Chapter 6

Elara Silvermoon POV:

Julian was a man of his word. Within a day, a discreet data chip was delivered to me by a trusted courier. It contained a complete, unredacted inventory of the Blackwood armory and a log of all recent requisitions. My stomach churned as I scrolled through the files.

Ryker's spending was reckless. It wasn't just the silver for Brielle's daggers. He had been funneling resources-healing potions, tactical gear, even training personnel-to Brielle's home pack, the Frost River Pack. He was propping up a weak ally with Blackwood resources, all to curry favor with his mistress and her family. He was bleeding us dry for her.

The information was dynamite, but I had to use it carefully. A direct accusation would just be seen as another jealous outburst. I needed to expose him in a way he couldn't deny, in a forum he couldn't control.

The opportunity came a few days later, with the annual Alpha's Summit. The leaders of all the allied packs in the region gathered at the Blackwood territory for two days of negotiations and strategy. It was a major political event, and as Luna, my attendance was mandatory.

Ryker had intended for me to be a silent, decorative presence at his side. He had even sent over a dress for me to wear-a submissive, pale blue gown. I left it in the box and instead chose to wear the ceremonial armor of a Silvermoon Matriarch: a form-fitting tunic of silver-threaded leather, black leggings, and high boots. It was the attire of a warrior, not a wife.

When I entered the summit hall, a hush fell over the assembled Alphas. Ryker, standing at the head of the great table, turned to look at me, and his face was a mask of cold fury. I had deliberately upstaged him, presenting myself not as his Luna, but as the acting Alpha of the Silvermoon delegation.

I took my seat at the table, not beside him, but in the chair reserved for the Silvermoon Alpha, which had been left empty as a courtesy. It was a flagrant breach of protocol, a public declaration of my independence.

The summit began, and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. They discussed border treaties, trade agreements, and the growing threat of rogue packs banding together in the south. I remained silent, listening, waiting.

My moment came during the discussion on resource pooling for mutual defense. Alpha Kael of the Stoneclaw Pack, a grizzled old wolf with a reputation for bluntness, spoke up.

"Ryker, my patrols report your northern border is stretched thin. We've offered to reinforce them, but you've said you have it under control. Yet my scouts say your warriors are ill-equipped. How can we trust in a mutual defense pact when your own house is not in order?"

This was it.

"Alpha Kael raises a valid point," I said, my voice carrying across the silent hall. All eyes turned to me. Ryker's gaze was murderous.

"It is true that our northern patrol has been under-equipped," I continued, standing up and addressing the assembled Alphas. "This is not due to a lack of resources within the Blackwood pack. It is due to a... misallocation of those resources by our Alpha."

"Elara, this is not the time or place," Ryker warned, his voice a low growl.

I ignored him. "For months, our finest weapons, our most potent healing supplies, and even our elite trainers have been diverted. Not to our borders, not to our warriors, but to the Frost River Pack."

Alpha Marcus of the Frost River pack, Brielle's father, shot to his feet, his face red. "That is an outrageous accusation!"

"Is it?" I asked, my voice dangerously soft. I pulled the data chip from my pocket and placed it on the table. "This chip contains the Blackwood armory logs for the past six months. It details every potion, every blade, every training hour sent to your pack, signed off by Alpha Ryker. It also details how these transfers left our own pack vulnerable."

I looked around the table, meeting the eyes of each Alpha. "I have since rectified the situation regarding our northern border. Using my own Silvermoon funds, I have personally re-equipped our patrol. They are now the best-armed warriors on this continent." I let that sink in. "But the question remains. Why was our Alpha weakening his own pack to strengthen another? An alliance, to be beneficial, must be one of mutual strength. What we have here is a case of our Alpha propping up a dependent, draining his own power base for... personal reasons."

The implication was clear. Ryker was not acting in the best interests of the alliance, or even his own pack. He was being ruled by his dick.

Ryker was on his feet, his chair knocked over behind him. His body was vibrating with a rage so intense I could feel the heat of it across the table. He was seconds from shifting.

"You have betrayed my trust," he snarled at me. "You have aired our private laundry in front of our allies."

"You betrayed our vows," I shot back, my voice like ice. "You betrayed this pack when you put your mistress before our warriors. I am not the one who is weak, Ryker. You are."

The hall was in an uproar. Alphas were shouting, some at Ryker, some at me. The summit had devolved into chaos. I had exposed his weakness, his poor judgment, to the entire region. I had humiliated him on the grandest stage possible.

In the midst of the chaos, I saw Julian watching me from the side of the room. He wasn't angry. He looked... impressed. And worried.

I had won the battle, but I had also pushed my Alpha to the very edge. And a cornered wolf is the most dangerous animal of all.