Chapter 68: The Silver Insurance
Marcus’s Pov
I paced the cell floor. It was the night before the duel, i was supposed to be resting. I was supposed to be preparing my wolf but I could not rest. My rage was too great, Adrain had ruined two years of careful work in one day.
My head was spinning. The Alpha Duel was the only way I could get the title and the power but the Alpha Duel was also a huge risk. Adrian was strong, i knew he was stronger now than he was two years ago. Guilt and love made him powerful.
A guard came to the cell door. He was a man named Rhys, he was one of my few loyal wolves on the Council.
"Marcus," Rhys whispered through the door. "We have a problem. A small, tiny problem but it could stop the duel."
I walked right up to the bars. "What is it," I demanded. "Speak fast and stop whispering."
"The human, Lena, the Luna’s friend" Rhys explained. "She has been in the Alpha library all day. She pulled the Prior Conviction and Honor Loss scrolls, she found the rule about wolves exiled from neighboring packs."
My stomach dropped out. I felt cold all over, that rule. It was buried so deep no one ever looked at it. It was ancient law.
"She cannot know," I whispered, my voice rough. "She is human, she cannot read the language. The old law is too complex."
"She is reading the translation," Rhys corrected me. "I think she would have figured out that you came from the Red Talon Pack by now. She'll probably be looking for the record of your family's death. She is going to find out that you were not a refugee. You were exiled for stealing and you were marked with shame."
I grabbed the bars. My breath caught in my throat. I had spent twenty years covering that up, it was my only secret that could ruin me.
"She is just a human," I spat. "She is reading a dusty book. Who is helping her? Why is she even in the Alpha library?"
"Elara let her in," Rhys confessed. "I think Elara suspects something, she wants Adrian to win. If Lena takes the rule to Elara, Elara will stop the duel for sure. Elara hates me and she follows the old laws too much." "I need to fix this now," I hissed. "The duel is tomorrow. If they prove I was exiled for my crime, I am disqualified. I will be locked up and Adrian will kill me later anyway. The duel is my only chance to kill him first, that human cannot ruin me."
"The old records are kept by Elara," Rhys said. "She handles the history, I cannot get into her office. She has the only key."
"I do not need the records," I stated. "I need to pay Elara to keep the records safe. She can be bought, every wolf has a price. She likes nice things, she likes power. Tell her I will triple her Council stipend."
Rhys looked nervous. "That is too risky, Marcus. Elara is not cheap and she is loyal to the pack laws. She values her honor."
"I have money outside the pack accounts," I told him. "I have a lot of money, the whole fortune I prepared for the alliance with Evelyn. I will offer her enough to forget what the papers say. I will offer her enough to forget I ever came from Red Talon. Tell her she can buy a house on the coast. Tell her I will make her the head of the Council forever."
"That is a lot of money, Marcus," Rhys murmured.
"It is less than the Alpha title is worth," I shot back.
"Go now. Tell Elara that if she mentions the Red Talon Pack before the sun rises, I will burn her records and tell the pack she is a thief. Go."
I gave Rhys the details of where to find the money. He looked at me with wide eyes. He was loyal to the money, not to me, that was perfect.
"It is done, Marcus," Rhys promised. "I will handle Elara. No one is going to stop this duel, you will be the Alpha tomorrow."
After Rhys left, I started pacing again. I had handled the past but what about the future? What if I fought Adrian and lost? He was stronger than he used to be. I could not rely on just my strength. I had to have a backup plan, a plan to ruin Adrian even if he won the duel.
I walked to the back of the cell. I sent a quiet mind link to my rogue contact. His name was Tiber, he was the man who had hired the rogues to kill Sierra, and now he was running my backup plan.
Tiber, I sent. The duel is set for tomorrow night, i need confirmation. Tell me you are ready.
It is confirmed, Marcus, Tiber replied in my mind. His voice was cold and professional. The plan is ready. The grave is gone, he taught you everything he knows. The rogues are in position, they are close to the Circle and hidden in the trees.
Tell me the plan again, I demanded. I needed to hear it, i needed to know I was covered if Adrian won.
If you win the duel, Tiber explained, the rogues retreat. You become Alpha, then you are safe. If Adrian wins and you are killed or submit, the rogues attack. They attack the pack house immediately, there will be chaos.
No, I corrected him, my rage rising. I told you, they attack Sierra.
They are instructed to attack the Luna and the pack house when the signal is given, Tiber confirmed. We have men ready to grab her and disappear. You wanted her dead, Marcus but you also wanted Adrian distracted. If he wins and she is taken, he will leave the pack to find her, he will abandon the pack. The pack will fall apart without a leader. Then we take over.
"Good," I muttered to myself. This was the only way to win completely. Either I kill Adrian and become Alpha, or I make Adrian miserable forever and ruin his pack. I wanted his heartbreak to be worse than mine was two years ago. I wanted his shame.
The signal, I sent to Tiber. What is the signal?
When the duel ends, Tiber stated, and the Council raises the arm of the winner, the rogues will hear the cheering. If that cheer is not followed by your voice claiming the title and a counter cheer from your allies, the attack begins.
I smiled slightly in the darkness of the cell. Adrian was a fool, he was fighting for his mate. I was fighting for total control, i was fighting for chaos. If I lost the duel, the pack was still mine. I looked forward to seeing the pack fall apart.
I lay down on the cold floor of the cell. I closed my eyes. I pictured Adrian's face when he saw Sierra's blood. He would be destroyed, the rage in my chest was huge and warm. It was better than any sleep. The duel was tomorrow and no matter what, I was going to win. Rhys would handle Elara. Tiber would handle the chaos. My victory was certain.