Chapter 299: Wards Before Whores, Gentlemen

Welcome back to the Real Alphas of Nyros.

We left off with the new Stepdad trying to force the conversation onto the actual agenda. Only for the table to treat that as optional and immediately redirect everything back to the much more interesting gossip.

Current Topic: The Dragon King.

Coming up: Which one is your daughter sleeping with?

This is why Stepdad drinks.

"The Dragon King brought two mages with him as a personal favor to Nicholas," Renwick said. "They installed something called wards which block the ability for portals to form inside a structure. Your keeps are unprotected from this and it is something we need to discuss."

Stepdad swung at the agenda again. Will he be successful this time?

No. The answer is no.

Exactly one second of silence followed before Darwin Blackmoor opened his mouth.

"Wards," he repeated. "Installed by dragon mages. In a wolf keep. Without consulting the table."

"It was an emergency measure, Blackmoor," Redmoon chimed in.

"Emergency measures don’t come with dragon mages, Redmoon. They come with explanations. Where was our vote?"

"There was no vote because the building was compromised."

"The building is ALWAYS compromised. That’s what summits ARE." Darwin had a point. It was buried under six layers of attitude, but it was there.

Renwick gave a half-hearted shrug that communicated exactly how many fucks he gave.

"Did Shadowfell approve this?" Ironmaw asked.

"Yes."

"Before or after he left?"

"Before."

"And he didn’t think to mention it to the table?"

"He mentioned it to me. I’m mentioning it to you. That’s how chains of command work, Ironmaw."

Ironmaw had the posture of a kid at the dinner table who has been told no three times and was loading attempt number four.

"So we’re a chain now. Lovely," he said. "And where are we on that chain exactly?"

Reed: Is he asking where he falls on the chain of command?

Damon: Yes. The answer is below Renwick.

"The part that asks questions. Not the part that answers them," Renwick replied.

Ironmaw shut his mouth immediately.

Next to him, Thornback folded his arms with the energy of the observant kid who was now done being polite.

"I’d like to hear this from Shadowfell directly."

"I’m sure you would."

"Is that a no?"

"That’s a ’he’s not here and I am.’ Work with what you’ve got, Thornback."

The room felt that one.

"What I’ve got is a borrowed chair making borrowed decisions," Thornback said.

"What you’ve got is a building that isn’t leaking Dark Fae portals anymore. You’re welcome," Renwick said flatly.

Veilcross was loading a tantrum so large it needed a runway.

"When is Shadowfell coming back?" he snapped.

"When he’s done."

"Done with what?"

"His business."

"You keep saying that."

"You keep asking."

Renwick pivoted like a man leaving one crime scene and walking into the next.

"Which brings us back to the agenda," he said. "If you find black feathers anywhere in your territory, those are tied to Dark Fae portal infrastructure. We swept this Keep but if more appear, gather them without touching bare skin and deliver them to a dragon, myself, or Beta Tavian."

Veilcross was vibrating at the frequency of a kid who was told to drop it and physically could not.

"Everyone is beating around the bush, Lunaris, so I’ll say it. Is your daughter married to the Dragon King or Nicholas Shadowfell? Which one?"

The question landed like a grenade rolled across a dinner table by the kid who was told to stay out of grown-up conversations and chose to raid dad’s weapons cabinet instead.

"I don’t see how that is relevant to the agenda," Redmoon answered for Renwick, shielding his buddy from yet another stupid question.

"Oh, it is very relevant," Veilcross fired back. "One of those arrangements unites the largest and third-largest packs in Nyros which affects every territory in this room. Shadowfell preached about transparency yesterday. How about some clarity?"

Renwick didn’t flinch. "She is married to the Dragon King."

"So why are you standing in for Shadowfell then?" Alpha Thornback asked. "He already told us they were fated mates. You can’t have it both ways, Lunaris."

Before Renwick could answer another Alpha spoke for him. "We all know what that means. Shadowfell doesn’t hand his council to a political ally. He hands it to family."

"So she’s his Luna."

"She’s his Luna."

"And the Dragon King’s wife."

"Both."

Renwick’s jaw tightened by a fraction. "No, that’s not what this is."

"Not what, Lunaris? Not exactly what it looks like?"

"She’s married to the Dragon King," Renwick said. "That’s the only thing she is. Her matebond with Shadowfell is biological and nothing more. That is the extent of the relationship."

"Just biological my ass." Thornback let out a laugh that bounced off the stone walls. "He partial-shifted for her. Threatened war. Then handed his summit to her daddy. Come off it, Renwick. That’s a consort or marriage."

"Is that so?" Renwick asked like he didn’t have time for stupid.

"Yes," Thornback said. "This is code for she’s with both, for any wolf in the back row who missed it. The woman you were all threatening last night belongs to Shadowfell AND the Dragon King."

"WE were threatening?" An Alpha three seats down sputtered. "That was YOU, Thornback. I was certainly not—"

"You drew your blade, Ashwick."

"I drew my blade at VEILCROSS. Not at the girl. There’s a difference."

"The difference is the direction you were pointing it and you were pointing it at HER."

"I was pointing it NEAR her, Thornback. Not at her directly. Let’s get that straight."

"Your blade, your arm, and your face, and all three were aimed at a little girl."

"Is this a trial? Am I on trial now? Because if we’re prosecuting every man who drew steel last night, this table is going to be VERY empty."

"Gentlemen," Redmoon tried.

"Don’t gentlemen me, Redmoon. I was by the DOOR. I couldn’t have reached her with a goddamn javelin."

Alpha Grimscar buried his face in both hands. He had checked out. Physically present. Spiritually in a different kingdom.

"Can we possibly," Redmoon attempted again, "discuss the Dark Fae threat before we relitigate who was pointing what at whom?"