Chapter 60

The storm came and shook us. Not as expected to be in the form of wind or rain, but in a twisted form as a betrayal. The air surrounding the Silver Moon Pack was too heavy to carry. It was the heavyweight weaved in secrecy, hidden behind the shadows, allowed to breed and escalate in the pack. But today, that would be settled. For weeks, Kelsey had been stuck for what he knew nothing about, rotting behind doors in the dungeons. He was falsely accused, and he was unable to defend himself; even I, whom he was working for, did not trust him, as all the evidence was pointing at him leaking the most vital information to our enemies. I had followed the pack to doubt him, not even to give him the benefit of the doubt as someone who had worked under me. I wanted to give him a chance, just as Liora gave Mira a chance to freedom. I defended her and stood by her side, but something made me retrieve my steps. He was crushing on Liora secretly, the woman that I was in her case. And the most pathetic thing was when he followed me to the library and suggested what I should gift her, not knowing that's what he would have gifted her. I was the one helping him out to do his heart desires. Even after snitching on me and telling Alpha Rhys of my sudden display of affection to Liora with gifts, I still felt something was off about the accusations. The accuser was busy listing everything, but no one cared to find out how he got his information. We all focused on the accused, judging him and allowing no room for proper self-defense. From the years of service to me and the pack as my right-hand man, he never gave me the impression of a betrayal. Kelsey had been his very best, always diligent and effective in his work with a touch of craziness, and truthfully, his jovial nature was part of what made me retain him. He was a source of entertainment to me. But when trouble came, when he needed me, I abandoned him because of what I felt he did wrong. I stood in the middle, in the big chamber for a council meeting; every pair of eyes was focused on me, the pack leaders vibrating like key predators waiting to pounce on the offender. This is where every offense is examined and judged, and we are here today to do justice to one. Behind me were the council elders, all seated and awaiting the offender of the law to be revealed. Everywhere was dead silent; none of them smiled, and they all wore an unreadable expression. 'We have been fooled and deceived," I said, projecting my voice to carry the heaviness of the accusations, something that would soon shatter our gathering. "But the good news is; we will expose every evil among us today." Elder Marcus, who happens to be the oldest and the most respected elder, has his approval, suggesting he be exposed if he happens to be the one. The council all murmured their agreement, and the journey started. Meanwhile, the culprit was sitting right under our noses, carefully weaving a web of disunity to thwart the plan for the day, but he was outsmarted this time. We already made our investigations before coming to the council meeting, which was just to expose the evil and not to start afresh with a new investigation. At my right-hand side, Kelsey stood; he had suffered a lot and would be set free today. He was no longer bound by chains as he stood before the council of elders. His appearance was not the same as the first time he came here. His confidence level had been boosted, and he could boldly declare himself not guilty. I kind of felt bad for him; suffering for the sins of others was a lot of humiliation. I was blamed for a treachery he knew nothing of. I was disturbed that his jovial nature would be affected as he would cut it down to avoid entering into trouble, but that was the most interesting part of his personality. I stepped forward, and without wasting time, I continued my speech, speaking with authority as the Alpha of the pack. "Kelsey was framed, made to suffer a sin he knew nothing about. The most annoying thing is the real traitor is not far-fetched; he's right here in this room. He has been feeding our plans, leaving no details of our secrets as he conveyed them to our enemies. Every one of our efforts was made fruitless because of his diligence and vigilance in fulfilling his mission. But that won't be happening anymore. He has been caught in the act." A murmur erupted all through the room, but I allowed them to express themselves before continuing. The traitor shifted in his seat, the place was no longer comfortable for him, as he was not expecting to be ever caught. He had done a great job that it would take a lot to finally get him, but today, he would be punished. I gave Kelsey the go-ahead, and he stepped into the center, cleared his throat, and started talking. It might be very hard for him to find his voice again, after weeks of silence, judging that talking was part of his hobbies, and I understand that was why he cleared his truth. "It was Elder Clatus; he framed me up," he said, dropping the bomb, and the room returned to dead silence again. "He used me to cover up for his crime, ensuring no one suspected him. He