In the Silverclaw pack, inside the palace, Malrik was in his room when a man knocked on the door. "Yes, what is it?" Malrik called out. The man opened the door and bowed his head.
Malrik says, "'Why do you disturb my rest, Orien?'"
"Your Highness, you need to see this," Orien replied, his face filled with concern. Malrik, now worried, stood up and went downstairs to the parlor, Orien following closely behind.
Downstairs, three soldiers stood with their heads bowed. Malrik looked at them and asked, "What happened?" He noticed one soldier carrying a bag that was dripping blood. "Hey you, what is that? It's dripping blood. Let me see what's inside."
The soldier stepped forward and opened the bag in front of Malrik. Malrik's eyes widened in horror as he covered his nose. Turning to Orien, he asked, "How did this happen? How did he find out? This is awful! I need to summon my elders immediately." He instructed Orien to come with him.
Then the soldier with the bag said, "Your Highness, what shall we do with his head?" Malrik paused, turning to face the soldier, who bowed his head in fear. "Give it to his family for all I care," Malrik replied coldly. "He's dead now and is of no use to us."
A young soldier, no older than twenty, whispered, "That is so cruel." The comment inadvertently echoed in the tense silence. Malrik heard it and strode toward the soldier, asking contemptuously, "Is that cruel, huh?" He slapped the young man, causing him to fall to the ground.
Malrik stepped closer, pressing his foot onto the soldier's face. The others stood frozen in fear, unable to watch. "This is exactly where you belong—under my feet, you filthy human. You go to die for this pack because your life is of no use; it's in my hands. You should be sad that it isn't your head that's been beheaded." The soldier writhed in agony as Malrik spat on his face, saying, "Worthless."
Removing his foot, Malrik looked at the other soldiers. "Does anyone have any comments?" he asked. They all shook their heads in response. "Good," Malrik said, turning to leave as Orien followed him upstairs.
The soldier on the floor looked at Malrik with despair and hatred in his eyes. Two of the other soldiers approached him and helped him to his feet.
Two days later, in the Silverclaw palace, Valex was visited by a group known as the Top-Chaired Council of Elders. These individuals were as old as time and held authority over all activities conducted by any alpha of any pack. They had the power to denounce an alpha if that alpha broke any rules or was deemed unworthy of their title.
They are the face of the High Chief and his voice. Valex sat in his parlor on his throne, accompanied by seven old men and one old woman who were seated, while three young men stood behind them. Kael stood beside Valex, firmly looking straight ahead, as other guards remained in the corners of the parlor.
Valex sat up straight and asked, "What brings you here, my esteemed elders?" An elder wearing a black gown looked at him and said, "We heard you have a human girl in your midst." Valex smiled and responded, "Now, who told you that?" Another elder, dressed in red, interjected, "Do not ask us questions; simply answer ours."
"What am I supposed to say to that? Should I say I don't have her, or would you believe me?" Valex replied. The elders exchanged glances, while the old woman sat quietly, seemingly asleep. An elder in a long veil that covered his face said, "Valex, you are disrespecting the Council of Elders and the High Priest."
Valex rested his hands on the sides of his throne and listened to the elders as they spoke. The elder in black continued, "It is an offense to have a human as a wife. We have been informed that this girl bears your mark, which is highly improbable and has never happened before. The only solution you had was to kill her, for it is an abomination. Yet you defy the High Chief by taking her as your wife. This is unacceptable and madness."
Valex smiled at the mention of madness. Kael, looking straight ahead, thought, You cannot accuse a man of being mad when he already is.
An elder in grey with a full beard that hid his face said, "Valex, you have been on the High Chief's radar for years. Warnings are coming in. You know you are not in a good position; this pack can be stripped from you, just like Silverclaw, because of the murders of your five wives." At this mention, Valex's eyes opened wide, not in shock but in horror. He straightened up and said, "Now, now, let's not bring that up. You cannot claim that I killed my past wives."
The elder replied, "What else could it be? Every other pack knows you as the cursed Alpha, nothing more—a figure of terror and horror. It is good to be feared, but shameful when it stems from an abomination. Now, you have two strikes against you: a human girl living in your palace as your wife."
Valex challenged, "Have you seen this human girl that you speak of? You talk as if you have witnessed her." The elders remained silent, aside from the one in red, who said, "We do not need to see her, for no one would dare provide the High Chief with false information; they know the consequence."
Valex smiled and countered, "Yeah of course" The elder with the veil demanded, ''Bring the human girl. She is to be burned immediately. If you refuse, we have the right to use force. If you still do not comply, we will kill her and destroy you and your pack, Valex.'"
Valex replied, "If you strip me of my pack, my people will not survive. Look at how the Silverclaw are faring; they are wasteful, and you know how much the High Priest has benefited from me over the years. You wouldn't want to do that."
The elders paused briefly, exchanging glances. Valex continued, "Now, regarding the human girl: unless you can explain how I have taken her as my wife, I will not let you see her. Feel free to use force if you wish, but I am not backing down."
An elder in a black cloak stood up fiercely and shouted, "You have the nerve to threaten us, Valex! You are vile and will be punished!"
As the elder shouted, the old woman, who had been sleeping, began to murmur with her eyes still closed. Then, she suddenly shouted, "Quiet! Quiet, quiet, all of you! You are distracting me." Opening her eyes, she looked directly at Valex and said, "None of that will happen, for there is no human girl that bears a mark in here. Instead, I sense a very strong energy in this palace—something out of the ordinary." Valex was captivated by her words.