Chapter 104 Ruth's Denial

Chapter 104 Ruth's Denial
Erick
Alpha Scott’s command was still ringing in my ears as I stepped out of his office.
“After this, find your Luna. Bring her back to me, Erick. I know you're proper capable of doing it,” he’d said, his voice proper raspy with the remnants of his burning rage.
The bloke genuinely thought I was his most loyal elite hunter, completely oblivious to the fact that every single step I took in this Emerald Earth pack was dictated by Alpha Caspian to keep Luna Lulu and her baby safe. 
As a spy, this search order was the absolute perfect cover. I decided to head off to find the truth behind the fog. My hunter instincts could still smell the thick scent of potions wafting through this pack house.
My main target right now was to stir the pot and create absolute distrust between Elder Ruth and Alpha Scott. 
I moved without a single sound, blending my aura into the dark corridors of the Emerald Earth basement. My footsteps were light as feathers, dodging every single guard patrol with ease.
My destination was a secret basement room—the very spot Elder Ruth had been sneaking off to lately, according to my observations. 
The door at the end of the hallway was slightly ajar, leaving a tiny gap. I slipped behind the shadow of a stone pillar, sharpening my hearing and my sight. 
Inside the room, lit only by a single black candle, Elder Ruth stood there looking proper arrogant. Leaning against the damp stone wall opposite her was a mysterious figure wrapped in a long black cloak that completely hid his face.
The atmosphere around the cloaked bloke was freezing and heavy, an aura I knew all too well from the forbidden lands. 
"You promised quick results, Vane!" Elder Ruth’s voice sliced through the silence, screeching with a tight, impatient edge. "You said once you got the earth elemental wolf heart, my position and Leia’s would be sorted. But look now, Scott’s starting to suspect me!" 
Vane chuckled lowly, a sound like two tombstone slabs grinding together. "Don't go bossing me about, Old Wolf. Tuning an elemental heart isn't some cheap magic trick you can just order on a whim. I've done my bit." 
"You haven't finished the job as long as Scott isn't completely under our thumb!" Ruth lunged forward, pointing her finger right at Vane’s chest. "I’ve paid you a massive fortune, Sorcerer! Gold, territory, even the heart of this pack's Luna I gave you as a sacrifice for your magic. Don't you dare play games with me!" 
The air in the room froze instantly. Vane’s black hood moved slightly as he straightened up, sending out a wave of dark energy that made my wolf’s hairs stand on end. 
"Paid?" Vane hissed, his voice thick with deadly intent. "You think your gold can buy me? I'm the leader of the Dark Sorcerers. I don't take orders from a pet dog who happens to wear an Elder’s cloak. Watch your mouth, Ruth, before I turn every drop of blood in your body into pure poison." 
Ruth scoffed, her arrogance as a pureblood pack Elder blinding her to any fear. "You’re just a Sorcerer, Vane. Without the help of my conservative faction in the council, your outcast lot would've been hunted to extinction by the Alphas ages ago. Know your place." 
Vane didn't throw a physical tantrum over the insult, but just let out a cold, mocking laugh. The tension settled for a second as Ruth took a deep breath, trying to swallow her pride because she had more urgent matters to attend to. 
"Enough of this useless bickering," Ruth ordered, her voice going flat again. "I need more love potion. My supply from yesterday has completely run out, and Scott is showing dangerous signs of fighting it." 
"Love potion?" Vane sneered. "I’ll give you the brew one last time, Ruth. But mind you, that stuff rots the brain. Scott will go completely mental and lose his Alpha instincts if you keep drenching him in it. Is that what you want? Ruling a pack led by a brainless monster?" 
Ruth clenched her fists. "That's my business! The main thing is he stays under Leia’s control!" 
"Leia?" Vane burst out laughing, his voice echoing cynically against the stone walls. "Your daughter is completely useless. She's a weak she-wolf, can't even bag a mate with her own charms and has to rely on my magic. She's nothing like Lulu. That wench managed to survive and give birth, even though I personally made sure she was dead back then." 
