The Fox-Wolf Bride

Chapter 26 — A Dangerous Decision

Ingrid slowly removed the last of her jewelry.

The golden necklace slid across her collarbone before she placed it carefully into the velvet-lined box on the vanity table. One by one she removed the bracelets, the earrings, the rings that had decorated her hands throughout the evening.

The banquet had been long.

Political.

Exhausting.

But what bothered her most was not the conversations, nor the endless smiles she had been forced to give to wolves she did not trust.

It was Anthony.

Her son had disappeared halfway through the banquet and had not returned.

At first she assumed he had stepped outside to handle some minor matter of the pack. That happened often. Alpha duties rarely waited for convenient moments.

But hours had passed.

And he still had not come back.

Ingrid's fingers paused above the jewelry box.

Something was wrong.

She could feel it.

Her heart had been uneasy since the moment he left the hall.

Perhaps there had been trouble at the border of the territory.

Or a conflict between pack members.

Or worse.

Ingrid sighed quietly and reached for a soft cloth lying on the table.

The door opened behind her.

Tammy entered the room carrying several warm towels in her arms.

Ingrid glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

Tammy had served their household for many years. She understood Ingrid well enough not to ask unnecessary questions.

Still, Ingrid noticed the tension in the young woman's posture.

She took one of the towels and gently wiped the makeup from her face.

"Well?" Ingrid asked without turning around.

Tammy shifted slightly.

"I spoke with the servants from the Littlewood estate."

Ingrid raised her eyes to the mirror.

"And?"

Tammy shook her head slowly.

"Miss Amber…"

She hesitated before choosing her words carefully.

"She is… unpredictable."

Ingrid studied her reflection.

"Unpredictable?"

Tammy nodded.

"She is known for sudden outbursts when things don't go her way."

Ingrid lowered the towel onto the table and turned toward her.

"Emotional instability?"

Tammy quickly shook her head.

"No, my lady."

She thought for a moment.

"More like someone who has never been denied anything."

Ingrid sighed.

"Too spoiled."

Tammy nodded quietly.

Ingrid stood up from the vanity table and walked slowly across the room.

"These days," she said thoughtfully, "there are very few decent young women left who could properly stand beside an alpha."

Tammy did not respond.

Both of them knew what Ingrid meant.

The wife of an alpha was not merely a wife.

She was the future Luna.

A woman responsible for the stability of the entire pack.

Someone respected.

Balanced.

Strong.

Amber Littlewood was far from perfect.

But she was still one of the most politically acceptable candidates.

"For now," Ingrid continued quietly, "Amber remains the best option."

At that moment the door burst open.

Anthony entered the room.

Both women froze.

He looked like he had walked through a battlefield.

His shirt was covered in blood.

Dark stains soaked through the fabric and down his sleeves.

His trousers were torn at the knee.

His hair was disheveled.

And his face looked exhausted.

Ingrid jumped to her feet.

"Anthony!"

Tammy stepped forward instinctively.

"What happened?"

Anthony didn't answer immediately.

Instead he gestured toward Tammy.

"Leave us."

Tammy hesitated for only a second before nodding.

She quietly placed the remaining towels on the table and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Anthony walked heavily across the room and collapsed into one of the chairs.

Ingrid stared at him in horror.

Her hands trembled slightly.

"Anthony… what happened?"

He leaned back and rubbed his face slowly.

For a moment he said nothing.

Then he looked up at her.

"Someone attacked the librarian from the university."

Ingrid blinked.

"The librarian?"

"They beat her."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"Badly."

Ingrid pressed a hand to her lips.

Anthony glanced down at his blood-stained shirt.

"Don't worry," he said quietly.

"The blood isn't mine."

Ingrid exhaled slowly.

"And the girl?"

Anthony nodded once.

"She's alive."

Ingrid sank into the chair opposite him.

"What a terrible thing…"

Anthony looked down at his torn trousers.

"Almost every bone in her body is broken."

Ingrid closed her eyes for a moment.

"Monsters," she whispered.

Anthony didn't disagree.

He sat quietly for a few seconds.

Then he added,

"You remember the red-haired wolf."

Ingrid opened her eyes again.

"Florence."

Anthony nodded.

"Yes."

Ingrid sighed.

That girl again.

The quiet one.

The one the pack whispered about.

"The outcast," Ingrid murmured.

Anthony watched her carefully.

"You know who did it."

Ingrid studied his face.

"You do?"

Anthony gave a small nod.

"I have my suspicions."

Ingrid leaned back slowly.

Her expression grew more serious.

"If this involves Kevin…"

Anthony didn't answer.

But his silence was answer enough.

Ingrid sighed deeply.

"That boy will destroy this pack someday."

Anthony didn't argue.

Instead he suddenly looked at her with something unusual in his eyes.

A strange spark.

"Mother."

Ingrid frowned slightly.

"Yes?"

Anthony leaned forward.

"I bought her."

For a moment Ingrid didn't understand what he meant.

"What?"

Anthony repeated calmly,

"I bought Florence."

Ingrid stared at him.

Then suddenly she shot up from her chair.

"You did what?!"

Anthony didn't move.

He simply watched her reaction.

"I offered her family three kilograms of gold," he continued evenly.

"When she recovers, she will join our pack."

Ingrid was speechless.

For several seconds she simply stared at him.

"Anthony," she said slowly.

"Have you completely lost your mind?"

Anthony remained calm.

"I made a practical decision."

Ingrid laughed sharply.

"A practical decision?"

She began pacing across the room.

"You brought a broken girl into the alpha's pack."

Anthony raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I brought a victim of pack cruelty."

Ingrid stopped walking.

"You brought trouble."

Anthony's gaze hardened.

"No."

He leaned forward slightly.

"I brought responsibility."

Ingrid looked at him carefully.

Her voice lowered.

"This isn't about responsibility."

Anthony said nothing.

She studied him for a long moment.

Then spoke again.

"You feel something for her."

Anthony immediately shook his head.

"No."

Ingrid folded her arms.

"You don't buy half-dead wolves for nothing."

Anthony sighed quietly.

"I couldn't leave her there."

Ingrid stared at him.

And suddenly she understood something.

"You carried her."

Anthony nodded.

"And you felt it."

Anthony's expression didn't change.

But he didn't answer.

Ingrid slowly sat down again.

"Anthony…"

Her voice softened slightly.

"You need to be careful."

Anthony looked at her.

"In this pack," she continued quietly, "compassion can be more dangerous than cruelty."

Anthony leaned back in his chair again.

"I know."

Ingrid sighed.

"And Kevin?"

Anthony's eyes darkened.

"He will hear about this soon."

Ingrid nodded.

"And when he does…"

Anthony finished the sentence.

"He will come looking for trouble."

The room fell silent.

Outside the wind rattled faintly against the windows.

Ingrid finally spoke again.

"You may have just started a war."

Anthony stood up slowly.

His expression had grown calm again.

"Maybe."

He walked toward the door.

But before leaving he turned back.

His voice was quiet.

"But I wasn't going to let her die."

Ingrid watched him leave the room.

For a long time she said nothing.

Then finally she whispered to herself:

"This girl will change everything."

And she wasn't sure whether that terrified her…

or intrigued her.