Raven stood her ground, motionless as a statue, watching Skylar approach. The air around her shimmered with a dangerous, unstable energy—a volatile blend of grief, madness, and pure, concentrated vengeance. The stench of her mate's blood still clung to Raven, an acrid, metallic scent that hung in the air like a defiant challenge to the Beta. Her chest did not rise or fall; she was a vessel of shock and burning focus.
Skylar's steps were slow, deliberate, each one firmly planting into the bunker floor and echoing with the weighty sound of law and tradition. She held the long, heavy blade of her sword gripped tightly in her hand. The polished metal gleamed under the harsh bunker lights, reflecting the chaos in the room and the stark resolve in her eyes. As she drew nearer, her nostrils flared slightly as she caught the powerful, cloying scent of fresh death.
She stopped a foot away. Skylar's face was a mask of severe indifference, betraying none of the internal debate over how far she needed to go. She knew she had been correct to enforce the law, but Raven's mind-link had irrevocably tarnished her standing with the pack. This blood-price was not just for the law; it was now intensely personal, a necessary act to cleanse her reputation.
Marcus gave Carly a look of indignation, his brow furrowing. He wondered if she truly understood the full extent of what she was permitted to do in these circumstances. He shifted his weight, a silent internal debate playing out on his face. He didn't want to involve himself; this was a pack under her control. It was only right that she dealt with it—before he decided to step in.
Carly's small frame stepped quickly out into the encirclement, her movement fluid and decisive. She was quick to grab Skylar's arm just above the elbow as the Beta reared it back, clearly going for a death blow. Carly's grip was surprisingly strong, arresting the violent motion instantly.
"You dare to interrupt our pack's Justice?" Alpha Sean glared at the council, his shoulders tensing defensively, his teeth barely visible beneath his upper lip.
Carly spoke, her voice low yet projecting, stripping the Alpha's words of their power. "Alpha Sean, the Warden Wolf Pack's right to justice is acknowledged. Your proceedings were fair." She released Skylar's arm with a dismissive flick of her wrist. Her Red Hooded cloak, rich with heavy fabric, covered her face, concealing her eyes from the assessing crowd.
"But your laws are merely local ordinances. The Council has a higher call to authority. We live by the Queen's immutable decree. All of us. We will complete your Justice. Her Majesty's Justice is always first. Your Beta, Skylar, violated a core tenet in the Council's presence—she engineered the forced trespass and subsequent death of a Shadowfang wolf. She will be charged and held in Council custody. You may retrieve her when the crown is satisfied."
She concluded, then turned her head to quickly scan Marcus's face. His expression was as stoic as cold marble—no criticism, no alarm. Carly took the silence and the lack of motion as a necessary approval.
A low murmuring immediately rippled through the gathered wolves, the crowd fracturing into distinct camps.
"It's about time. She deserved worse," a voice hissed from the back, followed by a grunt of agreement.
"A Council grab for power," another wolf muttered darkly. "They're stripping the alphas sovereignty. This sets a dangerous precedent."
"But Raven is one of our! Why help her escape?" a third protested.
Alpha Sean's face flushed a deep crimson. His hands, which had been clenched at his sides, balled into white-knuckled fists as his body visibly trembled with suppressed rage. He was trapped. To challenge the council was to challenge the Queen, which meant guaranteed immediate war. He could do nothing but absorb the public humiliation of his pack's authority being publicly shredded.
"Beta Carter, of the Moon Blessed Pack. I ask to join your pack?" Raven's words were hollow, the request a rasping whisper spoken from her kneeling position, her chin tucked close to her chest.
"I would never—" Alpha Sean began, his voice a sharp, panicked protest, only to be cut off abruptly by Beta Boris.
Boris's mind raced. The Moon Blessed Pack. A pup had just died; the pack was screaming for blood and order. It was a pressure cooker of grief and chaos, ready to explode. Bringing in an outsider—one who had just executed her own mate and been part of a political storm—was an act of madness. I can't promise her easy survival. I'd be trading one butcher's block for another. But I can't leave her here for him.
"Why my pack?" Boris asked, his head tilting slightly as he processed the sudden, desperate plea.
"It's not here, that's enough," Raven replied, her voice strained. "Just not here."
"I will never allow the Moon Blessed Pack to take my daughter!" Alpha Sean growled, his fists unclenching only to gesture wildly in denial. The political suppression was temporarily overridden by pure paternal fury.
From the edge of the crowd, the wolves shifted, creating a gap. Missy sat on the floor, her back resting against the cold, hard earthen wall, looking down at her lap. Her voice was quiet, forcing the wolves nearby to fall silent to hear her.
"But you'll allow her to be butchered in your pack," Missy said, never raising her eyes.
"But not live in a different one."
Philip rolled his eyes, a flicker of irritation crossing his face as he took a definitive step toward Alpha Sean. He wanted this done. "Do you also wish to be brought to the dungeons of the council house, for ignoring our Queen's laws?" Philip asked with a warning tone, his voice cutting Sean's protest short.
Boris watched as Alpha Sean clenched his jaw, a muscle twitching in his cheek, but said nothing. Boris knew he couldn't unilaterally extend the protection of the Moon Blessed Pack to Raven without his Alpha's consent. But he could do it temporarily. "As the Beta of the Moon Blessed Pack, I welcome you into our embrace."
The next few hours went by rapidly. The council performed the test to see if any of the Warden wolves were the prophesied queen. Like before, none of them were. This time, instead of gathering in a group with the Queen's guards bleeding and safeguarding their group, the council simply dissolved. Like phantoms, they disappeared. Each of them going in their own directions, their movements quick and silent. There was no explanation to the growing group of wolves that had been following them these past weeks. They simply took Beta Skylar with them and left without warning.
Author's note:
More chapters to come. I'm literally doing my hair as I'm writing these chapters. The editing process is taking forever.