by Anya Byrne
"He either redistributed the men in preparation of the silencers' arrival, or had something else in mind for us." Sasha grimaced. "Or both."
"I'll go track down the elders," Vanya offered. "You handle the rest."
Sasha nodded, and Argent couldn't help but feel powerless as his mate's brother left the room. Their tentative plan bore a striking resemblance with Argent's hope-for-the-best idea, the same one that had led him to the Gathering to begin with. That time, it had only worked because of Sasha's support and his mother's hidden agenda. The likelihood of them registering a similar success was slim at best.
Sasha must have realized Argent's concerns—not that it was very hard. "I won't lie," he told Argent as he rummaged through his wardrobe. "This isn't going to be easy. But I refuse to let my father win, and we might just have fate on our side. Other Alphas have already seen he's unreliable, and they're more likely to support me than him."
"The question is whether they'll want to get involved in the affairs of another pack, and a silencer guild. Sasha, if this doesn't work... You have to let me go. Promise me that."
Sasha's eyes were wide when he turned toward Argent. "You can't be serious. How could I—"
"I haven't actually met these people, but my guess is that they aren't very nice," Argent cut him off. "If we don't manage to get backing from the Gathering, it'll all be useless, and I won't have you die for me."
Sasha clenched his jaw, and Argent's heart hurt for his mate. He realized he was being selfish. It was far easier to have his mate stand by and watch him get dragged off by silencers, than to be the one doing the helpless watching. He didn't think he could bear it if the situations were reversed.
But Sasha still had so much to live for. He had a pack, Vanya, people who needed him, relied on him, maybe loved him. Even if that hadn't been the case, even if Sasha had lacked the comfort and support of a pack, Argent would have still felt the same. He'd have still wanted to protect his mate.
As it turned out, Sasha had other ideas. "You do realize that if something happens to you, there's no way I can survive it, right?" Sasha sighed. "We're mates, lyubov moya. We're in this together. You're not alone anymore, and that means you can't just cut me off when you think it might be best."
He didn't sound angry, but his frustration and disappointment bit into Argent's soul. Sasha seemed to be asking without words, "Does our bond mean so little to you—or do you think it's so unimportant for me?" The only reply Argent could have offered involved him accepting Sasha's sacrifice, and the idea filled him with terror, grief and self-loathing.
"That's not it," he managed to say. "You know that's not it. I realize I'm being unfair. But... It's not something I can help. You have to realize we need a backup plan, Sasha. This can go downhill fast. We can't afford to be overly optimistic."
"I know that," Sasha whispered. "It's not easy for me to take this chance—with your life most of all. But things are changing, Argent. I challenged Father in front of the whole Gathering, and you know how werewolves are. They'll smell weakness in this whole ploy. Besides, we're all too aware that silencers are and have been an issue that needs to be handled. They might be necessary, but we need to make the rules governing them clearer. We can use this, Argent. You know we can."
Now that he thought about it, Argent realized his mate had a point. If this had been just about them, the Gathering might be reluctant to intervene, but like in the case of Argent's former Alpha, this was a symptom of a larger problem, one that concerned not only werewolves, but shifter society as a whole.
"As for plan B," Sasha continued, "you don't have to fear. Should the worst come to pass, the two of us will leave Russia together."
As he listened to Sasha speak, Argent's previous panic faded. His mate was right. Now was not the time to lose his head. They needed to work together to fight off the silencer's guild, and Argent's lack of faith was simply eroding at their chances to defeat Boris Maximoff's ploy.
Argent wished he could kiss Sasha, show him how much he appreciated the support and encouragement. However, he knew now was not the time for displays of affection. His uncertainties had already delayed them for too long. They couldn't afford to linger further, no matter how much Argent would have liked to.
Instead, he allowed his gratitude and love to flow through their bond, this connection which, no matter how foolishly he'd acted, he valued more than he could ever express. Sasha smiled at him, and some of their tension faded as they finished getting dressed.
