Chapter 90 Strange willingness
~ Kael's POV ~
When I arrived at the meeting hall, all the cabinet members were already seated, with the exception of those who were currently away from the house. The room felt heavy with expectation, as though everyone sensed that this was not going to be an ordinary gathering.
“Alpha,” they greeted in unison the moment I stepped inside.
“Good morning, everyone,” I replied as I moved to my seat. I took my time settling in, deliberately unhurried, because I was determined that this meeting would proceed exactly the way I intended.
Today, although I would give everyone that wanted to say something an opportunity to do so, I had my mind made up already and nothing was going to change it.
“Our general meeting is scheduled for tomorrow,” I continued, once the room had fully quieted, “but the matter at hand requires our immediate attention.”
“We understand, Alpha,” Elder Parish said, nodding in agreement with my opening words. “May we know what this urgent matter is?”
“It concerns the witch in our custody,” I began, and I immediately noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere. Several brows furrowed, and a few bodies stiffened in their seats. “I believe it is time we grant her her freedom,” I said plainly.
“Grant her freedom, you say?” Elder Parish responded almost at once. “Alpha, are we forgetting who we are dealing with here? I am sorry, but I don't support that motion. I believe it is better that she remains in captivity. That way, we can be certain that neither she nor members of the Shadow Pack become a problem too great for us to handle.” His disagreement was firm and unyielding.
“I support the motion,” Dagan said suddenly, and his words sent a ripple of surprise through me.
Of everyone present, he was the last person I expected to agree with me. His sudden support caught me completely off guard, though I made sure none of it showed on my face.
“Just as Elder Rowan once said to me,” he continued, “I believe it was on the very day of the trial, we are not barbarians, and so we should not act like them. The witch did not commit any crime worthy of imprisonment, and so far, we have all witnessed how helpful she has been. I believe none of us here are strangers to the fact that she used her healing powers to revive one of us, as well as a little pup in the pack house. For these reasons, I believe she deserves her freedom.”
As I listened to him speak, I could not help but wonder what had suddenly shifted in his mind. Just minutes earlier, he had been arguing against both Elder Rowan and me with equal intensity. I could not understand how he had so suddenly found clarity.
I did not dwell on it for long. Everything Dagan said aligned perfectly with the reasons I would have given myself had I been asked to justify my decision to free Lyra. In that moment, he had unknowingly lightened my burden by voicing the argument on my behalf.
“I don't understand why you want to release her, Alpha,” Abel said, and I could clearly sense the curiosity threaded through his tone. “Are we simply going to let her fall into the hands of Shadow Pack members, knowing exactly what she represents?”
I was about to answer his question when Elder Cross abruptly cut in, his voice sharp and dismissive. “What exactly does she represent? You all speak as if she is some kind of messiah we cannot survive without. When did we start depending on witches to fight our battles or secure our victories? There is no war Ironfang cannot win if we stand together in unity. Witches are our enemies, and that is how it should remain.”
Elder Rowan spoke up, his irritation unmistakable and thick in his voice. “I truly thought that after our previous conversation, you would have gone to do some research, Elder Cross, but it seems you are determined to wallow in your ignorance.”
“You should not even be allowed to speak when we are deliberating on a matter like this,” Elder Cross shot back without hesitation. “Especially when you owe your life to the very witch we are discussing. I understand if you have certain sentiments regarding this topic, but it is far too sensitive for you to hold an opinion on. Keep your bias to yourself.”
“The only person who should not be allowed to have an opinion on this matter is you,” Elder Rowan replied, refusing to retreat. “You are determined to lead us all to doom simply because of your hatred. Your opinion is the most biased one here.”
“You both need to remember that this is a meeting, not a wrestling ground,” Elder Parish interjected firmly, scolding them. “We are here to discuss and reach an acceptable conclusion in peace.” Even then, the tension did not fully dissipate, as the two elders continued to glare at each other with undisguised hostility. Still, the verbal sparring finally came to an end.
