Ex-Alpha's Regret: Siren's Comeback novel Chapter 12

POV: Damian

The report landed on my desk with a soft thud. I glanced at it with mild irritation, my mind already on a more pressing matter—a border dispute with the Granite Peak pack that was threatening to turn bloody. The report was from one of my spies embedded near the Silver Crescent territory. It was brief. The supply crisis in the Thorne pack had apparently been resolved. Their warriors were recovering, and morale, which had been plummeting, had lifted.

I leaned back in my leather chair, a flicker of genuine surprise cutting through my focus. Resolved? How? I had cut off their primary access to the specialized herbs, a move that should have brought Marcus to his knees within a week. I pictured him scrambling, making back-alley deals. I imagined he had scraped together some alternative from a grubby merchant or a weak neutral pack, paying an exorbitant price for a temporary, subpar fix. It was a foolish waste of resources, a desperate move born of stubborn pride. He'd rather bankrupt his pack than show deference to me.

It was an annoyance, nothing more. A minor variable in a much larger equation. My primary objective—to remind him of his subordinate status—had been achieved. His initial panic and the formal protest were proof of that. This small, costly recovery was irrelevant in the long run. He couldn't sustain it.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock. Elder Maeve entered, her silver hair pulled into a severe bun, her face set in its usual disapproving lines. She was one of the pack's most conservative voices, a constant thorn in my side.

"Alpha," she began, forgoing any pleasantries as usual. "The council is growing concerned. The Lady Sylvie has been residing in the Alpha's manor for weeks. It is… unseemly. It undermines Luna Seraphina's position and creates instability. The whispers are growing louder."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The old guard was so obsessed with appearances. "Maeve, Sylvie is a strategic asset. Her pack was destroyed by the same rogues threatening our northern borders. She is providing invaluable intelligence that is crucial to the security of Blackwood. Her presence here is a matter of pack safety, not a domestic issue for the elders to gossip about."

A wave of deep satisfaction washed over me. My discipline had worked. The pressure I'd applied to her family, the clear establishment of Sylvie's priority, had finally forced her to accept the reality of her situation. She was learning her place. She was learning to be obedient. The coldness was just the last vestiges of her wounded pride. Soon, that too would fade, and the compliant, devoted Luna I required would return.

I watched her walk away, completely oblivious to the fact that her calm was not the quiet of a surrendered lamb, but the stillness of a sharpened blade waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I took a sip of my wine, the taste rich and satisfying on my tongue as I turned back to my maps.