The boys were growing bigger by the day, already they were getting themselves into trouble, wandering too long from the den and trying to slip away from their sitters at every chance. But their growing mobility and diminished dependence on their mother’s care, meant that Aideen had gotten more time to patrol her territory and look after her other pack mates. Despite the twins’ rambunctiousness, she felt perfectly safe leaving them with their older siblings, the yearlings were more than capable of keeping up with their little brothers; At least if they tag team... The alphess smiled to herself, continuing her trek through the Woodlands. She had so missed these trips, stretching her legs and keeping up with everything within her lands. There was plenty to look after, with autumn growing closer every day, she had limited time to fill the herb stores for the winter. She really needed to find a pupil, to take some of the load off her shoulders, she was stretched too thin acting both as the packs leader and only medic, while looking after young pups. At the moment, there was no clear candidate within the ranks though, and so she would have to do; And I will!

She had just passed a spot of Solomon’s Seal, noting that it needed at least another week before it was ready for harvest, and had turned to head towards the borders, when the call reached her ears. Halting and raising her head, she pivoted her ears and tilted one slightly upwards, furrowing her brows at the voice. Zilas was still largely an enigma to her, his quiet manner and general aloofness making it especially hard to get to know him. Still, he did his duty to the pack, patrolling the border every day and doing his bit to fill the caches. A leader really couldn’t ask for more, and so, Aideen didn’t hesitate in answering his call, turning on her paws and heading back into the heart of the territory.

She found him not far from the communal den, tucked away were they wouldn’t be seen or overheard easily; Clearly the ghost wanted to speak with his leaders alone. Aideen nodded her head and smiled lightly, doing her best to put the man at ease; He looks nervous… Maybe even scared, crouched low and with flattened ears, like he expected a beating. The queen had always done her best to be kind to everyone, she certainly hadn’t given Zilas any reason to fear her, and with her petite frame compared to his long legs and strong chest, well, she couldn’t be that intimidating. Never the less, the pale wolf cowered before her, and her brows furrowed further, voice a little tight as she asked: “Zilas, what can I do for you?” She was still smiling, but her hackles prickled nervously, and her tail stood out straight and still behind her back.

Word count: 484

The call made him stop in the middle of his border patrol. It was strange, hearing a call from this specific subordinate. Zilas kept to himself, much like Miccah did, and he wondered what made the man come out of his regular silence in order to speak with his leaders. With no hesitation, he immediately went in the direction of the call and soon found hinself in the presence of his wife and the man in question. Immediately, the dark king did not like the feel of the air around him. Why was Zilas cowering? He looked at his mate, and her posture did nothing to ease him. His tail flicked once slightly, as he opened his maw to speak."Zilas, why did you call for us?" he rumbled in his smooth baritone, betraying nothing of his apprehension. He would get to the bottom of this, and he would get to it immediately. The man before him, unfortunately, looked like he was about to be the bearer of bad news. Miccah was not a fan of surprises, especially the ones that seemed to be of the bad kind. Tensing his jaw lightly, the dark king waited for the man to answer him.

His obvious fear was only more unsettling to the queen, his words doing nothing to ease her. Luckily it didn’t take long for Miccah to arrive as well – For once – his dark form slipping from the trees and taking up stance beside her. His words were hard and to the point, just as always, but for some reason it annoyed her slightly. Zilas was clearly distraught and that attitude wasn’t exactly going help. But she shook off the irritation, troubled by her own touchiness; I’m just tired… And, like always, there was no time to rest. The pale wolf was struggling, but seemed determined to explain himself, and he deserved her attention.

Slow and stammering, Zilas managed his confession, making the alphess’ eyes widen in shock. Of all the news she might have imagined him bringing, this was far beyond her wildest ideas. He’d bred. Her head spun, tongue tied by her utter and complete surprise. She’d never had to deal with something like this, no one had broken the law since her becoming leader. And she’d been so sure it wouldn’t happen, she trusted her pack mates; Was I blind..? Breeding season was so long ago too, this was such a heavy, unexpected blow, any subconscious worries she might have had were long vanquished.

Finally finding her voice, the queen tried to make heads and tails of the situation; “You… But how..? When..?” Her frazzled stammer was almost as bad as his had been, until she finally arrived at the right question: “With who? Zilas, who did you breed with?” She didn’t understand, there was no shewolf here who he could have fallen in love with; Started a family with. If he’d sired a litter, become a father, why was he here alone; And where are the pups..?

