When Minka had realized that Inali was not present and had seemingly left the territory alone as no one had seen her the woman's first instinct was worry. Tokino himself had done the same, insisting that he would be alright and back before she knew it and he was still gone. It seemed as if her life and those most dear to her were all slipping away, first Noble was still missing, then Lugh had almost been murdered then her mate had set out alone and now her best friend who was practically her sister. The alpha had stalked the borders looking for her scent to give away exactly where she had exited and once she found it she had settled her rump down to wait. The Lagina woman knew better than to go looking alone, she was already showing signs of her pregnancy and if she was ambushed she could miscarry. Then the pack would be down one previous pup, two alphas, a second and the litter for next year.

Instead she waited as patiently as a worried motherly wolf could possibly wait. Minka didn't stay seated for long and switched constantly between being seated and pacing and standing stock still. Eventually though the golden eyes spotted the rusted hued female in the fields that bordered their home and the woman could contain herself no longer. Leaving her spot at the markers and rushed towards her closest friend, caught between whether to check if she was alright or scold her for disobeying first. That is until Minka caught the scent of the Woodlands on Inali's pelt. Stopping dead in her spot about three wolf lengths away the alpha scanned the other woman for injuries or signs that she had been roughed up. Lifting her gaze Minka locked eyes with the woman in front of her and saw the darkness there, "Inali why do you smell of the Woodlands? Are you alright?" The alpha trusted her second too much to assume what had truly happened, instead she was sure that it had been a chance meeting. Never did she suspect that the one she considered her sister was a traitor.

Minka's expression of concern quickly changed to confusion as Inali would not meet her eye and then struggled over her words. It was so unlike her second to be so withdrawn so cautious of how she spoke, especially with the leader. The Lagina took a small step forward, her head tilting to the right as she attempted to silently encourage her friend to speak. The expression quickly changed to betrayal and then anger before finally settling into a cold judgemental stare as Inali finished speaking. Raising both her muzzle and her tail the alpha stared down at her scout, seething on the inside but her outer held frozen.

Taking a quick breath through gritted teeth Minka fought with the emotions of turmoil inside of her. Here was her oldest friend, a wolf she had once called her sister and said she would always love telling her that she had betrayed them all. Bringing her front food in line with the other the woman couldn't stop how cold her tone sounded, "So to summarize you chose your friendship with Nina over your pack, you've chosen your friendship with Nina over your family, you have chosen your friendship with Nina over me." As she went one the words turned from a cold sneer to an outright snarl as Minka's lips curled back to reveal her teeth.

Taking another step forward Minka's hackles rose as she tasted bile in the back of her throat, the very sight of her once friend making her feel ill. A full on growl vibrated through her, "You are no better than the traitors of the Woodlands who attacked Lugh." It was as if she saw red now, she cared little for Inali's submission as she did not truly mean it. For so long her second had played both sides of the fence and Minka had turned a blind eye, her trips to see Yuka, her trips to see Nina. No more.

Minka watched as Inali's maw opened before snapping closed and for a time she waited for the woman before her to defend herself. The silence stretched on, tension so thick it would be able to be seen from the first sight of the she-wolves standing there. The alpha advanced no more but instead held her pose, hackles stiffened along her neck and spine, tail and cranium raised in dominance. She had once trusted this woman with her life, with her children's lives, she had given her a high rank in the pack. Inali was supposed to be her when she couldn't be around and instead she had done exactly the opposite of what Minka had asked her to do.

Still the alpha was no fool, while she had deliberately disobeyed pack orders she had saved them all from bloodshed. At least for now, Minka would call off the war against the Woodlands once she had confirmed Inali's words herself but that didn't go for Nina's traitors. Whoever they were, if they ever found them, they would be punished to the full degree of the Lagina woman's wrath. Gold eyes swept over the rusted pelt of her once best friend as she crouched into the ground, her belly pressed against the earth.

She narrowed her eyes but had one final comment before she could make the decision that would change both of their lives. Tawny tail twitched in agitation over her back as she spoke, "At the meeting I asked you to declare your loyalty and you did not respond. I let it go because I knew this was a difficult time for you but I can wait no longer and will ask you one final time. Where do your loyalties lay? If it is within the Downs then you must cut all ties with the Woodlands and the Caverns, no more can I turn a blind eye on your disrespect for pack orders." The expectant mother stared unblinkingly at her subordinate now, her next words would determine her fate and they both knew it.

It was clear from the very second that Inali hesitated what she was going to chose to do. It seemed to be a pattern, the scout pledged her loyalty to the pack and then chose friendship instead. Once it had been her friendship with Minka, a friendship whose bridge she had lit aflame the second she went to the Woodlands. Minka had offered her the water to quench it and instead the rusted fae was staring directly into the flame and not moving. Clenching her jaw the mother moved forward until her cranium was barely an inch from the snake of a wolf before her. Narrowing her eyes dangerously the alpha was practically daring her to strike back, after all she had the pack on her side and Inali had thrown that safety net away. There was no snarl now, just a cold tone that was clear; you're not worth caring for anymore, "Get out. Never come back here. I hope you know exactly what you've done, Cut Rock River will be alerted of your crimes. I doubt Maksim will take kindly to a wolf who chose the Caverns over the Downs and Narimé will never accept you back." The mother moved then, a slow circle.

It was like when a hungry wolf had cornered a fawn, slow circles round and round with her teeth barred. A snarl was rising within her, first deep in her chest until it reached its peak in her throat, echoing in the fields around them. Minka's jaws snapped with every word, enunciating her declaration, "Once more you have betrayed the pack that you were supposed to be loyal to. I see you for what you really are, traitor. The war on the Woodlands is over, but don't expect to ever be welcome by any of my subordinates or they will have the same fate as you now." Snarling once more she leapt forward, aiming to plant her teeth on Inali's maw, this wasn't a muzzle grab, Minka was aiming for blood. She wanted her once subordinate to bear the mark of what she had done until the day she died.