Chapter 287: Sentence for Treason
Unlike when we had met at the welcome banquet, Dahlia Elrod was back to her fabulous self, dressed in designer goods and her hair styled to perfection. Even her fingernails, which were chipped and mismatched the day before, had turned into newly done French tips.
I raised an eyebrow as she stood in my path, sneering, and I had to stamp down every urge to do the same. For one thing, I didn’t know how many of Dahlia’s supporters were present in the infirmary. For another, I didn’t wish to waste my time arguing with her.
However, even though I wasn’t looking to pick a fight, Dahlia Elrod most certainly was. After all, she had taken the time and effort to dress in her battle gear — which consisted of the best fashion any she-wolf could get around these parts — and she must’ve thought it was a shame to not use it.
"Look what we have here," Dahlia Elrod said, scoffing as her eyes scanned me up and down. "You look like a homeless beggar, human."
Well, she wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t yet changed from my clothes, and after the fight and tumble across the forest floor just now, my clothes were covered in dirt and grass. While it still held up enough to not be considered exhibitionism, it was definitely filthy. There were tears here and there, and a good portion of my pants were ripped from the parkour I had done against the last wendigo.
Not my proudest outfit, but considering how I destroyed my clothes, the dirt and grime felt more like a badge of honor than anything.
If Dahlia was trying to pick a fight, however, I was more than willing to take up her invitation. From what I learned, backing down from one — especially when it came to matters of a pack and the pack’s hierarchy — would only lead to disastrous disrespect. Darach was an obvious example.
"Look what we have here indeed," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Aren’t you a little late to the party, Dahlia? The fight is over, you know. Or, perhaps you were too much of a coward to step in and help when the wendigos attacked?"
Murmurs immediately swept through the infirmary, and while I had my back facing them and couldn’t see their faces, I knew they all had their eyes on us. After all, with Elder Otto’s reaction previously, there shouldn’t be a lack of my enemies in this room, Dahlia not included.
Dahlia scoffed. "Nice one. How should I know that it wasn’t a trap set by you and my brother, along with the Hornstead scum? If any of the warriors actually heeded your―" she raised both hands and bent her index finger up and down to make air quotes, "―call for help, they might have been instantly killed by the wendigos under your direction."
"If Thunderstrike’s warriors can so easily be killed by wendigos, then perhaps it’s time we either amp up the training or retire the current unqualified fighters," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Even I could take down a wendigo, much more a perfectly grown adult werewolf who has had years of physical training. Unless, Dahlia, are you claiming that your werewolves aren’t even as strong as a fragile wolfless girl?"
I placed a hand over my lips, feigning surprise.
"My, my," I said. "You should’ve said so earlier! I’ll certainly pass your words on to your brother so that he can see to replace the current batch of warriors."
The murmurs behind me quickly rose to growls of indignation. I could hear louder chatter, angrier ones, and there was even the scraping of chairs. In the hubbub, I could faintly hear Elder Otto’s voice demanding the men to stand down.
"Thunderstrike’s warriors are more than capable," Dahlia hissed through gritted teeth.
"Then why didn’t they help?" I fired back even though I was already aware of the answer.
I, however, had more to add. My bullies weren’t the only ones who knew how to spread untrue rumors. Sometimes, it was more effective to fight fire with fire.
"Unless..." I tapped my finger against my chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "Someone told them not to?"
Smiling, I started circling Dahlia as her body turned slightly rigid. Her eyes had grown red with anger, and her fists were tightly clenched. Her fury was perfect.
"These warriors might be big, strong men, but they wouldn’t have dared planned something like this without the encouragement of someone they all look up to. If they weren’t willing to listen to their alpha’s orders, then it would’ve had to be someone else higher up the ranks. But who?"
I continued, "It couldn’t be me or Milo, since our remarks were the same. Ah, but what if it was their ex-alpha and the little girl who was supposed to be the next alpha if it weren’t for Darach?"
A low growl of warning ripped from Dahlia’s throat. I wondered for a second if she was going to shift and tackle me right here. Just in case, I reached for the silver rod― if it could take down a wendigo, then it would be plenty effective against a werewolf, a creature even weaker to silver than wendigos were.
"Wouldn’t that be you?" I laughed. "The girl who could’ve been the alpha of Thunderstrike or even the luna of Hornstead if it weren’t for her arrogance. You would’ve easily been able to manipulate the minds of these grown men to follow your selfish wishes and desires."
This time, the whispers that rippled through the listening crowd were a little different. From the commotion, I actually heard words of agreement. Dahlia, who had ears sharper than mine, could probably hear the words a lot more clearly than I could. Her eyes went wide as she scanned the crowd, worry coloring her face.
"That’s treason, isn’t it?" I pondered out loud. "The lightest sentence you can get would be exile." I whirled on my heel to look back at the infirmary. "Elder Otto?"
"Yes, Charlie Harper?" he asked, jolting a little, most likely surprised to be addressed so suddenly.
"In Thunderstrike, what is the heaviest sentence one can get for committing treason against the alpha and purposefully endangering innocent members of the pack?" I sweetly asked, smiling broadly.
Elder Otto’s expression turned serious. "Death by wolfsbane."
