Chapter Ten
The room crackled with a focused silence, smothering and suffocating as the Council and their allies streamed in.
The dark rosewood that covered the room stole the light from the orate scones and decorative candelabras.
They filed through the tiered rings of the circular room, each finding their own ominous, cushioned throne.
Everyone seemed to know their place, a stilted, rehearsed dance as they found their place and sat in the muffled silence, each sniff and cleared throat snatched by the muted tapestries that covered the wooden walls.
Each one held a different scene, depictions ranging from rudimentary and basic to intricate, flowing weaves of wolves.
Majestic. Regal. Domineering. Bloody.
They were a warning in the room meant to house discussions not just between the Council packs but the alliances of shifters, vampires, other creatures that shared their land. They were a promise.
My soul laughed at their attempt to parade their power. Real power was not told. It thrummed in the marrow of your bones, demanded loyalty without a word.
Nature showed us true power and it was this connection that gave us ours. These southern wolves seemed to have forgotten that.
I found my seat, off to the side surrounded by shifters and a couple of witches. The Council wolves sat together in the centre of the circle, leaving us on the periphery. I wasn't put off by my seat but there seemed to be a feeling in the air, stolen glances making the placement seem deliberate.
If this was some type of test, some attempt at throwing me or showing me my place here, they would see me flinch or squirm. I had come prepared, my mask frozen on my face, ready for the different kind of battle that awaited me.
"Welcome, Council Members, trusted allies and guests," Alpha Hendrix spoke to the room, his voice somehow turning the stifling silence to a consuming emptiness. "I am pleased to open this first full session of this semi-annual meeting."
A polite applause rippled through the room, the gesture more habitual than meaningful.
"We would like to welcome some new delegates joining us," he continued, opening his hands with a practiced smile. "Ambery Raine of the Solstice Coven, Lionel Grey from the Rocky Mountain Shifters and Kiera Brione from the Northern Circle packs."
Another soft round of overly polite applause and I gave a nod in silent thanks of their welcome, though I knew no one was watching or likely even knew where to look for our new faces.
"Now to Alpha Varyn of Eclipse Hollow." With a gesture towards the seat in front of him, Alpha Hendrix sat once more and Dax stood.
My heart jumped. The subtle traces of casual I'd seen in the halls earlier were gone, replaced with the crisp lines of a tailored suit that matched the barely tamed wildness he held. I buried the feeling beneath the layers of ice inside.
"Thank you all," he started, his velvety voice reverberating through the room with the unmistakable weight of power. "I would like to introduce Lyra de Silva to the Council. Some of you may know Lyra as a member of Waxing Shadow."
Waxing Shadow.
The pieces fell into place. I hadn't wanted to look any further into the relationship between Lyra and Dax. I couldn't bring myself to admit my jealousy. But now things made more sense.
Waxing Shadow was the largest of the southern packs, their power and their sway in the Council unquestionable.
Eclipse Hollow had only been growing in strength and it hadn't been long ago that there were gossiping whispers of a conflict on the horizon if Eclipse Hollow threatened the position of the top pack.
This mating between Dax and Lyra would solidify the relationships between the two packs, forming treaties over conflicts.
It was all political.
"Lyra de Silva will join Eclipse Hollow not just as my mate, but as a partner in leadership. I trust she will command the same respect from you she already commands from me."
I wanted to believe it was all political.
But her hand reached out to his from where she sat at his side, their fingers brushing as their eyes met and a warmth passed between them. She smiled like he was her world and he looked down at her like she was delicate and precious.
The cracks in my mask were buried deep, under layers of ice carefully frozen over.
I wouldn't break. Not here.
Lyra stood, joining Dax in her place at his side.
"Thank you all," Lyra said, her voice dripping like thick honey. "I'm eager to learn from each of you, and honored to share what my father's wisdom and my own humble experience can offer... though I suspect you'll teach me even more."
I forced my hands to join the polite applause as the two sat back in their seats.
