Chapter 184 CHAPTER 184

Chapter 184 CHAPTER 184
Michael’s POV

The Council building had never felt so hostile. Its marble halls were polished, dignified, designed to project order and authority. Today, it felt like a courtroom waiting for blood. I walked beside Alpha Raymond in silence.He looked older than he had yesterday. Not physically. But in the way his shoulders carried weight. In the way his jaw remained tight, as if unclenching it would cause something irreversible to spill out.

We were escorted into the private chamber of the Head of Council. Alpha Henri DuPont sat at the head of the long table, hands folded, expression unreadable. Two other council members sat beside him, their faces carved in careful neutrality.

And standing near the window was Calderon.

I felt the shift immediately.This was not a neutral meeting. Alpha Raymond stepped forward first.

“We appreciate you granting us this audience,” he began evenly.

DuPont nodded once. “You requested the opportunity to provide context.”

“Yes.”

He inhaled slowly.

“Philly was moved to stay with Anna Trent for personal reasons. They were keeping each other company during a period of instability. There was no malicious intent.”

“And the narrative of her death?” one of the council members asked sharply.

Silence fell. His jaw tightened.

“I have no adequate answer,” he admitted. “The situation was complex.”

“That is not a response,” DuPont said calmly.

“I acted to prevent escalation,” he replied.

“There were threats. Political tensions. I
believed removing her from public visibility would stabilize matters.”

“You publicly stated that she had been killed by someone,” the council member pressed. “And that she was deceased before getting help.”

Alpha Raymond held his gaze. “Yes.”

“Why?”

Another pause.

“For strategic protection.”

“Whose?”

He did not answer. I stepped in.

“The attack on Anna Trent and Philly was real,” I said firmly. “They were targeted. The relocation was a security measure.”

DuPont looked at me. “And the poison found in your garden?”

“It proves nothing,” I said. “The plant is rare but not exclusive.”

Before DuPont could respond, Calderon stepped forward smoothly.

“If I may.”

I wanted to punch him. DuPont gestured for him to proceed. Calderon clasped his hands behind his back.

“I am here as a witness,” he began calmly. “I have reason to believe that Philly has been operating independently for months.”

“On what basis?” I demanded.

He glanced at me coolly.

“Multiple reports of aggression. Unprovoked confrontations.”

“With whom?” Raymond snapped.

Calderon’s gaze sharpened.

“Rosaleen Greywood. The Dover family.”

I felt something shift in the room.

“That’s a lie,” I said flatly.

“I have evidence,” Calderon replied smoothly. “Security footage of an altercation between Philly and Rosaleen. Medical reports documenting injuries sustained her following an unprovoked attack.”

Alpha Raymond stepped forward, fury flickering behind his composure.

“You’re constructing a lie.”

“I’m presenting facts,” he countered.

“You’re manipulating context,” I said.

Calderon ignored me.

“There is also the matter of motive,” he continued. “Alpha Raymond has openly threatened Jon Dover in this very Council chamber over accusations of insubordination. Now Dover is poisoned. The toxin matches a botanical species cultivated in Raymond’s private garden.”

“That proves access,” I said. “Not intent.”

Calderon’s expression hardened.

“Or perhaps it proves collaboration.”

The implication hung heavily.

“You’re suggesting I used my wife as a weapon?” Alpha Raymond asked, voice dangerously quiet.

“I’m suggesting,” Calderon said evenly, “that she has been used as one.”

The silence that followed felt suffocating. Alpha Raymond straightened.

“I request an in-house trial,” he said firmly. “Private proceedings until the investigation concludes.”

Calderon shook his head immediately. “No.”

DuPont looked between them.

“Public transparency is necessary,” he continued. “The people of New York have been deceived. They were told a woman was dead. That she was murdered. Now she is alive and under arrest for attempted homicide.”

I saw Alpha Raymond’s hands curl into fists. “A public trial will destabilize the city,” he warned.

“Deception already has,” Calderon countered.

DuPont leaned back slightly.

“The Council will deliberate,” he said finally. “But understand this, Alpha Raymond, your position as mayor is under formal review.”

We left the chamber in silence. In the hallway, he stopped walking.

“This is coordinated,” he muttered.

“Yes,” I agreed. “And Calderon is leading it.”

Raymond looked at me. “For what?”

He knew. Power. Control. Revenge. But I didn’t answer.

—

I didn’t go home. Not immediately. Instead, I drove. I didn’t consciously decide where I was going. But my hands guided the car anyway. Evelyn’s house came into view just as the sun dipped low. I sat in the driveway for a moment, staring at the door. Then I got out. She opened it before I knocked. As if she had sensed me. Her eyes softened slightly when she saw my face.

“You look exhausted,” she said quietly.

“I am.”

She didn’t ask for details. She didn’t demand explanations. She stepped aside and let me in. We sat on the couch in her living room. For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. Then the words began to spill.

I talked about Calderon. The Council. The accusations. The public trial. I told her everything. She didn’t interrupt. She didn’t offer strategy. She just listened.And when my voice faltered slightly, she moved closer. She simply leaned into me. Her hand resting against my arm. Her shoulder against mine. That was all. No grand speeches. No reassurances about outcomes. Just presence. And somehow, it steadied me more than any argument I could have made in that chamber.

“They’re trying to dismantle everything,” I said quietly.

“I know,” she replied.

“I don’t understand what’s real anymore.”

She didn’t answer with logic. She reached for my hand and held it.

Sometimes silence carries more truth than explanation. When I finally stood to leave, she walked me to the door.

“You don’t have to carry it alone,” she said softly.

I nodded once.

Because if I spoke, I wasn’t sure I’d maintain control.

—

The estate felt colder when I returned. One of the house staff approached me immediately.

“Alpha Michael… there’s something you should know.”

“What now?” I asked, already bracing.

“Rosaleen has left.”

I blinked.

“Left?”

“She packed her belongings. And…” The staff member hesitated. “There appears to be money missing from Alpha Raymond’s study.”

My mind went very still.

“How much?”

“A significant amount.”

Of course. Of course she would run when the pressure mounted.

“Has anyone
contacted her?” I asked.

“No response.”

I exhaled slowly.

Another fracture.For the first time in years, I felt something dangerously close to helplessness. And I hated it.