Naturally, the clothing wasn't the real reason they'd come here. While they waited for Vanya to do his part, Sasha found his cell phone and dialed the number of one of the Alphas he'd come into contact with at the Gathering.
They'd already decided that, in this particular case, information was power. Alpha Laurent Fitzroy was the leader of one of the strongest packs in France. He was bound to have some sort of idea as to how to handle this problem. Coincidentally, he was also an influential voice in the Gathering, and his assistance could make all the difference in the world.
As Sasha waited for the call to connect, Argent did some thinking of his own. It occurred to him that there had to be something they didn't know about the guilds. Well, that was pretty obvious given the general secretiveness of the silencer world, but maybe among those secrets, there was something they could use.
Alpha Fitzroy finally picked up the phone, greeting Sasha with a measure of apprehensive surprise. "Aleksandr Maximoff, as I live and breathe. I would have thought you'd be too busy with domestic matters to address foreign ones."
"That is actually why I'm calling. It seems we can't exactly rely on challenges going through the way they always have."
As Sasha related the somewhat edited—for privacy—version of what had occurred, Alpha Fitzroy remained silent. Argent wished he could have seen the man's face, since that way, he might have been able to tell some of what the Alpha was thinking. Perhaps, if he'd benefited from that advantage, he would have been ready for the moment Alpha Fitzroy said, "I'm sorry. I can't help you. I know the guild of which you speak, and the silencers they hunted—and it's not something I wish to get involved in."
"They're that dangerous?" Sasha asked. "That can't be possible."
"It's not necessarily that they're dangerous. I know who it was that they desire to punish, and I'd much prefer not having the slightest connection to them." He sighed. "You have to understand, Aleksandr, that your mate's ancestry comes with baggage. There will be those who are very interested in taking out the slights of his parents on him. I'm not one of them, and I will not say anything to those who have a stake in the matter, but—"
"You know who my parents are?" Argent couldn't help but interrupt, knowing Alpha Fitzroy's werewolf senses would allow him to hear despite the fact that the phone wasn't on speaker. "Where did they go? Are they alive?"
Alpha Fitzroy showed no sign of being taken aback by Argent's rudeness. "There were... rumors. Two preeminent silencers disappeared roughly forty years ago. They were somewhat notorious because they were the only silencers known to work as a team. I met them personally a handful of times, and I can't say it was pleasant. The truth is, Mr. Hull—it would be better if you didn't hope for them to be alive. They form part of a past you'd be wise to leave behind."
Argent gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his frustration. That was what he and Sasha were trying, but evidently, they were on their own.
It was clear to him now that focusing on this individual guild was a mistake. "Alpha Fitzroy, you wouldn't happen to have a copy of the original Secrecy Accords? Not the later translations—the originals. As far as I know, the Maximoff pack doesn't keep one here, and it could be useful."
He half-expected the man to refuse to assist them with this. Argent wouldn't even blame him, because even a transcribed copy of the Accords was priceless. Perhaps Alpha Fitzroy felt bad for them, after all, because he didn't shoot down the idea at once. "Actually, I think I do. But... You have to realize weeding throug
h them won't be that easy."
"Yes, of course, but I can't shake the feeling that there might be something there that would be very important for us."
Alpha Fitzroy sighed. "Well, it looks like it can't be helped. You are correct in that this approach on Alpha Maximoff's side is unfortunate to say the least, and of interest to the Gathering as a whole."
"Indeed." Sasha shot Argent an encouraging smile as he answered. "We do not have the time to notify more people, and I do not necessarily deem it a good idea, but having a representative of the Gathering here will remind Father he can't try to avoid the rules forever."
"It's high time he remembered that, I would say," Alpha Fitzroy replied. "In any case, I'll meet you tomorrow, and I'll bring the manuscript with me. I have an idea on someone who might be good at deciphering it. He doesn't like silencers, so it might take some time to convince him. Meanwhile, I hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Hull, because some secrets are best left alone."
