Chapter 182 Last time we got interrupted

Chapter 182 Seeing the wisdom in it

Ira's POV

She says it like she is simply asking for clarification but I know better.

“No,” I say, stating the obvious.

“Why not?” she asks with a slight tilt in her head.

The question hangs there without much inflection, which somehow makes it worse.

“Sempyrs can look into the past with ease,” she continues. “That is well documented in the chronicles of your ancestors.”

Alpha Davan looks between us carefully.

“What you are describing sounds more like a rare occurrence than an actual ability.” Her mouth curves faintly. “It makes one wonder if it's even reliable or perhaps you were just imagining things.”

“Kami.” Arabella frowns at her child.

“What mum, I'm just thinking.” Kami defends.

Before I can respond, her father clears his throat gently.

“Kami,” he says patiently, “relax. A number of things written about sempyrs in the chronicles are myths. We have known this.”

“Of course.” She murmurs, leaning back in her chair.

Her voice lowers slightly then, just enough to sound private while still carrying through the room.

“Or she is simply not as good.”

I feel the sting of her statement before I can protect myself.

But then another voice cuts cleanly through the room.

“Still much more useful than you could ever be for this case.” Ruel says, his tone matching her in calmness, a warning lingering in his eyes.

Kami's mouth opens in a silent gasp as she stares at him in shock.

A beat of silence follows.

Then something warm sounds beside me.

A low laugh.

I glance toward Granny Bel and realize she is smiling.

“Just like Thalrik,” she says, shaking her head fondly, her eyes on Ruel. “None of them could ever ignore an insult directed at their mates.”

Her smile widens.
A warmth spreads through my chest, and slowly, I let a smile form.

Alpha Davan is the first to speak after that.

He leans back in his chair, his fingers lacing together on the table.

“What you have seen is significant,” he says, his gaze resting on me for a brief moment. “But it isn't actionable. What Ira witnessed concerns Vahl pack, not Veilfang. We have no authority over another pack’s internal affairs.”

I look down at my legs.

“And without documented proof, we have no grounds to march to their borders demanding answers.” he adds.

The room remains silent.

Ruel shifts forward in his seat. The noise of his chair drawing every attention in the room.

“Then we don’t do it as Veilfang,” he says.

Davan’s eyes narrow slightly as they land on him.

Ruel continues, his voice steady and unhurried. “If the issue is that interfering in Vahl’s matters as a single pack makes us look like aggressors, then we don’t go as a single pack.”

Even the guards at the door lean closer to listen.

“Let’s bring other packs into this. Andre will find it far harder to wage war against multiple packs at once, and he will not be able to simply ignore a collective inquiry.”

Davan’s expression still does not change. He watches Ruel carefully.

“There is no formal governing body between packs in this region,” Davan says. “Nothing that binds us to a shared decision. What you are describing does not exist, son.”

“Then we build it,” Ruel replies without hesitation. “A council. One representative from every pack. Something with enough collective authority that when it speaks, an alpha cannot simply turn his back without consequence.”

Silence follows.

The beta tilts his head, studying him.

“And how exactly do we convince other packs to join this council?” he asks. “They have no quarrel with Andre. They are not driven by the same need for revenge that we are.”

Ruel is quiet for a moment, appearing to be in deep thought.

“We don’t tell them that,” he says finally. “If we lead with revenge, we will end up sounding petty, and they will distance themselves from it.”

Arabella nods, listening.

“But if we focus on what every pack would want, stable trade across borders, shared defense against outside threats, a structure that protects them as much as it holds them accountable, then the council can easily win support.”

Ruel looks around before adding, “Andre becomes a problem we deal with only after we have already built the council.”

The beta holds his gaze for a beat, then gives a slow nod.

“Clever,” he murmurs with a smirk.

With a flat tone and an unapproving gaze, Commander Cael speaks.

“This is what took your father from us,” he says. “That same certainty. That same willingness to walk into something just because it feels right.” His jaw tightens slightly. “Don’t tell me you carry the same mindset.”

Something flickers across Ruel’s face.

“I won’t do it alone,” Ruel says quietly. “Send whoever you trust with me. I will go to every pack that matters and make the case myself. You have my word that I'll never go anywhere alone. I will not move without the people you choose standing beside me.”

Cael studies him for a long moment then exhales.
“And what exactly,” he starts slowly, leaning forward slightly, “can we achieve with the support of all alphas that we cannot do ourselves? Explain it to me.”

Ruel nods once, like he expected this question.

“Right now, Veilfang has very little standing to summon Andre for questioning,” he mutters. “We have no documented proof that Alpha Thalrik was murdered inside Vahl. We have no formal relationship with Gestrid that would force her to speak openly against Andre, even if she is still alive.”

Gestrid, I'm sure I've heard that name before today.

“If we act alone, Andre will immediately frame it as two packs in conflict and nothing more. Because without proof, it'll be easy to frame us as just being invasive.” He pauses, letting that sink into the room.

“But if we walk in with a joint council behind us, with every alpha in the region on record, then it is no longer Veilfang making an accusation. It becomes an entire body demanding accountability.”

I nod, seeing the wisdom in it.

“Andre would not be able to dismiss it without dismissing all of them. He wouldn't be able to attack Veilfang without drawing the full force of every member of the council onto himself.”

Granny Bel nods, “I like the idea. This way we give him no clean exit,” she says. “He either answers, or he condemns himself in front of everyone.”

More people nod in agreement.

“It'll take some time.” Cael mentions. “You'll have to travel for days to make this work.”

Arabella glances towards her mate. Even Kami, who has remained composed throughout, is watching Ruel now with quiet focus that feels like agreement.

I find myself watching him too… The way he sits there being smart.

I press my palms flat against my thighs under the table.

“There is also the matter of Vahl’s seat,” I say before I can second-guess myself. The thought has been circling in my head too long. “Andre will never send a willing representative to any council we form. Doesn't Vahl have to be a member before he can be held accountable?”

Several eyes shift to me.

“We address it by inviting him formally,” he says. “With every pack witness to the invitation. When he refuses, and he will refuse, that refusal becomes the strongest argument we have. A pack that refuses to answer a collective body becomes a threat in the eyes of every other pack.”

Davan exhales slowly through his nose.

He does not speak immediately, uncurling his fingers from each other, before resting back, slightly lifting his chin.

His eyes drift upward for a second, not really focused on anything in the room. And when he speaks again, his voice is quieter.

“Well, Thalrik,” he murmurs. “It seems the boy ended up with more wisdom than you could've ever had.”

A faint, almost reluctant smile touches his face. Proud, and a little sad.