Chapter 114
ASHER
Julia's father, Lucius, I immediately recognized. He had lost a lot of weight, but his eyes and face were now as hard as flint. Sitting around in a half circle were some of the pack's councilmen and quite a few strangers I didn't recognize.
"Take a seat, Asher," my father said, seating himself on the throne-like chair at the head of the semicircle.
He nodded to the chair on his right. I slowly lowered myself into it, nervously looking around at the pale, set faces.
"This is the secret council," my father began, addressing me. "This council ensures smooth transitions and management of power in the pack." He turned slightly to the others. "I felt it was time for him to sit in on one of our meetings."
I tried not to show my surprise as I wondered how long the secret council had been in existence. How long they had schemed and managed secrets in the pack.
"Welcome," one of the pack's councilmen said in a low, quiet voice.
"Welcome," the others echoed.
"Let's get down to business," my father continued when the murmur of voices had died down. "We are gathered here today to discuss what happened to the Beta's daughter." He nodded at Julia's father, whose pale face got even whiter. "-and how justice is going to be served."
The reactions that greeted this were silent nods.
My father's voice rose a little, but still not enough to be heard by anyone outside the room. "Like I said to my son earlier, Julia's death must be avenged, and there is no other way to do that than to kill the one who murdered her."
The room's deathly silence intensified. It took me a few seconds to realize it was because one of the councilmen had raised his hand.
My father nodded, a sign for the man to speak.
"I agree, Alpha," the man said, rising to his feet. "She must be killed, but how do we plan to do that? She is the white wolf, has abilities the rest of us can only dream of, and has been chosen and blessed by the moon goddess too. How do we destroy such a person?"
A cold smile curled my father's lips as he listened to the councilman speak. When he had finished, my father nodded.
"Your concerns are valid," he said. "But you must all bear in mind that Hannah is far from indestructible. I watched her fight at the arena. With what I saw, I am sure she doesn't know the full extent of her powers yet. Exactly what I expected from a weak-minded nobody like her. It seems she had just discovered who she is not so long ago. And so we must kill her before she discovers how powerful she is."
I wondered how he or anyone was going to kill Hannah when the Wallace's brats were always guarding her around the clock.
What I was thinking must have shown on my face because my father, after a glance at me, said, "The only slight challenge we might have are the triplets guarding her."
Some of the men shifted restlessly. Only Lucius remained very still, staring at a spot on the floor.
"I know what you all are thinking," my father continued. "You're considering the risks involved in getting through Wallace's protection. Some of you might not believe in avenging Julia's death, but I'm sure all of you believe in power. Yes. Power. As the white wolf, Hannah's blood is very powerful. If we kill her and consume her blood, we will have the same power that she has." He paused. "We will be indestructible."
The room grew tense. Everyone, even me, straightened in my seat. Again, all except Lucius.
"Lucius. The ultimate decision is yours. As Julia's father, you only have the right to tell us what to do with Hannah. If you don't want us to consume Hannah's blood, then we won't." My father said. “If you have other plans for your daughter’s murderer, let us know.”
The man next to Lucius quickly said, "We should take her blood, Lucius. It would be a waste if we don't get ultimate power after your daughter's... sacrifice."
The other men nodded and murmured. Lucius stared off into space for a few seconds. He was thinking, and I could almost see the questions flitting into his mind. After a few minutes, he rubbed his nose and straightened in his seat.
"Fine," he said. "If Hannah's blood will make us all powerful, then we should use it, but after we've taken what we need, I'll kill her myself."
The men nodded and chuckled, and for the first time since Julia's death, I felt something other than despair and sadness blooming in my chest. I felt my own lips stretch into a smile. With Hannah’s blood, I could be powerful. With her blood, I would never have to fear death, and everyone else would be below me. Julia’s death may have served more than one purpose.
My father rubbed his hands together.
"Excellent!" he cried. "A wise decision, Lucius. The battle line has been drawn, gentlemen, and our target is Hannah Baker."
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