Valentina

Don't fuck up the ceremony, Valentina.

Cassius stood beside me on a raised wooden stage of prestige and dignity, overlooking the Silver Ash wolf pack. The crowd waited in awe while Cassius cut a piece of venison. He unsheathed his ceremonial silver sword and cut the meat to pieces before throwing it onto the fiery grill before us. A thick, orange-red haze rose over the grill. Black and gray smoke licked higher into the air, filling my nostrils with sweet cinder. He looked back at me afterward, as if asking me to go on.

Right, it’s my turn.

I stepped forward and spoke against my drumming pulse. “Thank you, Father,” I said, before turning my attention to the crowd of my peers, allies, and family. “Congratulations on your hunt, all of you, for pursuing the deer with the spirit of a seasoned politician.”

The crowd broke into chants and cheers as the smoke on the grill intensified when Cassius turned the venison over. I paused, allowing the applause to die down before I continued. A smile curled at my lips when I shifted aside.

“And now, please welcome our special guest from the Hidden Spear Pack, Kaori!” My smile widened when she joined me and my father on stage.

Kaori was beautiful in her ceremonial Hidden Spear garb which hung from her frame as if she were the moon goddess herself. Her hair lay behind her in dark waves, and her eyes were the prettiest color of green against her umber skin. I was delighted to present our esteemed guest with the finest meal and entertainment that the Silver Wolf pack had to offer. Seeing my entire pack gathered together filled me with a joy that only another pack member in my position could understand.

Amongst the cheering Silver Ash members stood my brother, Antonio. His glare pierced me from where he stood in the crowd. Antonio stood rather close to the stage, and the burning embers from the grill made the shadows of his brows more pronounced. Glaring back, I took a deep breath.

I knew he resented me.

Cassius—if I hadn't mentioned it already, our father—had chosen me to assist him in his duties as his consigliere, not Antonio. My brother was our pack’s future Alpha, but I was the favorite. Cassius had done what he could to present me with the responsibilities of leadership while Antonio watched from the crowd. I had no control over the situation since it would’ve been dishonorable to decline. Our father had chosen me, and I enjoyed my position. I knew better than anyone that an Alpha’s job wasn’t just physical. It required diplomacy, the ability to suss out potential threats and solve them before they escalated.

I'm not going anywhere, Antonio.

Still, I felt the weight of his judgment—of his disapproval of my position as our father's right hand.

Shrugging off my brother's pouting, Cassius continued to cook the venison while Kaori greeted Silver Ash with a speech. It was light and filled with the hope of harmony between Silver Ash and Hidden Spear. When she finished to around of applause, she turned her attention back to me. She was our guest to entertain, and I had to make sure she felt welcomed. I'd worry about Antonio's glares another time.

I asked Kaori to mingle with our pack while I helped Cassius with the grill. From her spot on stage, she answered questions and provided answers with the poise and sophistication of a veteran official. I watched as she charmed everyone she talked to; her smile was infectious and her laughter like music. Kaori had proven to be a valuable ally to Silver Ash, and it’d been clear why Hidden Spear had sent her instead of their Alpha, Sunya.

Witnessing Kaori shine in the center of the stage reminded me of the pleasure I found in connecting with the pack, learning about their desires and offering help. I had sat with each and every high-ranking official of Silver Ash to ask what they wanted most. I had held a town hall and asked the pack members themselves. The town hall had lasted hours, and following up with the officials had taken days. A potential alliance with the Hidden Spear pack was at the top of most people's lists, and I’d done everything in my power to make it happen.

As I looked over the crowd's smiling faces, I met Antonio’s glare again. His eyes felt like a thousand needles, piercing my skin as if to remind me of his place in the pack. I swallowed and held his gaze to shift the power dynamic. Antonio only covets the Alpha’s power, but he can’t hurt me. I’m valuable. I reassured myself, trying to convince myself that I wouldn’t be expendable after my brother assumed the Silver Ash throne. Like Cassius, Antonio would need a consigliere, and I’d been the one gaining valuable experience doing that kind of difficult work. He would be a fool not to have me at his side once he became Alpha.

Antonio broke eye contact first. Good…

That was the way I liked it.

The grill sizzled when Cassius turned the meat over a final time. He staked the venison, and my eyes followed the now-cooked meat as my father announced the last part of the ritual. He raised the ceremonial sword in the air. Smoke slithered from the grilled meal and into the darkening sky.

