You Rejected A Silver Wolf
Your Silver Goals

Chapter Thirteen - Your Silver Goals (Three Years Later) Chris' POV

There were five packs in total, including the Alpha King's pack. The other four were under the protection of the Alpha King. The Red Moon Pack was the most resourceful, both in natural resources and labor force. The Black Rose was once a kingdom-pack but had forfeited its status to come under the Alpha King's banner, hence their proud aura. They lived in steep lands with unpredictable weather, and the strongest warriors were found in their pack.

The two other packs were the Blue Bloom Pack and the Blue Fire Pack, both originating from two lovers who were never meant to be but remained at peace. Over time, however, Blue Fire became aggressive, engaging in the slave trade, corrupted by the Red Moon Pack. They infected the Blue Bloom Pack as well, enslaving smaller surrounding packs. My father had approved of it back then because it created more wealth for the packs, wealth that, as Alpha King, he benefited from at the time.

But now, these practices had invited something deadly, something that burned-a relentless silver wolf, named Your Silver.

Numerous reports of his rampages flooded my court daily, making it difficult to turn a blind eye.

"Alpha!" someone interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Edwin, my Delta and Sasha's brother. He rushed towards me, head lowered. "Jake Justin of the Black Rose Pack has arrived."

For some reason, I felt an urgent sense of dread. I had developed an unhealthy dislike-no, an unhealthy fear of his name over the past few years. What was he here for? He'd almost never troubled me these past three years, only sending letters. What could possibly be so urgent that it couldn't be written down?

I nodded to Edwin. "Fine, let him in."

Edwin bowed. "Yes, Alpha. He's talking with Beta Ray right now, but he'll be here in a few minutes." With that, he walked backwards and left.

My gaze fell to the ground as I began to think. The first person Jake Justin had greeted was my Beta, Ray, not me. It made me acutely aware of the growing loyalty some hunters were showing to Ray while disregarding me. I appreciated that Ray had loyal followers, but they should all answer to me. Perhaps I was overthinking it. I owed Ray a lot, and he was doing his best.

"Oh, Alpha King!"

I snapped my head toward the door. Jake Justin still addressed me the same way, with that mocking emphasis. As he drew closer, his features became more defined. His hair was styled into a mullet, and his mischievous green eyes stood out more now. He was dressed in a warrior's suit of armor and had grown more muscular since the last time we met. Even his voice had deepened.

"Long time no see, my friend," I said, almost gagging on the word friend.

Jake beat me to a reaction. "Friend? No, we aren't friends." He stopped just in front of me, a snide grin on his face.

I nodded. "Indeed, we aren't. So, what brings you here today?" I wanted him to get to the point quickly so I could deal with the other pressing issues. If I received one more report about Your Silver wreaking havoc, I might just lose it. "Your Silver ravaged our hunters' hideout," Jake Justin announced.

My legs felt weak, and I sat back in my chair to conceal my momentary lapse. "You're not serious," I muttered, more to myself than to him. It was becoming increasingly impossible to stop this man, let alone catch him.

"For three years, the Black Rose Pack has been free from his attacks, apart from when he saved those hunters. Why did he attack us now?" Jake asked, clearly frustrated.

I wanted to shout at him to find the answer himself, but duty compelled me to investigate. I met his gaze. "Do you think your hunters did something to provoke this reaction?"

Jake shook his head. "Your Silver's goals have been clear-he's been recruiting rogues and stopping the slave market. My pack doesn't engage in the slave trade, so no."

A silent sigh escaped my lips. I flipped through the mental pages of affirmations I'd been telling myself. Maybe I needed a break. But the problems of being Alpha King still awaited me. "Personally, I think we should abolish the slave market," Jake suggested.

Finally, he was thinking for himself. I was all for it, even though the suggestion felt a bit sketchy.

"Good resources come from the slave market, which you also benefit from. Slaves work and produce goods that are sold to you," I explained.

"They could still work, but as paid laborers, not slaves. That might satisfy Your Silver. He's currently the only Silver Wolf in our lands. The others died."

More weight pressed down on me. The last silver wolf in the five lands was now the most wanted rogue and criminal. How ironic.

"Jake, this Silver Wolf shouldn't die. If it's the slave market he wants abolished, then we should adopt your idea to appease him," I agreed.

I heard Jake clap behind me. "You're willing to weaken the Red Moon Pack. Apart from the slaves working for them, they have nothing-no wisdom, no real contribution."

I wasn't interested in their internal squabbles. It was well-known that the Black Rose and Red Moon packs despised each other. If removing the slave market would weaken Red Moon, they'd struggle to contribute to the larger society. "Fine. Let's do it. But remember, this will be seen as a joint decision and not my response to their constant pleas for help," I reminded Jake.

He chuckled a genuine one, which was rare between us. He must have been delighted that his rivals were losing their grip on power.

"Of course. I'll inform them. The other two packs will restart their fishing and craftwork as they did before," he confirmed.

"Hopefully, after this, Your Silver will stop his rampage," I sighed in relief. This move should've been made years ago, but I'd been paralyzed by fear of how the packs would react.

Was I still a coward after all these years?

Jake gave a slight bow and walked backwards, heading out. Suddenly, he stopped, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"My brother is here. I mean, it's the first meeting, and he troubled himself to come in person. He's with your Luna now."

Why hadn't anyone told me this before? Jake Justin was always a sly fox who got what he wanted. What kind of emotional distress would his brother bring this time?