Varek didn't flinch under the Alpha's deadly glare. "Replacing the CEO of Crescent Media Company and the Head of Control Tower Control will not be a problem. However… deleting the message and removing the posts might create more damage than you intend."
Lucien's eyes narrowed, his breath sharp.
"The pack will be thrown into confusion," Varek continued, his tone respectful but unwavering. "They'll start asking questions. And punishing Gamma Corvin publicly for forgery will only raise suspicions. It's only a matter of time before someone connects the dots."
He clasped his hands behind his back. "If that day comes, Alpha, they'll begin to question your authority. Nothing attracts attention like the scent of internal instability. The other four packs, especially Nightclaw Dominion, will pounce on us. We'll be cornered from all sides, with no clear escape. I doubt that's a risk you're willing to take."
Lucien's fury simmered, his brows tightening with the weight of restraint.
"So what you're telling me… is to let this slide?" he said, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Even though my authority was undermined and my crown exploited?"
He found it hard to believe that his right hand man would give such a suggestion that wasn't in his favour.
"I know you're angry," Varek said calmly. "But consider the bigger picture. Sending a second message clarifying that Ms. Valessia wasn't married out of pity would protect her from public backlash. But that would expose everything. Including your vulnerability. And that, Alpha, is far more dangerous than you think."
Lucien turned away again, silent now, brooding.
Varek's words cut deep, but they rang with truth… truth he couldn't deny nor overlook.
Just two weeks ago, Nightclaw Dominion had attacked two of their border warriors over a petty dispute. Tensions were high. Any sign of weakness would be the excuse those vultures needed to strike. The three remaining packs would follow. And then… war.
As Varek said, war is the last thing he wanted to break out, not when his reign is still new and fragile.
After a long pause, Lucien slowly turned, the heat behind his eyes dulled but not extinguished.
"If we can't punish Corvin officially… then make sure he suffers," Lucien said, his voice like steel wrapped in ice. "And make it clear that if he ever breathes a word about those forged orders, he and his entire household will cease to exist."
Varek bowed low. "Consider it done."
Without another word, he turned and left the room, his footsteps echoing behind him.
…
Later that day at the mall, Valessia made her way toward the adult clothing section. She had just finished picking out Seraphine's birthday dress and was searching for something of her own. The brightly lit corridor buzzed with soft music, chatter, and the hum of air conditioning.
As she rounded the corner, she collided with someone. Hard.
BANG.
Shopping bags slipped from the other person's hands and scattered across the floor. Before Valessia could register what had happened, a sharp sting exploded across her right cheek.
She staggered back, one hand flying to her burning cheek as she lifted her gaze only to find a seething Kaya standing in front of her, eyes ablaze, hand raised to strike her face again.
"Kaya, that is enough," Virema intervened sharply, catching Kaya's wrist mid-air. She stood beside Kaya, with another woman trailing behind her.
"You weren't the one who had to suffer in that stinky dungeon, so you'll never understand even if I spell it out for you," Kaya snapped, yanking her arm free from Virema's grip. Her fury remained locked on Valessia.
"You had the nerve to bump into me, huh?" Kaya sneered, stepping forward, her eyes lit with rage.
Valessia, still holding her stinging cheek with one hand, glared back.
"I'm sure you sensed my presence but deliberately bumped into me just to humiliate me," she muttered, her voice low but defiant.
Kaya laughed bitterly. Her laughter caused other customers to shift their attention towards their direction.
"The nerve of you to accuse me when you sensed my presence too... oh wait, I forgot," she sneered, voice laced with mockery. "You're not just an omega… you're a lowly, wolfless weakling. A rank even below the omegas. A worthless piece of garbage who can't do the simplest thing as perceiving others presence."
She didn't care that a small crowd had started to form. The bystanders whispered among themselves, eyes darting between the two women.
Valessia's grip on the shopping bags in her right hand tightened. She clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to punch the smug expression off Kaya's face.
"Kaya," she said, "do you still remember I am your eldest cousin's wife and the mother of his pups? I demand some respect from you," she retorted, locking eyeballs with Kaya.
She didn't realize those words would come back to haunt her.
"The very man whom you cruelly murdered and replaced?" Kaya cut in sharply, her words dripping with disdain. "And while still in mourning and pregnant with his pup?" Kaya snarled, gesturing at her protruding belly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Murmurs flared instantly, thick with judgment and scandal. Their curious stares instantly turned to that of disgust.
Kaya smirked cruelly when she saw that she was only a few moments away from achieving exactly what she came for.
"Ohh... my bad. I just remembered you didn't replace him. You threw yourself cheaply at the Alpha's feet. Begged him to take you while pregnant for another man," she spat, her words deliberately meant to sting.
Valessia's blood boiled. Her fists trembled at her sides, but she forced herself to stand tall though the weight of humiliation pressed hard against her chest, wanting to suffocate her.
Valessia's jaw tightened, her voice low but firm. "Don't spew nonsense when you don't know the entire story," she warned through clenched teeth, trying to keep her anger buried beneath a thin layer of control.
She couldn't afford to snap back at Kaya, not here, not in front of a crowd already whispering cruel things about her like jackals circling a wounded prey.
Openly challenging someone of Kaya's rank would only make things worse. It would be like handing her a sword and asking to be struck down. Kaya was a full-blooded wolf, powerful, vicious, and protected by the pack's hierarchy. Valessia, on the other hand, was wolfless. Cursed. A stain in the eyes of many.
And worse, she was alone.
No one would defend her. No one ever did. The laws were clear. A wolfless woman or man had no right to defy a ranked werewolf. To do so was to break the order of the pack and any punishment can be meted out by the disrespected wolf at that instant.
"We might not know the whole story," Kaya said, her voice raised so all could hear, "but there's one thing I, and everyone here, do know… you're a shameless, wolfless weakling. Someone who would do anything just to crawl her way up the social ladder. Pathetic."
Valessia's fists curled at her sides, her knuckles paling. Her face burned in helpless rage.
"Kaya, you're taking this too far," Virema interjected from the side, her voice tense. She could hear the growing crowd echoing Kaya's insults, their words sharp and merciless, fingers pointed at Valessia like she was a criminal caught red-handed.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be so quick to defend her," Kirae snapped, standing beside Kaya with arms folded. Her glare cut toward Virema. "Unless you want to be associated with a filth like that. And trust me, Rema, that won't end well for you."
Then Kirae turned to the gathering crowd, raising her voice. "Come on, everyone, take a good look! This is the woman who dared to drag our Alpha's name into the dirt. Look closely, so you won't forget what filth like her looks like."
Valessia's chest tightened. The crowd swell, now, faces sneering, murmurs turning into mocking laughter. She turned, trying to walk away, unwilling to give Kaya the satisfaction of seeing her crumble completely under the weight of their cruelty.
But Kaya wasn't done.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kaya snarled, grabbing a fistful of Valessia's hair and yanking her back without hesitation. Her grip was merciless. The gesture alone was violent, but the fact that Valessia was visibly pregnant made it even more horrifying.