Chapter 234:

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A collective gasp went through the hall. Gideon looked at me with eyes full of betrayal. A triumphant glint appeared in Arthur’s.

Darren stared, stunned at my quick surrender. A smirk of contempt touched his lips, a silent judgment of my weakness. He even shot me a look of pity before turning to Arthur. “Elder Arthur is truly wise. Even Alpha Demetri agrees with your plan.”

I ignored them all. “A thirty percent cut,” I repeated.

I paused, letting the words sink in, then adopted a tone of grave sorrow. “The Pack’s finances are indeed in a difficult state. General Gideon’s warriors will have to make sacrifices. And because of that, we must ensure every remaining coin reaches them, and doesn’t disappear in transit.”

Arthur’s expression shifted, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

I turned my gaze on him, my expression one of utmost sincerity. “Therefore, I need our most trusted, most financially astute, and most patriotic elder to travel to the northern front. To ‘supervise’ the use of these funds personally.”

I swept my gaze around the room, letting it land finally on Arthur. I smiled. “And in my opinion, there is no one more suited for this position than you, Elder Arthur.”

Dead silence.

𝗨𝗉d𝘢𝗍eѕ eve𝘳y 𝘄e𝖾𝗸 о𝘯 𝗴𝘢𝗅ո𝗈𝗏e𝗅𝘴.𝗰𝗈𝘮

Everyone in the room understood. The northern front was not a promotion; it was a frozen, miserable wasteland of constant, low-grade warfare. Sending a pampered minister there was not an honor. It was exile.

Arthur’s face turned the color of raw liver. He shot to his feet, a trembling finger pointed at me. “You… what is the meaning of this? This is an insult to an elder!”

Darren finally caught on, his face a mask of shock.

I leaned forward, resting my clasped hands on the table, and pinned Arthur with a cold stare.

“An insult? No, Elder Arthur,” I said, my voice devoid of any warmth. “I’m giving you an opportunity to prove your loyalty to this Pack. Or are you saying you have no confidence in your own proposal? Are you afraid to see the consequences of your decisions firsthand?”

I had him. He was trapped by his own words. Go, or don’t go? Either way, he had already lost.

Demetri Contreras POV:

Arthur Baldwin trembled with rage, but he was speechless. To refuse my proposal now would be to admit his own guilt.

Darren, ever the sycophant, scrambled to intervene. “Demetri, your intentions are good, but Elder Arthur is getting on in years. The north is too harsh for him. Surely a capable assistant could handle the supervision?”

He was still trying to protect Arthur, a distant relative of his mother and a key supporter in the council.

I let out a cold laugh. “An assistant? For a matter this important? It must be an elder, to show our warriors how much we value them. Don’t you agree?”

I glanced at General Gideon. The warrior chief, having grasped the situation, was now looking at Arthur with undisguised pleasure.

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