Willow's Quadru-plights

Chapter 2

The air in the Alphas’ private quarters, the Spire was serene

Tristan paced the length of the floor-to-ceiling windows, his boots striking the stone with a rhythmic, heavy thud. Thinking up the next best strategy

Outside, the academy grounds were draped in the grey, suffocating mist of a brewing storm that no one dared to name. The Current greatest concern of the three men in the room

Derek sat at a heavy mahogany desk, his attention entirely consumed by a series of tactical maps spread out before him. his mind was occupied by the logistics of border defense and the shifting movements of the rogue packs near the northern territory. And his handsome features morphed into a frown.

He didn’t bother to look up as the door was slowly opened, even if he was already calculating what mannerless dog would come in without a proper knock.

A low-ranking wolf with trembling hands, stumbled into the room. He didn’t dare meet Tristan’s eyes. He stood in the doorway, smelling of nervous sweat.

Tristan growled the frown never leaving his face

"Spit it out"

the scout’s knees knocked together at the alpha command, but he instinctively obeyed without a second thought

“T- there was an incident Alpha”

"Oh?"

Levi, who had been lazily sharpening a hunting knife on the arm of his leather chair, paused. He tilted his head, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face.

“An incident? Tell me someone finally grew a spine. It’s been so dreadfully boring around here. Which rogue dares trespassing?!” He continued

"It isn't an invasion Alpha Levi. It- it's girl drama" The scout said turning blue when he realized his choice of words was rather stupid.

The silence that followed was absolute.

Levi let out a low, dark chuckle that sounded like stones grinding together. He leaned back, his eyes dancing with dark amusement. “Well, Go on"

“Willow, the girl who was recently admitted had an altercation with Chloe. S- She Slapped her. With her claws out” the scout whispered, looking down at his feet. “Right in front of half the girl dormitorium. She told her to ‘tie you to her bedstand if she was so insecure.. Y- You're loose anyway’ and walked away before anyone could even blink. Chloe is… well, she’s in a state, Alpha. She says it was an unprovoked attack.”

Levi burst out laughing like a wild dog and Derek's ears perked up though he visibly had no reaction

Tristan didn’t explode. Instead, he went unnervingly still. He walked toward the scout, his movements fluid. Every instinct in his body screamed for retribution. Chloe was his.

He didn't love her, but she was an extension of his status, a trophy that solidified his grip on the pack.

He clenched his fists. A nobody, a girl whose own bloodline was a stain on the Academy’s reputation, stroke her? It was an indirect challenge to his authority.

“And?” Tristan’s voice was a razor-thin blade. “What did the others do?”

“They’re shocked sir. The news has already spread like wild fire. They’ve never seen anyone defy the hierarchy like that. Most are just waiting to see what you’ll do.”

Derek sighed, finally pushing his chair back. He looked annoyed, as if someone had spilled ink on his perfectly laid-out maps.

He stood up, adjusting his cuffs with clinical precision. “It’s a distraction, Tristan. A trivial one. We have the inspection of the armory in an hour. Don’t waste your energy on a girl who clearly has a death wish.”

But Levi wasn't about to let the drama and the thrill slip away from his fingers just like that.

“It’s not about the girl, Derek,” He interrupted, standing up and testing the edge of his knife against his thumb. He walked over to where Tristan stood, his presence buzzing with a manic, thrill-seeking energy.

“It’s about the fact that the pecking order just got a c***k in it. If she gets away with it, who’s next? What would they touch next? our throne? The audacity is the best part.”

Tristan looked at his reflection in the glass window. His face was a mask of cold, controlled fury. He wasn't thinking about the slap, or even about Chloe.

He was thinking about that moment in the cafeteria when Willow’s gaze had locked onto his, the intensity behind her eyes that felt less like submission and more like a challenge he hadn't yet deciphered.

"Don't tell me you're considering Levi's madness. She's just another girl probably trying a new means to pine for your attention" Derek said

“She’s not just a girl,” Tristan shot back, his voice barely a whisper, yet it echoed through the room. “She’s a threat to my absolute command"

"Heavens" Derek was done with this.

"We must have her handled immediately" Though there was a slight tightening of his throat at the thought of her lifeless, He didn't loathe the idea or regret putting it forth

“Or,” Levi mused, stepping closer to Tristan, his grin widening, “we try the classic Breaking game. Which do you prefer, Tristan? A swift exit or a slow lesson?”

Derek walked over, his expression unreadable. He glanced at the door, then back at his leader. “If you act now, you validate her. You make her a martyr. Let the Academy staff handle the disciplinary measures. If you get involved, you’re admitting that a lowly student managed to get under your skin. Is that the image you want to project before the war council arrives?”

Tristan ignored him, his mind already spinning with possibilities. He thought of the way Willow had held her head high, even when he knew she was terrified.

And to dare call him LOOSE? the word rung in his ears over and over. Fueling his anger

“I don't care” Tristan growled, finally turning to face them. “If I let this slide, every eye in this school will be looking for the next c***k in the foundation.”

He walked toward the door, his shadow stretching long and menacing across the floor.

“Where are you going?” Derek asked,

"For Vengeance" Levi sang in all his humor

Tristan didn't stop. “To find out why she thought she could get away with it. I want to see if that defiance holds up when she’s standing in the dark.”

Levi laughed again, a sound of pure, unadulterated joy. He slipped his knife into its sheath and followed Tristan, his gait eager. “Oh, this is going to be good. I wonder if she has any more surprises.”

Derek watched them go, his brow furrowed in concern, not for the girl, but for the focus of his pack. He looked back at his maps, the tactical points, the supply lines, the reality of the coming winter and realized that the war outside the walls was nothing compared to the war that was beginning to tear apart the inside.

He picked up a pen and marked a new location on the map. It wasn't a military installation. It was the detention block.

“Stupid,” Derek muttered to the empty room. “All of them. Utterly stupid.”

But he didn't follow. He knew that when Tristan was in this mood, the only thing to do was stand aside and let the fire burn itself out or watch as it consumed everything in its path.