were retired Zetas and Kappas. Lastly, the Omegas took care of simple responsibilities, being of less importance to the pack. Only actual warriors were prepared for battle, and those weren’t always a majority.

“The element of surprise also played a big role in our win,” I continued confidently. “Our alpha showed up at Blood Rose with the intention of discussing the peaceful liberation of the unfairly captured wolf. However, she was ready to free him by force.” Honesty shone through my voice as I told them a half truth. “She brought the whole pack along. We stayed hidden, awaiting her command, and were therefore prepared to attack. Brent, on the other hand, didn’t see it coming,” I explained. “He barely had time to formulate a defense plan, or even gather his warriors.”

As the interrogation dragged on, I continued to tell all the lies my friends and I had carefully come up with. With every question successfully answered, I could sense the tension in the room vanishing. The leaders who eyed me with caution, searching for signs of dishonesty, started looking away as they believed my story. It was all going according to plan.

Until the one situation I couldn’t fully explain was brought up.

“Alpha Brent reached out to us shortly before the slaughter of his pack,” one of the Elders pointed out, making my stomach turn as I anticipated the question that could completely change tonight’s outcome. “He notified us about a pack member with abnormal traits. What happened to this individual?”

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for my most important answer. “We believe he was referring to the Azure Smoke pack member he captured, though I can assure you, there is nothing abnormal about him.”

Then, a different voice sounded, and I turned in its direction to find the person I dreaded most here.

“If we are to believe you, that means Alpha Brent would have lied to the Council,” the leader of Golden Valley stated, distrustful. “Why would he have done that?”

“I mean no offense to Alpha Brent. May the Moon Goddess have him,” I uttered, keeping my gaze low. “But everyone knows he wasn’t the brightest leader. He was impulsive, a consequence of his young age, and struggling since he took over. Blood Rose was in debt. Maybe he was hoping to bargain with the Elders - the money he needed in exchange for information illegitimately acquired from the member he kidnapped.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I noticed the man opening his mouth to argue. I had given them everything I had; if this wouldn’t convince them, I was unsure of what else I could pull. But before he could say another word, Alpha Gerard, whom Koen had called prior to our attack on Blood Rose, chimed in.

“As sad as it is to admit it, it’s true.” The leader sighed thoughtfully. “Many times, I tried to guide Alpha Brent, staying loyal to the long alliance between Blood Rose and my pack. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wise beyond his years, and honor wasn’t one of his qualities,” he acknowledged. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have carried out such a stunt.”

Silence followed. Glances and whispers were exchanged next. In the end, the Alpha of Golden Valley reclined against his seat, not another word leaving his mouth.

It was a win.

“Should there be no further questions,” the head of the council declared, “I hereby conclude this meeting. You are excused, and we shall reconvene tomorrow.”

Relief flooded through me. Ultimately, Koen’s reputation had truly saved us. If it weren’t for Gerard backing us up, we might not have escaped this. But it couldn’t be said that we were completely off the hook yet.

There was one final meeting we still needed to survive.