Chapter 47 047

Chapter 47 047
Chapter 47

Thalia's POV

I didn't go to work that morning.

Instead, I went straight to Ruth's inn and told her what I'd seen. She took one look at my face and sat me down at a table in the back.

"They're getting bolder," Ruth said after I explained. "Moving closer is a deliberate choice. They want you to know they're tightening the circle."

"What do I do?" My voice came out shakier than I wanted.

"We push back," Ruth said. She stood up and grabbed her coat. "Come on. We're going to talk to the town council."

I followed her out into the cold morning air. The wolves were still visible at the end of my street, four dark shapes standing perfectly still. A few townspeople had gathered at a safe distance, staring and whispering.

The town council met in a small building near the general store. Ruth didn't bother knocking, just walked right in. Three people sat around a table looking over some documents—two older men and a woman I recognized from the bakery.

"Ruth," one of the men said, looking surprised. "We're in the middle of—"

"I don't care what you're in the middle of," Ruth interrupted. "We have pack wolves moving into our streets and you need to do something about it."

The woman frowned. "We're aware of the situation. But they haven't actually done anything illegal. They're not on private property, they haven't threatened anyone directly—"

"They're standing at the end of a residential street staring at one of our residents," Ruth said flatly. "That's intimidation. That's a threat. And if we don't respond, they're going to keep pushing until they're standing on her doorstep."

"What do you want us to do?" the second man asked. "We can't exactly tell pack wolves where they can and can't stand. We don't have that authority."

"You have the authority to enforce town boundaries," Ruth argued. "Send someone to tell them they need to move back to the edge of town. Make it clear that Greystone doesn't tolerate this kind of behavior, legal challenge or not."

The three council members exchanged glances. They looked uncomfortable, which I understood. Nobody wanted to confront pack wolves.

"I'll go," I said quietly. Everyone turned to look at me. "If someone from the council comes with me, I'll go talk to them myself."

"That's a terrible idea," Ruth said immediately.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But they're here because of me. I should be the one to face them."

The woman from the bakery studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "I'll go with you. But we do this properly—as official town representatives addressing a boundary concern. We don't engage with their pack business."

"Agreed," I said.

Ruth looked like she wanted to argue more but she pressed her lips together and nodded. "Fine. But I'm coming too."

We walked down the street together, the three of us. People watched from windows and doorways but nobody else joined us. I couldn't blame them for keeping their distance.

The wolves saw us coming and shifted slightly, arranging themselves into a line. I recognized one of them now that we were closer—he'd been a guard at Varian's pack house. His name was Derek.

The bakery woman, whose name I'd learned was Helen, stepped forward first. "Good morning. I'm Helen Cartwright, representing the Greystone town council. We need to discuss your presence here."

Derek's eyes flicked from Helen to me and back again. "We're not on town property. We're standing on a public road."

"A public road within Greystone's jurisdiction," Helen said calmly. "And your presence here is causing concern among our residents. We're asking you to move back to the edge of town, outside the residential area."

"We're not breaking any laws," another wolf said. He was younger, maybe early twenties, with a scar across his jaw.

"No, but you're creating a disturbance," Helen replied. "Greystone is neutral territory and we have the right to maintain peace and order. Your presence this close to residential homes is disruptive."

Derek crossed his arms. "We have orders to observe and report. Nothing more."

"Then observe from the edge of town like you were doing yesterday," Ruth said sharply. "You don't need to be standing fifty feet from someone's front door to do that."

The wolves didn't move. They just stood there, staring at us with blank expressions. The standoff stretched on for what felt like forever but was probably only a minute or two.

Finally Derek spoke again. "We'll relay your request to our Alpha. But we're not moving until we receive direct orders to do so."

"That's unacceptable," Helen started, but I cut her off.

"Why?" I asked Derek directly. "Why are you really here?"

He looked at me properly for the first time. "You know why."

"Because Varian sent you," I said. "But there's a legal challenge filed. There are rules about this. You can't just take me."

"We're not here to take you," Derek said. His voice was flat, emotionless. "We're here to make sure you don't run. When the council makes their decision, you'll need to comply with it. Our presence ensures that."

"I'm not running," I said. "I'm standing right here, facing this properly. So you don't need to watch me like I'm about to bolt."

Something flickered in Derek's expression, gone too quickly to identify. "That's not my decision to make."

We stood there in tense silence. Finally Helen spoke up again. "We're filing an official complaint with the regional council about your presence. This constitutes harassment under neutral territory law."

"File whatever you want," the scarred wolf said. "We have our orders."

There wasn't anything more to say. Helen, Ruth and I walked back toward the center of town. I could feel the wolves' eyes on my back the entire way.

"That went about as well as expected," Ruth muttered once we were out of earshot.

"Which is to say, not well at all," Helen added. She looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll send the complaint to the council today, but I don't know how much good it will do."

"Thank you for trying," I said.

Helen headed back to the council building while Ruth and I stood in the street. More townspeople had come out now, watching the wolves from a distance.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better," Ruth said quietly.

I nodded. I'd been thinking the same thing. Varian wasn't going to back down just because of some legal paperwork. He'd sent these wolves to pressure me, to make me feel trapped and scared enough to either give up the challenge or run.

And honestly, part of me wanted to run. Pack up in the middle of the night and disappear before this situation exploded into something worse.

But I was tired of running. Tired of letting Alphas dictate my choices through fear and intimidation.

"I need to talk to Elena," I said. "Find out if there's anything else we can do legally."

"Good idea," Ruth agreed. "She's supposed to be back in town this afternoon. I'll send word for her to meet you at the inn."

I went to Miller's after that, late but he didn't comment on it. He'd obviously seen what happened—everyone in town had by now.

"You alright?" he asked.

"No," I said honestly. "But I'm here."

He handed me an apron. "Then let's get to work. Best thing for worry is keeping busy."

He was right about that. The morning passed in a blur of customers and restocking and ordinary tasks that kept my mind occupied. But every so often I'd glance toward the window, half expecting to see wolves pressed against the glass.

Elena showed up at the store just before lunch. She looked grim.

"I heard about this morning," she said. "Helen's complaint is already filed, but I need to be honest with you—it probably won't change anything. The council moves slowly and Varian's wolves aren't technically violating any specific laws."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

Elena pulled out her folder of papers. "We wait for the arbiter assignment. I've been pushing the council to expedite it, and I think we'll hear something in the next few days. Once we have a hearing date, this situation becomes more official and Varian will have to be more careful."

"And until then?"

"Until then, you stay visible and stay calm," Elena said. "I know that's hard with wolves watching your every move, but panicking is exactly what Varian wants. Don't give him the satisfaction."

She left after going over a few more details about the case. I finished out the workday in a fog, my mind circling around the same questions without finding any answers.

When I finally headed home that evening, the wolves were still there. They'd moved again, closer still. Now they were standing directly across from my cottage, maybe thirty feet from my front door.

I walked past them without looking, unlocked my door, and went inside. Then I stood with my back against the door, heart pounding, and tried to convince myself that I could actually survive this.