Chapter 43 The continental summit

Chapter 43 The continental summit

Fenris let out a low, delighted laugh. "Exactly. You don't argue with them, Astraea. You don't defend yourself. Defense is for the guilty. You simply... Show indifference."

"What if Jaxon tries to touch me?" she asked, a small tremor of fear returning to her voice. "What if he tries to claim the fated bond?"

Fenris’s expression darkened immediately. "If he touches you, I will rip his arms from his body before he can draw another breath.

"I feel... different," Astraea admitted, her posture straightening. "It’s like the 'sickly' wolf is finally being replaced by something better.

"That is the Zenith," Fenris said, reaching out to tuck a silver lock of hair behind her ear. "The South tried to burn you, Astraea. Today, we show them how sharp it is."

The carriage slowed. Outside, the sound of hundreds of wolves, the scent of different packs, and the heavy atmosphere of the Neutral Territories began to filter in.

"We’re here," Astraea whispered.

Fenris stood up, offering his hand. He looked at her.. "One last thing, my Queen."

"Yes?"

"When the doors open, don't look for them in the crowd. Don't look for their faces. Make them look for you."

Astraea took his hand. Her grip was firm, her skin radiating a calm, silver heat. "I’m ready, Fenris."

"I know you are," he said.

#. #. #. #. #.

The neutral zone was a place of forced civility, a huge plateau of white stone where the borders of the five kingdoms met. Usually, the continental summit was a display of wealth and political position, but this year, the air felt different.

The great pavilion, a big structure made up of cedar wood, was already filled with the other realms. Servants moved like shadows, serving wine and cutting meat, but the usual laughter of Alphas were replaced by the low, urgent whispering.

“There are no here yet," Alpha Kairos of the Western Plains murmured, swirling a glass of wine as he looked towards the empty northern seats, the high backed seats carved from ancient dark wood that sat at the head of the table.

"He's making us wait," Alpha Thorne of the Eastern crags replied, his voice strained.
"It's a power play. Fenris has not attended a summit in over a century. Now he's coming with a witch at his queen."

“If the story's from the south are true, we are meeting a disaster in the making, the south looks unwell," Kairos noted, nodding towards the southern entrance.

Jaxon came into the pavilion, his face filled with hard resolve. He wore his gold plated armor, polished to a mirror, but to those who knew him, the armor seemed to hang loose on his body. His skin was ash.

Beside him, Verena walked with a proud look on her face. In her hands, she held an ivory fan. She was wearing a silk gown of deep red and a huge collar of emerald and gold necklace sat on her neck.

“Look at her,” Thorne whispered. “The south is starving, yet she's dripping in more jewelry than a treasury.”

“Look closer,” Kairos whispered back. “The shine is off. Those aren't eastern emeralds. They are tinted glass. The shadow fang are broke, trying to buy their way into respect with fake jewelries.”

As Jaxon and Verena reached their table, the other alphas offered stiff, shallow bows. Jaxon sat down, slamming his hands on the table.

“Where is he?” He barked, his voice echoing loudly in the already tense room.

“He has not yet crossed the plateau, Alpha Jaxon,” the summit arbiter said, Bowing low. “The north moves at its own pace.”

“He was summoned,” Verena snapped, her voice cranky. She fan herself frantically. “He has a debt to pay.”

“That witch of his has blighted our lands, and we are here to collect the tribute of frost iron. He should be kneeling at the gates, begging for forgiveness.”

Alpha Kairos raised an eyebrow. “Forgiveness, Lady Verena? From what I heard, your beta, boyce didn't exactly receive an apology. He received a broken hand and a deaf ear.”

“The Boyce was caught off guard by Northern trickery.” Jaxon roared, his golden eyes flashing with a desperate mad light.

“This woman, this witch, is using dark magic to intimidate us, but she is away from her mountain now, she's coming into our own territory.” Verena leaned her voice, a poisonous whisper.

“She hides behind the veil because she's a monster. A low born creature, Fenris found in a ravine and dressed in silver.”

“Once the Null stone is on her hands. We will see how regal she will be. She will be lucky if I let her walk in our kitchen. When we are through with her…”

“You talk as if she's already in chains,” Alpha Thorne noted, his voice wary. “But the scout says the North isn't bringing any army. They are coming with two warriors. Does that sound like a king who is afraid of your Null Stone?.”

“It sounds like a king who is arrogant,” Jaxon heaved. He reached under the table his hand, touching the heavy box that contained the Null Stone's shackle.

“He thinks his witch is untouchable. He doesn't know that in the South, we know how to tame wild things.”

As the sun began to dip behind the mountain, casting long shadow along the plateau, the tension in the room became more physical. Every time the wind whistled through the room. Every Alpha in the room reached for their blades.

“They are all talking about her,” Verena said to Jaxon, her eyes going to a group of whispering nobles.

“They are not talking about your strength or my beauty. They are talking about the North witch. It's all the witch did this and the witch said that. I want her silenced, Jaxon. I want her humbled before me.”

“She will be,” Jaxon said, his voice low. “She will bring the iron. She will surrender her power. And then I'm going to tear that veil off her face so that the whole realm can see, what a pathetic thing she truly is.”

Outside, a sudden unnatural silence fell over the pavilion. The birds stopped chirping, the wind died down.

“They are here” someone whispered. Verena adjusted her fake emerald, a look of pure anticipation on her face.

The North had arrived.

One moment, the air was thick with the scent of roasted meat. The next, a rough, invisible blade of frost went through the halls.

The thin crystal silverware on the table began to squeeze, and the banners overhead stiffened, turning dry as the moisture on the fabric dried up.

What the hell is this?” Alpha Kairos gasped, his voice hitching as a fume of white mist came out of his mouth. He looked down at his hands. The hair on his hands were standing straight.

“Look at the floor,” Alpha Thorne whispered, his teeth beginning to chatter.