Ch. 311..315: Breed Me, Daddy Alpha chapter 311-315
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 311
The name raised the tension but not necessarily in an averse way.
Kael spoke first. “What did he do?”
She actually chuckled, a bitter sound dredged from the darkest part of her heart. “What hasn’t he done?”
Kael stayed level-headed, probing for more. “We’ve got time.”
That was a lie, but I knew better than to interrupt. I doubted her name was even Daliah—not like I believed her from the start.
“Why would it be your concern? You’re Lycans. The enemy.”
Though the last part lacked conviction.
“I doubt the enemy would’ve rescued you and brought you to find your… kin.”
There was no comeback for that fact.
“Your constant border-breaching Gammas are the reason there’s conscription. Your people could have backed off years ago, but you refuse.” Her voice wavered slightly, though the venom in her tone remained.
“Did you lose someone to Darius?” Kael asked.
She didn’t speak. That was answer enough.
She swallowed, her eyes clashing with mine. “I just need answers. No lies, no secrets. We’re tired of walking in the dark.”
And not knowing what you’re walking toward. Perhaps I’d become sensitive enough to others’ emotions that I could read what was on her mind. Eve changed me for that, I realized. The longing in my chest sharpened enough to cut, but I kept my voice plain. “I’ll tell you what you want, and you let him go.”
But I knew Kael could easily overpower her. She had a child in her arms, looked inebriated, hungry. I’d heard her stomach growl at least three times in the past thirty minutes. So though she tried to act tough—she was tough, with the way she had maneuvered around Kael—that strength was worn thin by desolation.
But I’d sprouted empathy, it seemed, because I doubted I’d be able to look Eve in the eye knowing I harmed a confused, ignorant, misinformed victim of Darius’s tyranny. That would be yet another win for the foul excuse of a creature.
Her shoulders slumped slightly. “Are we going to die?” She forced the words out like a growl but they fell flat, dissolving into something akin to a whimper. “The second verse of that damn prophecy—is it true, or is it propaganda to rile us up?”
I hesitated, still watching her. Just as I opened my mouth—
She pushed on, as though convinced I wasn’t ready to give her what she wanted. “Every day’s already a fucking struggle. Job doesn’t pay shit. I work my ass off for scraps, just hoping one day things get better. I’ll go back to school, get a degree, finally give us a life worth living after conscription took our parents.” Her voice wavered before hardening to steel. “Then I’m hearing whispers of a fucking apocalypse. Some Blood Moon shit. And God forbid I cut my foot for nothing.” Fresh chapters posted on find⁂novel.net
Menace gleamed in her glare, tempered with fragile hope. “Tell me the truth. Is this all for nothing? Are we going to die?”
“Yes. You’re all going to die.”
Kael ripped the words out of my mouth.
A strangled gasp escaped her, her hold slackened—but just the barest bit—and Kael dove into action.
He moved before the echo of her gasp died. His body snapped forward, shift rippling through him mid-step, and by the time she blinked, his claw was hooked just beneath her jawline, the sharp curve grazing her throat. The boy whimpered, but Kael didn’t flinch. His voice dropped, guttural, edged with iron.
“Yes. You are going to die.”
The words landed like a blade, cruel in their precision. Her knees almost buckled, but he leaned in, forcing her to hold his gaze.
“But not because of us,” he bit out. “Because that’s what Darius wants. Every last one of you rotting in the ground. He hid the truth of the second verse because he doesn’t need you prepared. He needs you ignorant. He needs you helpless.”
Her breath hitched, shallow, uneven.
Kael pressed the point of his claw just enough to draw a bead of blood—just enough for her to feel it. “When the Blood Moon comes, every unprotected, unknowing fool in these cities will suffer. Your bones will crack from the inside out, your veins will riot against you, every cell in your body tearing itself apart. Death will come like a mercy—swift only if you’re lucky.”
Her eyes widened, her lips parted, but no sound came. She trembled, the knife in her hand shaking.
“And that,” Kael whispered harshly, his breath hot against her ear, “is the truth you’re begging for.”
The strength bled out of her legs. The blade slipped from her fingers and clattered against the gravel. She sagged against him, the boy clutched between them as though he were the only anchor she had left.
