Chapter 224: The Pack Speaks

Calis was beyond enraged.

Not only had his moment with Tera been stolen from him. But the old elder had knowingly disrupted it with the intent of turning his wolves against him. Wolves who Calis had planned to let know about his intentions towards Tera.

Instead, it was a spectacle.

And Calis knew very well how this would look to his wolves.

However, the realisation that his mentor, the wolf his father had trusted, had been scheming to humiliate him in front of his own pack made something crack inside Calis’ chest and fill with a fury so hot it burned his vision white.

Tera could not move from where she was seated.

’Oh shit. They really managed to piss him the fuck off.’

[This system would like to note that the wolf leader is experiencing hurt, anger, and betrayal all at the same time]

[(⊙_⊙)!!!]

[His heart rate is dangerously elevated]

[This system has broken its sabbatical against Host to react to the extremity of this situation]

Tera was distracted momentarily.

’Sabbatical? What fucking sabbatical?! And where the fuck have you been?!’

[The one Host forced upon this system by ignoring it for the past two days!]

[Since Host decided this system’s concerns were not worth addressing!]

[(? •?_•?)?]

’Excuse me—’

[NEVER MIND THAT, HOST!]

[╭( ?_?)╮]

Girruk’s lips spread into a sharp, vicious grin. "Why are you hanging your head, Alpha? Is it shame? You should be—"

"Girruk." A wolf nearby quietly tried to get his attention, his eyes darting between Calis and the young wolf.

Their Alpha was about to explode.

Girruk ignored him, too heated to even notice Calis’ change in demeanour. "You have disgraced this pack! You have mated with a beast that is not even—"

"Girruk!" The wolf tried again.

Greymaw was right beside his son, addressing the wolves while Girruk opened his mouth.

"They have MATED!" the old wolf roared. "During the storm! Your alpha took this female into the caves and mated with her while you were all huddled in the rain!"

Tera’s blood went cold, then immediately hot.

’How does he KNOW about that?!’

Greymaw was still going, "—and how can you THAT to her?!"

In the crowd, two wolves had noticed Calis’ posture. One of them reached over and tapped Greymaw’s arm.

Greymaw shook him off, still ranting. "—a betrayal of everything your father stood for! Everything WE built! This pack was meant to be—"

The wolf tapped harder.

"NOT NOW!" Greymaw snarled.

Calis raised his head, and the murderous look in his eyes silenced Girruk. The look sent a chill through Girruk, and his anger flared up from that reaction.

Tera was furious. This scheming old wolf had been spying on them, had set a trap, and was now parading their private life in front of the entire pack like it was a crime.

She was about to cut in when the system chimed.

[Host is worrying for nothing]

[(?—?—)]

Tera frowned. ’What?’

Before she could question the system further, a quiet voice came up from behind.

"I do not understand what is wrong."

Greymaw’s mouth snapped shut.

The entire pack turned.

A young wolf stood near the middle of the gathered group. He wasn’t being defiant or even making a stand.

He genuinely did not understand what the problem was.

Greymaw stared at the young wolf as if he had been slapped.

Girruk turned around.

And across the gathered pack, Tera finally noticed that a lot of the wolves were not looking at Calis and Tera with shock or disgust. They were looking at Greymaw.

And the expressions on their faces were uncomfortable, disturbed, and faintly disgusted.

Not at what their alpha had done, but at what the elder had done to expose him.

Greymaw’s triumph curdled on his face. His eyes swept across the wolves, searching for the outrage he had expected, the collective fury that was supposed to validate everything he had been building toward.

It wasn’t there.

The silence stretched until it became unbearable.

Then it broke from the most unexpected direction.

"She gave us water," a wolf near the back said. His voice was rough and confused, as if stating something so obvious felt insulting. "Our stream bed had been dry for a very long time, and she fixed it in one night."

Another wolf beside him turned to Greymaw. "And the farm. We just harvested, and we have food from the ground because of her."

"The pen too!" a younger wolf added, his ears flattening when multiple heads turned to him, but he pressed on regardless. "Fewer animals are escaping. I used to chase them so many times before. Do you remember that, elder?!"

Greymaw could not believe this, and he was slowly turning enraged. What did any of that have to do with this act their alpha had just committed with a shiftless beast? Were they blind?!

He opened his mouth, but the next voice trampled over him.

"She taught us how to cook the meat!"

"Our females’ backs have stopped hurting since she gave those herbs!"

"The cubs have been eating properly for the first time! Look at them! They have gotten bigger!"

One wolf scratched his head, his face scrunched with genuine bewilderment. "What is the problem with the alpha taking her as a mate? She is a good female."

An elder turned directly to Greymaw, his brow creased with an irritation that had nothing to do with Calis. "You brought us all the way out here to tell us THIS? In the middle of the night? What is wrong with you?"

"You made us walk through the forest in the dark because of this?"

Several wolves exchanged uncomfortable and confused glances, but the point beneath it was clear. Whatever Calis had been doing with Tera, it did not warrant dragging the entire pack through the trees like they were hunting a corrupted beast.

"We spent days in their clan. Were you unhappy there?"

"My cub has not stopped talking about it," another wolf murmured. "He wants to go back."

"The females there were so kind to us."

"Their beasts were good to us. Every single one of them."

"If she becomes the alpha’s mate, she would do even more for us! What exactly is so terrible about that?!"

"What is so bad about other beasts?!" another added, frustration creeping into his voice. "I have been thinking about this since we returned from their clan, and I cannot find a single answer that makes sense!"

Then several wolves turned their attention back to Greymaw, and the mood shifted from defence of Calis to something sharper.