Chapter 61: The Silence of Wolves

The crowd didn’t move.

Not at first.

Coren’s words still rang in the air like a gavel strike—final, merciless, reverberating through bone and breath and the brittle hush that followed.

“I strip Lyra Fenwyn of her Luna title. Her claim is revoked by blood, by law, by will of the council. The Moon no longer recognizes her place at this altar.”

And just like that—everything I had fought for, bled for, survived for—was ripped from me in front of the entire pack.

Talon stirred in my arms, restless in his blanket. I held him tighter. My heart pounded so loudly I thought the sound would shake the stones beneath our feet.

No one spoke.

No one stepped forward.

Not even Alis.

I turned to face them all—row after row of wolves I’d trained beside, hunted with, grieved with. Some averted their eyes. Others watched me like they didn’t recognize my face anymore. Only Senna’s gaze remained steady. But she said nothing. Didn’t move.

The firelight of the gathering hall flickered against the stone walls. Smoke twisted up through the center vent, casting long shadows. It should have felt warm, sacred—this was where Kael had once addressed the pack, where unity had once mattered.

But now it felt like a cage.

“You can’t be serious,” I said into the silence. My voice was hoarse, but clear. “You’re going to stand there and let this happen? Let him take everything?”

Coren didn’t flinch. He stood at the altar Kael once ruled from, back straight, hands clasped like he was carved from the same cold marble.

“There is no longer a Luna,” he said. “The bond is broken. The mark is gone. And your wolf—”

“My wolf has protected this pack more times than you’ve shown your face,” I snapped.

Gasps rippled. A few heads turned. I saw Maen shift uncomfortably, but he didn’t speak.

I turned to the crowd. “You all know me. You know what Kael and I gave to keep you safe. How we bled for this ground. How he died for it.”

A murmur. Then silence again.

“You think the rogues came because of me?” I went on, voice rising. “You think I summoned them like some cursed storm from the north? I was pregnant when they breached the barrier. Barely able to stand.”

No response.

My heart thundered. “You’re afraid,” I said. “I can feel it. But fear isn’t an excuse to turn your back on truth. Kael died to protect this pack—and so help me, if he could see what you’re allowing to happen now—”

Coren cut in, sharp and smooth. “Kael is gone. And the pack needs order, not ghosts.”

My hand clenched tighter around Talon. He stirred, letting out a small, sleepy whimper. I wanted to fall apart. To sink to the floor and scream. But I didn’t.

I would not let them see me break.

“I swore an oath to protect Nightfall,” I said. “Even if I wasn’t born here. Even if I don’t carry a pureblood line. I fought for you. And now you brand me a threat?”

“It’s not just about blood,” Bran said from the edge of the altar steps. “It’s about what lingers in yours. The wolf you carry—marked in darkness—”

“She has never harmed a single member of this pack,” I growled. “She saved your lives!”

“She is unstable,” Bran said coldly.

“You are unstable if you think I’ll let you paint my child with your lies.”

I looked down at Talon. His golden eyes were open now, wide and unblinking. A soft coo left his mouth, as if he sensed the weight of what surrounded us.

“His name is Talon,” I said quietly, addressing the pack. “Named for Kael’s spirit wolf. Named for the strength that lived in him. The kind that protects, not destroys.”

A pause.

Then I looked up. “And he is not cursed.”

Still, no one moved.

Not Maen.

Not Senna.

Not even Alis.

I felt the sting in my chest more than the shame. This wasn’t just fear. It was surrender. They’d already decided.

“You were my friends,” I whispered, voice shaking now. “I held your hands through loss. I trained with you in the rain. I bled beside you on the ridge.” I turned to one woman in the second row—Letha. “You held my hair back when I was sick in the first weeks.”

Her eyes dropped. She said nothing.

I looked to Maen. “You were Kael’s second. Where is your honor now?”

His throat bobbed. But still—silence.

And then it clicked.

Coren didn’t just have the council.

He had them.

He’d built this slowly. Carefully. Whispers in the dark. Doubt in small doses. Enough that by the time he moved to strip me of everything, they were too numbed by fear and grief to protest.

I stepped down from the raised floor, Talon tucked in my arms.

No one reached out.

“I won’t apologize for surviving,” I said. “And I won’t let you teach my son to be ashamed of who he is.”

“You won’t teach him anything,” Coren said quietly.

The words hit harder than any slap.

I turned sharply. “What did you just say?”

He tilted his head. “You’re no longer Luna. And your presence here sows unrest. For the safety of the den, you’ll remain confined to your chambers until further notice.”

I laughed—a bitter, breaking sound. “You plan to keep me locked away like some broodmare?”

“You may keep the child,” Coren said. “For now.”

For now.

Something in me snapped.

“You can’t strip a title that was given by the Moon,” I hissed. “You can’t rewrite Kael’s will just because he’s not here to stop you.”

“I can,” Coren said. “And I have.”

Bran nodded. “The council is unanimous.”

Lies.

Kael would’ve told me if he ever considered naming Coren. He would have trusted me. He would’ve left behind more than a sealed parchment if he truly intended to hand the pack over.

The pack had been stolen. Quietly. Bloodlessly.

But I knew what this was now.

It wasn’t about me.

It was about him.

They feared Talon.

They feared what he might become.

A living heir. A threat.

I turned again to the gathered wolves. My voice rose—clear, defiant.

“I am still Kael’s mate. His Luna. His child is his legacy. You can strip me of titles. Chain me in stone. But the Moon doesn’t care about your council, or your lies.”

A few eyes wavered.

Good.

Let them feel doubt. Let it fester.

I stepped toward the exit. The guards watched, hands twitching at their sides—but Coren didn’t signal them. Not yet.

He didn’t want a fight here.

Not in front of the others.

Coward.

I passed Alis.

She didn’t meet my eyes.

The pain cut so deep I thought I’d stop breathing. But I didn’t.

Because Talon was awake now.

And he was watching me.

I kissed his brow. Whispered, “We won’t forget. We won’t forgive.”