“The Lunar Festival has begun!” Cassius declared.

***

And so the festivities began. Music pulsed and wine sprayed through the air, creating a haze of dream-like thoughts in my head. Lights around me twinkled like stars amongst the craft, drink, and food displays.

In the town's center, I danced to a beating drum. Before me stood Matteo, the man I absolutely adored. He was unfailingly kind, always willing to give a helping hand to others in the pack, and an excellent hunter. His smile widened as he pulled me in. The beat quickened, and Matteo swiftly moved behind me to follow my lead. Apparently, he was an excellent dancer, too. My heart surged at the closeness of our bodies, and when his hands guided my hips, I all but folded like a lawn chair.

We stayed this way until the song faded, and Matteo spun me around to face him. The musicians started a slower tune, and Matteo never let go of me as he held me close.

“You did great on stage,” he said, his voice low and near my ear.

“Thank you,” I replied. A smile tugged on the sides of my lips as I glanced away. “And you did great on your hunt.”

“Thank you, oh beautiful consigliere.”

At the sound of light chatter next to us, I looked up from where we were dancing and Lillian’s eyes met mine. I’d known Lillian forever, and Lillian knew me like the back of her own hand.

She stood a few paces from me, dancing closely with her own partner. She gave me an approving grin accompanied by a thumbs up, which I found amusing and chose to disregard. Lillian, the forever party girl, had always encouraged me to loosen up. Even over the music, I could hear her words of encouragement to find romance and ‘for God’s sake, have sex!’.

Romance and sex were fun, sure, but I knew that if I found a mate, I would end up in one of the traditional roles of pack women. I wanted more from pack life than raising cubs and farming. I didn’t want to give up my leadership role or hunting. I didn’t want to give up my destiny in the seat on the right side of the reigning Alpha.

Matteo's voice rumbled in my ear. “Do you maybe want to get out of here? It’ll be a long night.” His gaze was heavy with unspoken intentions. I could feel the tension growing between us as we swayed.

“As much fun as that sounds, I have to stay here,” I replied, finding the courage to hold Matteo’s gaze. “I need to help my father.”

Matteo covered any disappointment he had with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I understand. There’s no better diplomat in the pack than Valentina.”

I swallowed, hoping that he wasn't too angry with me, when abnormal movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Turning, I saw a few others who had stopped to watch an argument that had broken out on the outskirts of the field. I saw a group of people and the shouting grew louder. Without a second thought, I ran over. The closer I got, the more I realized that several members of the Silver Ash pack were having a very heated conversation with Kaori.

“Hidden Spear shortchanged us in your last shipment of grain!” one man said.

That’s not true. I oversaw the last shipment, myself. It’d been the shipment intended to make peace between Silver Ash and Hidden Spear. I had counted every single sheaf of grain we’d received in each shipment.

Still, the man’s harsh and untrue words stung.

“Hidden Spear would never cheat in a trade deal,” Kaori said, her dark brows furrowed. “We are an honorable pack.”

A few of the Silver Ash pack men stepped forward, and the sudden threat of violence sent my joints into action. I dashed between them, arms outstretched.

“Listen, I oversaw the deal, myself. Kaori is right.”

The eyes of my pack stared back at me, angered and unwavering. Someone pushed their way forward from the back, and when we locked eyes, I recognized the man as Gio—the most ever-so-vocal member of our pack. He towered over me and Kaori with his intimidating form.

“I did not get what I paid for, and I won’t stand for it! Actions have consequences.” He took another daring step forward, his gaze locked on Kaori. I heard her shifting beside me, retreating.

“Father!” I called as I stepped in front of Gio. Turning quickly, I saw my father making his way to me in the near distance, but everything that happened next was so fast.

Gio erupted in a roaring howl, his whole body shaking as he shifted into his new form. I watched in horror and tried to stop it before it was too late. Unable to move quickly enough, I failed to keep Gio from lunging, his teeth bared and aimed at Kaori. Within a horrific flash of seconds, it was all over, with her body slumped on the ground and blood gushing from her throat.

A scream ripped through me. Glancing down at my blood-splattered shoes sent my heart racing with utter horror. Kaori lay motionless.

Dead.