CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & NINETY
Talia’s POV
“Dad, what are you doing?” I asked. “You should be resting in bed.” I had not expected him to get out of bed let alone move so swiftly that we did not hear him.
“Talia, do not try to change the topic,” my father responded coldly. The lines around his mouth had deepened with the strain of holding back a cough.
“We were only going over the preparations for the Harvest Gathering,” Solon said. I nodded, not expecting Solon to lie so easily; however, we didn’t need to stress out our father by telling him about Kent.
My father did not answer right away. He looked at me, and then at Solon, and then back at me, and when he finally spoke his voice was very calm, which was always how he sounded when he was deeply displeased.
“Do not lie to me, Solon. And you, Talia, I am disappointed in you.”
“What did I do?”
“You’re supporting his lie.”
Colin shifted beside him and said, “We already heard most of what you two were saying. You didn’t close the door all the way.”
I face palmed and let out a sigh of frustration. There was no point in pretending now, and lying to my father had never really worked for us even when we were children. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I tried to explain but my father frowned.
“One of you will explain it to me from the beginning,” my father said firmly. “And you will explain it now.”
“Alpha Kent has been spreading rumors for several weeks now about your health,” Solon said. “He has been telling the other Alphas that you are dying.”
“And how would he know that? Who would have told him that?” my father asked.
“We believe he is working with Jason,” I replied.
“He has also been urging certain Alphas to consider breaking away from Silverfang’s authority altogether,” Solon continued. I looked at him in alarm. Solon had not told me about this.
My father did not speak for a long moment. He turned his face slightly away from us, and I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten, and then he began to cough, doubling over against the doorframe. This was exactly what we wanted to avoid.
“Dad, please go lie back down,” I urged. Colin caught him under one arm, and I went to him under the other, and between the two of us we got him back into his bed. Solon brought water and I held it to his mouth until the coughing eased, and for several minutes none of us spoke as we waited for our father’s breathing to slow down.
“Do you two remember Alpha Philip, Kent’s father?” my father asked.
“Of course,” Solon replied and I nodded. “He was one of the strongest Alphas in our region in history. He was a decisive but fair leader.”
My father nodded and said, “Even those who disliked him, respected him. I disagreed with him often, but overall, he was a good man.” He paused to catch his breath, and Colin moved to pour more water, but my father waved him off.
1/3
+25 Bonus
“His death came without warning,” my father continued. “He wasn’t injured, sick, or poisoned. It was as if his body just gave out on him. I ordered an investigation and it went on for months. Eventually I had to end the investigation because I could not find anything.”
Solon and I looked at each other. This seemed a lot like what we were dealing with, what Nolan went through. It was a trend of weird circumstances that led to the death of an Alpha.
“Kent inherited the position,” my father continued. “Kent is nothing like his father. Philip was a man of direct action, and Kent has never done a thing directly in his life. There was always suspicion that he had something to do with Philip’s death and now it has resurfaced now.”
“Then we expel him. We do it tonight before the Harvest Gathering begins. This way we can stop him before he can cause any issues with the visiting Alphas. We have grounds enough already,” Solon suggested. I could tell it was more of a suggestion. As soon as father agreed, he would order Derek to take action.
I put my hand on his arm before he could press the point any further. “Wait. Solon, wait. He is being too open about this. He would not be moving this aggressively if he did not have support behind him. We do not yet know whose support.”
“We already know who it is. It is Jason.”
“Or it could be the Rogue King or another pack. If we make a move on him before we know, we may force whoever is backing him into the open at the worst possible moment. Remember what Leslie said.”
“Solon, trust me, I am right there with you, but Talia is right,” Colon added. “The timing of the rumors and the boldness of the approach isn’t a coincidence. This feels like a well thought out trap. Expelling Kent tonight would make all our enemies know we’re catching on. Let’s use their overconfidence against them and let them show their hand, so we know what to do.”
My father closed his eyes for a moment, and I thought he might be giving in to the exhaustion. But then he opened his eyes again and he had a resolute expression. I felt my stomach tighten before he spoke.
“I will preside over the Harvest Gathering myself,” father said. “In person. Tomorrow.”
“Father, no,” I said. “You have not recovered. If you appear in front of the gathered Alphas and show any visible weakness, you will feed the exact narrative Kent has been spreading.”
“I have to do this,” father said firmly.
“There are other ways to demonstrate authority,” Solon said. “I can issue a public declaration in your name. We do not need to put you bodily into the hall to remind them of who their Alpha King is.”
“I wasn’t asking your opinion,” my father stated. Even while sick, his Alpha aura still was oppressive enough for us to drop our gaze in submission.
‘Do not keep fighting him on this,‘ my wolf warned. ‘He has made up his mind.‘
‘We can’t let him do this. He’ll die,‘ I said.
‘He is our father and our King. He has the final say. There’s nothing we can do,‘ my wolf lamented.
“Do not think I don’t appreciate your care and consideration. I do, truly I do, but while I still breathe, I am the Alpha King and I will do everything in my ability to protect Silverfang and you all,” he said.
“How are you planning to do this? You can barely stand now,” Solon asked defiantly.
“I have ways to manage my condition for the duration of the gathering,” my father replied. “For now, you will
213
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & NINETY
trust me, as you have always trusted me.”
日
Comments