Word count: 299

Never had the dark king expected this - never in a million years. Had he been naive to trust those close to him? His family? As Zilas continued, stammering to get the words out, he felt that familiar sting of betrayal in his heart. He had had the same feeling of darkness in his heart when the traitors had been Iopah and Koda, and it was now that same feeling that made his jaw clench as he heard what the man before him had to say. His blue gaze never wavered from his second - ha - not even when his mate spoke the questions that he had been about to ask too. He had not become as close to Zilas as he had wished, and he saw now that that had been a mistake. Who had it been? Did Miccah know this woman? It was an outsider, that was for certain. His blue gaze shined with the level of his fury, for how could Zilas had been so stupid. His muscles were tense, his gaze strong as he looked at Zilas in a way that said 'speak the fuck up before I rip you to shreds.' Nothing had ever been more important to Miccah than loyalty and trust, it was what Nina had built the Woodlands on and it was how he was determined to continue her legacy. His legacy. Their legacy. Zilas would be punished, severely - but first, Miccah needed information.

She sensed Miccah go rigid by her side, knowing the ire that boiled within him at their subordinate’s words. The queen’s own mind went to the same memories as her husband’s, though she saw them in a much different light. Still, she knew how highly he valued loyalty, and how big a transgression this was to him. A shadow fell over copper eyes, the corners of her mouth tilting down as she looked at Zilas. The breach he’d committed was severe, but he had no way of knowing just how much it would affect the Woodland leaders. Koda and Iopah were still a sore spot between them - After their return from Broken Timber Pines, they’d agreed to never speak of it again, and Aideen had conceded to never seeing her friend again, knowing how resentful both Nina and Miccah were of their former subordinates.

Reliving all of this, it was hard to focus on the ghostly wolf, and the answer he was trying to give. Despite how upset she was, the lady felt a little bad for him, clearly struggling to even admit fault, no doubt fearing the consequences. Still, he’d decided to come clean, which showed an integrity not many wolves had; Even if he took his time..! Finally, Zilas managed to get control of his tongue, speaking a name that sounded completely unfamiliar to Aideen’s ears. Her frown grew deeper, gaze fixed on the lad’s continuing struggle, expectation in her eyes. Then fell the damning words, and those copper eyes grew wide; “The… Notch?” She almost choked on the word, hackles rising in shock. Their closest allies, possibly the only ones they still have, thanks to so long without contact with the others; Oh no!

The petite woman spared a glance sideways at her king, standing as as a deadly silent shadow by her side. For perhaps the first time since she could remember, she couldn’t tell what stirred behind those deep blue eyes. But whatever he was thinking, it was hardly good for their pale subordinate. Again Aideen felt a stab of pity for the boy, standing there, staring at the ground, practically shaking. So her voice was surprisingly gentle when she spoke: “Zilas, you understand how serious this is? Not only have you defied pack law, but you may have compromised our relationship with our allies.” Even as her voice remained low, it was firm, and her eyes had a hint of steel as they locked back on the white wolf; “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Word count: 426

The name was unfamiliar, Miccah didn't know much about other wolves outside of his own pack. He had always left the social niceties to his mate, yet even though the name was unfamiliar the pack sure as hell wasn't. White Fir Notch were one of their allies, the ones they kept most frequently in touch with due to their relatively close proximity. As if Zilas couldn't have dug himself even deeper into his own shit, there it was. His words made Miccah's maw clench even tighter with the effort to hold his fury. Were they cursed? Was the Woodlands never meant to be as strong as it once had been? Time and time again, his judgement had been wrong on those he had considered family. One by one, his members had left. A few with his blessing, but most due to their lack of loyalty. And now, this? Had they not suffered enough betrayal? Enough loss? Enough pain?

His mate beside him spoke, always his gentle voice of reason. However, even though Aideen was of a gentle nature there was no less steel in her tone as she spoke to Zilas about the severity of his actions. Yet, the dark king was in no more mood for talking. He was in no mood to hear false truths and desperate pleas. The dark king rose to his full height and his dark banner lifted as his hackles rose. "He has done enough talking," he rumbled his tone as cold as his gaze. Towering over the smaller sized man, the dark king growled - wanting the man before him to not only feel the level of his fury but also his disappointment. "I have no need for a second who can't even control his basic lust."