Chapter 124

Olivia POV

“Perhaps, Alpha Claudia, you don’t realize how much things have changed since you were last in this position,” Ravencrest Councilmember Stephen said with poorly hidden condescension.

“Perhaps, Steven, you don’t realize how much I don’t care,” Mother said with open contempt.

The tension in the council chamber, already high, ratcheted up another few notches while Alpha Stephen stared at her.

The day wasn’t going well.

While Elroy and I had still been debating how best to deal with Denis’s comments about Ravencrest, Claudia strode into the chamber and demanded an accounting.

“Just what was the arrangement between Ravencrest and Denis, and just what was promised to whom?” she had asked.

Now, Stephen stood up from his seat. “I will stand here and be—”

“You will stand here,” Claudia said. “You march out of this chamber in a huff now, and I’ll see you never represent anyone’s pack again.”

“You don’t have the authority!”

“You will find I have more than enough authority!”

“Perhaps it would be wise to recess briefly,” Elder Thornton suggested.

Claudia waved him off. “Denis said he had an arrangement with Ravencrest. He was quite clear about this point, as Luna Olivia has attested. Everyone here deserves to know exactly what he meant by that.”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Stephen said.

“You don’t know what happens with your own pack?” Claudia asked.

“I don’t—”

“Enough, Councilmember Stephen,” said a new voice, and we all turned to the doorway where Beta William stood.

I had met him a few times, one of those helpful, unassuming betas who seemed to be tolerated by those in power. He had always struck me as helpful, but as I looked at him now, I saw power in him I had never seen before. His gray eyes quietly shone with it, and I realized the wolf I had interacted with before was a persona. Here was the true beta.

“Beta William,” Elroy said from his chair at the head of the table next to mine. “Or do you have some other title we should use?”

“I am just the humble civil servant of my Pack,” William said as he walked forward. Stephen instantly sat down and was both quiet and still, belying William’s words.

“Can you bring us to a better understanding of this agreement between Ravencrest and Denis, Beta William?” Elroy asked next.

Claudia moved in her seat, but Elroy sent her a look that kept her quiet.

William walked over to Stephen’s chair and waited. A beat later, Stephen stood up and let him sit in it instead. Stephen stood behind the chair and tried not to look humiliated. He didn’t manage it.

“Denis made a strong case for himself,” William said smoothly.

“So, he did approach Ravencrest?” Claudia demanded. “He, a Rogue, was granted an audience with Ravencrest’s leadership?”

“It wasn’t quite that straightforward,” William said. “When only a young man, Denis had been part of research looking into what made some alphas so much stronger than others.”

“He was kidnapped and experimented upon against his will,” I said.

William looked at me, and indeed it was a stranger’s eyes I saw.

“You’re not even a beta,” I said, suddenly certain.

“He’s an alpha?” Elroy asked me.

“You’re an omega,” I told William, “and you have an unusual amount of power yourself. Were you part of these experiments?”

A genuine look of distaste crossed William’s face. “No, and I am pleased to say everyone associated with that Rogue-like project is now either dead or exiled.” He paused. “And Ravencrest has Denis to thank for that.”

He paused again to consider his words, but when he spoke I heard truth in his words.

“When he came of age, Denis came to Ravencrest’s council and demanded he be allowed to challenge the head scientist, whose name somehow he had learned. Considering what was done to him, we couldn’t refuse.”

Ah, I thought, I was talking to an omega councilmember, a rare wolf indeed.

“Denis easily defeated the scientist in combat and then called on another scientist by name. It led to a complete exposure of the project, something many in pack positions of leadership had wanted to forget all about. We were able to root out corrupt wolves and establish updated rules of conduct for studying wolves.”

“You owed him,” Elroy said.

William nodded. “Yes, we owed him a great deal, and when we thanked him, he asked for our support in his campaign against the current administration.”

“You agreed to help him kill me and take over Lunaris?” Elroy asked, his voice steely.

But William shook his head. “No, that wasn’t our understanding. We did nothing to assist him or his Pack.”

“You just did nothing to stop him,” Elroy said.

William shrugged slightly. “We determined it was a Pack matter.”

“You are part of Lunaris Pack.”

“I meant Eclipse Pack,” William said. “he was your half-brother, after all.”

A moment of silence passed while everyone worked out the politics of that statement.

“If it means anything,” he continued, “we of Ravencrest are more than satisfied at the resolution of this affair.”

“Glad to hear it,” Elroy said, his voice now dry. At the same time, he sent to me, They played this very well.

They did, I agreed. By making it a matter for Eclipse Pack and a matter within a family unit, they had justified their inaction.

Elroy turned to Mother. “Does Omega William’s explanation satisfy you, Alpha Claudia?”

She frowned but put up her hands. “Ravencrest recognized Pack and family.” She said nothing more.

“I think Elder Thornton’s suggestion of a recess is in order.”

People shifted in their seats, eager to leave the drama behind.

But Elroy held up a hand. “I expect you to represent yourself correctly in future, Councilmember William.”

“Of course, Alpha Elroy.”

At that the meeting was paused and wolves all but ran from the room. Claudia, Elroy, and I stayed put until we were alone in the chamber.

Elroy waited for Claudia to speak. She took her time, but clearly to think not to stall or pull a power move.

“Ravencrest will continue their current strategy,” she said finally.

“They have no reason not to,” Elroy said.

My mother looked at me. “Omega William avoided mentioning that you were part of that ‘project.’”

I nodded. “Typical Ravencrest. He didn’t share information others might not know because there was no value to it.”

She nodded. “Alpha Elroy, who is standing in your place with Eclipse Pack?”

“Alpha Carter.”

She snorted. “That fossil?”

Elroy chuckled. “She knows her wolf and has no desire to kill me in my sleep to take my place. She was top of the list.”

“Why do you ask?” I wanted to know.

“For generations, Moonshadow has regarded both Eclipse and Ravencrest with suspicion, as have they us.”

“True,” Elroy said.

“It’s time we threw in our lot with the better of the two.” Claudia stood and walked to one of the maps on the wall outlying the various territories. “I’d like to talk to Carter about a formal alliance.”

“We’re all Lunaris Pack,” Elroy growled.

“Yet we plot and scheme and chase our tails while people like Denis are allowed to rise to a position so powerful it might have ended Lunaris forever.”

Elroy was silent.

“It’s well-timed, at least,” I said. “Luna from Moonshadow and Lunaris Pack Alpha from Eclipse are married and having a child. We could begin negotiations under the guise of family business.”

“If Ravencrest can play that card, so can we,” Claudia said.

Elroy and I nodded, but I didn’t need the mindlink to know neither of us was happy. An alliance of Moonshadow and Eclipse that shut out Ravencrest might be useful, but it was dangerous as hell.