Chapter 31

*Kael*

The council chambers were cold even in summer. Carved from gray stone and reinforced with old magic, they had once been a symbol of strength and unity. Now, they felt like a tomb—a cage.

I stood alone at the head of the long obsidian table, the weight of my title heavy on my shoulders. Dax was late. Or perhaps I was early. Either way, I could feel the judgment already waiting for me, thick in the air like smoke.

I had a feeling I wouldn't like why I would be summoned. They seemed to only have one thing on their mind when it came to me these days. Why all of a sudden a need for a Luna... for heirs?

Yes, there were some rogue issues, but no more than we had ever experienced before.

The door opened with a soft groan. Not a group—just one man. High Councilor Marek.

He had always been one of the few who stood by me. Loyal to the Thorne line, or at least loyal to what it represented. But even now, as he stepped inside and bowed his head in greeting, I saw it—the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"You summoned me," I said, voice clipped.

My wolf was still at odds with me, which felt wrong on so many levels. But instead of raging, he was quiet and solemn, like a heartbroken pup.

Marek didn’t sit. He remained standing across from me, spine straight, hands folded.

"There is unrest among the alphas," he began. "They speak in whispers, but the whispers are growing louder. And more and more are listening."

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

"They think you are... compromised," he continued.

"Because I haven’t chosen a Luna," I growled.

He nodded once.

"Why the concern now? It has never mattered before that I ruled alone," I demanded.

He sighed and eyed me carefully before responding, "They say the rejection broke you. That the bond is driving your wolf to madness. That you are distracted, unstable, ruled by emotion."

I smiled, but it was cold and cruel. "And what do you say, Marek?"

He hesitated. "I say you must tread carefully. There are petitions being drafted. Some wish to bring it before the full Council—a vote of competency."

My hands clenched, and I tried my hardest to control my rage. My inner turmoil wanting to thrash out. "They want to strip me of the crown."

He didn't hesitate to respond this time: "If you do not present strength at the summit. If you don't prove to be the ruler you once were... yes."

The silence that followed was suffocating. The air in the room prickled against my skin, it felt charged... electric. Every carved sigil on the wall, every rune above the archways felt like they were watching, weighing, waiting.

It felt like the walls were closing in on me.

I turned away from him, fury vibrating beneath my skin. My wolf stirred violently, pacing, snarling.

Dax burst through the door a moment later, eyes sharp, breath short. He took one look at Marek and me and knew.

"It’s happening," I said.

We were so attuned that I didn't need to clarify my statement. He knew.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied with a growl.

"They think I’m weak and mad."

"They think you’re showing humanity," Dax snapped. "That you feel too deeply, and that makes them nervous."

"Maybe they’re right." I sighed, feeling bone-deep tired.

He stilled. "No. Don’t give them that. You are better than that. Better than them."

Marek cleared his throat. "You must be seen, Kael. Seen commanding. You must choose."

I laughed bitterly. "Choose a Luna, you mean. Put on a show. Tie myself to someone I don’t want just to keep the crown."

"It is the way of the court," Marek said quietly.

"It’s not my way," I snapped.

Dax stepped closer. "Then tell them what is. Show them your spine, your heart. But do it before it’s too late."

The councillor bowed and excused himself, leaving us in the chamber.

I let out a shaky breath, my hands braced on the table. The stone was cold beneath my skin.

For a long moment, I said nothing. I just stood there, staring at the place where Marek had been standing. The place where my father once stood—issuing decrees, leading wars, hiding secrets behind clipped words and a golden crown.

I could still hear him in this room sometimes. I could still feel the shadow he cast.

The weight of his treachery, his wrongdoings that now rested on my shoulders.

And I wondered, not for the first time, if the crown I wore was truly mine—or just the weight of his sins passed down in polished metal and old blood.

"If I lose the crown..." My whole body trembled.

Dax tilted his head. "What?"

I couldn't answer, couldn't continue, so Dax said it for me. Every time choosing another female as my luna was mentioned, it felt like my soul screamed and my heart wept.

"What happens if you choose a Luna? If the world sees you deny fate and choose anyone else. What would she think? Do?"

I knew what he meant. I knew what was at stake.

The summit loomed like a thundercloud on the horizon. Every whisper, every glare in the corridors, every political maneuver was another drop in the storm gathering above my head.

But none of it compared to the void I felt inside. Who knew a void could be so painful?

I looked up at him. For the first time in weeks, I said the words that had lived like a ghost inside me.

"I would rather lose the crown than hurt her again."

The truth echoed through the chamber like prophecy.

Dax said nothing.

He didn’t need to.

Because we both knew the truth:

I might lose everything anyway.

And I would deserve it.

But one thing stood true: I needed to figure out what I was going to do quickly before it was decided for me.