Hearing her daughter get insulted as a weak, useless waste, Ruth’s face turned bright red with pure fury. Her composure shattered into bits. 
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY DAUGHTER!" Ruth screamed. 
A loud rip of fabric echoed through the room as Ruth’s body expanded and shifted. In a split second, a massive dark grey wolf with glowing red eyes stood in the room, ready to pounce and tear Vane’s throat out. Ruth’s wolf charged with a savage roar. 
Vane just stood his ground. Right before Ruth’s claws could slash his cloak, the bloke exploded into a thick cloud of black smoke. A faint magical chant echoed as his form vanished completely, leaving behind a sharp stench of brimstone. 
Missing her target, Ruth slammed hard into the stone wall, cracking it. The wolf howled in pure rage, clawing the dirt floor in sheer frustration at being left behind to stew in her anger. 
Seeing the show was over, I quickly backed away from the gap before Ruth’s wolf could catch my scent. I bolted out of the basement hallway, planning to use my hunter skills to track down where Vane had offed to. I sharpened my scent and sight, looking for any leftover energy or physical tracks left by the Dark Sorcerer leader. 
Bloody hell!
It was a total waste of time. Vane’s dark magic was too pure and alien; his vanishing trick didn't leave a single biological trace that even my elite wolf senses could pick up. 
Without wasting any time, I took a detour through the outer corridor to get back to the main floor of the Emerald Earth pack house. I had to act like I’d just got back from somewhere else. 
The moment I stepped into the grand hall, a proper tense, formal scene welcomed me. Right by the main pillar, I spotted Beta Leighton standing with a dead serious face, whispering to Elder Ruth, who had just come up from the basement in her human form. The old woman was still panting a bit, and her cloak looked right dishevelled. 
"Elder Ruth, Alpha Scott wants you in his office right now," Beta Leighton said, his tone dead cold and leaving no room for argument. 
At that exact moment, a wave of mental energy smacked my head. Scott’s booming baritone roared through our mind link. 
\[Erick, get into my office now. Don't bleedin' dawdle!\]
I let out a tiny smirk, keeping it well hidden behind my usual blank face. The bait I’d fed him earlier had grown into a trap ready to snap on its victim. Time to watch the fireworks from the best seat in the house. 
I walked fast towards the Alpha's office. When I pushed the thick wooden door open, Scott was standing behind his desk, surrounded by a raw Alpha aura that was absolutely bursting with suppressed rage. His eyes, flashing a deep gold, locked onto the door the second Elder Ruth and I walked in together. 
Ruth tried to keep her arrogant mask up, though I could hear her heart thumping with a bit of nerves. 
Without any greetings or small talk, Scott slammed his fist on the desk, cracking the wood. He glared at Ruth with a deadly, disgusted look. 
"Elder Ruth! Tell me the bleedin' truth!" Scott growled, his voice shaking as he held back his fury. "Own up right now about the love potion you’ve been forcing down my throat all this time!" 
Ruth froze for a second, but being the crafty old politician she was, she sorted herself out quickly. She looked at Scott with a fake, hurt expression, shaking her head slowly. 
"What on earth are you talking about, Alpha? Love potion?" Ruth scoffed, acting proper confused. "I’ve only ever brought you the best stamina tonics for your health and the good of this pack. Who’s been filling your head with such wicked lies?" Her eyes darted sharply toward me, full of suspicion. 
Ruth’s smooth lying was the absolute final straw for Scott’s fraying temper. The silk handkerchief soaked in the mysterious goo was already in Scott’s pocket, and Ruth’s denial was the final nail in the coffin for his trust. 
Scott turned to me, his eyes flashing red as his wolf took total control. 
"Erick!" Scott barked, using his absolute Alpha authority. "Search this old hag right now! Find every single bottle, potion, or whatever the hell she’s hiding under that Elder cloak of hers!"