"He’s requested a meeting." Tristan’s voice boomed through the inn. I paused in my steps, brows raised. I had just finished getting ready for the day, my mask in my hand.
"He has?"
Tristan nodded, passing the paper in his hand. I took it from him, eyes scanning the content. A slow smile made its way to my lips.
"Third day of the auction?" I muttered, mostly to myself. "That’s perfect."
I folded the parchment neatly before handing it back to Tristan.
"So..." He studied my expression. "How do you think he took the news?"
I chuckled. "Poorly. Thirty-eight percent of Silver Creek’s greatest trading concern doesn’t simply disappear without causing panic."
I could imagine the rage on Kael’s face, could imagine the words he’d use.
I walked toward the window, watching the bustling streets below as merchants continued setting up for the day’s events.
"Right now, Kael is probably doing exactly what I expected."
"And what’s that?" he asked.
"Looking for Lord Eugene Ravenscott."
Tristan couldn’t hide his grin. That was true—they both could read Kael like a book. He only worked one way. Pathetic, really.
Silence settled between us for a second, then Tristan cleared his throat. "When the meeting comes..." he asked quietly, "are you certain you want to reveal yourself?"
"I have to." I turned back toward him. "I’ve hidden behind a name for five years. It served its purpose."
"This..." I picked up the silver mask resting on the table, "...this is my final move."
I fastened the mask over my face before meeting Tristan’s eyes once more.
"Come. We have another task before then."
The streets were even busier than they had been the day before.
Servants hurried between pavilions carrying trays of expensive wine while merchants called out the virtues of enchanted weapons and rare gemstones. Warriors from dozens of packs crowded the walkways, their voices blending into a constant noise.
Tristan walked half a step behind me, one hand resting lightly against the hilt of his sword.
"The list?" I asked.
Without a word, he reached into his coat and unfolded a neatly written parchment.
"I narrowed it down last night," he said, and I accepted it, my eyes moving over the names.
Each Alpha had a short note beside his name.
Alpha Cedric of Yellowstone — Publicly opposed Lucien’s tax reforms.
Alpha Kingston of Ironfang — Refused First House arbitration two years ago.
Alpha Garrick of Moonbeam — Walked out of the Winter Council after arguing with Lucien.
I looked up, pleased. "You’ve done your homework."
Tristan nodded pleasantly. "I had a long night."
A faint smile tugged at my lips before disappearing just as quickly. "These are all Alphas who’ve challenged Lucien."
"Openly," he replied.
"Then they’re our best chance. If anyone is willing to overlook the Supreme Alpha’s decree... it should be one of them."
"Let’s begin."
Our first stop was the Yellowstone Pavilion. Two guards opened the entrance after Tristan announced our names.
Alpha Cedric sat behind a polished desk, reading through several ledgers. He looked older than I’d expected, grey threaded through his dark hair, but his amber eyes remained sharp.
He gestured toward the seats opposite him. "I’ve heard your name before," he began calmly. "I haven’t been approached by a woman in a mask ever. Won’t you take off the mask so I can see who it is I speak to?"
I paused. The mask had been for my own protection, but who cared? I took it off and carefully set it down.
Cedric’s gaze flickered with recognition. He regarded me for another moment. "The daughter of the late Alpha Rowan Valemont, is it."
I blinked, taken aback. I expected him to know me through my current mess and not my father.
"I did business with your father, years ago. A great man, he was," he said with ease, and I gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Alpha Cedric."
Cedric hummed, leaning backwards. "What can I do for you?"
At this, I cleared my throat, going straight to the point. "I intend to establish the greatest healing house in the realm."
He raised a brow. "A bold ambition."
I nodded. "It requires bold partners."
Cedric remained silent while I briefly explained my proposal. When I finished, he leaned back in his chair.
"I admire your courage."
For the briefest moment, hope stirred inside me.
Then he sighed. "But my answer is no."
The words landed gently, but they landed all the same.
