Chapter 53 UnLeashed
ZADE
The council chamber smelled like old wood and incense. I hated it on most days. Today it felt like the walls were breathing down my neck.
Mason walked half a step behind my right shoulder, close enough that I could feel his tension radiating like heat off asphalt. He hadn't said a word since we left the pack house, but his silence was louder than any lecture he could have given me. He knew I shouldn't be here. I knew it too. But the elders had been circling for days, and if I didn't show my face, I'd be granting them leverage.
The double doors groaned open.
Ten pairs of eyes snapped to me.
I forced my spine to stay straight, ignored the way the floor tilted like a swaying ship, and walked in with my chin up.
The long oak table was already occupied. Elder Kyo sat at the tail end, her silver hair pulled into a blade-sharp knot, her eyes like chipped obsidian. Flanking her were the usual suspects: dour-faced Torin, hawkish Lira, and broad-shouldered Amon, who still looked like he could bench-press a horse, and a couple of others whose names I only remembered when they pissed me off.
They all stared.
It wasn't the respectful once-over an Alpha gets.
This was the assessing stare you give a lame horse before deciding whether to shoot it.
Mason's hand brushed my elbow, just a graze, enough to steady me without making it obvious.
I took the head chair but didn't sit. I just stood behind it, my fingers curled over the carved backrest so hard that the wood groaned.
"Alpha Zade," Kyo began, her voice as smooth as river stones. "We appreciate you joining us despite... your recent indisposition."
Indisposition. Cute word for "you look like death fucked you and forgot the lube."
I gave her the smile that usually made people remember why I was Alpha.
It felt wrong on my face today. Too loose.
"Wouldn't miss it," I said. My voice came out lighter than I meant. Almost amused. "Heard you've been busy discussing my health. Thought I'd save you the gossip."
A ripple of discomfort moved around the table.
Torin cleared his throat. "We're concerned. Your absence from patrol oversight, the vampire's continued presence, the... child. Rumors are spreading faster than fire in dry grass."
Mason shifted beside me. I felt his muscles coil.
I laughed.
It came out low and rough, but once it started, it didn't want to stop. The sound bounced off the stone walls, making the elders freeze.
Even Mason looked at me like I'd grown a second head.
"Sorry," I said, still grinning. "It's just... funny. You're all sitting here debating whether I'm fit to lead while I'm standing right here. In front of you. Not dead. Yet."
Amon leaned forward, his forearms like tree trunks on the table. "This isn't a joke, Alpha. The pack needs stability. You brought a vampire into our home. A royal one. His father's spies have already been spotted near the eastern ridge. And now you're—" He gestured vaguely at me. "—not yourself."
"Not myself," I echoed. The words tasted strange. Like they were floating. "What does that mean, exactly? I'm not ripping throats fast enough? Not snarling loud enough? Or is it that I haven't killed the vampire yet? Or the kid?"
There was a big blast of silence.
Kyo's eyes narrowed. "The child is... concerning. She appeared out of nowhere."
I felt the powder grow warmer in my veins, a soft buzz behind my eyes. Things were funnier than they should be.
I leaned forward, my palms flat on the table.
"You want to know something hilarious?" My voice dropped. "I resurrected her. I pulled her back from the dead when she was still and silent. Because a woman begged me to. And now she's here. In my house. Calling me Daddy. And you think that's the problem?"
Torin's face darkened. "Resurrection magic is forbidden for a reason. It invites things that should stay dead."
"Yeah," I said, nodding as though he'd made a very clever point. "It does. But here's the funnier part," I straightened, spreading my arms like I was presenting a gift. "I'm not the one who came back wrong. I'm just the idiot who keeps breathing anyway."
Mason's hand landed on my shoulder.
"Alpha," he muttered. "Easy."
I shrugged him off. The motion felt liquid.
Lira spoke next, her voice sharp. "The vampire. Leon. The pack is talking about him. Some say he's influencing you. Compelling you. Others say you're too weak to notice."
I laughed again. This time it sounded more like me, low and dangerous.
"You think Leon's compelling me?" I tilted my head. "That's cute. If he was, I'd be on my knees right now instead of standing here listening to you whine."
Gasps filled the air, and Mason pinched the bridge of his nose.
I kept going because the words felt good.
"He's my mate, same as Indie. The bond snapped into place, and I didn't get a vote. And yeah—he's a vampire. And yeah—he's annoying as fuck. But he's also the only reason Indie's flames are strong enough to maybe keep us alive another week. So unless one of you wants to step up and burn the venom out of my blood with your bare hands, maybe shut the hell up about him."
There was a thicker silence this time.
Kyo leaned forward. "Your behavior right now is... erratic. Your scent is off. Your pulse is audible from here. You're not well, Zade."
I grinned wider. It felt feral and wrong and right at the same time.
"I'm dying," I said cheerfully. "Didn't you hear? Some dead bastard is sipping my life through a straw shaped like a little girl. And instead of helping, you're sitting here measuring my coffin. So tell me—" I planted both hands on the table and leaned in until the wood creaked. "What exactly do you propose? Challenge me? Remove me? Or are you just going to watch?"
Amon rose to his feet slowly.
Mason stepped half in front of me, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
I waved him back.
"Let him," I said. "If he's wondering whether I'm still capable," I continued, letting my claws extend just enough to gouge the table, "let him test me. Please. I could use the entertainment."
Amon's eyes flashed gold. Then he sat back down.
No one spoke.
So, I straightened. The room tilted again, but I steadied myself this time.
"Meeting adjourned," I said. My voice sounded too loud in my own ears. "I'm going back to bed before I embarrass myself further. You're welcome to keep whispering. Just remember—" I pointed one finger lazily around the table. "The last time someone tried to take what's mine, the river ran red for three days."
I turned and headed towards the door.
Mason caught my elbow before I could fall into the doorframe.
"Out," he muttered to the elders. "Now."
They filed out in stunned silence. Then the doors closed.
Mason turned me around, his eyes searching my face.
"What the hell was that?"
I blinked at him. The hallway lights looked brighter than they should. Everything looked brighter.
"I have no idea," I said honestly. "But it felt... good."
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. I grinned again.
"Think they'll challenge me tomorrow?"
Mason exhaled through his nose. "If they do, I'll stand with you. But Zade... that wasn't you."
I shrugged.
"Maybe it was," I mumbled. "Maybe the powder just took the leash off for a minute."
Mason's eyes widened.
I laughed fondly.
"Come on, my dearest beta. Help me back to bed before I start reciting poetry or some shit."
He grabbed my arm without another word. I let him.
But as we walked, I couldn't stop smiling.
The elders had seen me. And for once, I hadn't hidden the cracks.
I wasn't sure if that was a victory.
But fuck, it felt like one.
“Alpha,” Mason suddenly said, and I frowned, not liking the tone of his voice.
“What is it?”
“Indie…just reached out to me. The girl is missing,” he said, and I froze.