Kael let her slump, but his claw remained at her throat, unyielding, his voice low but seething.
“You want the truth?” His words cut sharper than the talon pressing her skin. “Then hear it. The Eclipse Rebellion is for Silverpine. Every drop of blood they’ve spilled, every risk we’ve taken—it’s for your people. The only clan of werewolves that still gives a damn whether you live or die.”
Her lips trembled, her breath uneven, but she couldn’t look away.
“And everything you’ve been told?” he snarled. “Every whisper of treachery, every story of border-breaching monsters and conscription made noble? Lies. Twisted until black looks like white. Darius painted us as devils so you’d never question who the real butcher is. He needs you misinformed. He needs you docile. He needs you… falsely relieved.”
Her grip on the boy faltered as though the words themselves weighed her arms down.
“That is the truth you’ve been clawing for,” Kael growled, the edges of his voice raw with conviction. “You wanted to know why the world feels like it’s rotting beneath your feet? Because it is. And he’s the one holding the shovel.”
Kael being harsh was rare, but it was never cruelty.
For a long moment, she said nothing. Only the sound of her ragged breathing filled the air.
Finally, Kael eased the claw from her throat, though the shadow of it lingered as heavy as his words.
Kael moved away from her and let her slump. He turned to me. “Let’s go.”
But the woman moved, standing. “Take us with you.”
Before I could even react, Kael whipped his head back in her direction, his neck damn near snapping. “Brilliant. Let’s haul a starving stray and her pup through enemy lines. Should we paint a target on our backs while we’re at it?”
She blinked, expression downcast, but her brow furrowed with determination. “I have information. I’m not useless.”
“Is the information as credible as all your words tonight have been?” Kael countered.
Guilt crossed her face, answer enough.
“But I know something.” Her voice firmed. “The Cursed Twin, Eve Valmont was not executed that day.”
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 312
It was so out of left field that I froze, and so did Kael—but still he shrugged, turned. “Feeding us gossip. How original.”
She grew desperate, perhaps believing we didn’t care—that was because she wasn’t aware of our identity. “You want to get to Obsidian Pack?” she asked. “I doubt you crossed border on your way in.”
Kael crossed his arms, raising a brow. “Reason?”
“You simply can’t,” she said flatly. “If it’s not the war side, every other part is guarded heavier than you can imagine. And that was before they started hunting for Lycans inside the border. Now? Triple the surveillance. Flying won’t help you. They’ll shoot you out of the sky.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “We can manage. And even if we couldn’t—I don’t trust you.”
Her grip on the boy shifted, but her stare didn’t waver. “I’ve seen it. That was where my parents were killed.”
Both Kael and I raised a brow.
“You said your parents died because they were conscripted,” Kael pressed.
Her lips thinned. “That was the simplified story. They survived conscription. But after they left the front, they knew what was coming. Survivors like them didn’t last long. The ones who showed promise were forced into Darius’s main army. If they refused, they—and their families—vanished. Taken to Cauterium.” Her voice caught, but she forced it steady. “So we ran. And they were gunned down for it.”
I believed her. Maera had told me the same—Gammas who lived long enough to prove their strength rarely walked free. Darius consumed them or erased them.
“Then how are you still alive?” I asked. “I doubt Darius had mercy.”
She scoffed. “Mercy? Darius has no such sentiment. He spared us because of my older sister.”
My chest tightened. “Why?”
Her eyes darkened, something fractured lingering there. “Because she resembled Eve Valmont. He executed her in Eve’s place… and let us walk.”
The world rocked beneath us, her words sucking the air from our lungs. Still, we somehow managed not to react outwardly.
Her expression fell, realizing she was losing us. “I have proof,” she blurted, reaching into her blouse and retrieving a picture. “Lily looked like Eve.” She offered it to Kael, who accepted it. I angled my neck so I could see.
It was the image of a family: father, mother, a little boy, and two girls.
My eyes widened as they zeroed in on the taller daughter. Blonde hair, but her face… the same slightly angled features tempered with softness. Her eyes were blue, but other than the hair and eyes she was Eve’s doppelgänger. A little dye, a pair of contacts—and she could have passed for a third Valmont daughter.
Her hand trembled as she held the photo out. “Do you believe me now?”
