Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

The guard led him to a small study near the Elders’ quarters, sparsely furnished, clearly borrowed for the occasion rather than a room the Council had claimed for themselves. Aldric was already seated when Garrett entered, a cup of untouched tea in front of him, his ancient eyes fixed on nothing in particular until the door closed.

”Alpha Garrett,” Aldric said, gesturing toward the chair across from him. ”Sit.”

Garrett sat, keeping his posture composed despite the unease coiling tighter in his chest. ”High Elder. How can Shadowmere be of service?”

Aldric didn’t answer immediately. He studied Garrett for a long moment, the kind of scrutiny that made a man feel like every thought in his head was visible on his face. ”I’ve spent a great many years sitting on this Council,” he said finally. ”Long enough to recognize when something doesn’t add up, even when everyone around me insists it does.”

Garrett kept his expression neutral. ”I’m not certain I understand, High Elder.”

”The girl,” Aldric said simply. ”Victor Thorne’s daughter.”

Garrett’s pulse quickened, though he kept his face still. ”What about her?”

”The Blackwood brothers defended her rather passionately last night, for a debt they claim is already settled.” Aldric leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him. ”Sebastian spoke for all three of them. Nicholas grew visibly displeased when I pressed the matter further. And the youngest...” His eyes narrowed slightly. ”The youngest looked ready to tear the hall apart when I asked to see her.”

”They take matters of honor seriously,” Garrett said carefully. ”Perhaps they simply didn’t appreciate the implication that their word wasn’t sufficient.”

”Perhaps,” Aldric said, though the word carried no real agreement in it. ”Or perhaps there is something about that girl the Blackwoods would rather the Council not examine too closely.”

Garrett said nothing. He’d learned long ago that silence was often safer than a poorly chosen answer, especially in front of a man who’d spent centuries learning to read hesitation as clearly as speech.

Aldric continued, his voice quiet but deliberate. ”I’ve reviewed the reports from four months ago. The alliance meeting. Alpha Alaric Blackwood’s death.” He watched Garrett closely as he spoke. ”The official account states that Victor Thorne alerted the hunters about the meeting’s location and timing, resulting in the ambush that killed him. Thorne was executed for the betrayal. Straightforward, on paper.”

”That is what happened, High Elder,” Garrett said.

”Is it?” Aldric’s gaze sharpened. ”Because I’ve sat across from enough liars and enough honest men to know the difference, Garrett, and something about this account has never fully settled with me. Victor Thorne served your pack faithfully for over a decade before that night. No history of discontent. No known ties to whatever faction supposedly benefited from Alaric’s death. And yet, in one evening, he apparently threw away everything he’d built to hand the hunters the location of an alliance meeting that would cost an alpha his life.”

Garrett kept his voice level. ”Men do inexplicable things, High Elder. Greed, coercion, old grudges we never see coming. I couldn’t tell you what drove Victor to do what he did. I only know the evidence pointed to him, and the Blackwoods accepted that evidence as sufficient at the time.”

”Did they,” Aldric said softly. It wasn’t quite a question.

The room fell silent for a moment. Garrett forced himself not to fill it, not to over-explain, not to give away more than he needed to. He thought of Nicholas’s warning from days before...this isn’t a request for permission, this is a notification of fact, and understood now, with sudden clarity, exactly why the brothers had wanted this kept so carefully contained.

”I’ll ask you directly, Alpha Garrett,” Aldric said finally. ”Is there something about Victor Thorne’s daughter that Shadowmere, or the Blackwoods would prefer the Council not know?”

Garrett met his gaze evenly, though his heart hammered against his ribs. ”Lilith Thorne served her contract with the Blackwood family. The debt was resolved to their satisfaction. I have no further information to offer the Council beyond what’s already been stated.”

Aldric studied him for a long moment, and Garrett had the distinct, uncomfortable sensation of being weighed and found wanting. ”You’re a poor liar, Garrett,” Aldric said, not unkindly. ”Though I’ll credit you for choosing your words with more care than most alphas manage under this kind of pressure.”

”I’m not lying to you, High Elder.”

”No,” Aldric agreed slowly. ”But you’re not telling me everything either.” He picked up his tea, finally, taking a slow sip before setting it back down. ”I won’t press you further today. Whatever arrangement exists between your pack and the Blackwood family is, for the moment, none of the Council’s concern, provided it doesn’t threaten the peace this Summit exists to protect.”

”It doesn’t,” Garrett said quickly.

”We’ll see.” Aldric’s eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking, ancient. ”But I want you to understand something, Alpha Garrett. I have sat on this Council long enough to watch empires rise from lies just like this one, small omissions, carefully worded half-truths, the kind of silence that feels harmless in the moment and detonates a generation later. I don’t know what Victor Thorne’s daughter is to the Blackwood brothers, or what really happened during that alliance meeting four months ago. But I intend to find out, in time, whether it comes from you or from someone else.”

Garrett’s jaw tightened, though he kept his voice steady. ”With respect, High Elder, I don’t believe there’s anything further to find.”

Aldric’s mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. ”There’s always something further to find, Garrett. That’s the one truth that’s held constant across every century I’ve served this Council.” He waved a hand, the gesture dismissive, though his eyes remained sharp. ”You may return to your duties. I’ve kept you long enough.”

Garrett rose, inclining his head in a shallow bow. ”High Elder.”

He made it as far as the door before Aldric’s voice stopped him.

”One more thing.”

Garrett turned back.

”The girl’s mother,” Aldric said. ”Cassandra Thorne. She’s been comatose since the night of the alliance meeting, is she not?”