“The witch is very important to us, so we are not letting her go,” I announced once calm was restored. “However, she will be free to move around the pack house whenever and however she pleases.”
“Will you be assigning her a different room?” Dagan asked, and the question sounded so strange to me that I turned to him immediately.
“Why are you interested in that?” I asked.
“Because leaving a former prisoner in the same room that was used to imprison her does not truly sound like freedom,” he replied evenly. “That room will always traumatize her and remind her of her time as a captive. It is merely an observation. Also if she is no longer a prisoner then she would need some basic things every human needs. It will be good to know before time so that a proper room will be prepared for her.”
“She will not be getting a different room,” I said firmly, “and that is because I still value her safety. I believe she will understand that. However, I urge every one of you to treat her as a guest of this pack rather than a prisoner. If that is too much for anyone here, then it would be best to simply ignore her when you see her. Any direct or indirect attempt to harm her will not be taken lightly. I trust that this is clearly understood.”
“Understood, Alpha,” they chorused in unison, their voices overlapping one another.
I was just about to dismiss the meeting when Elder Cross spoke up, stopping me before I could bring the discussion to a close.
“But what about her magic?” he asked, his tone cautious and edged with suspicion. “What if she harms any one of us? What happens then?”
“I don't think that is going to happen,” I responded calmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. “But if it does happen for any reason at all, then we will know how to handle it.” I thought that would be the end of the matter, but after giving a slow nod to my response, he spoke again.
“There is another issue we need to address,” he said. “We were planning to leave it for the general meeting, but since we are all gathered here now, I believe it would be better to discuss it immediately. If you grant your permission, I will proceed, Alpha.”
“Proceed,” I agreed after a brief pause. “What is this matter you are referring to?”
“This morning, Miss Brenda of Mooncrest Pack left the house in tears, claiming that you humiliated her,” he said, his words deliberate and measured. “I believe the house would like to hear directly from you what truly happened, and to confirm whether her claims are correct or not.” As he spoke, I noticed a few heads nodding in agreement, their attention sharpening.
“Everything she said is correct,” I admitted, my voice steady, “except for the claim that I pleaded with her to spend the night with me. That particular accusation is false.”
“But Alpha,” Elder Parish interjected, leaning forward slightly, “we all know that no one can gain access to your quarters unless you give your express permission. How did she end up in your room if you did not personally invite her to spend the night with you?”
“That part of the story is still under my investigation,” I replied firmly. “Until I find out exactly what happened, this matter remains unresolved and shrouded in mystery. There is one more thing I need to make absolutely clear. I am not searching for a Luna, and I am not interested in Brenda. Those of you who have been encouraging her to believe that she would one day become the Luna of Ironfang should put an immediate end to it. I hope I have made myself perfectly clear.”
With those words, I brought the matter to a close.
Nothing gave me more joy than realizing how little resistance my suggestion had faced. The ease with which the matter was accepted filled me with a quiet sense of relief that I could not deny.
I found myself eager to announce the news to Lyra as soon as possible, because I wanted her to stop believing that I hated her or that I was deliberately deceiving her. Hearing those words from her had cut deeper than I cared to admit. They were some of the worst things she had ever said to me, and they made me feel more cruel and more monstrous than I already believed myself to be.
I didn't understand why her calling me evil and likening me to the devil hurt so much more than when anyone else had said far worse things about me in the past. Those words from others had always rolled off me without consequence, but coming from her, they lodged themselves painfully in my chest. I didn't want her to see me that way, and the thought that she did unsettled me more than any accusation ever could.
Once the meeting was officially concluded and I dismissed everyone, I called Dagan aside before he could leave the hall. I looked at him steadily and spoke with authority.
“Arrange for an announcement to be made to everyone in the pack house. Let this information reach every corner of the pack so that no one can claim ignorance as an excuse to do something that will land them in serious trouble,” I instructed him.
“I will do that immediately, Alpha,” he agreed without hesitation, and then he turned and proceeded out of the hall.
As I watched him go, I narrowed my eyes slightly. His sudden willingness to cooperate made me uneasy in a way I could not fully explain.