Chapter 31 The recovery
~Sage~
The next morning, my phone buzzed with a notification from the pack's official channel, the same one that had been eerily silent for days. I grabbed it from the nightstand, squinting at the bright screen in the darkness of my room.
The Alpha King will address the pack at noon. Attendance mandatory for all ranking members and their households.
Below the message, comments were already flooding in. Relief, excitement, speculation. The pack had been holding its breath, and now everyone was exhaling at once.
I sat up slowly, that warmth on my neck pulsing as my wolf stirred. Natalie burst in twenty minutes later, already dressed and carrying an armful of clothes.
"Get up, get up, get up," she said, dumping the clothes on my bed. "We have less than six hours to make you look like you haven't been stress-eating ice cream and crying."
"I haven't been doing either of those things."
"Well, you look like you have." She started sorting through the outfits, holding up options and discarding them just as quickly. "The Alpha King specifically requested your presence at the address. Front row, right next to Keith and the other ranking members."
"He requested me specifically?"
"By name." Natalie paused, something flickering in her expression. "Sage, whatever happened between you two in his study, whatever he saw or sensed... this is him making a statement. Showing the pack that you're still his."
Still his. The words made my skin crawl.
"This one," Natalie decided, holding up a deep green dress that managed to be elegant without being as revealing as the ceremonial nightmare. "It brings out your eyes, and it's modest enough that you won't look like you're trying too hard."
I showered and dressed mechanically, my mind racing. Damon had been bedridden for nearly a week, his wolf apparently fighting against him every time he tried to shift. And now, suddenly, he was recovered enough to address the entire pack?
It was either the doctors had worked a miracle, or Damon was pushing himself before he was ready. I wasn't sure which option scared me more.
The great hall looked nothing like it had during the ceremony. Gone were the black silks and dramatic torches. Instead, the space had been transformed into something modern. A raised platform at the front held a podium with microphones and cameras that would broadcast the address to pack members who couldn't attend in person. Giant screens flanked the stage, currently displaying the Thornfang crest. The lighting was bright and clinical, designed to show strength rather than create atmosphere.
I was escorted to the front row, where chairs had been arranged for the Alpha King's inner circle. Beta James was already there, his gray eyes tracking my approach with suspicion. Elder Marcus sat beside him, along with several other council members I recognized from various pack functions.
And Keith.
He was at the end of the row, dressed in a suit that fit him perfectly. When I walked in, his eyes found mine immediately, and I felt that pull again.
I forced myself to look away, taking my assigned seat between an elder and a warrior I didn't recognize. Keith was three chairs down, close enough that I could smell his cologne if I concentrated, far enough that we couldn't speak without being overheard.
The hall filled quickly. Pack members streamed in, taking their places in the rows behind us. The energy in the room was electric, anxious, everyone waiting to see if their Alpha was truly recovered or if this was all for show.
At exactly noon, a door at the side of the stage opened. Damon walked out, and the entire hall went silent.
He looked... good. That was the terrifying thing. The grayish tint to his skin was gone. His movements were controlled, none of the jerky uncertainty I'd seen in his study. He wore a perfect black suit, his silver hair swept back from his face, and when he smiled at the crowd, it was the smile of a predator who knew exactly how powerful he was.
"My pack," he said, his voice booming through the speakers without any hint of weakness. "I know the past week has been difficult. Rumors have spread. Doubts have festered." His eyes swept the crowd, and I could have sworn they lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary. "Today, I put those doubts to rest."
He stepped back from the podium, and in one fluid motion, he shifted.
It happened so fast I almost missed it. One second he was a man in a suit, the next he was a massive black wolf, easily twice the size of any normal wolf I'd ever seen. His fur gleamed under the bright lights, and when he threw back his head and howled, the sound shook the walls.
The pack erupted. Howls answered from every corner of the hall. I saw tears streaming down the faces of older pack members, saw warriors straightening with pride, saw the doubt and fear of the past week dissolving in an instant.
Damon shifted back, straightening his suit like he'd merely paused to tie his shoe. His smile was triumphant.
"As you can see," he said, "reports of my weakness have been greatly exaggerated."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. The tension that had gripped the pack for days evaporated like morning fog.
"Now," Damon continued, his tone shifting to something more serious, "there is the matter of my intended mate."
Every eye in the hall turned to me.
"Luna Sage was not responsible for what happened during the ceremony," Damon announced. "After extensive investigation, our doctors have determined that the bonding elixir was contaminated. It was a rare herb that reacted badly with my system. The servant responsible has been... dealt with."
I kept my face neutral even as shock went through me. A contaminated elixir? A servant dealt with? It was a lie, a convenient story to explain away what had really happened. But why would Damon cover for me?