*Maddox*
Back at the front, the negotiations for peace are almost completed by the time I arrive. I am furious about the entire situation, but I cannot let that show. People need to think this is what I want even though I would much rather stay out here and continue to chase Alpha Geofrey around and around for a few more weeks (or months or years) than go back home and have a fucking contest to find a wife I don’t want or need.
Commander Vember has done an excellent job of negotiating everything, even though it’s not what I wanted. I can’t be upset at him for doing a thorough job. When I get there, we sit in an office near the outskirts of Alpha Geofrey’s territory in a village we now control, in a building we now occupy, at a desk that someone in Geofrey’s pack will probably never return to.
He goes over all of the terms while the other Alphas, those who have fought against me and lost, sit in a conference room down the hall. The sums of tributes they have agreed to give to the crown as a punishment for fighting against me is quite large. I look it over and see that all of the other Alphas have agreed.
Alpha Geofrey has not only forfeited everything in his coffers, but he will also personally serve a term in prison of twenty years for his part in all of this, and since he is old enough to be my father, I have a feeling he will not see many years on the other side.
Luna Elaine is also in custody. Her pack has already been taken over by someone loyal to me, so I’ve sent her back to the castle. She is of no threat to me now. The only one of them I haven’t been able to chase down just yet is Alpha Geofrey’s oldest son, Zabrina’s true mate. Thomas seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth all of a sudden, and I can’t blame him for wanting to run away. His father has not been admirable or courageous, and it’s liable to get him in trouble as well, though I don’t know that he’s done anything wrong.
He will not be inheriting the pack, though. In fact, I will be replacing all of these Alphas who fought against me. That is one term of surrender that was not included in the decree, and I want to know why.
“Do they know they are finished with their terms as Alphas?” I ask Commander Vember.
His eyes widen slightly as he stares at me from a seat across the table from where I am sitting. “N-no, Sir. We hadn’t discussed that. In fact, it was my understanding from speaking to Beta Seth that we would be allowing them to continue in their roles as Alpha if they paid the tribute.”
Seth was currently in the room with the Alphas, along with several dozen of my best warriors acting as guards. I might’ve called him in to discuss this matter, but I saw no need for it as I didn’t care what Seth had told them before. Why would I allow these men who had already fought against me to continue in their current positions? It made no sense.
“They can either surrender their titles as Alpha, from their entire family, or they can go to prison with Alpha Geofrey. Whatever they prefer has no consequence to me.” I say it with such nonchalance that I know Vember is shocked, but I’m not sure why. It seems like the most obvious thing for me to do.
“Of course, Alpha,” he says with a nod. He is about my father’s age, maybe not quite as old, and served in my father’s army before me, but he did not have the title and station he does now. I would consider making him one of the new Alphas if he wasn’t so important to my army. He’s a bit shorter than me with black hair, touched with gray at the temple, and his face is wrinkled from scowling so much—like every good military leader’s face should be.
“The terms will need to be redrawn and resigned by everyone,” I say, scribbling down on a piece of paper precisely what I would have them say, including the bit about the surrendering of title.
“But, Your Majesty, what if they refuse to sign and want to go back to fighting? Do you think it’s prudent to do that? Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate this part of the treaty before we ask them to sign?”
I stare at him long and hard, thinking it would be just fine with me if we go back to fighting. The women are not on their way to the castle just yet, though preparations are underway. Still, I’m happy to do all I can to keep them from ever arriving there.
“No,” I tell him. “Who is it that has drawn up the document?” We have intelligent, learned men who specialize in such things on our staff, so I assume one of them will word it correctly and add it in where it should go instead of leaving it to me to draft.
“His name is Duncan something-or-other,” Commander Vember says. “I can mind-link him. I haven’t met him in person as I’ve been busy with the Alphas.”
“I will do it myself,” I tell him. Using the mind-link, I locate this Duncan person and ask him to come into the room.
We sit in near=silence for a few moments, only commenting about the décor, until there is a knock on the door, and Vember gets up to open it.
I’m not shocked at all to see a short, scrawny-looking man with glasses in a suit walk in, carrying a briefcase. He pushes up his glasses with his middle finger, looking at me like he’s staring at the Moon Goddess herself. “You called for me, Alpha?” Duncan asks.
