Chapter Four

Silver's POV

“There's no trace of it, or the people that took it,” Jericho reported back. It was the fifth search we had run that week and came up with nothing. It was almost like whoever ambushed the cargo didn't exist.

I replayed the footage from the truck’s cam, hoping for some clue that would pull me out of the unknown contract I had got into but it was too perfect.

“I can't think of anything,” I sighed. I was nervous because he summoned me to his mansion that evening.

“Are you going?” Jericho noticed the long face.

“If you are, I'm coming with,”

“I don't need a protector, I need solutions. Our problems seem to be getting worse by the second, so find us a way out,”

“The gas used to disorient the security has a rare form of mistletoe. We can start our search there,” he muttered as he grabbed my computer. After a while, he turned it back to me with the picture of a DUNG MISTLETOE.

“It's a needle in a haystack,” I remarked as I read through the list of companies that used it in that area.

“But it's a needle. We now have something to lead with and in a few hours, we can narrow the company one by one,”

I exhaled heavily, trying to come up with a plan but nothing came to mind. With or without the deal, we were still in debt. At that moment, I saw a path. A way I could clear the debt my father had caused.

“I need to get ready. Send me a message when you get something,”

“Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?” Jericho inquired once more.

“I will be fine. Besides, I won't be able to pull this off with you in the room,” I smirked lightly, formulating my plan.

*********

From the extra security and cars parked up front, I could tell that I wasn't the only one he invited that evening.

“Welcome, Miss Salvatore,” a butler greeted me by the door. I was handed a champagne glass and walked to the hall, which had a small gathering of people.

My presence commanded silence and whispers among the crowd. They stared long and hard as I walked up to Raid who stood at the center of the room wearing a grin that already had me on edge.

“You came, I almost thought you had fled the pack country,” he remarked.

“I don't run, Alpha. I fight,” I looked around and could barely recognize the people in the room.

“Who are these people and why am I here?”

“Will you dance with me?” He extended his hands, ignoring my question. I could feel the people's gazes piercing into my soul as I took his hand.

“Slow violin please,”

He took me carefully to the dance floor, his strong hand grabbed my waist firmly and pulled me closer. My hands twitched when I felt his cold touch on my palm.

“Why did you come?” He asked as we moved to the rhythm.

“Did I have a choice? After you set me up,”

“Really,” he chuckled lightly. He twirled me effortlessly, pulling me in to meet his terrifying gaze.

“Where is the proof, Silver? If you believe I ambushed my own package, show me proof,”

“A…hem,” someone approached us.

“Alpha, we are all wondering why you summoned us tonight. This is the first meeting you have agreed upon since your father's passing,”

His countenance changed after the man spoke. He looked around the room and they were all waiting to hear his response.

“Silver, meet the council Elders of the pack,”

The Elders were anonymous to members of the pack, per tradition. I only knew of one, my father.

“Why is Silver Salvatore in our midst?” A wrinkly old man asked as he bit his tobacco wrap.

“She is not supposed to be here,”

“I'm sorry, I didn't recall where I had to ask permission to invite a person to my home,” Raid answered calmly.

“I will be announced as the Alpha in two weeks. I know everyone is curious to know who will be by my side during the announcement,”

“Impossible!” A man erupted angrily, throwing his glass against the wall.

“Your father swore to me that you will take a member of my household to be by your side. He swore that you will take my daughter as your Luna,”

“Wait, what?” I had no idea what they were talking about but I knew that whoever that stands by the Alpha will be Luna.

“You had a deal with my father, Elder Thomas,” Raid walked towards the man. The dominance made even the angry elder to cower backwards.

“I am not my father and whatever deal you had with him, died with him. As long as I wasn't present, I knew nothing. So cry to his grave,”

“Why the disgraced Salvatore?” Another asked.

“Why a lady that had been married to another alpha? A lady that destroyed the pack's resource out of heartbreak,”

“She…”

“Don't ever speak about me like I am absent in the room,” I warned, cutting Raid short.

“I destroyed what I built when the man I built it with disregarded my input and placed another in my seat. I fight for what's right and not roll over like a dog to accept command,”

Their murmurs got even louder and I immediately spotted a brief smile on Raid’s face.

“Enjoy the music, the drinks and food. See yourselves out when you are done,” he grabbed my hand and led me out of the hall.

I followed cluelessly up the stairs to the study room where we first met.

“Drink?” He offered as he shut the door.

“What the hell was that?”

“You don't need a drink after that heart scorching speech. Are you sure?” he asked as he poured into two glasses.

“Can you stop! What's all this? What's going on here?” I reacted, letting out my frustration.

“My house is crumbling just like yours and not just financially, politically as well and that's why I need your help,” He sipped from his drink as he locked eye contact.

“What you did in Eclipse amazed me. You overturned a whole system and I need the same here. The Elders think they have the upper hand but I want to show them something different, I want to root them out,”

“Aren't they also the board members of your company and the ones in charge of the legislature?”

“Yes, they are,” he sighed.

“They want to control me like they did my father. And I'm not going to be anyone's puppet,”

“So what you just did is…”

“Declaration of war,” He voiced softly with a subtle grin.

“I just sparked an internal conflict in the pack's political body with you by my side,”