Chapter 77 No time

Chapter 77 No time
The space fell silent the moment Evander left, the tension he had left behind lingering in every corner of the room.

Nobody seemed willing to speak first, but unexpectedly, the silence was broken by the slow sound of clapping.

It was Havilah applauding with a serious expression on his face.

"You happy now, chief warrior Shonda?" His voice was low, but there was a clear edge beneath every word, and his eyes were sharp with accusation as they settled on her.

Shonda refused to shrink beneath his stare, even though fear and unease had settled in her chest. She straightened her shoulders, gripping her staff more firmly as she prepared herself to defend whatever she had done.

"I'm not the chief warrior. I'm the..."

"Mouthpiece of the Moon God, blah, blah, blah..." Havilah took the words right out of her mouth, cutting her off before she could finish. "There"s no need to remind us because we all know exactly who you are."

The council members exchanged uneasy looks, their attention moving between Shonda and Havilah.

Everyone knew the two of them did not like each other, but their positions within the pack had forced them to tolerate one another for far longer than either of them probably wanted.

"But it's a shame that the mouthpiece of a revered deity such as the Moon God is so arrogant and self centered, lacking the appropriate wisdom to know when to de escalate an issue instead of escalating it."

Shonda's face immediately twisted into an infuriated frown. Her lips parted as she prepared to respond, but Havilah did not give her the opportunity to get a single word out.

"Now, since you know everything, care to tell us how to come out of the problem you just created for everyone in this pack?" Havilah asked, directing the question at her as every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward Shonda.

Her expression hardened as she realized the entire room was now waiting for her response.

"You are making me the villain now?" she demanded, immediately switching into full defense mode. "He attacked me first."

"No. You attacked him with your arrogant utterances first," Havilah shot back without giving her any room to argue. "And yes, you're the villain because you most probably predicted how everything would turn out and came prepared with a weapon."

"Why shouldn't I?" Shonda refused to back down. Her fingers tightened around her staff as irritation continued to rise within her. "He's been going crazy for the past few days and wouldn't listen to anything anyone was saying. Was I supposed to come before him vulnerable?"

"You were supposed to come before him with wisdom. How is that even difficult for you to understand?"

"Wisdom doesn't work on creatures like him." Shonda stamped her feet against the floor, her frustration finally spilling over. "I have dealt with his kind for years, and I know the only language they understand is the language of force. Stop scolding me, Havilah. I am older than you."

The words landed with such sudden force that Havilah's brows flew toward his hairline. For a moment, he simply stared at her as if he needed to make sure he had heard her correctly.

"You are?" he asked, blinking in surprise. "Oh, right. I forgot you were present the day I was born." His voice took on a tone of exaggerated realization, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly. "Well, the floor is all yours, greatest grandma. Let's see how you manage to extract the poison from his body when he has explicitly ordered for you not to show your face to him."

He paused, allowing the words to settle before continuing.

"After that, let's see how you manage to escape dying by his hands. Time is ticking, grandest mother. Get to work."

Shonda's face tightened at the insult, but Havilah had already turned away from her.

He walked toward the exit without another word, leaving the council members to stare after him and Shonda standing in the middle of the hall with her staff still firmly in her hand.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, the silence returned.

Shonda ground her teeth in annoyance, the muscles in her jaw tightening as she fought to keep her temper under control.

She was fuming mad and desperately needed somewhere to direct all the frustration building inside her, but she also knew she was quickly running out of options.

Everything seemed to be slipping further out of her control, and the people around her were no longer willing to simply stand by and accept whatever decisions she made.

Still, there was no way she would allow anyone to disrespect her, regardless of the situation. She had spent too many years commanding respect within the pack to suddenly start accepting insults without a response.

"You really need to tune down on the arrogance, Shonda." The voice belonged to Councilor Samuel, and unlike the others, he did not seem interested in pretending that what had just happened was acceptable. "I can't believe you just fumbled your only chance at fixing what youjust broke," he pointed out, clearly referring to Havilah's exit and the opportunity she had just lost.

"He's not my only chance of fixing anything," Shonda shot back immediately, her eyes narrowing at him.

"He is the head of the council and the only one who Alpha Evander actually listens to," a different council member spoke up this time, his expression revealing just how confused he was by her reasoning. "Is the stress of everything getting to your head? Because I'm not understanding how you think anymore."

Shonda's nostrils flared, but she forced herself to remain focused on the problem in front of her.

She knew they were right about one thing. Evander had become increasingly difficult to reason with, and Havilah was one of the few people who could still reach him without making things worse.

"Since he has decided it is either Tyra or nothing, finding Tyra is also another way of fixing things," Shonda argued, refusing to concede the point. "And the Moon God already revealed to me that she is not in Blazing Moon. She did actually manage to run away."

"Where did she run to?" Samuel asked, fully ready for this madness to come to an end. His patience was wearing thin, and the longer Tyra remained missing, the more dangerous the situation became for everyone involved.

"I don't have that information yet, but I will get it soon," Shonda responded.

The answer immediately brought disappointment to the faces of those who had already begun to feel a small sense of hope. They needed something concrete. They needed a location, a direction, anything that could lead them to Tyra before Evander's desperation pushed the entire pack into further chaos.

"Soon? We don't have time, Shonda," Samuel remarked, his every word carrying the frustration he had been struggling to contain.

Shonda snapped once again.

"I know that as well. You all should let me think."

She shot Samuel a sharp glare before turning toward the exit, her staff striking the floor with every step as she walked away, the sound echoing through the hall and making it clear that she had no intention of continuing the argument.

But before she could reach the exit, her feet came to a halt when Desmond's voice reached her ears.

"Finding Tyra will not solve all your problems, Shonda."

Shonda clenched her jaws tightly, but she did not bother turning around. She could tell from the direction of his voice that he was standing somewhere beside the stairs. He must have been coming down when he overheard the conversation.

"Raising a weapon against your Alpha and actually firing it is treason," Desmond continued. "The punishment is the death sentence. And you also have a promise of death hanging over your head. You have spent years enforcing these laws. Now that it is finally pointing back at you, I hope you understand the full weight of it."

Shonda's fingers tightened around her staff, but she remained silent.

Desmond paused for a moment, giving her enough time to absorb what he had said. He had been giving her due respect all these while because of her position, but she just crossed a line she can never uncross again.

"So while you go about finding Tyra, I hope you also prepare for that part of your journey."

Desmond walked away after that, leaving Shonda standing exactly where she was. She remained silent for a short while, her face tight with anger as she stared ahead, before eventually turning and walking away as well.

The remaining council members exchanged uncertain looks once the two of them were gone. Their voices dropped into murmurs as they began discussing everything that had happened, each person seemingly aware that the situation had grown far beyond what any of them had anticipated.

A short distance away, Bree stood with Tracy and Camille, watching and listening to everything that had unfolded. Her brows were already tightly knitted, but the more she thought about what had happened, the further they drew together.

Unlike the others, she did not look worried about Tyra's disappearance.

Instead, a bitter satisfaction settled over her face.

"Good thing she ran away because I haven't even started with her yet," she muttered under her breath, her eyes fixed on the direction Shonda went. "I hope she dies wherever she's at and is never found again."