Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty-six

Chapter 56

Quinn’s POV

The door to the Alpha’s chamber slammed shut, the echo bouncing through the stone halls. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady the pounding in my chest.

Inside, Edgar stood near the fire. His breath was ragged, but his shoulders radiated fury. Lia hovered at his side, her hand almost on his arm, but she held back, like she knew one touch would shatter the fragile restraint keeping him steady.

I cleared my throat. “They’re going to force the issue.”

Edgar turned. “Let them try.”

Elena stepped forward, folding her arms. “You think it’s that simple? They don’t bluff, Edgar. You heard Malrick, if you refuse, they’ll call for a challenge. They’ll find someone to fight you.”

Edgar’s eyes burned. “Then someone will bleed.”

“That’s exactly what they want,” Elena shot back. “You’re not strong enough to survive another battle. They know it.”

“Then I’ll prove them wrong.”

Lia finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm. “You can’t keep doing this, pretending your body isn’t failing you. I see it every day, Edgar. The strain, the weakness. They see it too. That’s why they’re circling like vultures.”

His jaw clenched. “So you’d have me surrender?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I’d have you fight smarter.”

He turned to her, eyes narrowing. “Smarter?”

She nodded. “You can’t win by brute force anymore. But you can still outmaneuver them. You’re their Alpha, curse or no curse. They can’t strip that away unless you give them cause.”

I added, “She’s right. They’re not after a fight, they’re after legitimacy. If they can get the pack to see you as weak, they don’t need claws to tear you down.”

Edgar’s fists curled. “So what? I sit back and watch them name Selene my mate? Watch them undo everything I’ve bled for?”

“No one’s saying that,” Elena said. “But if you storm into their trap, you’ll fall right where they want you.”

The room went silent. Then Lia broke it again. “We need to know where the loyalties lie. Not just the council, but the pack. If they want to push you into a corner, then show them you’re not cornered. Show them you’re not alone.”

Edgar glanced at her. “And how do you suggest I do that?”

“Call them together,” she said. “Not the council. The people. The wolves who’ve followed you, fought for you. Remind them who you are, before the council poisons every ear with their lies.”

He studied her, his breathing harsh. “A gathering.”

“Yes.” Lia’s voice steadied. “Let them hear you speak before Malrick does. Let them see you, not the ghost the council whispers about.”

Elena exhaled slowly. “It’s risky. If you falter in front of them”

“Then they’ll know the truth anyway,” Lia cut in. “Better he shows strength on his own terms than let them decide for him.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “That might buy time. But it won’t silence Brie. She’s already two steps ahead. She won’t stop until she gets what she wants.”

Edgar’s face darkened. “She wants me replaced. Wants Lia erased.”

Lia’s eyes flicked down. “Then we make sure she doesn’t get either.”

Elena leaned on the table. “You realize what you’re proposing? You’re not just asking Edgar to rally his allies. You’re asking him to split the pack against the council. That’s a war.”

“Then so be it,” Edgar growled.

“No,” Lia said sharply. “Not war. Not yet. Strategy.”

The fire cracked, spitting sparks into the silence.

I finally said, “You can’t fight Brie the way you fight enemies on the battlefield. She’s poison, Edgar. She seeps into cracks, turns people against you with whispers. The only way to beat her is to close those cracks before she finds them.”

Edgar turned his gaze on me. “And how do I do that, Quinn?”

I swallowed. “By showing them the Alpha I once followed. The one who didn’t bend. The one who made me believe there was more than survival.”

His eyes softened for a flicker, but only for a moment. He turned back toward the fire. “They’ll keep pushing. Selene, the council’s candidates, their votes. They won’t stop.”

“Then neither will we,” Lia said.

Elena shifted uncomfortably. “What if the pack doesn’t side with you? What if Malrick wins them over?”

Edgar’s voice was like stone. “Then they’ll have to kill me to take my seat.”

“Don’t say that,” Lia whispered.

He looked at her then, really looked, and his tone softened. “It’s the truth. But I’d rather die standing than live crawling under Brie’s shadow.”

The chamber went quiet again. I finally broke it with the question no one else wanted to ask.

“So what’s the plan?”

Edgar turned slowly, his presence filling the room despite his weakness. “Tomorrow, I will call the pack to the square. No council decree. They’ll decide if their Alpha still breathes strength, or if the council’s lies choke them instead.”

Lia’s eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. “I’ll stand with you.”

Elena groaned. “Of course you will.”

“I mean it,” Lia pressed. “If you fall, I’ll be there. If you falter, I’ll remind them what you’ve done for them. They need to see us together.”

Edgar shook his head. “No. They’ll use you against me. Brie already has. If you stand with me tomorrow, they’ll call it weakness.”

“Then let them,” she snapped. “Because I am your strength. And they’ll see that, whether they like it or not.”

The fire popped, and Edgar’s eyes softened again, though the lines of stubbornness never left his jaw.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered.

Her lips curved faintly. “You love it.”

I coughed into my hand. “Hate to interrupt the romance, but maybe we should talk about contingencies? Because if tomorrow goes wrong, we’re all dead.”

Edgar gave me a flat look. “Always the optimist.”

“I’m the realist,” I said. “And the realist says Brie’s not going to sit back and let you win hearts. She’ll try something.”

Elena nodded grimly. “Quinn’s right. Expect sabotage. Expect whispers. Hell, expect someone to try to silence you before you even reach the square.”

Edgar’s expression didn’t falter. “Let them try.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Let us prepare. We’ll put eyes in the crowd. Wolves loyal to you, spread out, ready to shut down any council stooge who tries to stir trouble.”

Edgar raised a brow. “And who decides which wolves are loyal?”

I held his gaze. “I will.”

Silence stretched, and for a moment, I thought he’d refuse. Then Edgar finally gave a short nod. “Do it.”

Elena let out a slow breath. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we? A public stand. Against the council.”

Edgar straightened, firelight cutting sharp shadows across his face. “We’re not standing against them. We’re standing for Duskwood.”

“And if the pack doesn’t see it that way?” Elena asked.

He looked at each of us in turn. “Then the pack isn’t worth saving.”

The words hung heavy, but in them was the steel we needed.

Lia reached for his hand then, threading her fingers through his despite his reluctance. “Then let’s make sure they do see.”

Edgar squeezed her hand once, briefly, before letting go. “Tomorrow decides everything.”