"Now," Alpha Hendrix said with a bang of his gavel on the bench in front of him. "Let's move to our first and most important point of business for this meeting.
I know we have all been feeling the pressure for the increasing rogue attacks. Both our wolf packs and our allies, we have all seen the undesirable trend in the uptick of attacks both in number and in skill. We must discuss how to address this problem."
A look was shared in the room, a wave of murmurs sweeping across before the chaos ensued.
"We have been feeling it worst in the west," a voice spoke over the crowd.
"You? They've been relentless down here," another chimed in with an empty huff of incredulous laughter.
"We don't have the numbers and the fighters like you," one near me spoke up. "Our species doesn't live in large packs like you wolves. We're not built to fight against you. They've been wreaking havoc on us."
"They don't fight like wolves, they fight like monsters," Alpha Beckett spoke in her haughtily regal tone. "They have no honour. They attack children. They attacked an Eclipse Hollow child this week."
Dax levelled his gaze with the room, his voice somber. "We had a breach of our borders this week that was quickly stopped. Like all of you, we have not been immune to the attacks despite our numbers."
There was a grumble of agreement.
"Not all regions have seen attacks."
The words were barbed, finding their mark as gazes drifted across the room to where I sat.
"Curious, isn't it? How the attacks don't seem to be reaching the north?" another voice asked, snide and snarky.
Looks were traded, murmurs exchanged as suspicions skulked through the quorum.
Now was not the time to break, to plead for understanding as I explained that we too had felt attacks.
Not with the severe frequency of those in the south but not many wanted to venture as far as our borders and when they did, they were dispatched quickly.
It was hard for the untrained to function in our natural habitat.
Excuses were weak and they were already begging to find the chinks in my armour.
So I kept my gaze cool, forward, letting the words bounce as I waited for a turn to speak.
"Curious, how the north remains so removed while the southern packs suffer and then come looking for friendship."
It was as direct as their subtle jabs had ever been and it quietened the room enough for me to speak.
"We don't allow threats to fester in our territory. Perhaps it's time others stop letting them take root."
Eyes dropped at my tone when I didn't rise to the heated flush of their words. I noticed some sneers from the wolves when my armour didn't fall.
When the silence persisted for a beat, I glanced down at the notebook sitting in my lap and took the opportunity to speak again.
"We've been looking through reports of attacks sent by packs around the country to the Council," I began fighting to keep the creeping wavering from my voice as I addressed the room.
"We've noticed a pattern. In each area, the attacks seem to cycle between packs.
Once one has been hit, it appears that they move through the borders of others rather than persist with the first. We think they are testing boundaries and response times, looking for the weakest link and learning from each attack.
"They are relying on us being divided by borders. We cannot allow isolation from each other to be weaponised by our enemy. Our strength lies in our ties and our knowledge."
I paused, expecting to be interrupted but the room was still silent, all eyes on me.
"I propose a cross-border strategy. Patrol teams from localised packs for better response times and knowledge sharing with surveillance outposts that cross territories.
If they're not worried about surveillance from one pack while they attack another then we have a greater chance of finding where their groups are forming. "
I could feel his eyes on me as I finished, the heat daring me to meet the challenge but I couldn't. Not now. Not when the eyes of the room hadn't left me, when everyone was looking at me to crack under the weight.
"A good strategy," a voice said, only to be quickly countered.
"A cold strategy," another replied. "And what of the packs not being attacked? Are they to be left defenseless?"
"I don't want to give my warriors to some other pack and then be ambushed."
The room devolved, voices snipping and snarling as they bickered back and forth.
"Enough." The booming voice brought a hush with it, the echoes coming to a stuttering halt.
"We are getting nowhere being so divided," Alpha de Silva commanded as he stood to address the group.
He was eerily similar to his daughter, the same gentle tanned skin, honey brown hair and refined features but where she was soft, he was weathered and rough with streaks of grey in his manicured beard and lines on his face that spoke to a lived life.
"We have lived so long as allies that we forget we are bound together by the moon. We share an enemy and they're not in this room fighting for resources. They are out there, breaking us down, keeping us separated from each other."