Kael studied it, jaw set. I could tell by the furrow in his brow that he believed enough to be unsettled.
She pressed on, desperate but steady. “I’m not as ignorant as you think. I can be useful. There are better routes—routes you don’t know—to reach Obsidian. I can help you get there. All I ask is that you save me and my brother. If you can’t forgive me for threatening you… then leave me behind after. Just take him to safety. Take him to Obsidian.”
Kael’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing. “Why? Why would you trust Lycans over your own kind? And why the hell did you say Darius must have him?”
Her grip tightened on the boy. She swallowed, meeting his stare without flinching. “Because you saved us. Because I’m still breathing after holding a knife to your throats—that has to count for something. And because…” she hesitated, her voice thinning to a whisper, “…you’re not bad. Not like him. Not like them.”
The words hung there, fragile, but true.
Then she drew in a sharp breath, as though ripping open something she had kept buried. “When they spared us, they didn’t let us walk free. They dragged us first to the Dome.”
Kael’s posture stiffened. “The what?”
“The Dome,” she said, voice dropping to a rasp. “A fortress. A prison. Modern, clinical… built for holding prisoners that never come back out. That’s where we were taken.”
Both Kael and I knew she was talking about the Cauterium.
“That’s where they noticed Lily looked like Eve Valmont.” Her voice cracked, but she forced the words. “They made her play the role. And when it was done… she was gone.”
The boy whimpered in her arms, and she hushed him softly before continuing. “Micah was five. He saw everything. He saw her die. And not long after… the stress broke him. Weeks later he shifted. Too young.”
Kael swore under his breath, face hardening. I didn’t need to look at him to know the fury simmering under his skin.
“Children that shifted too early were conscripted. Everyone knew it.” Her arms shook as she clutched the boy tighter. “I’ve been trying to keep him hidden ever since. That’s why we were so far from home when you found us. He’d run again. I ran after him.”
It clicked. The distance between the school and where we’d found her wasn’t a coincidence. She’d chased him across half the district, risking curfew and patrols, because she knew what would happen if he was caught.
And for the first time, I understood the fear that had driven her every step.
I would have done the same. Worse.
Kael’s eyes met mine, a silent conversation. The inclination to help was there—but the stakes were high enough with just the two of us, let alone adding another and a child. Find the newest release on find{n}ovel.net
“We’ll have to leave this place before the patrol rotation,” she urged. “Even if you don’t take us. You have to keep going now. But please—pass the—”
“You can come,” I cut her off.
She was so stunned all she did was stand there as Kael grabbed the kid and tossed him easily on top of me before climbing up behind them.
“To the skies,” Kael prompted, like I was some flying mule.
“I hope your Alpha will be lenient for bringing werewolves over—”
But she yelped as I launched myself into the air and straight into the clouds. We had to pass over Halem before morning.
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 313
The knock on the door drew me out of the thoughts I had been lost in. Before I could rise, Elliot had already sprung to his feet and raced to the door. He opened it, and Montegue’s frame filled the doorway, a wide smile on his face as he peered down at his grandson.
“Why, hello there,” he greeted, reaching out so Elliot could take his hand, which he did. “You look ready to meet her.” He remarked lightly before his gaze lifted to meet mine. “You look like a proper prince.”
Elliot flushed, hiding his smile behind his hand, his eyes darting up to me, waiting for me to add my own compliment.
I grinned softly, nodding. “You are always adorable, but today your cuteness is exponential.”
He flushed even more, swinging one foot.
Dressed in a formal traditional royal ensemble, a dark, tailored green that made his eyes gleam, he was the most adorable child in the world. But I was probably biased—because he was mine.
He tampered with the nerves knotting my gut, just enough to ease me, even as Montegue and I met each other’s eyes.
His face took on that soft, adoring expression, but there was a serious edge to his voice as he spoke. “The High Gamma will soon be arriving,” he supplied. “How are you feeling?” he asked, closing the distance between us with Elliot in tow.
There were no words that could accurately describe the sensations wreaking havoc inside me at that moment.
