In the dense, sun-dappled forest, the large group of council members and their Guardians turned, leaving the Hearthstone pack behind. The air, once filled with the pleasant, earthy smell of the pack's simple homes, now carried a different scent—a hint of rain, damp earth, and a lingering, musky odor that spoke of other wolves. Leading the way was the head Guardian, Archer, a man whose senses were always on high alert. He moved with a silent grace, his gaze constantly sweeping the tree line.
"I may not miss the Alpha's constant bowing," Philip said with a dismissive wave, "but the hospitality was decent. Though, I think I always resonate with those who lack much free thought." They didn't fight back. His favorite type of people.
The words were spoken without respect, and a flicker of irritation crossed Phillips face. Marina, however, simply smiled. "How kind of you, Philip. But I've always found the less one thinks, the more their ideals align with a child's." Her sweet voice belied the sharpness of her words, which cut through the quiet forest air.
Carly, still burning from her last encounter with Philip, attempted to regain her composure. "Councilmember Philip, I'm trying to understand everyone better. As I'm new, I just wanted to know where everyone gets their ideals and morals from." She had been utterly embarrassed by Philip's behavior at the Hearthstone pack. He had treated the pack's beta like a common servant and ordered the others around as if they were his personal slaves. Carly's mother's diaries had warned her about each council member, but Philip's entry was the most elusive. Her mother's notes had been limited, only a single sentence to warn her: he is not as he seems.
Marcus scoffed, a deep rumble that reverberated through the trees. "Carly, you don't need to understand Philip. He's here because his father was here. Like we all are. He has the power to act like an unchecked boy because he inherited it. It doesn't matter what his ideals are because his alliances protect him." He wanted them all to shut up. So he can think in peace.
For a moment, Philip's playful eyes sharpened, assessing Carly. He could tolerate Marcus's rigid righteousness and even Marina's calculated sweetness because they were unapologetically themselves. But Carly… she was different. Her pretense of being charitable and good, as if their positions were a form of community service, grated on him. She pretended to lack ambition, to be all-forgiving, and he couldn't stand the lie.
"My ideals are like my family's," Philip said, stepping closer to Carly, his imposing height dwarfing her. "My morals are the ones taught to me, which is why I know exactly who you pretend to be." He then blocked her path, his voice dropping to a low, intimate tone. "Docile, helpless, and stupidly nosy. Just like your mother, and her father, and his father. None of us are confused about each other's morals or ideals. They were pre-made for us." He gave her a playful smile as if his words hadn't been a verbal assault, then walked off to catch up with the others, his point made.
Rage bubbled under Carly's skin as her brown eyes met the black of her wolf's. She was furious. It was difficult to take the insult, especially when it had anything to do with her mother. Her emotions were already frayed from her experience at the tree, hearing her mother's voice as kind as the day she had left her.
A man with blonde hair and brown eyes came up next to Archer, whispering quietly into his ear.
"Problem?" Marina asked, her red lips quirked in a small, knowing smile.
Archer's eyes shifted back toward the council, his irritation growing. "We are being followed. Spied on."
"That was within the plan. We shouldn't let it bother us," Marcus said, dismissing the concern.
"Who are they?" Carly asked, her voice tight with tension.
"Spies, obviously. The other council members are also being followed," Philip said uncaringly. This was exactly what he would do. The chance to be the first to influence the queen was a prize no one would overlook.
The Guardians, moving with an almost imperceptible shift in their formation, kept a watchful eye on the treeline. Their travel through the forest had been heavy with the sensation of being watched. There was a constant, low thrum of unease in the air, a feeling that was more than just the rustle of leaves. The Guardians, well-trained to sense such things, had been noticing small, rapid movements in the distance, dark shadows slipping between the trunks of ancient pines. It was a group of wolves, moving with the stealth of hunters.
"They're not even trying to hide it," one of the Guardians grumbled to Archer in a low voice.
"Let them watch. It shows their desperation," Archer replied, his eyes never leaving the trees. He glanced back at the council members, his jaw clenching. He couldn't shake the feeling of contempt he had for the council. They acted as if their power was a divine right, not a position to be earned and held with honor. They saw themselves as the pinnacle of their kind, but to him, they were nothing more than squabbling children with the world's fate in their hands.
"I feel like I'm walking around with a giant target on my back," another Guardian muttered, adjusting the straps on his pack.
"We're a target, all right," a third Guardian said, his voice laced with venom. "And it's because of them. They think they're so much more important the rest of us, but they're the ones who drag us into their political games.
They're arrogant and rude, every last one of them."
"Don't let them hear that," the first Guardian warned, though his tone was sympathetic.
"Some of them are sweet, but it's a poisonous kind of sweet. Like a beautiful flower that will kill you if you get too close. I prefer the blunt ones like Marcus and Philip; at least you know where you stand with them," the third Guardian scoffed, rolling his eyes as he looked over at Marina's perfectly composed face.
The path ahead was suddenly blocked by three She-Wolves and a man radiating the presence of a beta. His smile was sly and infectious, a mask for something more calculating. As the group approached, the women bowed respectfully, their necks bared in a polite greeting.
"Oh my! We just happened upon the council," the eldest of the women spoke in a clear voice, though a slight quiver betrayed her nervousness. Her father, Alpha Phoenix, had commanded her and her sisters to join the group. She was unsure if they would be allowed to stay.
"Fortune has smiled on you," Marina said in a voice as sweet as honey, though in her mind, she knew this was a completely transparent attempt at a chance meeting.
"Beta Clover, right?" Marcus asked, his mind rifling through the faces of the various betas and alphas he had met. Alpha Phoenix was a man seared into his memory, and his subordinates were just as easy to recognize. "Beta Kevin will do," Kevin said firmly, not wanting to be confused with his father. He knew Marcus was an old fossil with little nuance.
"I assume this little farce is your way of joining our group," Marcus said, not bothering to play along with the charade. Anything that slowed their travel was a waste of his time.
Beta Kevin simply gave a slight upturn of his lips, a clear enough answer for Marcus. "We will not slow our pace for you. Head Guardian, lead the way." The more packs they visited, the closer they would get to the new queen. He was ready for a queen that could finally be molded properly.
The group continued on, with the new additions falling in behind them. Archer led the way, his senses still on high alert. The subtle shifts in the air, the rustling leaves, and the lingering scent of other wolves still followed them. The forest was no longer a place of solace, but a landscape filled with spies and the tension of competing agendas. The council members were now traveling with a group of women who should neither be a help nor a hindrance, and a beta whose loyalties were a question mark. The stage was set for a difficult journey.
The pack they were heading to was the Silver's Bite pack, a place where strength was forged through hardship and pain.
As the council arrived at the Silver's Bite pack, the air hummed with a different kind of energy here.
"Welcome to the Silver Bite pack."