TO RULE RED RIVER

Part 26 - Elder Warren

ISLA

"Get away from my daughter." Growls my father.

Elder Warren smirks at me before stepping back to look at my dad with an evil glint in his eye. "I'm merely doing my job. If you wish to go ahead and attack an allied pack as you have clearly stated you intend to, then the council want evidence of any wrongdoing that Alpha Roman's son has committed against your daughter."

Clenching the blanket closer around me, I lean closer to Astrid for support. I didn't want this; I didn't want anyone to know my shame from the attack. I made it clear I wanted to be left alone until I've recovered somewhat.  The tournament is in just over a month's time, surely, I don't have to face any of this yet and publicize to the contenders that I'm now already marked. 

"My word should've been enough on these matters. My daughter has been upset enough. For you to follow me all the way here, into my home, is an outrage." My father snarls.

"But that's the problem, isn't it? How can we trust your word on this? You come to the Council of Wolves grovelling to break the Red River tournament contract so your daughter can mate with some... Omega she's in love with..."

My eyes snap to my father, surprised by this news as my hearts to race, before my focus falls back onto Elder Warren.

"...and then when your request is rejected, your daughter, the prize of the tournament, suddenly becomes damaged goods."

My face floods with heat from the embarrassment of Elder Warrens cruel words, making my eyes drop to the floor. However, they snap back up when I hear my father snarling and growling as Hudson and Kai hold him back from where he's obviously tried to land a hit on wolf from the council.

"Ramsey's! Tut, tut, tut. There was me thinking it was your brother that was the hot head in the family." Elder Warren smirks as he crosses his arms over.

"Fuck you." My father seethes, as he's still held back as Kai keeps trying to urge him to calm his wolf.

"Raise one finger on me Drake and you will feel the weight of the Council come down on you before you can even blink." Elder Warren says seriously to him as his hazel eyes flare gold briefly before turning back to me.

"Now don't get me wrong, I don't see a she-wolf who's marked before age as an issue." Elder Warren says shrugging his shoulders. "After all, you're only job as a Luna is to provide an heir. Whether your wolf dies or not, you're still from an alpha bloodline and can provide a healthy pup. If anything, weaker Luna's are a lot more compliant to their Alpha's needs. If it was down to me, marking a female before they were mature wouldn't even be a crime."

"You disgust me." I spit out, outraged at how any wolf, especially of his rank can think so little of females.

"You can't be fucking serious, Warren." Growls my father whose eyes are burning with gold.

"But I digress." Elder Warren says as he waves his hand, completely ignoring mine or my father's comments. "First, I need to ascertain if Hunter did in fact break a council law. So, I will repeat myself for the last time. Show me his forced mark, girl."

I gasp at the Elders request, not wanting him anywhere near me, my hand instinctively reaches for my neck to where Hunter marked me when my eyes go wide realising that the mark has now gone.

"Isla, I'm sorry to make you do this, but show Elder Warren your mark so I can throw him out of our pack as soon as he has the evidence that he needs." My father says to me earnestly as he finally shrugs Kai and Hudson off him. "I can't go to war on Hunters pack without the councils backing, but I swear to you he will pay for what he has done."

I look to Kai in panic for help, who sighs in understanding to my predicament.

"She can't. I brought home a healer witch to try and help Isla. Astrid has managed to remove the mark, but is still trying to extract his venom..." My brother begins but is cut off by Elder Warren who snarls with disgust.

"Witchcraft! On pack lands!" He spits out. "Disgraceful!"

Astrid shifts next to me nervously; it's only now I realise she's kept her eyes focused on the floor so that Elder Warren hadn't spotted her purple orbs that would give her away ... but he's noticed her now.

"You." He grits out with disdain as he comes to stand in front of Astrid. "You're the witch." He states flatly.

"Be careful what you fucking say to her. She's my guest here." Kai snarls as my father looks on with surprise that Astrid is here.

Astrid slowly looks up to Elder Warren, her amethyst eyes swimming with emotions. "I mean no harm to this pack; I just came to help..."

"Do not talk to me. I will not converse with a witch who will just try and put under one of her disgusting spells." Elder Warren spits out as Kai growls loudly.

"Lies, trickery, deceit and now witchcraft. You have lost control of your pack, Drake." Elder Warren mocks before looking back to me, his eyes scan down to my neck before he rolls his eyes and walks away.

Elder Warren turns to face us all as he smartens out his cuffs on his suit jacket and looks up as if bored. "It is in my opinion that as there is no forced mark evident, that Alpha Roman's son, Hunter Jackson of the Dawn Light Pack did not break any laws and therefore the council of wolves will not support your request to attack his pack for retribution."

My brother and Kai aren't quick enough to stop my father this time as he pounces forward and punches Elder Warrens jaw so hard, he goes hurtling straight into a wall where the plaster cracks.

"You're a father yourself! How can you think I will stand for this." My father roars with a fury that I've never witnessed before making me sink into the sofa closer once more to Astrid who seems just as shaken as myself.

Kai and Hudson grab my father back as Elder Warrens eyes flare gold before he stands up composing himself and wiping some blood from his lip.

"There will be consequences to your actions, Drake." Elder Warren says coolly before his eyes snap back to me. "I stand by my verdict on this matter. As I do not see a mark. I say there is no crime committed."

"Hunter attacked me. I can't shift into my wolf because of what he's done!" I scream at him.

"Lies. If you can no longer shift into your wolf, look to the evil sat next to you." Elder Warren says as he points a finger to Astrid who gasps. Kai marches over to stand next to Astrid, his eyes flaring with anger, but Elder Warren has not finished.

"Alpha Drake, it is my belief that you've put your own daughter at risk by allowing witchcraft on your pack lands to try and stop this tournament."

"You have lost your mind!" Seethes my father. "Get off my land!"

"Gladly, but know this, with the authority invested in me as an Elder to the council it is my belief that Lady Isla of the Grey Crescent pack is as risk here and needs to be in the custody of her Alpha mate sooner rather than later. She has already lost her wolf by the hands of a witch. As she no longer has the shackle of waiting for her wolf to mature, I see no reason to wait till her eighteenth birthday to hold the tournament."

"This is outrageous." Snarls Hudson as Kai and my dad look to each other completely taken aback and speechless by what Elder Warren is saying as Astrid shoots to her feet in floods of tears before storming out of the room, swiftly followed by Kai.

"The guilty don't run." Muses Elder Warrens as he watches Astrid leave before looking back to me. "The tournament will be held in three days' time, unless you can shift right now and show me your wolf."

I can't breathe, I feel like I'm having a panic attack

"I ...I can't. She's not strong enough." I stammer out.

"Then the tournament will proceed in three days...and Hunter Jackson will still be eligible to compete."