Gooseflesh prickled along my arms, my hands were clammy, my stomach churned, and my heart felt like it had risen into my throat. That was how it felt to stand on the verge of meeting the head of Obsidian’s military. The commander of the Gamma force. Discover more novels at fındnovel.net
After almost six months of being wound tight by challenge after challenge in the Obsidian Tower, I was utterly and completely unprepared to come face to face with yet another character in this unraveling story.
If not for the Obsidian Council that I had forced myself into—and having tasted the venom of their politics, the sting of their suspicion, and the bitter weight of their expectations—I might have already folded under the pressure. But still… this was different.
This was the High Gamma.
Not another scheming Alpha with silver-coated lies. Not a bureaucrat too fat on their own influence to notice the rot beneath them. This was the hand of Obsidian’s will. The commander of the Gammas. The shadow that enforced law and order in this Tower and beyond. A person whose word was iron among the ranks.
A person only beneath the Alpha and his Beta.
I swallowed hard, realizing my palms were trembling.
But even though it felt like I had a live wire under my skin, I knew we needed them. For my plans to work, I needed military input. This was war, after all.
Montegue must have noticed, because he squeezed Elliot’s shoulder and tilted his head slightly at me, as though offering silent reassurance. His smile had thinned, though—it was no longer the soft doting of a grandfather, but the sharp patience of a man who knew what was about to enter the room could change everything.
Elliot looked up at me, concern flickering in those wide green eyes that always undid me. “Mummy?” he whispered softly, his voice only for me.
I forced a smile that felt steadier than I was. I crouched to smooth a hand down his sleeve, straightening the already-perfect cuff. “I’m alright,” I lied. “You just look so handsome it’s stealing my breath.”
That made him grin again, shy but luminous, and he leaned into me for a quick hug.
I was not afraid—not exactly. I was exhilarated, even as dread coiled in me. I had the backing of the pack leaders now, so what came next would either secure us completely—giving us the leash we needed over the precarious situation—or toss everything back into chaos.
Darius would be watching for a slip-up, for a traitor willing to negotiate, a double agent willing to cripple us from the inside. I needed these men on my side—assured, aligned, and on top of everything—as we awaited Hades’ and Kael’s return.
I held onto Elliot tighter than I should have, because the knock came again.
This time, heavier. More certain.
Montegue’s eyes flicked toward the door. His smile was gone completely now, his expression carved into something unreadable. “It is time.”
The air thickened. My heart climbed higher into my throat.
The High Gamma had arrived.
I made my way to the door, only for a light hand to settle on my shoulder.
I turned to Montegue.
My stomach flipped as I took in his glossy gaze, eyes welling with tears. “Monte…” I grabbed for his shoulders, panicking.
He smiled at me, and only then did I realize how much I now towered over him. He was more hunched than I remembered. Or perhaps I had simply never noticed.
He accepted my hand, his quivering on my shoulder. “You are so beautiful, Evie,” he muttered, emotion coloring his tone.
I stood stunned, his words settling hard and heavy in my chest.
A tear slipped down his cheek, but he didn’t bother wiping it away. “I am so proud of you, of just how much you’ve grown. I was so afraid when I read the letter. After all the years of spinning through the hassles of this court, of sharpening wisdom and wielding intelligence…” He chuckled faintly to himself. “It no longer mattered. I saw the end of Obsidian in an instant. Maybe it had always been there. When fear takes root, it drowns out everything else. For years, I feared the end of Obsidian—feared that Malrik Valmont’s schemes would outlive us, that we would end as our mother, Elysia, did. That one day, the war would finally claim us all.”
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 314
Eve
My voice came in a croak. “Even while cursed?”
His smile was soft, loving. “Our Cursed Luna—the first of her kind. Because despite every chain placed on you, every cruel fate forced on you, you still rose. Perhaps the curse was always a test. And you, Evie… you’ve already proved you can rise above it.”
—
The meeting area was the same place I had walked into with a wound on my leg and Argenic on my lips. It was the room where I had first made an attempt on Hades’ life; where we had our first deadly kiss.
The memory should have stirred unease, left behind its scars like every wound before it. Instead, it steadied me. It reminded me how far we had come—how far I had come—and how much more we could endure.
It reminded me of Hades.
The door opened finally, and we all turned toward the entrance as a group walked in, dressed in matte black uniforms with gems on their shoulders, symbols of rank within the Gamma force. They moved like shadows, formation seamless, every step echoing the next.
