Page 64 of Shattered and Saved

“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 hisfirst 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 inthe 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, stayingloyal 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.

39

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A V R I L

At least forthe night,we escaped the tense atmosphere and intense stares. Resting in my mate’s arms felt like being transported back to the safety of our haven, a refuge that renewed my strength. Blissful, yet heartbreakingly brief.

After breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Koen and I spent the morning lingering in the common areas, putting on a deliberate show of casual confidence. We had passed yesterday’s test, but we couldn’t afford to raise any more suspicions. And the constant act was starting to feel like sandpaper against my nerves.

As the hours dragged on, I noticed the stress catching up to Koen as well. More accustomed to this environment, he could seamlessly mirror the behavior expected of him. Whether leaning in apparent ease against the arm of a chair or engaging in polite conversation with old acquaintances offering their condolences, his posture was almost flawless.

It was convincing enough to fool most, but I noticed the subtle flicker of tension in his jaw and the stiffness in his shoulders. Like me, he was acutely aware of the invisible eyes watching us. Despite our caution, I could see the weight of what might happen if things went wrong beginning to wear on him.

Thankfully, we had each other. The burden we carried felt far less daunting when shared, leaning on one anotherand offering support when the suffocating pressure of others’ scrutiny became too much to bear. Koen had my back, and I had his. Clinging to our bond made everything more bearable, and before long, we found ourselves heading back to the conference room.

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