Chapter 74 ALPHA'S DILEMMA
Kael's POV
I have not slept properly in days.
Even when my body lies down, my mind stays standing; watching, listening, counting every breath my pack takes and every breath my mate struggles to keep even.
Adam sleeps lightly now. So lightly that when I leave the bed, I move like a shadow so I do not wake him. I hate that I am no longer beside him when he opens his eyes, but I hate even more the thought of leaving my pack unguarded while danger circles us like a patient predator.
So I get up before dawn.
I dress as silently as possible, pull on my coat, step out into the cold morning air, and let my Alpha voice settle into my chest.
“Double the patrols,” I tell the first captain I meet. “Rotate every four hours instead of six. I want fresh eyes on the walls at all times.”
He nods immediately. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Reinforce the western gate,” I continue. “Star Moon favors the trees there. Clear the brush. I want no blind spots.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“And no one,” I add, my voice dropping, “gets near the pack house without being seen twice.”
He hesitates only a second. “Is the threat that close?”
“It is close enough,” I answer.
He bows and moves quickly.
Everywhere I walk, I see the tension. Guards straightening, wolves lowering their voices, everyone pretending not to have the same thing in mind. They're all somehow more worried about my mate turning out to be whatever Star Moon is spreading about him, than they are about Star Moon’s threat.
By midday, I am in council chambers again. Not for ceremony. For strategy.
“We need allies,” Brek says, arms crossed. “Star Moon will not stand down, I suggest we negotiate with them and all end this.”
“They want my mate,” I reply flatly. “That is not negotiable.”
Thalos exhales. “You know how it looks.”
“I do not care how it looks,” I say. “I care about what is real.”
Some of them exchange looks. I see doubt. Fear. Calculation.
“Send word,” I say. “To every allied pack. I will speak to them myself.”
And I do.
The first Alpha sits across from me, fingers steepled. His voice is careful.
“I respect you, Kael,” he says. “You are strong. You are fair. But this conflict…” He trails off.
“Say it,” I tell him.
He sighs. “It is foolish. You risk war over a human you found and convinced yourself you're bound to.”
I feel my jaw tighten. “I risk war over my mate.”
He shakes his head. “You could end this. Hand him over to them. Or at least negotiate shared custody—”
“No,” I cut in.
His brows lift. “You would endanger your pack for this?”
“My pack is endangered because others believe they have the right to take what is mine,” I say calmly. “I will not teach them that lesson.”
He leans back. “Then we cannot stand with you.”
“I understand,” I say. And I do.
The next Alpha is colder.
“We will not be involved,” He says outright. “Star Moon is powerful in wicked ways. We will not bleed for your personal choices.”
“My choices do not require your blood,” I reply. “Only your honesty.”
He nods once. “You have it.”
Others surprise me.
An older Alpha grips my forearm in greeting. “You stood with us during the drought,” he says. “We will stand with you now.”
“Even knowing the cost?” I ask.
He bares his teeth in a grim smile. “Especially then.”
Another bows deeply. “Your strength honors the Moon. We are with you.”
Each meeting leaves something behind in me… relief, anger, gratitude, exhaustion.
Every single one mentions Star Moon.
“They are watching.”
“They are waiting.”
“They will strike when you are distracted.”
By the time the sun dips low, my head is pounding.
Still, I do not go to Adam immediately. I hate that. I hate that duty pulls me away when all I want is to sit beside him and listen to him breathe.
But leadership does not leave room for that.
That night, I walked the walls myself.
The guards straighten when they see me.
“Report,” I say.
“All clear, Alpha.”
“Again.”
“All clear.”
I nod, but my wolf does not settle.
There is something wrong with the air or maybe I'm reading too much into everything.
The feast approaches. The pack will dance. Drink. Laugh. Let their guard down.
Star Moon will not.
I stop at the highest point of the wall and look out into the dark forest.
“You’re coming,” I murmured. “I know.”
When I finally return to the pack house, the halls are quiet save for the persistent noise coming from crickets and other insects.
I pause outside my chamber.
I can smell Adam through the door. He's starting to have a consistent scent since he got pregnant. The scent is so pleasing, so comforting that it makes me scared because I can't be happy about it yet.
I open the door carefully.
He is asleep, curled on his side, face pale, lashes dark against his skin. I kneel beside the bed and rest my forehead against the mattress, breathing him in like a prayer.
“I’m here,” I whisper, though he cannot hear me. “I will always be here.”
I think of the meetings. The refusals. The warnings.
I think of the feast.
I think of how many eyes will be on him. On us.
And deep in my bones, my wolf growls.
What's coming is inevitable, but I'll face it head on. No matter the cost, I'll protect my mate.