15. Chapter 15 - The Werewolves’ Ultimatum

Chapter 15 - The Werewolves' Ultimatum

Alexei

W hen I got the call from the Supernatural Council about another impromptu meeting, I knew it was long overdue. I have suspicions about it being about Alpha Mark's body that was found and the reaction of the wolves.

I don't want to make assumptions yet, so I will attend the meeting and hear whatever they say. The drive to the meeting point was slower than it should have been, so I needed the time to clear my head before heading in.

As I walked in, the first person I saw was Beta Oberyn. I knew my gut was right, and this meeting was about the werewolves. I wonder what they have to say this time. Beta Oberyn didn't look like he came here for a friendly visit.

His amber eyes held a simmering anger that sent shivers down my spine despite the vampire chill already coursing through my veins.

The air crackled with tension as the council elders, ancient vampires with faces etched like weathered stone, shuffled into the warehouse. The stale air seemed to thicken under their scrutiny. Oberyn, his face still a mask of fury, barely acknowledged their arrival.

"Elders," I inclined my head in respect. "Thank you for this meeting."

The eldest, a wizened figure named Tiberius, leaned heavily on his gnarled oak staff. "Alexei," he rasped, his voice a dry whisper. "Beta Oberyn. We understand tensions are high, but the council demands decorum."

Oberyn scoffed. "Decorum won't bring Mark back."

Tiberius ignored him. His gaze was sharp as a hawk's.

"Beta Oberyn, you claim to speak for the entire werewolf clan?"

Oberyn puffed out his chest. "I do. We're done with this treaty. Done with Harmony Grove."

"A historic decision," Tiberius said, his voice betraying none of his emotions. "One not to be taken lightly."

Oberyn slammed a fist on the table. "We haven't taken it lightly! Our Alpha is dead. Murdered because of this forced integration!"

One of the elders, a woman named Elara with eyes that glittered like amethyst, leaned forward. "The investigation is ongoing, Beta. We will find your Alpha's killer."

"Will you?" Oberyn's voice was laced with bitter doubt. "Or will it be another dead end, another excuse for inaction?"

Silence descended, punctuated only by the ragged rasp of Oberyn's breathing. Finally, Tiberius spoke, his voice laced with a newfound firmness. "Beta Oberyn, we understand your grief. The loss of an Alpha is a wound that runs deep. However, the treaty…"

"The treaty got Mark killed!" Oberyn roared, cutting him off.

I gritted my teeth. "We're still looking for the talisman, Oberyn. We haven't given up on finding a way to protect you all."

He glared at me. "Don't pretend you care about the talisman when you couldn't protect our leader!"

"This is unacceptable," I said, my voice echoing in the cavernous space. "We've enjoyed peace under the treaty. Leaving now, isolating yourselves, is not the answer. We need to stick together as a team."

Oberyn snorted, a rumbling sound that shook the cobwebs. "Peace? You call the murder of our Alpha peace?"

My jaw clenched. "We're still investigating, Oberyn. You know we are."

"Investigating what?!" He slammed his fist on the chipped wooden table between us.

"That humans did it? Or that some rogue witch decided to test their power on a werewolf?"

"We're not pointing fingers," I countered, forcing my voice to remain calm. Evelyn would have my head if I let my temper flare. We have been working too hard for us to let all of it go down the drain like this. It took months to convince everyone that this was a good idea, and all that work wasn't about to go down the drain because I couldn't keep my emotions in check.

If the werewolves pull out successfully, I know the witches would leave next; not even Evelyn's affiliation with them would keep things under wraps.

"We're looking at all possibilities," I replied, trying to make him see reason. I knew he was usually understanding, but this switch overnight was scary.

"Possibilities that lead nowhere," he spat. "Mark wouldn't have attended that event at all if we hadn't been lulled into a false sense of security by your precious treaty. At least now we all know you don't care about any of us."

