Willowfang: The Moonlit Treaty

Chapter 2 - Behind the Façade

Anika -
 I rushed out of the meeting, escaping before they could change their minds. This seemed to be the pattern for most of my meetings lately—me bolting before anyone realized just how much I’d swindled out of them.

How did that even work? How did that work?

I sprinted to the SUV, unlocking it as my eyes landed on my "delegates." Instead of waiting like professionals, they were in the snow, laughing like pups. Glean hurled a snowball that hit Kalai in the hair, prompting him to tackle Glean into a drift. To their right, Taylor and Preston were rolling a snowball to start a snowman.

"Are you kidding me?" I growled, storming over. We hadn’t even left Willowclaw’s pack grounds!

The four of them froze, looking sheepish. Kalai retaliated by shoving a handful of snow down Taylor’s collar, earning a high-pitched squeal.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. Hopeless. "Get in the car. Now."

They scurried off, shoving and tripping each other like pups caught misbehaving. I’d dressed the three boys in ill-fitting suits and told them not to shave for a few days to make them appear older. Taylor did look older and more mature in her business skirt and blouse but her long blonde hair and blue eyes did little to intimidate Willowclaw. They were supposed to look domineering, mature, and professional. Unfortunately, I couldn’t magically increase their maturity level overnight.

As I climbed into the driver’s seat, I leaned back to check my blind spot. "Buckles," I ordered, sounding like a chastising mother.

My Alpha had refused to send real advisers, claiming he needed them more. When I asked for warriors, he dismissed the idea, saying he didn’t want to risk injuries if a fight broke out. But he was fine sending his Beta alone.

When I arrived for negotiations, Alpha Corvin and his son, Harlan, had been visibly surprised to see just me. I’d played it off as an “informal meeting.” Later, I had to scramble to find these four teenagers and make them look as old and serious as possible. Thank the Moon Goddess for werewolves aging gracefully.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I noticed their empty laps. "Where are your contracts?" I snapped, horrified.

"We were supposed to take them?" Kalai said guiltily.

I groaned, resisting the urge to bang my head against the steering wheel. "Yes, of course, you were supposed to take them! They’re probably the most important documents our pack has seen in a century!"

"Sorry, Beta," a few of them mumbled, shrinking under my glare.

I sighed again, shaking my head. "It’s fine. We got what we wanted, and you did what I needed you to do."

Despite their antics, their bored, disinterested facade during the negotiations had worked like a charm. Alpha Corvin and Harlan had been desperate to please us, convinced we were hiding something.

"I’ll make sure you three get fast-tracked into the warriors’ program," I told the boys. Turning to Taylor, I added, "And I’ll speak to the nurses about letting you shadow them."

"I want to be in the warrior program now," Taylor said with a mischievous grin. "If it means battling with that hunk of an Alpha’s son every day, I’ll gladly risk my life."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "That was a peace treaty we just negotiated. There won’t be any fighting anytime soon. And don’t let Silvia hear you say that, or she’ll gut you."

Taylor gasped, clutching her stomach dramatically. "You’re not going to tell her, are you?"

I shook my head, still smiling. Silvia was a menace. Being the Alpha’s daughter gave her free rein to do whatever she pleased, which usually meant shopping. I’d tried mentoring her, teaching her about the pack she was supposed to inherit, but her short temper had her quitting after two hours.

The SUV rattled as we entered neutral territory. The neutral land was a contested strip claimed by both Willowclaw and Hollowfang as part of their respective pack lands. This stretch was often the source of disputes over rogue management and border patrols. It was illegal to cross into another pack’s land without permission, and the lack of clear borders had led to countless deaths.

Rogues took full advantage of the chaos, hiding in this disputed zone where neither pack dared to act. Patrols had been ordered not to cross into the contested area to avoid unnecessary casualties. Meanwhile, rogues used the dense shrubbery and tangled terrain to evade detection, slipping away whenever they were pursued.

When I finally pulled up to Hollowfang’s pack house, it stood as one of the few buildings still in decent condition, though the overgrown shrubbery hinted at neglect.

I made my way to Alpha Magnus’s office, knocking gently on the door. It swung open at the lightest touch.

The room was dark, save for a sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains. Magnus was slumped over his desk, an empty whiskey bottle beside him.

"Alpha? Alpha Magnus!" I snapped, shaking him awake.

He jolted upright, blinking blearily. The sour stench of whiskey hit me like a punch, but I didn’t flinch. I was used to it.

"Oh, Anika," he mumbled lazily.

"I’ve come to report the final draft of the treaty," I said, ignoring his state.

He waved a hand dismissively. "I’m sure you handled it. You’re dismissed."

I pressed on. "I had to give up a large portion of the northern timberlands, and Willowclaw received all of the neutral lands," I began, bracing for his reaction.

Magnus frowned, his expression darkening. He never liked the idea of ceding land to Willowclaw. I quickly added, "We didn’t want the neutral lands anyway. They’re too expensive to maintain."

Alpha Magnus reluctantly nodded, though the tension in his jaw was evident. "But..." I hesitated, knowing the next part wouldn’t sit well with him. "I had to cede the northern portion of the river."

"What?!" Magnus slammed his hands on the desk clumsily.

"It’s fine," I reassured him. "The southern portions are cleaner and upstream."

His frown deepened, and his hand shot out suddenly, grabbing mine. I hissed in a sharp breath, my skin crawling at the contact. "Tell me some good news. How did the marriage proposal go?"

I sighed, already regretting my answer. "Better than expected. They accepted."

Magnus grinned, his yellowed teeth showing. "I’ll tell Silvia right now!"

"I already told her on the way up," I said quickly. My ears were still ringing from her excited squeal.

Silvia had seen Alpha Harlan during one of the early negotiations. Her infatuation was immediate and relentless. She went straight to her father, pleading for an arranged marriage to be included in the contract.

Magnus had agreed without hesitation, as he always did when it came to pleasing Silvia. Whether it was a new designer gown or an impulsive request that could jeopardize an entire peace treaty, he never told her no. I doubted he’d even considered the risk it posed to the negotiations.

Magnus growled lowly, his wolf flashing in his eyes. "I wanted to tell her! This arranged marriage was my idea. I’m the Alpha!"

He lunged clumsily, slipping and collapsing onto the floor. I hadn’t seen him this drunk at this time of day in a while. I stepped back, bowing quickly. "I’m sorry, Alpha."

Then I turned and darted out the door, clicking it tightly shut. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart. It was never safe to deal with a drunk Alpha.

I pushed off the door walking, calmly confidently down the hall with my head held high, as if I didn’t just witness a man I had once respected rolling drunkenly on the floor. It was getting harder and harder to deal with him.

How much longer can I hold this pack together with duct tape and desperate deals?