Chapter 154
Chapter 154
The Alpha Under Siege
Marcus had never felt so alone while surrounded by so many.
Every corridor he walked echoed with whispers. Every meeting room held stares weighted with accusation. And every pair of eyes in the Silver Pack seemed to ask him the same question:
Where is your Luna, Alpha?
But Marcus refused to bend.
He would not betray Camila.
He would not replace her.
He would not give Grath what he wanted.
Even if it meant standing against his entire pack.
The council chamber was full, elders and warriors and ranking wolves packed shoulder-to-shoulder as if ready for a verdict that Marcus had not called.
Elder Grath stood proudly at the center, his daughter Frayer beside him like a queen already crowned.
The moment Marcus entered, voices rose:
“Alpha, we need stability!”
“The pack demands a Luna!”
“Frayer has returned for us!”
Marcus’s wolf snarled. His voice stammered:
“Camila... Camila is your Luna.”
The room fell still — only for a moment — before Elder Vos slammed his cane down.
“But she is gone!” he barked. “A Luna who abandons us is no Luna! She is a ghost! A barren shadow!”
Marcus’s claws burst through his fingertips, scraping grooves into the stone.
“You will not speak of my mate in such a manner.”
But Grath only smiled — the calm serpent reveling in chaos.
“My Alpha, we speak of survival, not offense. The pack cannot survive on secrecy and promises of miracles. We need a future. We need an heir.”
He gestured toward Frayer.
“And she can give you one.”
A wave of applause and agreement sounded the hall, wolves stomping the floor in support of the proposal. The sound echoed like war drums.
Marcus’s eyes burned cold.
“I will not take another Luna.”
Frayer stepped forward, her voice deceptively hoarse:
“Why must your pride be more important than your people?”
Marcus turned his stare on her fully. “Do not mistake devotion for pride.”
Frayer’s smile faltered.
Then she went for the throat.
“If the goddess truly favored your Luna,” she said, “would she not have blessed her by now? The Blessing Ritual has passed. Yet… still nothing.”
Gasps, nods and painful agreement.
Marcus’s jaw clenched.
If only they knew the truth.
But they couldn’t — not yet.
Not until Camila and the baby were safe.
“If the Moon Goddess chose Camila,” Frayer pressed, “then where is she now?”
Marcus drew a dangerous breath.
“Somewhere safe,” he answered. “Protected from the wolves who would destroy her.”
Grath scoffed, pretending offense. “You took us as enemies of our own Luna?”
“I think you already decided she is not Luna.”
The room shook with tension — fear and rebellion lurking in every inhaled breath.
Marcus’s Beta, stepped up beside him — silent.
One Alpha.
One Beta.
Against a pack ready to revolt.
Later that night, Marcus retreated to his private chambers — but the silence was not peace. It was suspicion breathing down his neck.
“They won’t wait much longer.” Beta whispered.
“I know,” Marcus murmured, rubbing at his temples.
“They think the only solution is replacing Camila, and Grath has made sure they believe only Frayer can give them an heir.”
Marcus stared into the darkness beyond his balcony.
“They are wrong,” he whispered.
“Then tell them the truth.” Beta murmured.
Marcus’s chest tightened.
“What then?” he asked. “They would hunt her. They would expose her. They would kill my child before he even draws breath.”
Silence.
“We need allies. Wolves who still believe in Camila.” Lame suggested.
“Find them. Loyal families. Warriors who owe their lives to Camila’s healing. Those who remember her leadership.”
“We will not let them take your throne. Or your mate.”
“Thank you… brother.” Marcus smiled.
Lame bowed his head, loyalty fierce as iron. “To the end.”
But the enemy was not waiting.
While Marcus strategized, Elder Grath moved. His words spread like wildfire — infecting minds, twisting hearts. Mothers feared for their children’s future. Young wolves whispered of power slipping away. Warriors murmured that Marcus was blind to reality.
And Frayer?
She became a symbol — the shining alternative.
Everywhere she walked, wolves bowed. She graced the pups with moon-shaped charms. She visited the infirmary, praying over the sick. She spoke of renewal, prosperity, and heirs running through the training grounds once again.
She was playing Luna — without the title.
And the pack loved her for it.
Three days later, Marcus stood before the council once more. He knew what awaited him — and walked into it like a soldier into war.
The chamber was full again. But this time, wolves who once supported him stood behind Grath.
Frayer stood proud, cloak draped over her shoulders like ceremonial Luna attire.
Grath’s voice boomed:
“This pack cannot wait any longer. The Alpha must choose! Will he give us a future?”
Marcus’s wolf roared in his chest.
“I will give you a future, and it will be with Camila. No one else.”
Grath’s lips pulled into a grin — he had been waiting for this moment.
“Then you choose a barren lineage,” he spat. “You choose death for us all!”
He raised his hand. At least thirty wolves stepped forward.
“We, the council and wolves of the Silver Pack,” Grath declared, “are ready to reject Camila as Luna — unless she returns by the next full moon!”
Shouts of approval thundered through the hall.
Marcus looked at each wolf — and saw his world splintering apart.
“They are mine to protect,” he told himself.
Grath then twisted the knife deeper:
“If she does not appear…
The Alpha must remate.
And Frayer will take her rightful place!”
Cheers erupted like bloodlust.
Marcus’s wolf surged. His voice, when it came, was colder than steel:
“If any wolf touches Camila…
If any wolf speaks harm of her…
If any wolf dares attempt to force my hand…”
His eyes gleamed with promise:
“I will spill their blood myself.”
Silence.
Even the air stopped moving.
Marcus turned to leave — his authority ringing in every step — but Grath delivered one last poisonous blow:
“Then let the goddess decide!” the elder called. “If Camila is truly Luna, she will return with the heir she claims to bear!”
Marcus froze.
Every wolf stared.
Shock.
Curiosity.
Hunger.
The secret — no longer untouched.
Marcus didn’t look back.
He walked away…
But deep within his heart, he realized something terrible:
The wolves no longer wanted proof of Camila.
They wanted proof she wasn’t the Luna.
That night, Marcus stood in the moon — the same moon under which he once believed all wolves were equal in faith.
He looked to the sky, voice barely a breath:
“Moon Goddess… keep her safe.”
His wolf whined inside him — longing for his mate — but Marcus forced his eyes forward, mind spiraling.
He would not lose Camila.
He would not lose his heir.
He would not lose his pack.
If the Silver Pack wanted war for a new Luna…
Marcus was ready to give them one.