Chapter 208
Eleanor's POV
Lyric took a deep breath, her eyes now clear and focused despite the tears. "I was recruited five years ago," she began. "I'm part of what they call the 'Clifflands elite core.' We were tasked with monitoring activities in Clifflands, getting close to influential people, and creating small disruptions to provoke rebellion among the people."
"What was the end goal?" I pressed.
"Revolution," she replied simply. "They promised me a seat on the Elder Council when the new king took over. My son would be the governor of Clifflands."
I raised an eyebrow. "And you believed that?"
"Everyone who wants to be a governor or council member under the new king is part of the organization," she explained. "Charles is our mobilizer, but he's not the actual Sovereign."
"Who is?"
Lyric shook her head. "I don't know. Very few people do. It could be anyone, but I doubt it's someone young. They're following plans that were in place since Nathanael's time."
I leaned forward, intrigued by this revelation. "Tell me more about Charles's role."
"His job was to unite Forestvale and Fireland," Lyric explained. "To bring our people into Fireland and overthrow Killian Halloway, installing our leader instead."
"And how was that going?"
"We thought we were close with Edward Harrington," she admitted. "But we discovered his current Luna, our informant, was deliberately giving us false information. Two weeks ago, she was declared an enemy by Charles."
"Do you know if they've acted on that order?" I asked, my mind racing with implications.
Lyric shook her head. "I don't know."
"What was the Luna supposed to do?"
"After she was placed with Edward—after you were taken from Forestvale—she was supposed to report his movements so we could ambush and replace him."
"Replace him?" I asked, surprised.
"She didn't know that part of the plan," Lyric clarified. "But I think she suspected her father had ill intentions toward her fated mate, who had once overthrown him."
"I see."
"I don't know the whole story," Lyric added. "But I think you know more than I do."
"Some wanted to attack Forestvale directly and kill Edward," she continued. "But the elites knew that while Harrington was peaceful, he was also deadly. The plan had to be precise, or Maddox Blackburn and Quinn Bradshaw would come to his aid."
I interrupted her. "Why so roundabout? This is a lot of psychological work. Why not just attack and kill everyone?"
Lyric looked at me as if the answer were obvious. "Because we don't have an army. We have pockets of loyal people, but not enough to guarantee victory. This was our best option."
"What about Alpha King Levenston and the Elder Council?"
"Claire Richards has been uncooperative," Lyric replied. "The plan was to have our member, Alpha Caspian, take over Forestvale and support us against Alpha King Levenston, making his position precarious."
"The plan with Edward Harrington failed," I pointed out.
"Yes, but we succeeded in infiltrating Fireland."
"Is an order out for Killian Halloway?"
Lyric nodded. "I don't know if the order has been given yet, but Halloway will be eliminated soon. We have people close to him who will do the job."
"And then what?"
"Ulysses was supposed to push the petition to force Alpha King Levenston to step down. That would automatically make Ulysses the head of the Elder Council, as he's both a Levenston and a Montalvo."
"And then?"
"The governors and Alphas in the association would dissolve the current Elder Council and crown our king."
"And who would be on the new Elder Council?"
"The 'Sovereign' would establish a new council with Charles at its head. All elite members would get seats."
"What did the 'Sovereign' promise?"
"Equality," Lyric said, a hint of her former conviction returning. "Each pack would make their own decisions and keep most of their income to develop their territories. Unlike now, where the king has the right to keep 65% of the taxes."
I couldn't see the appeal beyond greed for Elder Council seats. The current system wasn't perfect, but it wasn't the tyranny they made it out to be.
"I need names," I said firmly. "Every member of the 'Elite' and anyone else involved."
Lyric hesitated only briefly before listing names: "Charles, Caspian, Qiana Savidge, Brynn Callaway, Nola Carroll, Francis Vasquez, Helena Holbrooke, Patrick Hamilton, Elowen Hamilton..."
She continued listing names, including several Lunas from Forestvale and Fireland. I realized I would need her to write all these names down.
"What about Yosef and Faye? The ones you entrusted your son to?" I asked, unable to keep the contempt from my voice.
Lyric's expression hardened. "Faye is actually Juliet Riddick. Yosef is the son of the previous Alpha of Lakeside, Alpha Larson."
I took a deep breath, trying to control my reaction. This was a significant revelation.
"Was it your group that instructed Juliet to harm me?" I asked.
"No," Lyric said. "You only recently became a target."
"Why?"
"Some things didn't go according to plan, and your name kept coming up as the reason. It was deemed impossible to recruit you."
Lyric looked down at her silver-chained hands and laughed bitterly. "Look at me now. In a dungeon, in my underwear, chained like a common criminal. How far I've fallen."
"What about Eliza and Mira at Levenston manor?" I asked, refocusing the conversation.
"They lead the team there," Lyric confirmed. "When Eliza was caught, she reported to us that you wanted her to work for you. Yosef instructed her to do what you asked and report back to us."
I clenched my fists in anger. Eliza would never learn her lesson. When I became Luna Queen, I would make an example of her. Publicly. I couldn't wait.
"What about Chris Sinclair?" I asked, remembering the name Sebastian had mentioned.
Lyric's eyes widened slightly. "We found him. He's very important in this."
"How so?"
"They're trying to recruit him. I suggest you find him before they succeed. They can be very persuasive. Soon he'll be convinced like I was that fighting the current order is the right thing to do."
"Where is he?"
"In the Ebontide pack in Fireland. He lives under the name Tomas Savage with his mate, Olivia, and their children."
"What is he like?"
"Peaceful," Lyric said simply.
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral despite the excitement I felt. This was crucial information. I knew Sebastian had been looking for his half-brother.
I studied Lyric, realizing that she might be more valuable alive than dead, especially as we tried to stay one step ahead of our enemies. I needed to set aside my personal feelings about her and use her.
"Do you know their detailed plans?" I asked. "So we can counter them?"
"I know some," she admitted. "But now that I've been caught, they'll change them."
A plan began to form in my mind. It was risky, perhaps even crazy, but it might be our best chance.