Leading them was the High Gamma. Her hair, black as tar, was braided from the crown of her head all the way down, strands of white threaded through like lightning caught in rope. Her skin, weathered honey, gleamed with the quiet story of scars. Her eyes locked on mine from the moment the door opened, sharp and unwavering.
I shoved down the flutter of nerves and returned her gaze, mirroring the same inscrutable expression.
The room held its breath, silence broken only by the measured steps of the High Gamma and her retinues.
She stopped before me. For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Then, her voice cut through the stillness.
“Luna Eve.”
Not a smile, but her expression was calm, pleasant, edged with the sharpness of a woman still measuring the worth of the one before her. She inclined her head, and in unison, her retinue bowed.
I inclined my chin in acknowledgment, my pulse steady, waiting—braced for her judgment, for what her greeting meant for the others who watched.
I let my breath steady, then inclined my head once more.
“High Gamma Victoriana Garvagh,” I said, my voice carrying across the chamber. “I have heard much about you. I thank you for your years of service and for the strength of your leadership.”
Her gaze did not waver. “It is my duty,” she replied, her tone firm, dignified, but not unkind. “And my honor.”
The words hung in the air like the strike of a bell—measured, exact, heavy with meaning. Then, her expression shifted just slightly, eyes narrowing with a glint I could not place.
“I too have heard much about you, Luna Eve.”
I did not flinch. A smile, faint but steady, curved my lips as I inclined my head again. “I only hope what you have heard serves me well.”
She did not answer with words, only the subtle sharpening of her gaze. Not hostile. Not approving. Merely assessing—like a blade drawn but not swung.
Inside, unease pricked, but outwardly I remained pleasant, poised, unbroken beneath her scrutiny.
She didn’t frighten me; I had seen my fair share of menacing people during my imprisonment. I only feared that we would not flow well enough for the meeting and discussion for my plans to succeed—and without that, the execution of those plans would fall apart.
I needed her to trust my judgment and my call. We could not do this without the Obsidian military. And I feared that without Hades at my side, she would become a thorn rather than a valuable ally.
Before I could speak, Elliot tugged forward, his small hand reaching toward her.
“I am Prince Elliot,” he said in a rush, the words tumbling over each other. “My mummy has a good plan to save our pack. She is so smart. You should have seen her explain the letter.”
The High Gamma paused, then lowered her gaze to him. Slowly, she reached out and clasped his hand. This time, her face softened, her eyes crinkling at the edges with the first true smile I had seen.
“I am sure my meeting with your mother will be very insightful.”
Her gaze shifted back to me. “Shall we?” she asked.
“Of course.” ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ find~novel~net
We moved together into the council chamber, Victoriana’s retinues peeling back to take their places against the walls like a living guard. The chamber itself was stark in its design, stripped of ornament. Its strength lay not in grandeur but in the weight of those who filled it.
At the long board before us, the Ambassadors and Governors sat already arranged in rows, their faces solemn, some unreadable. They were the voices of diplomacy and policy, the ones who would interpret this war not just in blood but in laws, in negotiations, in the sway of civilians. The retinues sat with them.
Behind them, elevated like shadows watching a stage, the lesser Alphas sat in tiers, their arms crossed, their eyes sharp. They had not been given seats at the table, but their presence was undeniable. They would question, probe, and test every weakness when the time came.
Victoriana’s gaze swept the chamber slowly, taking in every row, every seated figure, every waiting pair of eyes. Her expression remained unreadable, and the silence that followed her inspection felt heavier than any rebuke.
“At another time,” she said at last, her voice cutting clear through the hall, “this would not have been our arrangement. Traditionally, the Gammas would lead from the front, the Ambassadors and Governors consulted after strategy was set, and the lesser Alphas left outside these walls until their orders were already carved.”
Her eyes flicked to me, sharp as the edge of a blade yet not unkind. “But these are not ordinary times. And the stakes we face are greater than any protocol.” She rested one scarred hand on the board, leaning slightly forward as though to mark her place in the new order. “Even I could not have thought of a better arrangement for all who must stand together now.”
