CHAPTER 54

Jason's POV
I paced about my room for the— only the goddess knows how many times I have paced about in such a manner, either out of nervousness or out of anger.
My father had called for another meeting, and I was very sure that it was the same titled were wolves who were there before that would be there now. And the worst thing was that, father was not too happy.
That was a big understatement. He was very angry.
He did not have to tell anyone that he was angry. Nobody had to see to know that the waves— the large amount of negative energy coming from his person was more than it usually was. It rolled off him and moved around him and into him that I felt attacked by his passive anger. I had a sensitive inner being, and in spite of the way father had raised me, I could accurately sense emotion from different living things, especially were wolves.
Father did not send a servant to come to call me to attend his meeting this time. He had come to me by himself, and when my father goes to meet someone to ask them to attend a gathering, then it was best to know that something big— to him, at least, was about to happen, or maybe it had even happened already.
I sighed as I looked at the were wolves father had called to ask for advice. Or, not advice, really. That was because, in the end, father always ended up doing what he wanted to do anyway, so they had just fine to listen to him talk and nod their heads and clap to make him feel like a wise, cunning leader. And father thrived in all that fake attention and adoration he was given. I knew that if any of those were wolves were presented with an opportunity to usurp the throne, they would do so without thinking twice.
But in front of my father, they clapped and praised, in a bid to keep their positions and titles, to gain the respect— the envious eyes and adorning gazes casted upon them by the less privileged and by the others who could never be able to go that high in terms of were wolf politics and other ways in general too.
Only this time, these were wolves were not here to praise my father.
Father walked about around his office with anger, speaking with a loud, obviously enraged voice.
'Who did they think they are?" He snorted angrily.
'What kind of power do they have to make everyone lay in wait like that? How dare they let all of us down like this?" He grunted and turned in the other direction.
'I knew that they had no values or decorum whatsoever, but this is a new low, even for them! We had everything all perfectly planned out. There was no flaw in the plan, it was all straightforward. Easy to follow, and sure to work. In and out." He stood at a point and glared at every one of us from his vantage point.
Most of the other were wolves recoiled under his hateful glare, but Melissa and I stayed perfectly still. We were used to his intimidation more than anyone else and we were used to having those eyes directed at us in the same manner whenever we made a mistake. It did not affect us anymore.
'You!" He said, pointing at the were wolf next to me.
'Tell me, do you think that there was a flaw in the plan? Anything that I must have have been to careless to see over? That I was too distracted to see?" Father asked in a forcefully calm voice.
'Um, no sir." The were wolf replied, his voice shaky with fear.
'What an idiot." He turned to look at Melissa. 'My daughter, what do you think happened? Were we perhaps to careless with our words or too quick to celebrate? What had we done wrong?"
Melissa did not say anything. She only averted her eyes. Then father stared at me. I looked at him with the same bored gaze I had since the so called meeting began, and he scoffed and turned his head. I could basically see the mixture of anger and disappointment his face held as his eyes met mine.
'Thing is, this failure is most probably even the fault of that stupid moon goddess. Every time, that over rated bitch would be celebrated and worshipped like the deity had done something important, or helpful to were wolves. Those delusional were wolves do not even know understand that what they worship is dead!" Father said and continued to curse at the moon goddess some more.
I was not particularly a religious person, but even I knew that blasphemy was wrong, especially in situations like this.
'That stupid goddess who claimed to have all our best interests at heart might as well go on vacation, because she has never done anything of that sort for me. I hope all her temples get destroyed— I should even order some men to destroy her temples and everything built for her or in her dedication." He said.
'Father!" I yelled. 'I completely understand that you are angry at the moment, but blaming the moon goddess and insulting her is not exactly going to help issues, but instead, it would only bring more problems, father." I said.
'Jason is right, sir. You should not do that, especially if it involves a situation like this. The moon goddess is a lover of peace. We had planned to kill them, and maybe that was why it did not work out as planned." One of the were wolves present said.
'A lot of bad things are bound to happen when someone speaks ill of the goddess or desecrates her sacred places." Another said and some other were wolves nodded in agreement with him.