"That is not true! That treaty has benefited everyone," I argued. "Humans and supernaturals have coexisted here for generations. Pulling out now throws all that progress away."

"Progress built on a lie," Oberyn countered. "A lie that got our alpha killed."

There was no reasoning with him. Grief had morphed into a dangerous resentment, and I knew it wouldn't be easy to sway him. His pack members are probably putting too much pressure on him and he would rather go against us than them.

"We will find Mark's killer," I promised, pushing myself further back in the rickety chair.

"We will. But leaving Harmony Grove won't solve anything. Your pack needs the resources we offer, the protection…"

He scoffed. "Protection from you lot? We'll manage just fine on our own, thank you very much."

Frustration gnawed at me. "Oberyn, this isn't some childish tantrum. Leaving isolates you and makes you vulnerable. You'll be targeted by every rogue out there, every hunter who gets wind of your departure."

A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes. It was the smallest opening, but it was there.

"We can handle ourselves we have always done that before you came to us with your damn treaty," he growled, the defiance in his voice a touch less absolute than before.

Trying a different, dangerous tactic, I leaned forward in the chair, resting my elbows on my knees and interlocking my hands. "Tell me, Oberyn, did you think your alpha was strong?"

Oberyn's head snapped back as if I'd struck him.

"Of course I do! … Or did," Oberyn stammered, clearly flustered by the change in topic.

The approach was twofold. On one hand, saying no would strain his relations with those pack members who were fiercely loyal to the late alpha. On the other hand, if he says yes…

"Don't you think, then, that Mark would have fought whatever killed him with everything he had to get back to his pack?" I met Oberyn's angry eyes unflinchingly. I knew I had him right where I needed him.

"Yes, but—"

I cut Oberyn off, earning a low growl of annoyance. He may be the beta, but he was no less accustomed to respect than the alpha. "Then I think we can agree that although your pack could take care of itself before the treaty, times have changed. There is a mutual enemy out there that was able to take down your strongest pack member. You want to remain part of this treaty. At least until this is all resolved."

Silence stretched, thick and heavy. Oberyn stared at the chipped table, his breaths coming out in ragged bursts.

"We'll find Mark's killer—," I pressed, hoping to capitalize on the momentary hesitation. "Together. That's what the treaty demands. That's what our alliance stands for." I stood from the chair, walking to where Oberyn sat and extended my hand to him.

He looked up, his gaze meeting mine. The anger was still there, but a sliver of something else flickered alongside it – a flicker of understanding, maybe even a flicker of acceptance.

"Find his killer," he said, his voice rough. "Find him, and maybe… maybe we can talk about the treaty again." Oberyn grasped my extended hand firmly, jerking my arm down in the angriest shake I had ever experienced.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. A shaky truce, a promise. It wasn't much, but it was all we had at the moment.

"We will," I assured him, relief washing over me. "We'll find him."

We sat in silence for another minute, the silence thick with the weight of what had transpired. Then, with a final glare, Oberyn rose from the chair, turning to face the rest of the council.

"You have ONE week to find the killer," he declared, his voice heavy with finality. "If Mark's killer is not found by then, we handle things our way."

I took a deep breath. "We respect your decision, Beta Oberyn. The search for the talisman and the killer will continue. It's in everyone's best interest to find both, as we don't know who might be next."

My stomach clenched. It wasn't going to be easy to resolve this in a week but we had to try.

Tiberius turned to me, his gaze unwavering. "Alexei, ensure the investigation into the killings gets wrapped up swiftly. The humans cannot afford another reason to fear what lurks in the shadows."

The weight of his words settled heavily on me. Harmony Grove, the fragile peace we'd built for centuries, was teetering on the brink.

Oberyn stormed out of the meeting, leaving me alone with my thoughts in the council's chambers. My head throbbed, exhaustion settling in alongside the worry.

It was time to head back, clear my head, and give Evelyn the time constraint issued by Oberyn. We have a crazed killer roaming free after all of us.