The coronation of Prince Zack went smoothly, except the SilverBorn Pack had not been invited. The now Alpha Zack had done this to show dominance to the other packs. After the coronation and feast, most of the Alpha's presented their gifts and left, while some stayed behind after presenting their gifts to the newly crowned Alpha.
The Quarters Reserved for The SilverBorn Pack.
The SilverBorn Pack was housed in a separate, insulated wing of the Brave Pack palace, an instruction given by the now Alpha Zack, because that quarters was located in a very confined space that looks more like a cage and it was mostly surrounded by lead.
Helios stood by the lead window, his back to the room, he was surrounded by his people: Darian, Cassia and Princess Isadora.
Darian spoke up easing the tension in the room,
"I guess the coronation is over. The brave pack patrols are doubling down. I believe they are expecting a negotiation of some sort, the truce holds for now, Alpha."
Princess Isadora let out a long sigh before she spoke, as Helios remained silent.
"What negotiation is he looking for again? what is so hard about two people that are mates being together?"
"I'm more worried about what is going on in his head, I'm not sure he will negotiate". Alpha Helios chipped in. The scent of Hera, maddening close yet out of reach, was a constant distraction for him. His Lycan wolf was restless, demanding the proximity of it's Mate.
"You are right, he suffered public humiliation, there is no way he's letting this go easy. He will not allow Hera to leave intact, regardless of the deadline. His pride is at stake, I'm sure he won't let us go without a fight"
Helios finally turned his gaze as if in a light bulb moment,
"His pride is his vulnerability, we use it to our advantage. We leave at dawn on the day before the full moon, as planned. We do not need to wait for the sun to rise. Cassia, confirm the escape route through the north wall. Darian, secure the transport."
Cassia spoke up as Darian brought out their mapped out patrol report,
"Alpha, we need to be prepared for more than a fight, we are dealing with a cornered rat who just watched his world burn, he will employ venom and as the Princess as rightly said, he won't go down easily."
"I know," Helios Agreed, "He underestimates us, but we will not underestimate his treachery."
The Serpent's Pack
Meanwhile, Alpha Zack was deep in the bowels of the palace, far in the bowels of the palace, far from the polished halls, engaged in a furtive transaction. He stood opposite Alpha Kael, a man whose ambition was only dwarfed by cowardice.
"He thinks I'm a child whose toys were taken," Alpha Zack hissed, pacing the cold stone floor. "He believes his Lycan strength makes him untouchable. We will prove him catastrophically wrong."
Alpha Zack held out a small, intricately carved silver vial filled with a thick dark liquid. "This is concentrated Nightshade Tranquilizer, potent enough to incapacitate a fully shifted Alpha for twelve hours. it is non-lethal, untraceable, and utterly necessary."
Alpha Kael eyed the vial nervously, "This is dangerous, Alpha Zack. If the SilverBorn Pack detects a move against there Alpha, they will annihilate us all."
"They won't detect anything," Alpha Zack sneered, " You will be seen as a supplicant, Alpha Kael. You will feign a truce, a small, symbolic gesture of respect between Alphas. We will all share a drink to toast to the truce, except his would have been mixed with this portion.
"Except, a truce drink is opened at the truce ground, how do you propose we poison his drink?" Alpha Kael asked
"We simply lace the cup with it." Alpha Zack replied.
"That will not work, it's a rule that we drink from the cup, he will be using before he takes a sip, and most importantly, he will have to be there with two members of his pack." Alpha Kael Said.
"We use a different approach then, we will spread word around the palace that I am plotting something, when this information gets to Hera and my Sister, they will try to warn the SilverBorn Pack, but they won't have enough time because that will be the day of the truce and their Alpha needs to be available for the truce, so I'm betting on the weird Princess staying behind to hear whatever news my sister and Hera has, that will make room for the other two to follow instead, Darian and Cassia, I suppose." Prince Zack said.
" I understand you a whole lot better now, Alpha. I believe you have a plan in place for placing the poison" Alpha Kael said.
"During the truce, a loud diversion will be created at the southern gate. This will draw the attention of Darian and Cassia, Lycans chase after the biggest threat, when they leave, Alpha Helios and I will also go outside to see what is happening. That gives you a two minutes window to enter the banquet hall through the secondary service entrance. You ensure the Nightshade is in his drink, Alpha Kael. once he is incapacitated, we declare he tried to break the truce and we subdued him. I get my Luna, and you get my father's full armory."
The darkness in Zack's eyes was domineering. This wasn't about the Pack's safety or gain, it was about reclaiming the sense of dominion that Helios had stolen. The thought of Hera, stripped from her Mate's protection, fueled his resolve.
Alpha Kael hesitated for a moment longer, then his desire for power overcame his fear. He took the vial,
"Consider it done, Prince Zack."
Hera's Quarters
Hera couldn't stop herself from pacing around the room, she was unsure what to do with herself as the intensity of her bond with Helios made her feel exposed.
Princess Sylvia entered, interrupting her thoughts.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, have you had any sleep?" Princess Sylvia teased.
"I come bearing good news, I was able to convince Zack to let the SilverBorn Packs have dinner with us, as the other clans have started leaving. He insisted on joining the dinner but what could be worse?"
"Are you trying to play a prank on me?" There was a bit of hope in her voice as she spoke.
"As much as I like to tease you, this is not one of those times, I promise."
"What are you doing?" Princess Sylvia asked, taken aback by Hera.
"I'm trying to pick a dress for the dinner, come, come help me pick something, you've always had an eye for good dresses." Hera said excitedly.
"Why don't we pick something from my wardrobe. I have these set of dresses I just got on my last trip, I'm sure we will something nice among them.
"Let's go do it now, I really can't wait to see him. I just understand why you ditch me to go see your Mate, I feel so incomplete without him." Hera said as she led the way to Princess Sylvia's quarters.
At The Palace Dinning Hall
The Brave Pack members were already at the table, Alpha Zack had intentionally come late to the dinner, only to find out that the SilverBorn Pack had not yet arrived. He was boiling with anger, and just when he was about to leave, the door opened and Cassia walked in graciously, followed closely by Darian.
Alpha Zack thought to himself that the SilverBorn's were really made with a different cloth, how could they look so good without even trying, a shame they had to die. His thought was stopped halfway when he perceived a scent so nice, it was almost intoxicating, not a mate kind of scent, a scent only celestial beings should have. He raised his head and he saw the most captivating sight ever, he has always thought her beautiful, right from the moment he set his eyes on her in the midst of all that chaos, still his heart was fluttering in this moment like he had never beheld her before now, true to his thought, the face was befitting of a Celestial Being. He was so loss in his thought that he didn't notice Alpha Helios walk in.