Page 21 of The Wolf's Secret Baby

“Was this your plan all along, to trap us?” Typhon asked.

“No, I had no idea these people even existed, and I hope we’re not going to be trapped for very long. If these people are against Vance, then maybe we can ally ourselves with them and we can be free.”

“You want us to turn on our pack?” I whispered.

“They turned on you a long time ago,” Ambrosia said. “I get that you have this sense of loyalty built into you, but you shouldn’t give Vance your respect simply because he’s a wolf. These people may not be wolves but if their goals align with yours then you should listen to what they have to say. You might be able to find some commonalities with them and maybe we’ll be able to escape further punishment. We should at least hear him out.”

Typhon bowed his head. “I suppose if nothing else we can learn about the extent of the threat these dryads pose to the wolves. If we return with news of an impending attack Vance would be grateful,” he spoke in a low tone. Ambrosia turned towards me and gave me a worried look. I began to see her wisdom. I knew that Vance wasn’t going to treat us as we wanted to be treated and yet Typhon was still thinking of things in those terms.

“We should listen to them. Hopefully they will not keep us as prisoners for long. Ambrosia is right. We should not show blind loyalty to the pack when they have not shown us the same courtesy in return. If there is a way to prevent this war, then we should see if it is feasible.”

“You would betray the pack?” Typhon hissed.

“Yes,” I said directly, turning towards him. “Ambrosia is right. They are never going to see us the way we want to be seen. It’s foolish to keep trying to earn their approval and respect because we’re always going to fall short. They are never going to allow us to walk alongside them, and do you think they’re going to give us an opportunity to win glory in the war? Every other wolf is going to fight honorably, and we are going to be left behind. We’ll have to hear the stories of triumph and valor, while everyone is going to look at us and taunt us. You are never going to get what you seek from them.”

Before Typhon could respond, Vali returned. He was alone, which I thought was brave of him. For all he knew, we were going to maul him the moment he appeared. He carried with him a tray. Upon the tray were simple cups filled with dark tea. I took one and sipped. It was bitter to the taste.

“I hope that after we speak you will not be considered enemies but if we do not come to a resolution then you will be treated as such. Even though there hasn’t been a formal declaration of war, we consider ourselves in a state of war because we know that the wolves are planning something. I want to know what it is and how to stop it.”

“We can’t help you with that,” I replied.

Vali tilted his head. “Can’t, or won’t?”

“You don’t understand. Typhon and Kull are not trusted with that kind of information. They are not in the alpha’s inner circle,” Ambrosia said.

“I see,” Vali mused. He paced around the room. His footsteps were so light his feet may as well have been made from feathers. “That is most troubling. I hoped that you would prove to be more useful. If you cannot help us…” he trailed away. I sensed what he was implying, and I did not like the sound of it.

“We can help you. We just need to know the nature of what you want. As I said before, we don’t want there to be a war. If there’s a way to stop it then we want to help,” Ambrosia said.

“But we’re not going to directly hurt the pack,” Typhon added quickly. “We’re not going to shed the blood of our own people. It wouldn’t help anyway. If you think we’re going to attack our alpha then-”

“I have no intention of asking you to do such a thing,” Vali interrupted Typhon. “I know wolves better than that. It goes against your nature entirely.” I stared into his grey eyes and tried to peer into them deeply, hoping that I could glean some kind of insight into his background, but they were a swirling mystery, and I found myself at a loss. “As I said, I mainly want information. To survive a war, one must know what the enemy is planning, something that I have been unable to achieve. I know that the wolves are planning something secret. I want to know what it is.”

“As we said, we have no knowledge of secrets,” I replied. It rankled me to have to admit to a stranger that we did not hold a privileged position in our pack. Vali must have thought us fools. Vali remained silent for a few moments as he pondered the situation.

“There is still a way you can help us. We have discovered compounds used by wolves. They are guarded heavily. We have not been able to find a way in. But our distant observations have revealed busy activity, which has intensified recently. We have witnessed wolves going to and fro, and it begs the question of what is being guarded? It must be something valuable, as I cannot imagine the wolves would be stationed there unless there was something important.”

Typhon and I glanced at each other. This was the moment when my loyalties were truly tested.

“Vance has been speaking about some secret weapon,” I said. Typhon glared at me, while Vali’s eyes widened in shock. His eyes were large, and their size was pronounced as the whites of his eyes were stark compared to his smudged features.

“Do you know anything more of this weapon? How destructive is it? How is it going to affect the landscape?” Vali asked, the questions flowing from his tongue. It was the first time I had seen him flustered, perhaps even panicked. It was wise of him to do so because whatever Vance was planning, it wasn’t good.

“We don’t know anything,” Typhon growled.

“But Vance is confident it will prove decisive. He would not make a move like this unless he was sure that he could win,” I added.

“Then whatever is held in these compounds is important to the war effort. We need to discover the nature of his weapons. We need to find out how we can stop them,” Vali stopped pacing suddenly and turned towards us. “I need you to infiltrate one of these compounds.”

Typhon laughed. “We’re not going to do your dirty work for you. We have told you what we know. That is the extent of which we are going to help you. You are not going to make spies of us.”

Vali frowned. “You may have been taught that war is the natural state of the world, but you are wrong. There should be balance and peace. War upsets the natural balance. It spreads a wave of destruction across the land that swallows everything whole. If you were true to yourselves then you would understand this and you would seek to prevent your alpha from performing this abominable act. I have been around for a long time. I knew wolves who would be disgusted by these actions. Are you really content to allow him to cut a swathe of destruction across theland? He will turn this place to ash. I cannot allow that to happen and neither should you.”

“He wouldn’t do that. Vance is many things, but he is not that callous towards his surroundings.” Typhon replied.

“Are you sure?” Vali asked.

I pursed my lips. Although I did not speak, the thought that passed through my mind was a stern ‘no’.

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