I kept my expression neutral. "May I ask why?"
Cedric folded his hands atop the desk, his gaze steady. "Your father and I respected one another. Had this request come under different circumstances, I might have accepted before you even finished speaking."
He shook his head slowly. "But these are not different circumstances. You have the Supreme Alpha’s attention. And that’s precisely the problem."
I held his gaze. "You’ve never been afraid to oppose him before."
A tired smile crossed Cedric’s face. "Oppose his policies? Yes. Question his decisions during council? Certainly. But openly defy his direct decree?"
He let out a quiet breath. "No. There is a line every Alpha understands. Cross it... and Lucien doesn’t merely punish you. He makes an example of you."
Cedric rose from his chair and walked toward one of the windows overlooking the busy avenue outside. "Do you know how many wolves call Yellowstone home?"
"Nearly fifty thousand," I answered.
He nodded. "Fifty thousand mouths. Fifty thousand families. If Lucien closes the trade routes to my pack because of one business agreement... they will be the ones who suffer."
He turned back to face me. "Your father once told me that an Alpha’s first duty is to his people, even when it costs him his pride."
He smiled faintly. "I finally understand what he meant."
I lowered my gaze for a moment before inclining my head. "Then I won’t ask you again."
Cedric nodded. "I sincerely hope you prove Lucien wrong. I truly do. But I cannot stand beside you while you do it."
I picked up my mask from the desk and fastened it back over my face. "Thank you for receiving me, Alpha Cedric. And... thank you for remembering my father kindly. I hope our conversation and visit today will remain private."
Tristan and I left the pavilion without another word.
Tristan glanced at me cautiously. "One down." I looked toward the next banner fluttering in the distance.
"Two more to go."
The Ironfang pavilion stood several streets away, marked by black banners embroidered with silver claws.
Unlike Yellowstone’s quiet elegance, Ironfang buzzed with activity. Warriors moved in and out carrying ledgers while merchants waited impatiently outside the entrance, each hoping to secure a few moments of Alpha Kingston’s time.
We were made to wait nearly half an hour before a servant finally returned.
"The Alpha will see you now."
Tristan stepped aside, allowing me to enter first.
Alpha Kingston stood beside a large map stretched across one wall, speaking with two advisors. He dismissed them with a wave before turning his attention to us.
"I’ve been told a Lady Evelyn Valemont wishes to speak with me."
His gaze lingered on the silver mask hiding my face.
"I take it there’s a reason for the disguise."
"There is."
He didn’t press further. A straight and direct man, then.
"What do you need?"
I repeated the proposal I had given Cedric. He listened in complete silence.
When I finished, he walked to a cabinet, poured himself a glass of wine, then another. Without asking, he offered one to me.
"I don’t drink before sunset."
"Neither do I." He set the untouched glass aside. "Sometimes a conversation simply calls for one."
"So?" I asked instead.
Kingston took a slow breath. "My answer is also no."
Tristan’s jaw tightened beside me.
"May I ask why?" I said.
"You may." He rested both palms on the table. "Do you know how much of Ironfang’s steel travels through First House territory?"
Kingston gave a humorless chuckle. "Almost all of it."
He walked toward the large map hanging across the wall and tapped a route marked in red.
"This pass here. And this river crossing." His finger moved again. "Both are overseen by merchants who answer directly to the First Houses."
He looked back at me. "Lucien doesn’t even have to attack my pack. He simply has to whisper one order. My caravans stop moving, smithies stop receiving ore, my warriors stop receiving coin."
He spread his hands. "And my people begin to starve."
"I opposed Lucien because I believed he was wrong," Kingston continued. "Not because I wished to commit political suicide."
"I respect courage, Lady Evelyn. But I won’t sacrifice thirty thousand wolves for it."
The third pavilion belonged to Alpha Garrick of Moonbeam, and he received us with far less solemnity than the other two.
