Zander's Thoughts
Zander's POV
The room was plunged into silence as all eyes looked at me and at my son, Ryder.
This was not what I expected to be the outcome of elder Braun's question, and neither did Ryder. Obviously.
"I'm still set to be sworn in as Alpha," Ryder protested, concern in his voice.
He had every right to be concerned. This was his birthright we are talking about. Ever since he was born, he knew that one day he would be where his father was at.
He had been raised to take on the role of Alpha when the time came, and it had come. But instead of him being given what he might see to belong to him, it gets interrupted.
I would be worried over a goalpost that I had eyed my entire life, being pushed a distance further just when I was about to claim what was mine. However, Ryder seemed not to understand one thing; the danger that was looming around was not any other threat.
And there was no ordinary man or werewolf as well. It was a man that had held a whole pack hostage for years, led them on missions that saw them take over other packs, including ones that were allies with them.
He ruled with an iron first unlike no other Alpha had ruled in the modern day, and made sure that everyone in the pack understood that even breathing wrong around him could have him executed.
So, no. I wasn't going to hand over my pack to Ryder, knowing full well that Kieran could as well come back and possibly try to claim the Silverfang Pack as his own.
As per werewolf tradition, all Kieran would need to do was to stir up enough chaos that would have the council of elders talking. And when that would be done, Kieran could demand a challenge against the reigning Alpha for the crow and pack.
Knowing Ryder, he would take on that challenge without second thought. And that where my worry is. If Ryder is crowded Alpha and Kieran challenges him, Ryder will want to be the one to put Kieran down.
He'll want to cement his name as the alpha that.took down the Exiled Alpha. I mean, who wouldn't want that?
But the problem is, Ryder is no match for Kieran. I know that without a doubt, Kieran would go right through Ryder without breaking a sweat. And when a challenge is issued, it isn't a challenge for the best man to win.
It's a challenge, where the only way to win, is for one to be the last man standing. A winner is only declared when the opponent is down and dead on the ground.
I can't have that. Ryder is my only child and heir to the throne. Losing him could mean a lot of things to the pack.
First of all, the pack would cease to have a rightful heir to for the Alpha position. Secondly and most importantly, if Ryder is killed, it means that Kieran would be acknowledged as the new alpha of the pack.
And I'd be dead if I allowed that to happen.
And don't get me wrong, I know for a fact that I too don't stand a chance with Kieran on my own. So, I need to make sure that he doesn't cause enough problems to the point where the council can resort to a challenge.
I'm already old and frail. I might be experienced, but if I'm to ever face that brute, I would need to make sure that he isn't 100%.
Ryder is younger, faster and probably stronger than I am. However, I'm more skilled and battle hardened unlike him. And when it comes to Kieran, it's all about what you know, and not what you are.
"Dad, I'm supposed to be sworn in. What's not happening?" Ryder questioned, looking at me with concern.
I knew he wouldn't understand my reasoning, despite how much I hoped he would. I could see the hunger in his eyes. The desire to be called Alpha and rule over the pack.
It reminded me of how much I wanted that for myself, decades ago. When I announced that he'll be crowned Alpha, it was as if I started a forest fire. There was no amount of convincing that was going to have him slow down.
He already set.his sights, and I wasn't planning on stopping him. I just needed to slow him down, until Kieran is taken care of.
"Kieran seems to think otherwise," an elder commented, letting it sink in that Kieran had attacked both times that Ryder was to be crowned Alpha and claim his Luna.
What was more compelling, was the fact that Kieran, on both occasions, took Lilith.
It was either, he didn't want Ryder to be alpha and Kieran knew that taking Lilith would only slow down the ceremony. Or, he took Lilith because he had something planned for her that we were yet to know about.
"He's right," I commented, agreeing with the elder.
Ryder's look changed to anger and confusion as he looked at me, expecting more details to why I thought this way.
I knew that he expected me to back him up the entire time. Agreeing with the elders was something that obviously caught him offguard.
"Kieran has been on the hunt for his next pack for how long? Two years? And when you're just about to be crowned Alpha, he attacks and takes your Luna. That doesn't seem coincidental to me. It was a methodical attack that wasn't unprovoked. There's more to why Kieran attacked us when power was about to shift hands," I clarified.
All the faces in the room showed confusion and the realization as my words sank in. But then, a low and creepy feeling started to crawl in.
The feeling of uncertainty and fear.
And it was clear that the feeling wasn't floating around a few of us. No, I could see it on the faces of all the men and women who were in that room.
"So, what does this mean for the pack?" A female elder asked, expressing her concern.
It was at this moment when I realized that I hadn't heard a word from my second in command, the man whose capable hands I always leave the pack in, Griffin.
I slowly turned to him, and found him staring at the table, deep in thought.
Griffin was a warrior unlike any other. Despite me being the alpha, I entrusted him with taking my men to battle and strategizing the battle plans. And never has he ever let me down.
"Griffin, you've been unusually quiet," I poked, stirring him from his thoughts.
He blinked a few times before he looked at the elders, and then back at me. I sensed something behind his eyes and had this unsettling feeling inside my stomach.
Griffin was the type of person who got the work done, no matter the cost. So, as I stared into his eyes, I knew that he had something in mind. I also knew that whatever it was, was not going to rub off well with most of the people in the room.
"What's on your mind?" I questioned, waiting patiently for him answer.
However, he didn't jump right into that. He looked around the room and then back to me. His gaze then shifted and was on Ryder.
I could already tell that I wasn't about to like where he was going with it. And if I thought that, then I was sure that Ryder wouldn't like it even more.
"What if Kieran is telling us something?" Griffin asked.
His question sounded more rhetorical than hypothetical. He wasn't expecting an answer from us. Rather, he wanted us to take in his question and deeply analyze it.
He wanted us to think about the possibility that Kieran was sending a message.
"What could that rogue possibly be telling us? He is a monster, a brute and a killer!" Ryder answered him, his voice high and pitched.
The room went silent, and that's when I started seeing it.
Discontent.
In Griffin's eyes I managed to see a faint touch of dissatisfaction. It was clouded with disappointment that was not easy to notice. But years of working side by side with him, it had become easier for me to read him.
Was he disappointed with me?
Or was he disappointed with my reign?
As I was wondering what he might be discontented with, I notice that he didn't take his eyes off Ryder.
And that's when it clicked.
He might not be discontented with my reign, but he could be with Ryder rising up the ranks.
"Do you think that he disapproves of something that we are doing?" I raised the question, watching him keenly for a reaction.
And I got it.
A faint look of approval on his face, as he was probably thinking that he and I were on the same wavelength.
"Probably," he responded, looking at me for a moment.
I knew that whatever was to come next, was going to be heavy. And I braced for it. My only problem was, was anyone else in the room ready for it?