Chapter 228: Thunderstrike’s Punishment
As the audience registered Luna Cassidy’s words, I could feel the atmosphere grow increasingly hostile towards Alpha Thorton. Their eyes had lost whatever respect they had for him; instead, it was replaced with a combative look, as though they longed to drag Alpha Thorton to the floor to beat the living daylights out of him.
It wasn’t hard to understand why. A werewolf who did not respect the Moon Goddess’s ways was no better than a mortal, and a werewolf who actively worked to separate his own flesh and blood from their wolf was on par with vampiric scum.
And there was only one way to deal with vampiric scum.
Alpha Thorton’s eyes darted between the other pack representatives nervously, but he still stood up as though nothing was wrong.
"We are on sacred ground," he said. However, whatever confidence he tried to feign could not hide the tremble in his voice. "No violence will be tolerated on the Moon Goddess’s sacred grounds."
"Oh," Luna Cassidy said with an unlady-like chortle. "So now you decide to respect the wishes of the Moon Goddess."
"And look," Alpha Burke idly commented, looking at the night sky. "It seems like the lunar eclipse is ending a little early this year. We might get our wolves back soon."
"Well," Luna Cassidy said, looking at her beloved mate. Her expression was dark as she further rubbed salt into Alpha Thorton’s wound. "Not all of us."
Everyone’s eyes turned to both look at the moon in the sky and then at the bowl of moonwater that projected Darach’s face. Even Milo, who had remained mostly passive throughout the entire discussion, looked as though he was about to cry. To watch a fully grown man pushed to the point of tears was alarming― he of all people would know the pain of a lost mate.
Maybe that could help his friendship with the better Elrod sibling grow, rather than encourage the endless pining he had for his useless mate. If the Moon Goddess ever made a mistake, surely it would be to pair Milo with someone as selfish as Dahlia Elrod.
"In that case, what of Alpha Damon’s accusations?" another alpha asked. I didn’t recognize him, but judging by how he sat in front with the likes of Thunderstrike and Fangborne, he must be the leader of an important pack.
"Nulled," Alpha Burke said. "As far as I am concerned, Alpha Thorton has his hands coated with Darach Elrod’s blood, not Alpha Damon. Fellow leaders, are we in agreement?"
The vote was essentially unanimous. Everyone agreed, some nodding their heads wordlessly while others roared with approval. As the seconds ticked by, it was more and more obvious― the arrow that Alpha Thorton had tried to use against Fangborne had been redirected to his own back.
"In that case, wouldn’t they need a punishment for the mistreatment of Darach Elrod?" Luna Cassidy suggested. A crazed look filled her eyes, making them sparkle with sadistic excitement. She rubbed her hands together in glee, as though she had just found out the winning lottery ticket.
"Mom..."
"Oh, shush, Milo dearest," Luna Cassidy said. She said in a hushed tone, but whoever sat close enough to Hornstead’s table could essentially hear her words as clearly as the night was dark. "You can’t seriously still be defending them? It’s time you cut your ties with that Elrod girl. She’s a bad influence and cannot possibly be Hornstead’s next luna."
The glare that Luna Cassidy shot Dahlia was filled with poison; just one look and she threatened to send the younger werewolf under.
"Of course, not that she wants to be," Luna Cassidy said with a snort, still eyeing Dahlia as though Dahlia Elrod was a criminal― to be fair, she was not far from being one right now. "That is something we at least have in agreement."
Milo remained silent, his lips pursed tightly together. He looked at the image of Nicole that was shown from the moonwater; she had her face turned away and was now consoling someone off the scene, her body shifting in and out of view as she moved. It couldn’t be anyone other than Darach, who I wondered if was still huddled in a corner.
Then, I watched as his eyes moved back to Dahlia. He eyed her quietly, not that the girl noticed. She was engaged in conversation with her father, their words hushed but filled with urgency, judging by the way their arms flail about as though they were ducklings about to take flight for the first time.
"Perhaps..." I said, sharing a look with Blaise.
He was confused at first, and so was Damon. They shared a look before their eyes widened like saucers. I knew that they had no doubt guessed what it was I was thinking of. However, I couldn’t tell whether they approved of my idea or not.
"With all due respect, Alpha Thorton is proving himself to be an unworthy father and an unreliable leader with all the lies he’s spreading," I said. Puffing out my chest, I gathered my courage and projected my voice a little louder. "It seems almost as though he’s sowing discord on purpose. As neighbors of Thunderstrike, it might not be in our best interest for him to lead."
"Keep your nose out of werewolf business, human," Dahlia seethed, slamming her palm. She once again stood up agitatedly, just short of leaping over and splitting my skull into two with nothing but her manicured nails alone.
"As mentioned, Harper is an important part of Fangborne," Damon sharply retorted.
The second he spoke, Dahlia looked as though she had just been slapped. She blinked, her eyes wide and filled with shock as she stared at Damon in disbelief. In fact, her expression mirrored that of her wedding day, the moment when Damon had rejected her at the altar in front of all the wedding guests.
"She has every right to speak in Fangborne’s stead," he finished.
"In that case, Alpha Damon, it seems like Miss Harper is attempting to declare war against Thunderstrike," Alpha Thorton said. His gaze darkened, narrowing on me like a hawk on its prey. "Is this Fangborne’s new way of slowly removing the packs in its path?"