"A masked woman and her personal warrior," he said, grinning as we entered, eyes moving over me with open appreciation before settling, briefly, on Tristan. "Now that’s a sight worth the walk this morning."
"Alpha Garrick." I inclined my head, refusing to rise to it. "I’ve come to discuss a business proposal."
"Have you." He leaned back in his chair, entirely unbothered. "Go on, then. I do love a good pitch."
I laid out the same proposal I’d given the others. He listened, apparently amused, tapping one finger idly against the armrest.
When I finished, he let out a low whistle.
"Bold." His eyes flicked to Tristan again. "Shame, really. A woman with that kind of ambition, wasted arguing business when she could be doing far more interesting things with her time."
Tristan shifted almost imperceptibly, placing himself slightly between me and Garrick’s wandering gaze.
Garrick noticed and smirked. "Relax, Beta," he drawled, lifting both hands in mock surrender. "If I wanted your lady, you’d know it."
His eyes drifted back to me. "Though I admit... she’s easily the most beautiful thing I’ve seen since arriving at this auction."
Tristan’s fingers curled around the hilt of his sword.
I spoke before he could. "We came here to discuss business, Alpha."
"So serious." Garrick clicked his tongue. "No wonder your poor Beta looks ready to murder someone."
"My Beta," I replied evenly, "knows exactly when to draw his sword."
He studied Tristan openly. "Loyal men are difficult to find."
"They are," I agreed.
"Which makes me wonder..." Garrick tilted his head. "Why waste your loyalty on trade agreements?" His smile widened. "If it’s influence you’re after, I could simply take you as my Luna."
"No." The word left my mouth so flatly that even Garrick blinked.
Tristan didn’t move, but I could almost feel the murderous aura rolling off him.
Garrick laughed. "Straight to the point, is it." He paused for a second. "My answer to your proposal is no."
There it was—the third rejection.
"I dislike Lucien. Actually... dislike might be too gentle a word. I’d happily watch someone bloody his nose."
"But I won’t stand beside the woman he’s publicly forbidden anyone to do business with."
"I enjoy provoking the Supreme Alpha. I do not enjoy provoking him enough to bankrupt my own pack."
He stood, walking us toward the entrance himself.
"A shame." His eyes lingered on me one last time. "Should you ever grow tired of healing houses... Moonbeam’s gates are always open."
"They won’t be necessary," I replied and walked out of the place, Tristan hot on my heels.
Three rejections in one day. How pathetic.
"They’re all so weak. So weak that none can stand up to the Supreme Alpha."
Tristan didn’t reply and instead trailed after me, listening to my very clear rant.
Several pavilions away, hidden behind the carved wooden balcony of a private viewing hall, a pair of blue eyes followed the masked woman until she disappeared into the crowd.
Only then did the man step fully into the light.
He was tall, broad across the shoulders, dressed in black. Unlike most Alphas at the auction, he wore no ceremonial jewelry, no extravagant cloak announcing his rank.
He didn’t need to. Power had a way of introducing itself.
His Beta folded his arms beside him. "...You’ve been watching her all morning."
"I have."
The Beta frowned. "I don’t understand."
The Alpha’s gaze never left the avenue below. "She’s visited Yellowstone, Ironfang, and now Moonbeam."
The Beta nodded slowly. "Three Alphas," he said quietly.
"Three very specific Alphas," the Alpha corrected. "What is the one thing they all share in common?"
The Beta frowned. "A trading link?"
"A common dislike for the Supreme Alpha," the man said.
"Why would she be seeking men with a dislike for the Supreme Alpha?"
A faint smile tugged at the Alpha’s mouth. "She’s looking for allies. But why?"
The Beta looked lost in thought for a moment. "Actually, Alpha, three days ago, a message was sent to all Alphas, First House members or not. No Alpha, merchant, guild, or trading house is to enter business with Evelyn Valemont."
Damon frowned harder. What could the former Luna of Silver Creek have done to invoke the wrath of Lucien?