To a certain extent, Argent agreed. It had been hard for him to not know the truth about his origins. Maria Simmons's refusal to tell him had hurt him more than he'd have liked to admit. Now that he knew why she'd stayed silent, he wished the secret had never come out to begin with.
At the same time, the uncertainty about his identity had gradually been poisoning his heart. Even if the silencer guild hadn't come after him, he'd have still wanted to address it somehow, to make his peace with his past, with the answers to the questions that had plagued him for the better part of his life. He was honest enough about it to admit that he was afraid—but he also didn't have any other choice.
"Thank you, Alpha Fitzroy," he said. "We appreciate your help a great deal."
Sasha made arrangements for the exact time and place of the meeting, then said his goodbyes and ended the call. He faced Argent, an unreadable expression on his face. "Do you really think this will work?"
Argent nodded. "I know you had a different approach in mind, but you've seen for yourself that other Alphas will not be so willing to jump to our help just like that. We need to have a basis for our case—and to do that, we need the Accords."
"You're right of course... And a copy of the original will be far more informative than what we have here."
"To be honest, it's always bothered me that most packs only have sketchy notes of what the Guild Laws entail," Argent admitted. "I didn't pay too much attention to it, since it didn't concern me directly—but the Laws were originally a part of the Accords, so why were they removed in the copies pack Alphas own?"
"I don't know." Sasha scowled. "Now that you mention in, that is odd. Even assuming the Guilds wanted their independence, they still fall under the authority of the Accords. There might be something there that we're not supposed to see."
The idea was disturbing to say the least. Argent hadn't actually considered it when he'd made the suggestion. He'd thought more along the line of finding a loophole in the law, something that could bring him out of the sphere of influence of the silencer guild his parents had belonged to. But yes, the Guild Laws had obviously been removed for a reason—and just the idea of who could have the power to do that was frightening.
"Let's hope we're jumping at shadows," Sasha said, obviously guessing Argent's thoughts. "And now, we have another thing to focus on. We need to stall until Laurent gets here, and I know exactly how to do it."
****
It was not hard for Sasha to find his father once he and Argent had a plan firmly in place. The mansion was still buzzing with activity, but Sasha's familiarity with the house and with his family helped him zero in on the man's location.
He and Argent were in luck, because they found Sasha's parents together in the courtyard. They seemed to be berating a flustered-looking staff member, but stopped the moment Sasha stepped outside the mansion.
"Aleksandr," his father greeted him with a grimace. "You've brought the lone wolf here."
Sasha refused to play his father's game this time around. He was not ashamed of his mate, and if Boris wanted to force him into a corner, he had another thing coming. "Argent is my mate. It's only natural that he is by my side during the challenge for the Alpha position of the Maximoff pack. Moreover, I trust you have not forgotten your slight against him. I definitely haven't."
The latter words came out as a threat, one Sasha couldn't hold back. For one brief moment, his father tensed. It was barely noticeable, and Sasha only glimpsed it because he had been watching Boris closely. That flash of emotion vanished and his father suddenly seemed more relaxed than Sasha had ever seen him.
"You're telling me you want to challenge me now?" Boris arched a brow, his entire manner screaming dismissiveness and bemusement. "What's your sudden rush, son?"
Sasha knew the unconcerned demeanor was only an affectation, but that didn't mean it didn't irritate him. He smiled back just as pleasantly, a dagger-sharp grin that was more a baring of fangs than anything else. "Hardly a rush. It's a matter that's been pending for too long, and it seems obvious to me that it cannot wait any longer. Besides, we've already discussed everything that needed to be addressed—and gone way past conversation."
He didn't try to suppress his anger. That would be foolish, and it would just make his father suspicious. It wasn't something he could reasonably ask of himself, not so soon after the man had attacked Argent.
