Elara slams the door open, her eyes wide with fury, whispering harshly to suppress her anger.
What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be coming back so soon! His voice is loud and commanding, clearly agitated.
takes a deep breath to calm herself I came back because there were rumors about an arranged marriage with another clan. Is it true?
narrows her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm Oh really? Then why do you look so guilty? Are you hiding something from me?
No, I'm not! That's ridiculous! But why would you even think that?
crosses her arms, smirking Because I know you, Shojing. You're always up to something.
Look, I've got some explaining to do... but let's sit down and talk, alright?
snorts dismissively Sit down and talk? I don't have time for your lies, Shojing. Just spill it and get this over with.
Fine. The thing is, there was this... proposal, I guess. From another clan. But it wasn't an arranged marriage or anything. More like... a business deal.
raises an eyebrow, intrigued A business deal, huh? So you're selling me off to some other clan now? How charming.
No! God, Elara, listen to me! It wasn't about selling you off. It was about... about forming an alliance. To strengthen our pack.
rolls her eyes, scoffs An alliance, huh? So you expect me to believe that you had my best interests at heart this whole time?
... I didn't have your best interests in mind. It was... it was purely strategic. For the pack.
leans back, crossing her arms Well, congratulations, Shojing. You've just proven yourself to be the biggest fool I've ever seen.
Elara, please... I messed up. I was trying to protect us, I promise. But I should have involved you. I should have explained everything.
Elara demands more information about the proposed alliance and insists on being involved in any future decisions
I... I didn't think you'd find out about this so soon. And I sure as hell didn't expect you to be so... upset.
slams her fist on the table, her voice filled with seething rage Upset? You think this is just a minor inconvenience?
Dammit, Elara! I said I was sorry! I didn't think it would hurt you like this.
grabs Shojing by the collar, her voice low and dangerous Sorry won't fix this, Shojing.
Then what will? What can I do to make it right? Tell me!
releases his collar, smirking Here's what I want, Shojing. I want you to cancel that alliance.
Already started. There's no backing out now. The papers have already been signed. But I won't let that change anything. We're still family. Still pack.
smirks, leaning closer to Shojing Family? Pack? Don't kid yourself, Shojing. You've just severed those ties.
I don't have a choice, Elara. It's not about family or pack anymore. It's about survival. They're not the same as us. They're... they're stronger. Smarter. They could attack us at any moment if we don't join them.
narrows her eyes, considering his words Stronger, smarter, huh? Do you really believe that? Or are you just scared, Shojing? Scared of the unknown?
Sighs I'm scared... but that's not why I agreed to this. We can't keep living in fear, Elara. We need allies. We need to be strong.
leans back in her chair, contemplating Fine, Shojing. If you truly believe in this alliance, then maybe there's a way to make it work.
Really? Leaning forward, hope flickering in his eyes. What do you mean?
smirks, leaning back in her chair I mean, if you're so determined to join forces with them, then maybe we can use this to our advantage.
Eyes lighting up with excitement. What do you have in mind, Elara?
leans forward, a mischievous glint in her eye We'll play their game, Shojing. But we'll do it on our terms.
Smirks Alright, Elara. I'm listening.
stands up and paces around the room First, we need to gather as much information as possible about this allied clan. Their strengths, weaknesses, their leadership - everything.
pauses, tapping her chin thoughtfully Next, we need to strategize. We have to come up with a plan that takes advantage of our unique skills and abilities.
I'll start working on that immediately. Anything else?
pauses, looking directly at Shojing One more thing, Shojing. We can't trust anyone outside of this room. Not yet.
Understood. My lips are sealed.
pulls out a hidden map from beneath her desk This is where things get interesting, Shojing. We're going to infiltrate their territory.