Passion poured through his words, invigorating the crowd with sweeping gestures.
"Now is the time to stand together as one under the moon, to show those rogues that we're not to be messed with. We need to move together, build each other up, not fight each battle on our own."
A prickle of ice touched the back of my neck as his words sunk in. They were pretty, flowery and telling the exact same plan that had just stirred up the Council only minutes before.
I swallowed the frost clawing up my throat, the ache of stolen words catching like glass splinters behind my ribs.
"If these rogues are indeed moving through packs, we need to look beyond these artificial borders to be a single pack, bringing together the strengths of each of us to make us stronger."
There were subtle nods of agreement in the crowd, allied packs leaning closer to murmur with each other.
The frosty air fought to escape, to be released from the cage inside me.
"Midnight Ridge," Alpha de Silva said, drawing the entire room's attention to the back row where a slight looking Alpha sat wide eyed at being called out.
"Your pack has some of the best scouts in the Council.
Think of what we could do if some of them moved between the packs, training others in their skill. "
"Or you, Waning Moon," he continued, the broad swing of his hand turning everyone to the other side of the circle. "You warriors are exceptionally skilled in stealth and camouflage. My pack would be honoured to learn from you."
His attention turned back to the room as he opened his arms wide. "Let's vote now to come together, to share our resources in unity and trust and help protect each other from these attacks and together, we can find the source and crush them at the heart."
I clasped my hands in my lap as I felt my fingers tremble. A storm swirled inside, winds raging at my walls at the arrogance this man had to dress my well researched, hard fought plan in lace and frills and present it as his own.
I wanted to scream, to sneer at his insolence and challenge his authority.
But that would only show me as a child, too undisciplined and careless to keep myself under control.
So I fought the battle warring within me, pressing the icy sting of wounded pride further down. I was so focused on maintaining my composure that when the heat flowed through me, I followed it.
My eyes locked with Dax's, his dark eyes endless pools of emotion that pulled me in, threatened to drown me. I felt flush with warmth, like the coziness of a fire when you sit just a bit too close and the heat is blistering in the most satisfying way.
And all too quickly, it was gone.
His eyes dropped from my to Lyra, hand on his as she looked up with earnest eyes at the sound of her father's stolen plan. The subtle nod she gave as he proposed the vote.
Dax raised his hand in favour.
My nails dug into my palm as I began losing the battle. I held my breath, knowing it would give away the sudden drop in temperature.
"The 'ayes' have it," Alpha Hendrix announced, giving his gavel another bang. "We will trial this plan to tackle the rogue issue as a single unit. Given the new and unusual nature of this tactic, we will begin with smaller groups."
I tried to count, to focus on the dull pain of my nails pressing into my flesh, to think of anything other than the outrage that pulsed through me.
The stiffness at my neck began to ease, the icy chill warming just enough that I was able to breath without fear. The burning in my lungs steadied me, a new sensation to focus on rather than the alluring comfort of the cold that called to me.
"And given the recent attack on your borders, Alpha Varyn, the Council guests being hosted on your land and Miss Brione's support of Alpha de Silva's plans, you two can be paired to survey this area. Given the severity of the situation, we will expect teams to begin work immediately."
Those burning eyes didn't find me this time and I didn't seek them out. I couldn't listen to other assignments or the petty issues that were raised until the meeting was signalled to end.
All I could feel what the overwhelming roar of unjust confusion.
My plan had won, my solution agreed upon almost unanimously. Yet, the cost weighed on me. I had been heard, at least by someone, who used my words to twist into their own.
And still, the punishment came, forcing further humiliation as I was paired to work with the man who started this blatant dismissal of me.
Pride demanded strength. Strength demanded silence and sacrifice.
But for the first time - pride weighed heavier than the armour of strength.
I find the politics a little tricky to write sometimes but it's so worth it for the game.
I guess there's no escpaing for Kiera anymore, Lyra is definitely here to stay.
Who are your favourites so far?