Page 202 of Wolf Roulette

The older woman nodded, tears slipping over her cheeks. Passing over her tablet, she joined the rest of the tribe.

I faced Sascha.

He sank to his knees.

“Pleasedon’t do that. It’s a stupid clause.” My cheeks burned. “Stand up.”

“My pack concedes the win of Victratum to the Ni Tiaki. Per the terms of the game contract, Deception Valley now belongs to you.”

I’d say only the Luthers could hear his words.

“I accept. Get up.”

It would have killed Greyson to bend a knee. Then again, he really only cared about one thing. Him and Booker both.

Sascha’s expression was sombre.

Mine too.

Ending the game was a major hurdle to overcome, but the war wasn’t over yet.

Dread mounting in my stomach, I turned Pascal’s tablet on and logged into our tribe system.

“What are you doing?” Sascha said.

I exhaled. “The poll results are on here.” No one had seen them yet. Only I had access.

“Your attention, please,” I called.

Luthers and stewards gradually fell quiet.

A wet-faced Wade approached and handed me the microphone from my sax. He set the portable speaker next to me.

I lifted the mic.Here goes.“Last night, every member of the Ni Tiaki tribe participated in a set of polls. These polls outlined decisions they needed to make for our future and the future of those in this valley. I have the results here now.”

Fuck.

It was seriously horrible that even after going through Victratum, everything hinged on the contents of this file. I’d be so glad to never hold another poll in my life.

“Courage, mate,” Sascha said quietly.

I tapped on the file. “The tribe were asked if they wished to approach the pack with a land proposal in the interest of entering a truce or if they wished the pack to be exiled from Deception Valley per the rules of Victratum.” I swallowed. “The tribe voted in favour of approaching the pack with a proposal in hopes of a truce.”

Most Luthers were shocked. Their scents changed rapidly. Relief. Disbelief. Hope. Fear.

I spoke again, “The tribe were asked if they wished to pursue further negotiations with Clan Sundulus, the Vissimo of Bluff City, to form an alliance against outside threats. They voted in favour of continuing negotiations.”

Locking my legs, I scrolled through the results of the third poll. The tribe had also voted on which clauses they wanted included in any truce with the pack.

A care of the land clause.

An exit clause if the pack ever turned on the Ni Tiaki.

A non-violence clause that would result in land penalties for both sides. The last thing I’d wanted was for a truce to dissolve the second a Luther hit a steward or vice versa. Instead, both sides would lose land as a consequence. It was something both sides held dear, and considering the tribe had far more land, the clause had reassured many.

In time, they’d learn my wolves wouldn’t hurt them though.

Opening a new email, I attached the poll results and sent them to every member of the tribe. Over 85 percent unified for the biggest decisions. The closest results were those for the truce clauses.

---