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Alpha Akechi Ookaze was seething with anger. His eyes blazed as he paced the room, each step heavy with frustration. The faintest trace of fear crept into his chest, but he refused to acknowledge it.

"What happened?" he roared. "Why have you returned so suddenly? And why does Rei look like she's seen a ghost?" His words echoed, disbelief clear in his voice.

Rina Ookaze, the eldest and most respected Salutary of the Wind Pack, stood firm in the center of the room. Her patience had snapped the moment they returned. No longer willing to tolerate her father's endless demands, she cut through the tension with her sharp reply.

"Why are we back?" she asked coldly. "Simple. The plan failed."

Akechi froze, his hand clenched into a fist. His disbelief was palpable. "What do you mean, failed?" His voice wavered with a mix of shock and fury. "How can it fail? It's foolproof! I knew the Moonlight Palm would work!"

Rina didn't flinch. She met his gaze, unyielding. "Are you sure you did it right?" Akechi's suspicion flared as his eyes flicked to Rei, catatonic and unresponsive.

"Did Rei do it properly?" Akechi demanded, lowering his voice. But Rina wasn't about to let him shift the blame.

She crossed her arms and shot back with icy clarity, "Alpha, you saw it yourself. Rei did it perfectly on the Beta. There's no way she did it wrong."

Akechi's jaw clenched. His disbelief was evident, but his growing anxiety was becoming impossible to hide. "Then why did it fail?" he screamed, his voice thick with frustration.

Rina snapped, done with his theatrics. "Because Hizuki Kagerou's wolf is a primordial wolf!" she replied, her words cutting through the room with brutal clarity.

The room fell silent. Akechi stood frozen, his face draining of color as the weight of her words sank in. His mind raced, struggling to process the implications.

"No…" Akechi whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "Are you sure?"

Rina stepped closer, her voice low but sharp. "If you won't believe us, why don't you go next door and try it on their Alpha?" Her tone dripped with disdain, mocking his authority.

Akechi's face twisted, his mouth opening as if to argue, but no words came. He realized the challenge had silenced him. The idea of testing the technique on another Alpha, especially one as formidable as Kagerou, was a gamble he refused to take.

Fear replaced the arrogance that had once defined him. He opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught in his throat. The reality of Rina's challenge set in.

Rina saw it—the hesitation, the cowardice. The Alpha—her Alpha—was nothing more than a boastful coward who refused to act when the stakes were high. He was all talk and no action.

Akechi, realizing the full extent of the situation, collapsed to the floor, trembling. The words "Primordial wolf" echoed in his mind like a death knell. His body felt heavy, and panic overtook him. His hands shook as they pressed against the ground, desperate for something solid to hold onto.

"Primordial wolf..." he muttered again, voice cracking, the weight of his realization sinking in. "What do we do? What are we going to do?"

Rina stood, arms crossed, watching her father—a broken shell of the man he once was. His pride had been shattered, leaving him vulnerable and fearful. She had known this moment would come, but she hadn't expected him to crumble so completely.

By now, the Shadow Wolf Pack knew of their secret. If the news broke, the Wind Pack would be in danger far beyond what they could imagine. It wasn't just the failed attempt to manipulate Hizuki with the Moonlight Palm—it was the technique itself. Once word got out, the Wind Pack would be branded as outcasts, and the consequences would be catastrophic.

Akechi's mind raced. In the past, he had relied on his power to secure the protection of other clans. If they had used a simple assassination technique or even an aphrodisiac, it would have been just another power struggle, something that could be brushed aside. He would have still been confident that other alphas would rally to protect the Wind Pack—protect him.

But the Moonlight Palm was forbidden. Using it was a violation of the laws that governed the clans. If the other alphas found out, Akechi knew it wouldn't end with punishment. The Wind Pack would be obliterated.

The thought of facing retaliation from the other clans—especially from the Shadow Wolf Pack—made Akechi's chest tighten. The consequences were too severe. He could feel the sweat running down his face, his breath shallow, his body trembling as the realization took root.

Rina's voice broke through his panic. "You always thought you could control everything," she said coldly. "You never thought it would come to this, did you?"

Akechi snapped his head up, his eyes filled with fear and helplessness. "What do we do now, Elder?" His voice cracked, the confidence he once held slipping away.

Rina's gaze hardened, but there was no sympathy in her eyes. She had seen this coming, though she had hoped it wouldn't be this bad. She stepped closer, her voice unwavering. "You're not thinking clearly. If this gets out, we won't just be punished—we'll be wiped out."

Akechi's face went pale. The weight of her words sank in. He shook his head, desperately searching for an answer, but deep down, he knew it was already too late. The other alphas would never forgive this violation. If the truth got out, their very survival would be at risk.

"If it wasn't for Rei…" Akechi muttered, his words trailing off as he glanced at his daughter. She remained motionless, silent. The failure wasn't on her—it was on him. He had pushed the plan, he had been the one to insist on using the Moonlight Palm. Now, he would bear the consequences.

Rina said nothing. Her eyes remained sharp, watching him carefully, waiting for him to grasp the full weight of the situation. There was no room for mistakes now. Every step forward threatened to destroy them all.

Akechi slumped further, his hands clutching his knees as he bowed his head in defeat. "We're finished," he whispered, the words hollow with the weight of his realization. "What do I do now?"

Rina didn't answer immediately. There was nothing more to say. He had shown his weakness. There was no turning back.

The truth was out in the open now, and the Wind Pack's world was about to shift irreparably. They would fight for their survival, and if they failed… the consequences would be worse than they could imagine.