The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty Eight

Talon’s gaze flicked briefly to his beta, sharp and assessing, the way a king measured everything-strength, loyalty, fracture points.

Enzo stood slightly in front of Leah, his posture instinctively protective. One arm was angled just enough that, if danger erupted, Leah would be shielded by his body before she could even react. To anyone else, it would look like devotion.

To Leah, it looked like audacity. Her eyes burned into Enzo’s back, sharp as blades, filled with unresolved fury and betrayal. Talon could smell it-anger, fear, and something rawer beneath it. Hurt.

Leah had not forgiven Enzo for hiding her parents, not yet. Not even close. And judging by the way her jaw was clenched, the reckoning between them would be vicious once they returned to Black Howler Pack. Because one thing is for sure, his beta will never agree to leave his mate in this pack.

But there would be time for that later.

Plenty of time for Enzo to grovel.

Talon stepped forward, his presence alone quieting the murmurs rippling through the gathered pack members. The air thickened, pressure building the way it did before a storm.

“Bring the two surviving rogues,” Talon commanded, his voice calm, but threaded with steel.

A royal guard immediately bowed and turned away.

The reaction from the pack was instant.

Confusion spread like wildfire.

“We have rogues here?”

“Why weren’t we informed?”

“They were in the dungeon?”

“Are we safe right now?”

Whispers layered over one another, fear and anger mixing into a restless hum. Talon let it happen. Let the uncertainty fester. Let them feel what it means to be kept in the dark. His eyes slid briefly toward Alpha Asher, then to Luna Hazel and Beta Rafe.

They all knew.

They had controlled the flow of information. They had chosen silence.

Talon waited until the murmurs reached their peak before raising a single hand. The sound died immediately, as if the pack itself had inhaled and frozen.

“Out of the fifteen rogues who attacked my mate,” Talon began, his voice carrying effortlessly across the clearing, “five survived.”

Shock rippled through the crowd.

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<Chapter Twght

Charm

“Three of them were captured and placed together in your dungeon,” he continued. “As for these two-” his eyes flicked toward the dungeon entrance, “-my beta followed his intuition and temporarily accepted them under the protection of Black Howler Pack.”

That earned a sharp intake of breath from several pack members.

“They were placed in separate cells” Talon went on, unbothered. “The other three, who were housed together, were executed last night.”

The word executed fell heavy and final.

Gasps erupted.

“Someone,” Talon said slowly, deliberately, “did not want them to speak.”

His gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on the leadership standing off to the side.

“Someone entered the dungeon,” he continued, voice cool, “mind-manipulated the guards into abandoning their posts… and killed three injured, restrained rogues.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Then Talon tilted his head slightly.

“Now,” he said, almost conversationally, “is it the Luna who did this?”

Every eye snapped to Hazel. Her face drained of color.

“Is it the Luna who slipped into the dungeon last night?”/Talon asked again. “Is it the Luna who has the power to erase memories, command guards, and carry out executions without detection?”

Hazel’s lips trembled. “I-”

“Personally,” Talon lifted a hand, cutting her off. His tone sharpening, “I do not think so.”

A wave of stunned murmurs followed.

“A weak and insecure Luna like her,” Talon continued mercilessly, “does not have the courage to enter a dungeon alone and eliminate rogues-no matter how injured they might be.”

Hazel flinched as if struck.

Talon let the words sink in before delivering the final blow.

“That means,” he said, his gaze turning icy, “there is another traitor in your pack.”

The clearing erupted.

“What?”

“Another one?!”

“Two traitors?”

“How could the Alpha not know?”

24

Chapter Thuty light

Clem

Fear surged through the pack members, sharp and unrestrained now. Talon stood unmoving in the chaos, a pillar of authority amid the storm. When he raised his hand again, silence snapped back into place.

The dungeon doors creaked open.

Chains clinked.

Two rogues were dragged forward by royal guards, their bodies battered but alive. Their eyes were sharp despite their injuries-calculating, defiant. Blood stained their clothes, but their posture remained unbowed.

“Tell me the truth,” Talon stepped closer, and he said evenly. “Who told you where to find my mate?”

The rogues exchanged a glance.

“And,” Talon added, his voice dropping, “did either of you see who entered the dungeon last night and killed the other three rogues?”

One of them laughed-a harsh, broken sound.

“Do you think you have power over us, Alpha King?” The rogue sneered. “We are not part of your subjects.”

Talon smiled.

It wasn’t warm.

It wasn’t kind.

It was the smile of a predator who had already won.

“As of now, rogue,” Talon replied calmly, “you are part of my subjects.”

The rogue’s brow furrowed.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Talon continued. “My beta temporarily accepted you into my pack.”

The second rogue scoffed. “Lies. No one can do that except the Alpha.”

“Of course,” Talon agreed smoothly. “For a regular pack.”

“But not for a royal beta,” He stepped closer, his aura unfurling just enough to make the air vibrate. “The royal beta has the authority to temporarily accept anyone under the protection of the crown.”

Enzo straightened slightly behind him, silent but resolute.

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