Lucian's POV
"Lock the damn doors, and no one leaves."
The guards at the entrance moved immediately, pulling the heavy doors shut until the final thud echoed through the chamber and settled into the bones of everyone present.
They were all already here; the enforcer, the council liaison, the inner circle and the blood marshals.
I walked toward the head of the long table, my boots steady against the stone. My beta sat to my right, his posture perfect, his face unreadable. He looked like the advisor who had helped me bury my father.
He looked like loyalty.
"Alpha, why did you call this meeting? I had to leave something important I was handling," Silas said. I had always admired his courage to speak up to me. Yes, I hated it and it crawled under my skin but still, I found it impressive.
I leaned over the table, my shadow stretching across the maps and reports.
"The wards were breached by someone who knew exactly the patrol rotation."
I decided to not mention the existence of the Sanguine Cipher.
I looked at the council members; some of them paled, one shifted in his seat as if something had just taken a personal interest in biting him.
Silas merely tilted his head.
"Someone who was working with Malakor. A man who was seen speaking with a council member wearing a silver scale on his lapel."
I turned my head slowly toward Silas.
"You opened my borders. You handed them my Anchor."
I allowed the silence to stretch.
"Silas."
The older wolf didn't deny it. He didn't even offer an excuse or plead for mercy. He leaned back, one hand drumming against the armrest, his eyes narrowing.
"If you already know, then stop circling it like a wounded animal. Yes. I did it."
A collective gasp hissed through the room in disbelief.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I remember who you used to be," Silas spat. "When you killed your father, I thought that finally this pack had an Alpha with teeth. I followed you because I believed you understood what power costs; that it requires blood and control."
Then he stood up, slow and deliberate as though he still had a choice in this room.
"And then you bound yourself to a human. A girl. An Anchor." Silas laughed.
A low growl started somewhere in the room. I didn't turn to see who it came from.
"You don't rule this pack anymore, Lucian," he said. "You need her for control. You protect what should be expendable. You became predictable."
"I offered you my daughter," he continued. "Vanya. Strong. Pure-blooded. Raised for this life and worthy of standing beside an Alpha." His eyes sharpened. "And you rejected her."
I didn't respond. I've always found something unsettling about the way traitors open up.
He paused, his lips curling in disgust. "And then you bring that."
"You're done speaking."
I took a step closer to him.
"For years, I have endured you and your words, Silas. I let you speak because I thought your age gave you insight. I was wrong. It only gave you arrogance. You mistook my silence for agreement, and my patience for weakness."
I leaned in slightly, my voice dropping just enough to force him to listen.
"That is the last mistake you'll ever make."
Silas squared his shoulders. "Kill me, then. Make me a god for the pack that still remembers what it means to be wolves."
A faint, humorless smile touched my lips.
"Gods are remembered," I said quietly. "You won't be."
"You won't die today," I added.
He blinked, clearly confused.
"You'll die when she is there to watch it," I leaned into his ear. "But first, you're going to tell me exactly where Malakor took her."
"I will tell you nothing. Malakor will break her, and you will break with her."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then I shifted the direction entirely.
"Where is your daughter?"
Silas frowned, caught off guard despite himself.
"She has nothing to do with this."
"If the father won't speak, perhaps the daughter knows more about her father's secret meetings," I said, then nodded at Killian. "Tell me where the Anchor is, or Vanya will spend the rest of the afternoon in the interrogation cell."
I paused, letting my gaze settle fully on him.
"We'll see how pure-blooded she feels after an hour with me."
"You wouldn't," Silas whispered, his voice finally trembling. "She is one of your own."
It's a common hypocrisy with traitors to believe that when they go low, the person they offended wouldn't go directly to hell to meet them.
"You just spent hours preaching that protecting the expendable is a weakness," I said. "I've decided to finally take your advice."
I tilted my head slightly.
"Or was that belief only convenient when it wasn't your blood on the line?"
"The location. Now."
Silas didn't respond immediately. The first crack had already formed, small, but visible.
"I'll drag her out of wherever you've hidden her," I continued. "I'll make sure she understands exactly why she's there. Who put her in that position."
My voice dropped further.
"And I'll make sure she never forgets your name while it happens."
Silas took a step forward before the guards tightened their grip on him. "You think I'll give you anything if you threaten her? What i am doing is for the greater good."
"I don't need you to give me anything," I said. "I just need you to realize I'm not asking."
On cue, Killian entered with Vanya, who was struggling to free herself.
"I'll start with her," I added. "Not you."
The shift was immediate, as expected. His control didn't shatter, it slipped. His shoulders tensed, his breath hitching almost imperceptibly.
"You won't touch her," Silas snapped. "She's nowhere near—"
Silas's jaw clenched hard, his eyes flashing with the realization of what he'd just done.
"Not in the mountains..." he tried again.
Killian placed his hands on Vanya's neck, not squeezing, just there. Waiting.
"Mountains," I repeated softly. "Good."
I stepped closer, just enough for him to feel it.
"Now be precise. Or I start removing reasons for you to hesitate. The exact coordinates?"
"The Sunless Mountain. Malakor has her at the peak."
I turned away from him, already disgusted by his presence, brushing an invisible speck of dust from my sleeve.
"Chain him," I commanded. "No contact. No speech. Do not allow him to commit suicide to avoid his awaiting death."
Silas started laughing, the sound was edged with something close to panic. "You think this changes anything? You have already lost. You'll die by Malakor's hands."
I turned toward the others, and they were all watching me. Waiting.
"Chain the daughter as well," I commanded, my voice flat. "She might have been involved in this. Throw her in the cell next to his."
"She had nothing to do with this!" Silas screamed, lunging against his restraints as the enforcers moved. "Lucian, stop! She's innocent! I did it alone!"
I didn't turn back.
"I'm done taking a traitor's word for truth."
I paused just long enough for it to sink in.
"Prepare a strike team," I commanded. "No delays."