The words struck like a quiet verdict, shifting the chamber’s atmosphere. Doubt bent beneath her tone; resistance eased, if only by degrees.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, the tension loosening from my chest like a cord cut free. Across the table, Montegue caught my eye, his mouth curling in the faintest wink. Elliot was perched in his lap, whispering something only he could hear, his small hand clutching Montegue’s sleeve.
I straightened, steadying myself. For the first time since the door had opened, I felt the ground beneath me was truly mine to stand on.
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 315
Victoriana’s gaze returned to me, sharp but open, waiting.
I leaned forward, sliding a folder across the board. Letters, pictures—everything that had arrived from Silverpine in the last few weeks. The ink of their threats still felt heavy in my hands.
“You’ve seen these,” I said, steady but firm. “The threats. The letters. The photographs. They were not simply intimidation—they were a map of intent. A test. And they were sent here deliberately to unsettle us.”
Victoriana inclined her head once. “I read them,” she confirmed, her voice clipped. “And your dissection of them as well. Every annotation. Every mark.”
I nodded, breathing easier at that acknowledgment. “Then you know what I see. They are pacing. Waiting. Something has gone wrong on their side of the line, and they are stalling for time. While they wait, they want to reap chaos here. Fracture us before they strike. And when that fails—as it will—they will turn their claws toward the citizens. Fear spreads fastest among those with no shield.”
The chamber was still, the Ambassadors and Governors listening intently, the lesser Alphas watching like wolves scenting blood.
“They will use that fear,” I continued. “They will make make impossible not want the Alpha’s. By any means necessary. They will press obedience into our throats.”
My fingers pressed lightly to the board. “So we must move first. We ensure the civilians are protected. We call for lockdown. Give them the chance to restock, prepare—but then no one leaves their homes. Not until we have the upper hand. We contain the panic before it can be weaponized against us.” Thɪs chapter is updated by FindN0vel.net
The weight of my words hung over the chamber, met by silence thick as stone.
Victoriana’s gaze did not falter. Her eyes swept the others once, then settled back on me. “A harsh measure,” she said at last, her voice low, deliberate. “But perhaps the only one that makes sense.”
Her approval was not spoken outright, but the shift in the air—subtle, heavy—told me I had her ear.
I drew in a breath, steadying myself before continuing.
“But we cannot be blind to the repercussions. The citizens were already made aware of classified information—Governor Morrison saw to that. His defection cracked something vital, and though we attempted to mend it by revealing the full truth, the bombs at the press conference undid everything. Whatever fragile trust we had clawed back… it collapsed in fire and blood.”
A ripple went through the chamber, small but sharp—everyone knew it was true.
“Now,” I pressed, voice firmer, “to add a lockdown on top of that? It will not be seen as protection. It will be seen as a leash. And in the shadow of the Bloodmoon, with doubts already festering about the Alpha’s leadership, it could turn dangerous. Instead of forging unity, it could split us further. And if that happens, we will not have a united front when Darius brings the war we all know he intends to wage.”
Victoriana’s gaze deepened, unreadable.
I let my words settle, then added quietly, “So we give the people what they fear losing most—sight. We allow the media to continue its work.”
The silence that followed was not the silence of dismissal but of shock. Heads turned, whispers hissed like sparks catching dry tinder.
The Governors stiffened, the Ambassadors exchanged quick looks, the lesser Alphas leaned forward in disbelief. Everyone here knew the truth: the press would twist whatever they were given. They always had.
Still, I held my ground, my tone calm but unwavering. “Yes, they will twist it. But if we silence them, the people will decide their own truth—and that will be worse than anything the press could conjure.”
The chamber erupted in low murmurs. Voices overlapped—sharp, skeptical, some outright hostile.
A Governor rose first, her jeweled cuff clinking as she set her hand on the board. “Luna Eve, with all due respect, the press thrives on blood. They will not soothe panic. They will sharpen it. They will twist every measure we take into proof of weakness.”
Another voice, a Lesser Alpha this time, barked from the tiers. “And what happens when the citizens start rioting, hm? When every whisper becomes a headline? You think soldiers will waste their blades keeping them calm instead of preparing for Darius’s war?”
An Ambassador leaned forward, his tone measured but biting. “We cannot afford another blow to public confidence. The press feeds chaos. That chaos will be laid at the Alpha’s feet, and if he cannot answer it—” he cut himself off, but the implication was clear.
