Chapter 124: The Frost Between Us

The room held its breath. The echo of Gloria’s voice still hung in the air like smoke after a dying fire. She had refused to name the Nightshade pack...her disdain was so thick that even the syllables of its name seemed forbidden on her tongue.

Victoria’s gaze lifted slowly from the parchment before her, her eyes catching the reflection of the candelabras that ringed the long marble table. The flickering light gave her the look of something more divine than mortal, a figure carved from power and purpose.

"Tell me, Gloria," she began, each word deliberate, "were you not among those who urged this very council to banish them in the first place? What makes you think that they’d want to help us now?"

A ripple of silence spread around the table. Even the guards stationed by the gilded doors turned their eyes slightly in her direction. The firelight danced along the intricate embroidery of her gown, crimson fabric threaded with veins of gold that shimmered when she moved. The cut was bold, the neckline daring enough to command attention yet regal enough to silence any objection. She wore the color of blood and empire, a reminder of her title: Luna of the Enclave.

Gloria scoffed softly, leaning back in her chair, her silver jewelry catching the light as she folded her arms. "I wasn’t explicitly part of it," she said with a pointed shrug. "You were the one who gave the final command, were you not, Luna? In fact I remember it all being you and Samuel’s idea."

Victoria’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "And yet you had no objections when I did," she replied, her tone deceptively soft. "Convenient."

Before Gloria could retort, Samuel spoke up. "Enough," he said, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "Bickering won’t help us. The only reply we received from them..." He hesitated, glancing at the others before finishing bluntly, "was one that told the Enclave, quite literally, to go fuck itself."

Philip’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. "The audacity," he growled, his eyes narrowing. "From them? A pack that has nothing? They live with cold gnawing at their bones, with winter as their only companion, and they dare speak to us that way?" His voice rose, a vein throbbing at his temple. "They should be grateful the Enclave even thought to ask for their help and even gave them a place to stay! Traitors that they are!"

A murmur of agreement circled the table, though not all voices joined. Some others stared down at their hands, wary of provoking Victoria’s reaction.

Samuel’s lips tightened. "Whether traitors or not, we have little choice. The plague is spreading faster than our healers can manage. Entire regions are withering. We need a cure, and there are whispers that the..." he paused before he continued. "...Nightshade pack has something... extraordinary. A medical facility unlike any other. Some say they can heal illnesses no one else can."

Several heads turned toward him, curiosity and desperation blending in their expressions.

Philip scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Rumors. Nothing more."

"Rumors worth verifying," Samuel countered, his tone calm but firm. "I’ve lost fifty of my own people this month alone. My crops are dying, my wells are turning black. If this... pack truly possesses knowledge that could halt this plague, we would be fools not to seek it."

The conversation began to swell again, a clash of voices, fear and pride tangling together. Victoria sat silent for a long moment, her eyes scanning the faces before her.

Victoria spoke up. "The last envoys I sent never got beyond their gates," she said, her voice quiet but cutting. "They were intercepted and turned away, unharmed, but unwelcome. The Nightshade pack sent them back."

"Then send more," Samuel urged, leaning forward. "They may respond differently if..."

"...if what?" Philip snapped, glaring at him. "If we beg harder? If we crawl on our knees to them? No." He slammed a fist on the table. "If they won’t help us willingly, then we take what we need. The Nightshade pack are traitors, and traitors don’t get to decide the fate of the realm."

His words rippled through the chamber, bold and venomous.

Victoria looked at him for a long time, expression unreadable. Then slowly, she inclined her head, a small, chilling acknowledgment. "Perhaps you’re right," she murmured. "Perhaps they’ve hidden behind their snow long enough."

The room erupted in murmurs. Some alphas protested, others nodded grimly. But the tide of decision was turning, and Victoria knew it.

"The Nightshade pack has land, resources, and secrets," Philip pressed on, seizing the moment. "If they refuse to help us, we claim them. Their cure, their people, their territory. All of it."

One by one, the others nodded, the vote falling like snowflakes settling on a grave.

Victoria’s lips curved. "Then it’s settled," she said softly. "If they refuse, we’ll take what they will not give."

The meeting was adjourned soon after. The members left in pairs or silence, the echoes of their boots fading down the long marble corridor. When the great doors finally closed, only Victoria and Philip remained. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Philip turned to her, his anger softened now into curiosity. "You seem... unbothered," he said, watching her as she adjusted one of her golden bracelets. "You spoke less than usual."

"I spoke enough," she replied, her tone cool. "They needed to believe the idea was theirs."

He gave a low chuckle. "Manipulative as ever."

Victoria smiled faintly. "Effective, you mean."

They walked together toward the outer chamber where her guards waited, six of them, each wearing the sigil of the Enclave etched in silver on their breastplates. The corridor was lined with obsidian columns, each one carved with runes that shimmered faintly with protective light.

Among the guards stood one man whose eyes met Victoria’s without hesitation, tall, broad-shouldered, with a scar that ran from his jaw to his collarbone. His name was Darius, and he was the only one she trusted completely.

Victoria stopped before him. "You leave tonight," she said.

He bowed his head slightly. "To the Nightshade pack my Luna?"

"To Nirvana," she corrected. "The forests first. There’s something...or someone...I need found there. The first priest bound there. You’ll know him when you see him. Beastly in form, they say, more creature than man. He is to be brought to me... alive."

Darius’s brow furrowed. "And the Nightshade pack?"

"One of you will go," she said. "Only one. The rest are to stay in Nirvana. The forest holds the truth I seek."

When she turned away, her crimson gown whispered against the floor, gold threads catching the dying light. The guards bowed and departed with silent precision, their footsteps fading into the night beyond the Enclave walls.

Philip lingered. "Why the forest first?" he asked. "Why not focus on the Nightshade pack?"

Victoria glanced over her shoulder, her expression softening into something almost tender. Then she stepped close, so close he could smell the faint trace of rose and smoke on her skin. She reached up, touched his face, and pressed her lips lightly to his.

When she drew back, her eyes gleamed with something secret. "You’ll see," she whispered.