CHAPTER 607: EXPOSE THE TRAITOR

A hush fell as curiosity rippled through the pack, all eyes were fixed on Asher.

Then Asher spoke.

"Tonight marks a new dawn for the West Pack. My father, and his fathers built this empire from nothing, and now it is my duty and my greatest honor to make it greater than he ever dreamed. We will rise beyond these walls and claim our place as the strongest Wolf pack in Dorminia."

A surge of applause followed, cheers rising like thunder. Wolves howled their approval, their hearts filled with pride for their pack.

Irene watched from her corner, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on her face. The boy had guts, she’d give him that. Declaring such lofty dreams this early in his reign? Bold. Foolish, maybe, but bold. Let him dream, she thought. Her East Pack would always come out on top.

Leon Draven, meanwhile, leaned lazily against a pillar, sipping from his cup. Politics bored him. The boy can have his moment. After all, the south doesn’t fight for thrones. They lived their life to the fullest.

The applause carried on until Asher raised a hand, and the noise died instantly. His tone changed.

"But," he said quietly, "it’s quite sad that even among our own people there are enemies who work against the progress of the West Pack."

The crowd fell into uneasy murmurs.

"What does he mean?" someone whispered.

"Enemies?" another muttered.

Only one man’s hands had begun to tremble and it was Alpha Marlow’s. His pulse raced, his knuckles pale. He already had an inkling where this was headed.

Asher’s gaze swept the crowd. "For years, my father’s former Beta, Dominic, siphoned the pack’s resources. He purchased contraband, ran underground trade, and built a loan-shark network using our people’s pain. He took children as collateral, enslaved debtors, and turned our pack’s strength into his personal business."

Gasps broke through the courtyard.

A young she-wolf clutched her chest. "The children?"

An elder muttered darkly, "Dominic... that snake."

Asher went on. "He would have been confronted, but he challenged me first. He knew the truth would end him, so he tried to end me instead. His death only confirmed his guilt."

Nods rippled through the crowd. They had seen Asher’s strength firsthand. They believed him.

But then his tone deepened again. "What pains me more is that he didn’t act alone. Some of our own Alphas stood beside him, feeding from the same filth."

Now the murmurs turned to noise.

"Impossible!" someone shouted.

"Who?"

"Which Alpha?"

The high-ranking wolves shifted uneasily. The sub-Alphas, eleven of them, stood grouped together. Then the crowd instinctively parted, leaving them exposed at the center like prey.

Alpha Rowland was the first to speak up. "This is dangerous talk," he snapped at Asher. "Wild accusations without proof will only divide the pack!"

Asher’s smile was cold. "Proof?" He tilted his head. "Then let’s talk proof."

He turned his gaze straight at Alpha Marlow.

Every head turned with him.

Marlow’s face drained of color. "I-I’m being framed!" he stammered. "I’ve served this pack faithfully. My wealth, my pack’s prosperity, is being used against me! You want me gone so you can control it all!"

Asher laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You dare lie to my face? To your Alpha?"

The tone silenced everything.

Jeremiah stepped forward, motioning toward the guards. "Bring her in."

A thin, pale woman was led to the front, trembling. She clutched her shawl around her shoulders and bowed low.

"Speak," Asher ordered.

"My name is Elina," she began, her voice cracking. "My husband and I borrowed money from Alpha Marlow’s men to save our son. When we couldn’t pay, they took him. Said a debt must be paid one way or another." Her eyes filled with tears. "My husband killed himself three nights later."

The crowd fell deathly silent.

Then another woman pushed through, her voice shaking but fierce. "He took from me too," she cried. "I was a widow. I needed money to feed my children. His men said if I couldn’t pay, I’d have to please their Alpha instead. I did what I had to — and he laughed when I begged him to stop."

A third voice joined. A young man stepped out. "He doubled my interest even when my sister was ill. When I couldn’t repay, they forced me to fight wolves for sport for their entertainment. I lost my sister that night."

The crowd erupted.

"Monster!"

"Scum!"

"Traitor!"

Marlow tried to back away as bottles, plates, and scraps of food flew at him. His own guards deserted him, while the other sub-alphas turned their backs.

"Enough!" Asher’s voice boomed through the commotion, silencing it at once. His eyes were blazing. "Justice will be served. I will not let this corruption poison my pack any longer."

He turned to Jeremiah. "Take him. He will face trial for his crimes."

"Yes, Alpha!" Jeremiah barked, signaling the guards.

They seized Marlow by the arms, dragging him forward. The crowd hissed and threw whatever they could grab at him. Marlow tried to speak, but no one listened. His voice was swallowed by the roar of his people.

When the crowd finally quieted, Asher stood there for a long moment, his jaw tight.

Ezra came up beside him, calm as ever. "You handled that well."

Asher sighed, rubbing a hand over his neck. "That’s a nice one coming from your lips?"

Ezra smirked faintly. "It’s just the beginning. There are more to come your way as Alpha."

Asher looked back at the crowd, murmuring, "I’m sure each and everyone of them was involved one way or the other." He referred to the sub-alphas.

Ezra nodded. "We’d find out when Marlow starts talking. It would take time, but they cannot hide forever."

Asher sighed, tired. "I think I’ve done enough for one night."

Jeremiah asked him, "Should I come with you, Alpha?"

"No," Asher told him. "Enjoy yourself for one night. Come tomorrow, we have a purge on our hands."