The Alpha was not around, which only made it worse.
The voices swelled, each pouring their concerns into the air, until the chamber pulsed with restless tension. Fear, frustration, doubt—all of it given words.
I raised a hand. Slowly, deliberately.
The sound dulled. Not gone, but muted enough that when I spoke, my voice carried.
“I hear you,” I said firmly. “Every concern. Every doubt. They are valid. The press will twist. The citizens will panic. Order will falter. But listen to me—” I swept my gaze across the chamber, locking eyes with each cluster. “If we silence them, the story writes itself. And it will be written by Darius.”
I leaned in slightly, pressing the words harder. “We cannot win a war on only one front. The battlefield is here as much as it is in Silverpine. If we deny the people their voice, we will hand them to him without a fight.”
I steadied myself, letting the heat of their objections burn out before I spoke again.
“The riots are already bad,” I said, my tone low but unyielding. “And they will get worse. Familiarity begets contempt—the citizens are used to seeing Gammas in the streets, holding the lines. They know their faces. They know their patterns. And familiarity no longer frightens them.”
The room quieted a fraction. I pressed on.
“So we change the pattern. We give them a different presence. A more formidable one. The Military Gammas.”
A stir ran through the chamber. Several Ambassadors exchanged uneasy looks, the Governors leaned forward, and the Lesser Alphas muttered under their breath.
I didn’t give them time to spiral.
“They are not accustomed to seeing this force outside of wartime. To see them deployed openly will do more than suppress riots—it will remind the citizens of the weight of our defense. Of the seriousness of this moment. Not as a leash, but as a shield. Protection carried out by the highest authority beneath the Alpha himself.”
Victoriana’s expression remained carved from stone, but her silence told me she was listening.
I leaned forward, my palms flat against the board. “They will not see soldiers taking their freedom. They will see soldiers standing between them and something so worrisome that the military had to step in.”
“But that is just the best case scenario, first and mostly there will be confusion.” I continued
I straightened, letting the silence stretch just long enough to anchor my next words.
“The Military Gammas are not only for the people’s eyes—they are for what I know will come. We need a force ready not just for open battle, but for the dirtiest tricks in the book. And those are the ones Darius will pull.”
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
I pressed on, my voice steady, deliberate. “Silverpine has caught us off guard too many times to count. Conspiracies, double agents, bombings, the massacre of royalty itself. They have honed chaos into a weapon. If we do not prepare for it now, then when the Bloodmoon rises, it will not be soldiers or strategy that fall first—it will be the heart and soul of Obsidian. The civilians. And even as they scatter, running with every rumor and conspiracy the press feeds them, they are still ours to defend.”
From the end of the board, Silas leaned forward, his voice cutting through. “Then shift the press in our favor. Encourage them. A little payment here, a little push there—they will soften the civilians to us.”
I inclined my head slightly, a gesture of acknowledgment. “I thank you for the thought, Silas. But no. That would be worse than silence. All it would take is one article—one leak of proof that we manipulated their voice—and whatever faith remains would shatter completely. They would see us as liars, no better than the enemy we name.”
The words settled like iron. Heads lowered, some in reluctant agreement, some in frustration.
Then I allowed the silence to sharpen, to prime the chamber for the strike.
“But afterwards,” I said, voice steady as a blade, “we shock them.”
Every gaze lifted toward me again.
“The reason the media will remain on air, even under lockdown, is because of what comes after their spin. After they twist the tale as they always do—we take it from them. We strip them of the narrative by giving the people something they cannot ignore. A live broadcast. One with evidence.”
I slid the folder closer, my hand resting on its edge. “The letter—yes. The threats. But not the images. Those are too volatile. We show just enough to reveal the truth, to prove that Silverpine’s hand is behind all of this. Their words, their intent, their proof—not rumors, not council decrees, not manipulation. The people will see it for themselves.”
I let my gaze sweep the chamber, holding the silence that followed. “And once they do, the press loses its grip. The civilians will know who the real enemy is. Not this council. Not Obsidian. Silverpine. With that we will be a united front before Silverpine and not the chaos filled territory vulnerable to attacks and threats.”