was busy feeding lies to the pack while he was the offender, making sure every vital information about the pack gets to his daughter—Isolde Frostfang, the exiled strategist that worked faithfully for this pack for years." The air in the room became suffocating; there was suddenly not enough ventilation for everyone in the large chamber. Every head turned, and all eyes fixed on the direction of Elder Clatus; they all awaited him to defend himself. But lo and behold, Clatus didn't speak. He made no effort to do that, and it seemed he would never do it. His gaze landed on me, then it returned to Kelsey, he had expected the young man to waste away in the dungeon, but he was outsmarted. I noticed his eyes held a lot of questions on how we found out, then I raised my hand, signaling for the mysterious warrior who had arrived on the sacred night of my union to step forward. He was the one that uncovered the secret, the one, the new ally of the pack which I haven't trusted totally. What kept surprising me, and which got me curious was why he decided to turn from a rogue to a vital asset to the pack. According to him, he was wronged by the pack and exiled for what he knew nothing about, but he's back now to help the same pack that banished him, even without carrying out his revenge plans. It was all strange and unusual. He moved to the center where I stood, and with him was a bundle of scrolls. It seemed he came prepared to uncover this evil in the land. He placed the scrolls on the floor and rolled them out. In it we're maps, council plans of all the meetings we had been having, and coded messages that only the receiver would understand, and as expected, everything led back to Elder Clatus. "You've been betraying the pack, leaking every information you know would aid Morgath in his deadly plans," the rogue said gravely. "And you directed them to your daughter. That's how it gets to Morgath. Every attack this pack had suffered, every evil move made by Morgath, all succeeded because of your help to him." Cletus finally stood; one would think that he stood to defend himself, but that was never his reason. "Your accusations hold no water, there's no proof to..." "The scrolls that he brought along with him are enough proof," I interrupted. "Your daughter is yet another proof. Isolde Frostfang carried her work as the former strategist of this pack to work for Morgath, carefully ordering all his movements, and you've been the supplier of all the information they needed to strike." The room was no longer calm by the time I finished talking. Some of the elders wasted no time in expressing their anger at the betrayal. Others remained calm, still trying to figure out why he would betray the pack in such a manner. I noticed Elder Clatus was making way for his escape, but I wouldn't have that. I ordered the guards to mount the entrance, ensuring no one left until everything was settled. Elder Marcus broke the code, as usual, first to speak, and others followed his example. 'I will ask you again because I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. Is all they said true, Clatus? Have you conspired and betrayed your pack for personal reasons, and you did that with your banished daughter?" Elder Clatus still was not yet moved with everything that was going on. He still felt he did the right thing, with no sign of remorse for his evil acts. 'I did what I had to do as a father, for my family," Clatus growled bitterly. 'Isolde was my daughter, a loyal worker in this pack. But she was banished from the pack that she served with her soul. I had to do everything possible to secure our place, which was forcefully taken away from us. If it meant working with Morgath and feeding him with the information he needed, to strike." 'You sold us out, just to get what you desired," I replied coldly. 'You placed your interest above the welfare of every single member of this pack, and you were parading yourself as an Elder to the pack." Clatus's wolf rose with anger. 'You won't understand anything now! Isolde had worked for this pack all through her life, she deserved to be the Luna! She contributed a lot to the growth of this pack, smarter than Seraphina, but her efforts were never recognized." I moved swiftly, and in no time, I was on him, before he could react, he was already on the stone wall. My claws extended to devour him, but no member of the council came to his rescue.'You betrayed your pack, and worst of all, you are an Elder of the same pack. Instead of begging to be forgiven, you are busy fighting back, giving reasons for your actions." He struggled to escape my grip on him, but I was stronger. He was old and weak and lacked young energy moves. My blood boiled as my wolf demanded justice.'You will be stripped of your undeserved title, and for all the crimes you committed, you will answer for them all." 'Elder Marcus, this is time for the council to decide his fate." Marcus nodded in agreement. "Clatus would face judgment for all his wrongdoings. His daughter, Isolde, will be traced to wherever she might be. This pack will not spare anyone that breeds the seed of betrayal."