This time, his mate stood at his shoulder, safe if Boris planned to make any move on the spot. It was unlikely, given the public location, but that did little to put Sasha at ease. Could he stall for time long enough for Laurent to get here? He wasn't sure.
His father seemed to strongly rely on the assistance of his silencer accomplices—something Sasha had been counting on. "In case you haven't already been made aware, we have other concerns now," he drawled. "In fact... You have other concerns. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"Quite sure," Sasha replied calmly. "After all, how could we host such an important visit with our pack still in turmoil?"
As Sasha spoke, Vanya appeared from the house, followed by the elders. "Perhaps it would be best if we got the challenge out of the way, Alpha," Elder Fyodor suggested. "For all our sakes."
"Hold your tongue and remember your place, Fyodor," Sasha's mother snapped in an uncharacteristic display of anger. "This matter doesn't concern you."
Silence fell over the courtyard, and Sasha became aware of all the eyes on them. His mother's outburst surprised him. He wondered what had her so nervous that she'd lose her temper with the elder at such a crucial moment. Was she already having doubts about involving a silencer guild in pack matters? If so, what had changed since Sasha had last seen his parents?
Unfortunately, he and his family were beyond the point of cooperation. If his mother had regrets, it was far too late for Sasha to care about them. Besides, he highly doubted her misgivings extended to what she and Boris had done to Argent—which, from Sasha's point of view, was unforgivable.
Either way, his mother still held quite a lot of influence in their pack, and the support Sasha had in this matter was dubious at best. He was not surprised in the slightest when the elder shut up and slowly started to back away.
Sasha's mother seized her advantage. "As my mate was saying, now is not the time to display such divisiveness. The challenge will wait."
"How long?" Sasha bit out. "How long do you still want to draw this out?"
His show of irritation was half-feigned, since he had been prepared for this reaction from his parents. After all, his father wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to ally himself with silencers if he'd had any intentions of actually fighting Sasha. However, Sasha needed to know the exact time when the guild representatives would arrive, and while the elder had provided useful information, only Sasha's parents were privy to all the details of this little deal.
Thankfully, since he hadn't asked directly, his father didn't immediately realize what Sasha wanted to learn out of all this. "I would say, tomorrow evening? We should be done wit
h the other matter soon enough."
'Soon enough' was not nearly as informative as Sasha would have liked, but the deadline definitely was. Given that his father wouldn't set the challenge too close to the actual time he expected the guild to arrive and take Argent, it was quite obvious that the silencers would be here later today—unsurprising given the frantic preparations.
Nonetheless, there was something Boris hadn't taken into account. Hiding a smile, Sasha nodded in acquiescence. "You're quite right. The moon awaits my mate and I tonight."
His father's expression went blank. If not for the seriousness of the circumstances, it would have been amusing. "You can't be serious, Aleksandr."
"Of course I am," Sasha drawled, not even bothering with pretending to be confused. "This is only right, wouldn't you say, Father? After all, you wouldn't want me to skirt one of the most important traditions of our pack—one you yourself have upheld."
Boris spluttered, and it was Sasha's mother who replied in her Alpha's stead. "Do not dare to compare me with your would-be mate."
She spat the latter word like it was a curse or an accusation, and Sasha was done playing. "I would never compare Argent to you. He means too much to me, and I couldn't even consider insulting him in such a way."
"He's a man!" his mother shouted. "Your mating has no—"
"I'm not asking for your permission," Sasha snapped, cutting her off. "Argent is my mate. Full stop. Tonight is for the moon, and you cannot prevent that."
He was right, and his family couldn't change that, no matter how much they tried. There were some things that no one could ignore—and in their pack, one of them was the First Moon tradition.
In all honesty, Sasha would have wanted to go through with it even if the necessity to buy some time hadn't forced him and Argent into it. He actually resented that he couldn't do this just for the sake of their bond. But circumstances dictated his actions, and Sasha was not above adapting, especially if he meant he could both protect Argent and share some precious hours with his mate.