A swift kick to the back of Boris's legs sent him crashing to his knees. The hard wood of Alpha Adrian's office floor groaned in protest under his sudden weight. A wave of humiliation washed over him, but Boris didn't fight it. His head fell forward, heavy with the weight of his transgression. He knew he had been wrong, that he had failed his Alpha. Yet, his family, especially his daughter, would always come first. He would always run to her side.
Alpha Adrian watched from his large, black couch, his imposing presence radiating displeasure. He knew Boris had let pack priorities slip, an unacceptable lapse in judgment for his Beta.
"You're back," Adrian stated, his tone curt and laced with irritation.
Boris knew better than to speak. Nothing he could say would ingratiate himself to his Alpha in this moment.
"How should I punish you?" Adrian's voice, though calm, held an expectation Boris understood well. An Alpha rarely punished his pack directly; it bred fear and animosity. Instead, he allowed them to choose their own penance, a strategy that often led to self-imposed punishments far harsher than any the Alpha would consider. It was a cunning trick, playing on their need to believe they were still in control.
"Fifty lashes with silver," Boris replied, his voice devoid of emotion. His crime was severe, and had he not been so strong, so vital to the pack, replacement would have been a certainty.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Adrian's face. The suggestion pleased him. He considered how much sweeter this punishment would be if Boris's daughter, Trinity, were forced to watch. He envisioned throwing her from the pack entirely, a thought that brought a predatory gleam to his eyes.
"Yes, that is appropriate. I will have a guard fetch your mate. She will help heal you." Adrian knew Alana, Boris's mate, would ensure Trinity witnessed her father's suffering, making the Beta's penance all the more agonizing.
"Leave us," Adrian commanded, his gaze never leaving Boris until the room was empty. "Get up, friend," he said, his tone shifting to a neutral calm.
Boris rose, waiting for his Alpha to speak again.
"Sit."
His large frame settled onto the empty half of the couch. The formalities were over. Now that the punishment had been decided, Boris could comfortably revert to his Beta role.
"I met with Alpha Phoenix a few days ago." Boris knew of their tenuous alliance with the Moonfang Pack.
"He's always whispering something," Boris commented, a hint of distrust in his voice. Phoenix always felt too obscure, too secretive.
"This time his whispers are far more pivotal. He speaks of a new red-made Queen."
Boris sat straighter, a jolt of hope mixed with caution. A new Queen could bring stability, even unity, to the fractured wolf community. It all depended on who would counsel her. He would need to pray for her wisdom.
"Do we trust his words, Alpha?" Boris asked, already envisioning the preparations required for such an event.
"Better to trust him than miss our chance. I want you to find out which pack the council is at. Then, you and my daughters will go on an impromptu tour."
"I will prepare everything, Alpha." Boris rose, exposing his neck in a gesture of submission.
Adrian stood, resting a large hand on Boris's shoulder, his grip firm and domineering. "I trust you'll remember from now on where your loyalties lie. For your family's sake, for our friendship."
Boris fought to keep his expression neutral. The veiled threat against his family, subtle yet vicious, tested the very bond between Beta and Alpha. He loved his pack, he supported his Alpha, he was loyal to the Blessed Moon pack. But he had already betrayed his family for his pack once. He wouldn't do it again.
Trinity deserved his unwavering loyalty this time, and he intended to give it to her. He would just have to be far more cautious. This newfound loyalty could easily turn deadly if he wasn't careful.
"Of course, Alpha." Boris bowed in submission before backing away and leaving the room in a haste. He needed to breathe, to clear his head. Stepping outside the Alpha House, he walked with fervent purpose. Duties awaited him, but the Alpha's threat continued to echo in his mind.
Without a moment's hesitation, he headed towards the warrior house, breaking into a full run. He arrived in minutes, stopping just inside the treeline. Closing his eyes, he listened intently, sifting through the countless heartbeats, the hushed whispers, every sound that rushed around him until he found hers—Trinity's subtle scent, the steady rhythm of her heart.
She was perfectly fine, it seemed, likely just about to start her first class. A small smile touched his lips, and he turned, heading back home. He had a lot of work ahead of him, not just planning for his trip, but ensuring Trinity's safety.
In the shadowed depths of the woods, a lone wolf circled the perimeter of the Moon Blessed Pack's territory. His fur, once a pristine white, was now a dull, mottled gray, a testament to days of trudging through mud and rubbing against damp, decaying leaves.
Greyson, stalked the edges of the pack lands. careful not to stay in one area too long. He had never remained in his wolf form for so much time, and it felt as though it was slowly eroding his human mind, reducing him to the singular, primal simplicity of his beast.
He had located the defective house, nestled on the furthest edge of the pack, exposed and vulnerable to rogue attacks. The blatant disregard for the safety of those within, the failure to move the most vulnerable members to the protected center of the pack—where new families and elderly, non-shifting members resided—gnawed at him, a deep-seated worry for his brother.
When he had first arrived, he could only smell the faint, fading scent of his brother from within the defective house. But now, it was gone. He'd catch glimpses, the elusive scent of his brother in the forest, but the trees were too thick, the undergrowth too dense to ever catch sight of him. And getting too close was an impossible risk. One paw over the border, and the pack would swarm him, tearing him to shreds before he could utter a single word of protest.
So, he waited. He had to pinpoint his brother's location, to understand his movements. On the seventh day, he finally caught his brother's scent again. His mind raced, trying to piece together where his brother would be within the pack, and why. He dredged up old stories his parents had told him about the pack, the haphazard sketch his father had once drawn of the pack lands, detailing where everything was situated.
On the ninth day, he finally saw him. Ryan, in the forest, laughing, smiling. Greyson watched in horror as another wolf snarled at his brother, and Ryan, agile and quick, scurried up a tree, shooting at the wolf below with playful abandon. Greyson's wolf form tensed, ready to spring into action, but then he froze. Ryan was laughing, his smile radiant. He was having fun. Greyson couldn't comprehend it. His brother was being held captive, torn from his family, yet he was enjoying himself.
A booming voice echoed through the forest, signaling the end of whatever game they were playing. Greyson watched as Ryan hopped down from the tree, still smiling, calling for Trinity as he ran in her direction. Greyson hadn't expected them to be together. He knew Trinity was "defective," that something was going on with them, but he hadn't known they were from the same pack. The odds seemed impossible.
This complicated everything. Greyson knew, with a sinking certainty, that Ryan wouldn't leave without Trinity. He had left them behind before, but this was different. This time, there would be no going back for either of them.
He was biding his time. Greyson hadn't just been searching; he had been watching, listening, primarily around the defective house. There was a man inside, hatching a plan—a foolish one that would surely get him killed. But it would also create the exact kind of distraction Greyson needed to help his brother escape.
The sky above him rumbled with thunder, the once-blue expanse turning a heavy, ominous gray. It felt fitting. Some storms brought clear skies, and others, opportunity.