Chapter 7 The Beginning of Counterattack
879 Words
Scarlett's POV
At nine o'clock in the evening, only Coby and I remained in the vast office.
My phone rang at an inopportune moment.
I glanced at the caller ID before answering, simultaneously gesturing for Coby to stay quiet. "Speak."
"What happened at the training grounds today—you need to give me a reasonable explanation." Alexander's voice clearly harbored anger with no intention of concealment.
"Which specific incident?" I deliberately feigned confusion.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Deliberately winning hearts and buying loyalty, maliciously creating division within my pack—"
"Opening the training grounds fairly is called creating division," I slowly leaned back in my chair, maintaining an unsettlingly steady tone, "then what would you call the previous discriminatory practice of leaving half the pack members coldly sidelined?"
His voice became even lower and more threatening: "Scarlett, don't continue forcing me to do things I don't want to do."
"A pack must rely on fairness and justice to truly unite hearts, not on favoritism and partiality," I responded calmly. "When the next emergency attack by enemy rogues comes, count carefully how many people will still be willing to genuinely charge to the most dangerous front lines."
The phone fell into several seconds of dead silence, then his voice came again, but the tone had changed noticeably, pressed lower, carrying a complex inflection I hadn't anticipated at all:
"You're doing this out of revenge? Deep in your heart, you still love me deeply."
This wasn't a question, but a confident statement of certainty.
My heartbeat irregularly skipped for a moment, leaving me momentarily unsure how to respond.
"I know completely," he continued in that tone he thought still gave him total control of the situation, "that emotional bond, that deep mate connection, still exists firmly in your body and soul. You simply cannot truly stop caring about me."
I gripped the phone tightly, about to angrily refute him, when Coby suddenly pushed his laptop quickly in front of me, excitedly pointing at the screen content, his eyes unusually bright.
I looked down to examine it carefully.
It was a formally formatted official visit notice.
Sender: Nightshade Pack, Alpha Lucien Nightshade.
Scheduled visit time: Seven days from now.
Purpose of visit: To discuss matters regarding deep regional pack cooperation.
Without hesitation, I moved the phone away from my ear and hung up directly.
Alexander clearly had much more to say, but I no longer needed to continue listening.
Love or not love—did that even matter now?
I stared intently at that important email that could change everything, clearly feeling something that had been tightly wound in my chest suddenly release, like a string under pressure for so long finally finding the right resting place.
"The crucial first step has finally arrived." Coby was almost excited enough to jump up, his voice lowered to a whisper but unable to suppress his inner fervent excitement. "You really did it, Scarlett."
"Yes, this is just the beginning." I reopened the financial reports, continuing to carefully annotate those suspicious numbers, but the corner of my mouth lifted slightly upward in a small arc I didn't even notice.
This meant Lucien had not only agreed to my request, but more importantly, he had chosen the most formal and public way to express his support.
A formal visit from a region's strongest Alpha would send a clear signal to everyone: Scarlett Winter was not an isolated, powerless Luna—behind her stood the formidable strength of the entire Nightshade Pack.
"Seven days," I looked up at Coby, my eyes sparkling with long-absent determination, "we still have much important preparation work to complete."
Coby immediately became fully alert: "What do you need me to do?"
"First, contact the core generals Father trusted most in life. Tell them about the visit and have them prepare to publicly support me at the crucial moment." I began systematically assigning tasks. "Second, organize those financial anomaly records into a complete chain of evidence, ensuring every suspicious fund flow has sufficient supporting documents."
"Understood." Coby quickly recorded my instructions. "Any other arrangements?"
I thought for a moment: "Also, secretly investigate Faye's specific whereabouts over the past five years, particularly her funding sources and social relationships. A woman who wandered alone for five years while maintaining an affluent lifestyle must have unknown secrets behind her."
"Leave that task to me," Coby's eyes flashed with cunning. "I have several very reliable information channels."
I nodded with satisfaction, then stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the brightly lit territory in the night.
Seven days from now, when Lucien Nightshade stepped onto this land with his authority and power, would mark the beginning of my formal counterattack.
Alexander thought I was still bound by the mate connection, thought I would still soften and compromise because of past feelings.
He was completely wrong.
The woman who had once loved him deeply had died completely in last night's betrayal.
Standing here now was the true heir of Winterwolf bloodline, the Alpha's daughter who would never easily admit defeat.
I would use concrete actions to tell everyone: Scarlett Winter was no one's appendage, and would never become a stepping stone for others' ambitions.
This war—I absolutely had to win.
- Writer
