For the first time, Elijah looked stressed out of his mind, his hands gripping his hair as Christian narrated what had gone down in the North pack.
"...Apparently, Patrick had his claws deep into Finn, Alaric’s beta. He attacked Luna Zara in her holding cell, where she awaited trial for her actions against Alaric. He destroyed evidence and even killed his own kind just to get to her—only to be killed by her hands. Though they say Luna Zara barely survived. Nonetheless, while the North is shaken, they’ve never been stronger than now. Your heirs are safe, and so is Violet Purple, the goddess daughter, as she’s fondly called right now." Christian finished with emphasis.
For a moment, Elijah was silent, his eyes darting around as he processed the information. Then he muttered, "This is a mess."
He lifted his head, his face darkening. "Who is going to be held responsible for this? Me?" He slammed his hand on the arm rest.
"Put a call through to the Office of the President."
"Of course, Your Majesty." Christian bowed slightly and proceeded to dial the secure line that connected directly to the Office of the President.
"This is Christian, Beta to Alpha King Elijah. Put me through to President Roy. It’s urgent," he said with a taut voice.
There was a pause, then a crisp response: "Hold for transfer."
Several tones clicked on the line, the call bouncing through encrypted channels until a deep, calm and authoritative voice answered.
"This is President Roy."
Elijah stood to his feet at once, the tension in his shoulders pulling taut like a bowstring. His voice was as cold as ice as he said. "President Roy, we need to talk about the attack on the North pack."
Christian stepped back, giving Elijah the illusion of privacy — though he could still hear every word of the conversation.
Roy didn’t bother with condolences. "I’m aware, Elijah. My people briefed me. I understand the situation is volatile."
Elijah’s jaw tightened. "You said you were going to find Patrick Vale. Where is he? Why haven’t we had results?"
"Of course, I did. My people are still on it."
"Really?" Elijah scoffed. "How hard can it be to find one man? If it were a werewolf terrorist, I’m sure it’d be all over your human networks by now, and every law enforcement unit would be at your command."
Roy snapped. "Because I’m trying not to cause mass hysteria, Elijah. What do you think the public would do if they found out there’s a drug out there that can make them feel powerful? They’d riot in the streets for a taste of it. And if I recall correctly," his voice dropped coldly, "Ignis came from your carelessness. So don’t you dare pressure me into cleaning up your mess."
The edge in his voice warned Alpha King Elijah that he’d pushed too far. Roy’s patience was wearing thin, fraying like the last thread before it snapped.
But Elijah was not intimidated. Instead, he chuckled mirthlessly. "It’s quite interesting though, I hear rumors that you’ve been in communication with Patrick Vale."
From the tense silence that followed, it was obvious Elijah had hit a nerve. When Roy finally spoke, his voice came thin and cold.
"Alpha King Elijah," Roy said, each word precise and dangerous, "do you dare accuse me of working with the enemy?"
A small, triumphant smirk tugged at Elijah’s lips. "Of course not. Like I said, those were rumors. Surely you’re not getting bothered over a few careless words whispered in secret?"
Both men were playing a dangerous game, and they both knew it. If they could see each other right now, there’d be electricity crackling in the air.
"Patrick would be captured soon," Roy said through gritted teeth, clearly reaching the end of his patience.
But Elijah pressed on. "I lost twelve wolves, President Roy, and a whole lot more injured. Don’t just give me promises, I want results. And that’s why my people will be joining the search as well. We can’t rely on your word anymore."
"The same way I can’t rely on yours, either," Roy retorted coolly.
Elijah’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Violet Purple." Roy said her name deliberately, and Elijah expelled a long breath that did nothing to relieve the tension in his chest.
"We’ve seen what she can do like rending a whole warehouse to dust," Roy continued after a beat. "My kind will panic if they think her existence was hidden from them, or worse, used as an unsanctioned asset. The Accords were supposed to prevent a second wave of cardinal power, yet you kept her from oversight. Should we take that as a move against the treaty?"
"What’s a move against the treaty," Elijah countered darkly, "is you ignoring the deaths of my people. Violet is an oversight — one none of us knew about — and you know it. So stop poking unnecessarily, President Roy."
Silence fell between them, the call tensed.
Finally, Roy spoke up, "To make sure your kind is not being armed against humans, we’ll look into Violet Purple."
Elijah’s voice went hard. "Violet Purple is not a threat, and she’s one of us. You won’t lay a hand on her. Any information you want will come from us, not from you."
President Roy laughed, a short, humorless sound. "You’re walking on thin ice here, Elijah." He used his name this time, as if to pull rank.
Elijah’s reply was colder. "Keep pushing, and you’ll find your office less comfortable than you think. Negligence will be an ugly charge after you step down, President Roy."
"And breaking the Accord would be even uglier." Roy told him, "I’ll double the forces and hunt Vale down. But you give me full access to anything you have on Violet Purple."
His last words came out with an edge, "Let’s hope the next president is as accommodating as I am."
The call disconnected.
For a long time Elijah said nothing. Then he turned to his beta, Christian. "How long until the next flight to the North pack?"
Christian rubbed his chin. "Flights aren’t possible right now. The West pack is in full-blown celebration."
"By car, then?"
"The North pack’s the farthest, hence seven hours if the weather holds," Christian looked up. "Aren’t we staying back for Asher’s coronation?"
"We move for the North pack. Now."