'What do you all mean? Are you trying to say that I am wrong?" Father asked angrily and I gulped. Melissa and I locked eyes. We knew that this was a trap and one of us had to answer father before the others did. So I did.
'Not what we are trying to say, father. The goddess had nothing to do with our failure, that is what we all think. And on the other hand, I think that the Royal pack has a spy working for them here. They have access to inside information. That is the only way that they would be able to switch decisions within such a short time. Since they had said that they would come, why would they change their minds and decide to ghost us?" I asked all of them, including father.
'Because they most probably have a spy here!" I said, rolling my eyes in the process, while clapping my hands together to show the obvious.
Then as if charged up, the titles men began to whisper and father stood in a corner thinking. Melissa too furrowed her eyebrows. She was thinking about what I had said too. Good, that was proof that-
I was by far the better child.
'No! Let us stop all of this. Let us end it!" One of the titled board members said, raising his voice. Immediately, the room went quiet and all eyes were on him, wondering what it was he had to say.
'What do you mean?" Someone voiced our general thought out.
'Let us leave the alpha Asher and the Royal pack alone! Let us not have a hand in anything concerning them anymore! I think the moon goddess is with them and she is helping them through with their plans. Why do you think that our attempts against them lead to failure? It is the moon goddess's warning, that is what it is, I assure you!" He shouted, still standing.
Oh no, you foolish man. What a foolish thing to say and at the wrong place and time.
I heard a loud growl from the end of the room. That was where father stood, so it was very obvious that the growl emanated from him.
'What did you just say? How dare you insult me? And to my face too?" He said as he held the were by his neck.
'I would have loved to kill you today, but I have things to think about. And you are definitely not one of them. Guards!" Father said in a loud shout and four guards came rushing in.
'Alpha Rick, please have mercy!" He cried out.
'Kill this impudent dog!" He spat, and almost immediately, the guards dragged the man out of the room as he cried and screamed for mercy.
I felt bad for him, but he definitely had it coming with the way he acted, with the way he spoke without thinking over it first, and everyone knew the kind of man my father was, so, that was it."
Melissa's POV
Jason probably was not aware of how right he was about the spy thing, but I was. When he mentioned it, my instincts had told me that it was true, and my instincts had never ever failed me before. And after thinking it over, it seemed the only way possible for them to have avoided an attack like that.
We had a rat in this kingdom.
'My brother is absolutely right, once again." I said with fake sweetness laced on my tone. 'That has to be the only way anyone would be able to switch so fast, as he put it. We have a spy here."
I turned to look at father but he only stood, looking at me as I spoke.
'Do you know what I think should be done?" I asked round and they all kept their eyes on me.
'Nobody would know if you do not speak." Father said with a scoff and Jason seconded him.
'Yeah Melissa." He said. 'Go straight to the point, we are in a real life and death situation, not a television show."
Anger and embarrassment burned at my cheeks.
'I think that everyone should watch out fir the spy, and whosoever catches one, or sees someone that they suspect, they should make sure they report to me with immediate effect." I said, hitting the table.
'Who made you the symbol of authority here? That is father's place." Jason scoffed before raising his voice a little bit higher.
'Whosoever it is that catches the spy, or for some reason suspects someone, they should report the person the my father, the alpha. Or they can report it to three of us as a whole together in this meeting room." Jason said and immediately, everyone agrees.
Father nodded. 'That was a good idea, Melissa, but next time, so we'll to know your place in the working system of things." Father said and dismissed everyone of us.
Later, while Jason was taking a walk around the pack grounds, I cornered him to talk to him.
'Whoa, what is this now, drama queen?" He asked and I rolled my eyes. Trying to rile me up, how typical of us.
'I only came to talk, not to fight this time." I said, stopping. 'I do not trust the were wolves we move and work with."
'Then that should also include me." Jason said with a confused face.
'Yeah, I do not trust you too, but I trust you more than the rest of them. And I think that we should keep a look out as the spy could be anyone, even within father's board." I whispered.
'Oh wow, thank you." Jason said, his mouth straight but his eyes smiling.
Pack politics had drawn my brother and I away from each other.
With a shake of my head, I turned back. 'I only came to tell you that. And that you should be serious on your part about catching the spy."
And with that, I walked away.