Chapter 163: A Alliance with... Riverrock?

"He didn’t summon you because of an impending war... but to learn the truth?"

Luna Evangeline was sitting next to her husband in the tense room. Jaime stood next to his father, as he always did, while Beatrice sat down at the very back of the room.

Sitting in the middle of the room were the six council members of IronRidge. A few hours ago, they had arrived back here safely, and honestly, they’d been scared throughout the journey because they all had the pressing feeling that Malachi was gonna send someone after them in the middle of the journey.

"Yes," Jaime replied to his father’s question, "He made us tell him everything. Every single thing that we knew about...the night Della was framed and more,"

"You said he used what?"

"A kind of scentless herb which he sprinkled into the fire,"

Augustus looked visibly worried. Just because Malachi has released them doesn’t mean the man would sit back quietly. He might have simply had bigger plans that included getting rid of them.

Eclipse Crown Pack was not to be messed with, but since Malachi had cut ties with them now, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t wake up in the night to meet war on their doorsteps.

"But Adelaide is dead," Jaime added, trying to make the room feel lighter, "That, I can assure you, father. Beatrice killed her. She watched her die,"

"Della was a problem, but now we have bigger problems!!" Augustus growled angrily, forcing Jaime to lower his head again, "We no longer have the protection of the Eclipse Crown Pack, and Clawfang is still out there working with rogues!"

No one dared argue with that.

Clawfang were a terrifying pack on their own, and that was why Augustus sought out the alliance with Eclipse Crown Pack. But now, that protection is gone and Clawfang is even stronger than ever.

"Elders, what do you suggest we do now?!"

The council members exchanged uneasy glances, and then the oldest among them, Elder Harren, slowly rose from his seat, his fingers tightening around the head of his wooden staff.

"Alpha, if Eclipse Crown has truly withdrawn its protection, then we are in deep trouble. Our warriors are strong, but we would be fighting a pack that has already begun recruiting rogues. We don’t know how many of them they have gathered, nor how organised they have become."

"Then what do you suggest? We sit here and wait for them to come for us?"

"No," Another elder replied, "We strengthen our borders. Double the patrols. Send scouts toward Clawfang territory and find out exactly what they’re doing before we make another move."

"And what about Eclipse Crown?" Evangeline asked quietly, "What do we do if they decide to attack?"

The entire room went silent again, and Jaime shifted uncomfortably beside him, remembering the way the Alpha had looked at them in the Hall of Ashes.

That wasn’t the face of a man who had forgiven them.

"Maybe he’s planning something," Jaime muttered.

Beatrice finally lifted her head. Her expression had been unusually quiet since they returned, "Unless he has another reason to attack us other than Della, he won’t,"

Everyone turned to her.

"We all know he let us go because he couldn’t punish us for killing a Rotblood. Rotbloods are always killed. It’s not a new thing. There’s no law that says otherwise. He might have cut ties with us, but he won’t wage war on us because of that. So I think we should leave Eclipse Crown for now and focus on Clawfang and the Rogues,"

Several Elders nodded in agreement.

"Lady Beatrice is right now. Alpha Malachi might be furious about what happened, but he cannot do anything about it. Let’s focus on the bigger problem,"

Augustus thought about it again, then he sighed and his shoulders visibly relaxed. The whole of the wolf realm was already after Della in the first place, so it doesn’t matter who killed or tortured her. Moreover, if Malachi waged war because of that, the whole realm would turn on him.

"How about we seek an alliance with another Pack?!" Another Elder suggested, "To help us fight Clawfang and the Rogues,"

"What Pack do you suggest?"

"Riverrock," The Elder replied, "Alpha Conan might be willing,"

"An alliance requires that we give something in return for protection. The last time we gave Beatrice to Alpha Leopold and went under Eclipse Crown protection,"

"Conan has many children. Most of them are bastards. But, he does have a legitimate son and daughter from his Luna. You could always," The Elder paused, and his gaze travelled from Jaime to Beatrice, "give out a son or daughter’s hand in marriage to his,"

The calm look Beatrice had managed to hold all day fractured, and one eye began to twitch. She kept her head down, or else she might glare fire into Elder Oma’s soul or end up doing something even worse.

Another marriage... alliance?! With Conan of all people? That man-whore who was said to have slept with the previous betrothal of his children? If her father decides to marry her off again to Conan’s son, could she still keep up the act of a soft attitude and agree?!

""Oma is right. Alpha Conan’s pack are known for their renowned strategic warriors, and their territory borders Clawfang from the eastern side. An alliance with them could give us a significant advantage."

Augustus nodded slowly, his mind already considering the possibilities, "It could be worth it," He finally said.

Beatrice’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress beneath the table.

She had barely escaped one marriage, and now they were discussing another as though her life were nothing more than a piece on a board.

Augustus was staring thoughtfully at the table, his expression tense as he calculated what another alliance could mean for his pack.

He looked worried, and as much as Beatrice didn’t want to disappoint him, she wasn’t sure she could handle another marriage with some other annoying Alpha.

"Send a messenger," Augustus ordered, "Whichever of his children he agrees to give out, I’ll give out the opposite in mine. Whatever I have to do for the future of this Pack!"