“Yes. I need this treaty redrafted right away.” I move to a round wooden table set in front of one of the office’s many windows where we can see the paper better. “This is what I want to be added to the new version.” I give him my notation.
Duncan reads it and then looks up at me, shaking a bit. “You’re certain, Sir?”
Sighing, I said, “You, too? If we won this war, and I am still king, why does everyone keep questioning my authority?”
“So sorry, Your Majesty,” Duncan says. “If this is what you want, I shall add it in immediately.”
He pulls out some official documents and some sort of fancy ink pen and begins redrafting the document.
Commander Vember looks unsettled as he paces the room. I want to shake him and tell him to calm down. Instead, I pour him a drink and ask Duncan if he would like one, too.
“Oh, no thank you, Your Majesty,” he says. “My father is a priest in the temple. He always taught me to avoid alcohol.”
“Yes, I’m sure he did,” I mumbled, thinking he probably told him to avoid all kinds of fun as well.
“What temple?” Commander Vember asks, and I assume he’s making small talk which will slow down our work.
“Oh, I come from a small pack near the west coast. Not much ever happens there.” Duncan gives a little chuckle and keeps writing.
“What pack is that?” Vember presses. Why can’t he just leave him be so we can get this over with?
“Petite Forest pack,” he says with a fond look on his face. “Only a couple of hundred of us in Alpha Dennis’s pack, but we are all very close.”
“You don’t say!” Commander Vember exclaims. “Well, I’ll be. I know that pack. I just recommended a very good soldier to King Maddox from there.”
There’s a knock at the door, and a messenger walks in, bringing a stack of letters. He sets them on the desk I’ve just acquired, looks around, hesitates a moment, and starts to walk out as the two of them continue talking. I pay him no mind.
“Who is that?” Duncan asks, and now he’s gone and done the thing I wanted him to avoid—lifted the pen.
“Uh… Tony Pepelos,” Vember replies with a fond smile. “Nice young man. Highly skilled. Did very well in our stopping of the insurrection of Rough Bark pack.”
“Tony… Pepelos?” Duncan repeats. “Uhm… are you sure he’s from Petite Forest?”
I see the messenger still standing at the door, not leaving yet. “Did you need something more, soldier?” I ask him.
“So sorry, Your Majesty. I just meant to tell you… dinner will be served in the dining room at seven o’clock.”
“Yes, thank you,” I say, already having that information and not needing it from him. It seems rather odd, but then, perhaps he is also hearing this conversation and is interested. I do think it is a bit strange. And alarms begin to go off in my mind.
“I’m certain he’s from your pack,” Commander Vember replies. “I vetted him myself. I got a glowing recommendation from the leader of your guard—Omega Hans.”
Duncan is shaking his head. “No, the leader of our guard is Omega Harris,” he says. “Perhaps you are misremembering.”
“No, no, I’m sure it was Hans,” he says. “You don’t know Tony? It’s such a small pack.”
“It is a small pack,” Duncan agrees. “I know everyone, and I don’t know anyone with such a strange last name. Pepelos is strange. I would remember that.”
“Commander Vember,” I say, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. “Are you saying there’s a chance that the man that I left in charge of the castle, with my woman there, might not actually be who you think he is?”
“No, no, of course not, Your Majesty,” he says with a nervous laugh. “I’m certain that Tony Pepelos is exactly who he says he is. He served well under me, directly under me, for months. I don’t know what the explanation for this is, but I will resolve it. No need to worry about Miss Isla.”
I want to believe Commander Vember, but I’m also nervous. I can’t contact anyone at the castle through the mind-link because it’s too far. I will have to use a phone. I want to call some of the other leaders I’ve left there and make sure they keep an eye on Isla.
I also want to call Isla and tell her to be careful. She needs to keep an eye on Commander Pepelos.
At the moment, I have to oversee these changes, though. So… I reach out to Commander Givens who is in the field overseeing the surrender of wolves who have fought against us and ask him to find a phone and call the castle immediately. I tell him to send word that we need to keep an eye on Commander Pepelos.
He seems to think I am overreacting, but he says he will do so.
Duncan finishes up the treaty, and I read it over. Everything is in order. It’s time for the others to sign. After that, I will call Isla myself. She’s been safe this long—surely she’ll be safe for another hour or two….