Chapter 65

Ava

Steam wafted through the council chamber as I carefully poured steaming coffee into the waiting ceramic mugs. One by one, I arranged them on the long oak table alongside a platter of fresh pastries I had picked up from the village bakery that morning.

It had been my idea to provide some small refreshments for everyone. The meeting was set to begin well before our usual time, and I knew people—especially Chris and some of the Elders—would appreciate a little sustenance to start their day.

The soft creak of the chamber’s heavy door opening made me glance up. To my surprise, it was Olivia who slipped inside first, her brows arched coolly as she surveyed the spread I had laid out.

“Morning,” I said, pulling my shoulders back. I turned away, continuing to prepare the tray of sugar and cream for the coffee.

“Playing housewife today, are we?” I heard her ask, without so much as a ‘good morning’ in response.

I bristled at her jab, but managed to bite back the urge to snap a retort at her. “I just thought everyone might appreciate a little something since it’s so early,” I replied in as measured a tone as I could muster.

Behind me, I could hear Olivia moving around, but she didn’t respond. By the time I turned around with the silver tray of cream and sugar in my hands, she was already sitting ramrod straight in her usual seat, her hands clasped on the table in front of her—and her cup of coffee shoved to the center of the table.

I was still recovering from Olivia’s slight when the door creaked open again, this time revealing Chris and the Elders. Chris paused, still bleary-eyed and his hair still adorably mussed from sleep. As he stepped into the room, he blinked owlishly at the spread.

“Ava… did you do this?” he asked, his voice still a little gravelly from sleep.

I nodded.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he said.

A sheepish smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I placed the tray down in the center of the table, choosing to ignore Olivia’s gaze boring into the side of my head. “It was no trouble at all. I just wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of.”

Chris beamed, immediately crossing to his seat and picking up his coffee. He took a grateful sip as he sat down, and shot me a thumbs-up to indicate that he was enjoying the treat.

One by one, the other Elders filtered in as well, murmuring their thanks and helping themselves to the array of flaky danishes and sugared crullers.

Degas, beaming like a little kid, happily took two danishes for himself. “To get my blood sugar up,” he excused himself, although I—as well as everyone else—knew that our oldest Elder just had a sweet tooth that could crash economies.

As I moved to set out a plate for myself, my hip brushed against Chris’s chair. While no one else was looking, I felt his hand come up behind me and gently touch the small of my back. The touch was only momentary and featherlight, yet it sent an electric shock through my body.

I stole a glance at him from beneath my lashes before passing by. His emerald eyes had darkened to a deep forest shade, the corners crinkling ever so slightly as he offered me a subtle wink. My pulse immediately kicked up a notch.

Goddess, the man could be utterly infuriating sometimes.

The soft throat-clearing from the corner made us both glance over. Olivia sat poised at the table like a gargoyle, watching our every move with her lips pursed into a thin line. She arched one perfectly groomed eyebrow at me in a silent challenge.

I swallowed thickly and forced my attention back to the task at hand. If she was looking for a reason to discredit me or assign ulterior motives, she wouldn’t find any today.

Chris cleared his throat. “Shall we get started, then? Let’s bring in Allen first.”

A few minutes later, Allen stepped into the room and warily approached the table. Chris gestured to the seat at the other end. “Please, take a seat.”

Allen did as he was told, and Chris explained the test. A map of the five packs was laid out on the table, with various carved playing pieces set out to represent each pack.

“Here is the scenario I would like you to consider,” Chris began. “Moonstone pack produces a valuable resource that every one of our neighbors covets—our moongrass. Let’s assume, for the sake of this exercise, that you’ll need to decide which of those four packs receives a share of our moongrass exports. Only one pack may receive a shipment.”

Allen’s brows furrowed slightly as he leaned over the table and studied the map. For a heartbeat, his jaw worked silently, teeth gritted. Finally, he straightened with a faint grimace.

“I… would suggest Crescent Moon pack,” he said slowly.

Chris stared at him. “And why is that your choice?”

Allen opened his mouth, then closed it again and paused for several beats before speaking again. “I’ll be honest… I know little about Moonstone pack’s moongrass exports and its allies,” he admitted. “Crescent Moon, being my own pack, was a kneejerk reaction.”

The chamber fell into a heavy silence. Chris’s chin dipped in a solemn nod.

“Well. Thank you for your candor,” he finally murmured. “You’re dismissed for now. Please send Sam in on your way out.”

I watched Allen go with my stomach churning uncomfortably. Even though his honesty was commendable and Full Moon pack wasn’t the worst option, an Alpha should know enough about their pack’s politics and trade to make a more informed decision.

Next, Sam arrived; I had hope for him, seeing as how he was from Moonstone. After Chris reiterated the task at hand, the easygoing young man tugged at his chin thoughtfully as he surveyed the map.

“Moongrass… one of our most valuable exports,” he mused. “In terms of recipients, I’d probably suggest distributing shares to New Moon pack.”

My breath hitched at that, and I couldn’t help but glance around the table. Elise, Chris, Olivia, and Degas sat as stony as ever. The other Elders shifted slightly in their seats, but said nothing.

“New Moon, is it?” Chris prompted calmly. “Elaborate on your reasoning behind that choice.”

Sam swallowed. “Well, Moonstone and New Moon have a rather distant relationship,” he began. “Developing a trade network might strengthen our bond. And besides, New Moon is known for its… monetary value.”

I felt my teeth grit at his words. He wasn’t wrong about New Moon pack’s wealth—they were the wealthiest pack, monetarily speaking. But they also had a tenuous relationship with Moonrise, and it just so happened that Moonrise was our sworn ally.

If we opened up a trade route with New Moon without even consulting Moonrise… well, they we could lose one of our most trusted allies.

Chris’s expression betrayed nothing as Sam concluded his case. “Thank you, Sam,” he said simply. “That will be all for now. Please send in Dedrick on your way out.”

As Sam walked out, I felt a palpable shift in the room. Elder Elise opened her mouth to speak, but Chris stopped her with a raise of his hand.

“Save comments for the end,” he said calmly and evenly, his face betraying nothing about Allen’s or Sam’s performances so far. “We’ll discuss everything in time.”

Finally, our last candidate swept in with that same steely air of cold confidence I had come to expect. Only this time, I noticed Olivia’s shoulders pulling back infinitesimally, a gleam of satisfaction sparking in her eyes as Dedrick strode up to the table and took his seat.