Chapter 81:
But it wasn’t just Dante. It was all of them—the wolves who had looked at me with disdain, who had judged me for daring to be ambitious, who had sided with weaker wolves simply because they didn’t want to upset the delicate balance of Talon Pack’s peace.
And now, years later, they had a new Alpha—a young, untested leader who thought she could rebuild Talon Pack’s strength with the same outdated ideals. Elara, with her quiet strength, her loyalty to the same pack that had betrayed me. I had heard stories of her rise to power, of her determination to unite Talon Pack, to restore the values that had once driven them.
The thought made me laugh, a bitter sound that echoed through the trees. She was no different from the wolves who had come before her. She was just another leader clinging to the past, blinded by her own loyalty.
Beside me, Tyrell shifted, his gaze cautious as he looked my way.
“We’re close to Talon Pack’s borders,” he murmured, his voice low but steady.
“Are you sure about this, Silas? They’re prepared. They’ve been training, strengthening their defenses.”
I scoffed, dismissing his concerns with a flick of my ear.
“Prepared? No wolf is prepared to face the truth, Tyrell. Talon Pack is a shadow of what it once was. They believe they’re strong because they trust each other, because they’re bound by loyalty. But that loyalty is a weakness. It blinds them to the reality of what true power looks like.”
Tyrell nodded, though I could see a hint of doubt in his eyes. He respected me, followed me, but he had been raised with the same ideals that Talon Pack clung to. He, like so many of my followers, was drawn to my vision of strength, of dominance, but he didn’t fully understand it yet. Not like I did.
“Loyalty is just a word they hide behind, an excuse to avoid the hard truths,” I continued, my voice filled with the bitterness I’d carried for so long.
“They think loyalty makes them strong, but it only makes them weak. It keeps them bound to each other, unable to see the power that lies beyond their borders.”
Tyrell glanced toward the distant line of trees, where Talon Pack’s territory began.
“And Elara? Do you think she’ll be any different from the wolves who came before her?”
“Elara is nothing more than a figurehead,” I replied, my voice laced with contempt.
“She’s a wolf pretending to be strong, using the same tired ideals to hold Talon Pack together. But she has no idea what true strength looks like. When we face her, when we show her what real power is, she’ll crumble like the rest.”
Tyrell’s gaze hardened, a hint of excitement gleaming in his eyes.
“And Dante? He’s back, fighting with them.”
At the mention of Dante’s name, a surge of anger flared within me, sharp and unforgiving. Dante, the wolf who had once stood against me, who had chosen loyalty over strength, family over power. He was a fool, bound by the same ideals that had destroyed Talon Pack’s potential.
“Dante is no threat,” I spat, my voice a low snarl.
“He may have returned, but he’s nothing more than a reminder of their weakness. He clings to the same illusions, the same false beliefs. And when he watches everything he cares about fall apart, he’ll know that his loyalty was wasted.”
I could see the flicker of satisfaction in Tyrell’s eyes, the anticipation that pulsed through him as he imagined the fall of Talon Pack, the crumbling of their so-called unity. He, like the others, wanted to see the pack’s values shattered, to watch as loyalty and trust turned to dust.
As we stood there, the memories of my past with Talon Pack rose unbidden, a bitter reminder of everything I’d lost, everything they had taken from me. They had exiled me, branded me an outcast, a threat to their peace. They had taken my birthright, my future, and given it to weaker wolves who clung to outdated ideals.
But now, I would take it back. I would destroy everything they valued, everything they held dear, and I would rebuild it in my image. Talon Pack would finally understand what true strength was, what it meant to be led by a wolf who valued power over loyalty, dominance over unity. And when they lay broken before me, when Elara and Dante were forced to watch as everything they believed in crumbled, they would know that I had been right all along.
