Chapter 81 The Council Summons
Two weeks after Michelle’s escape, an official letter arrived.
Young Sera was eating breakfast when Garrett brought it to her. The envelope was sealed with the Council of Alphas official mark—heavy paper. Gold embossing. The kind of letter that meant serious business.
“This is bad,” Garrett said, handing it to her.
Young Sera opened it with shaking hands. Read the words once. Then twice. Then a third time because she could not believe what she was seeing.
“They are summoning me,” young Sera said quietly. “The Council of Alphas. They want me to appear before them in ten days. To answer charges of kidnapping and interference in pack business.”
Kael took the letter and read it himself. His expression darkened with each line.
“Michelle’s father filed formal charges. Vincent Cross added his own complaints. And Thomas Reed signed as a supporting witness. They built a case against you.”
“What kind of case?”
“They claim you helped Michelle escape. They say you interfered in a legal political marriage. They say you are using your position as Luna Queen to break pack law instead of upholding it.”
Young Sera felt cold fear settle in her stomach. “Can they punish me? Can the Council actually do something to me?”
“Yes,” Kael said grimly. “The Council has authority over all Alphas and Luna Queens. If they find you guilty, they can strip your title. They can ban you from pack leadership. They can even imprison you in extreme cases.”
“But I saved Michelle. She did not want that marriage. She was being forced.”
“Pack law says political marriages do not require the omega’s consent. You broke that law. That is what they will argue.”
Young Sera wanted to scream. Wanted to throw something. Wanted to rage at the unfairness of a system where saving someone from a forced marriage was illegal.
But screaming would not help. She needed to think. Needed to plan.
“What do I do?” young Sera asked.
“You appear before the Council,” Kael said. “You defend yourself. You make them understand why you did what you did. And you hope they listen.”
“What if they do not listen? What if they decide to punish me anyway?”
“Then we deal with that when it happens. But running or hiding will only make things worse. You need to face this directly.”
Over the next few days, young Sera prepared for the Council hearing. Lyra helped her understand Council procedures. Garrett coached her on how to answer difficult questions. Mora taught her breathing exercises to stay calm under pressure.
But nothing could shake the fear that lived in her chest. The Council of Alphas was powerful. They could destroy her with one vote. Could take everything she had worked for and throw it away.
“I am scared,” young Sera admitted to Kai one evening.
“I know. But you have faced scary things before. You survived your father. You killed Victor Kane. You can survive this too.”
“Those things were physical. I could fight back. How do I fight against Alphas who just vote to destroy me? I cannot stab the Council.”
Kai smiled slightly. “No. But you can tell them the truth. You can make them see Michelle as a person, not just a political piece. You can show them that the law is wrong.”
“What if the truth is not enough?”
“Then at least you tried. At least you stood for what you believe in. That matters even if you lose.”
Young Sera was not comforted by that. She did not want to just try. She wanted to win. Wanted to keep being Luna Queen. Wanted to keep saving omegas.
But wanting was not the same as getting.
Four days before the Council hearing, something else happened.
Diana disappeared.
Young Sera woke up to find Maya standing at her door looking terrified.
“Diana is gone. Her room is empty. Her things are still here but she is not.”
Young Sera’s heart dropped. “When did anyone last see her?”
“Last night at dinner. She seemed normal. Not scared or worried. Then this morning she was just gone.”
They searched the entire pack house. The grounds. The training areas. Diana was nowhere to be found.
But they found a note in her room. Hidden under her pillow.
The note was written in rough handwriting. Not Diana’s handwriting.
“We have Diana. If Luna Queen Sera wants her back, she will drop all charges and stop interfering in pack business. If she goes to the Council hearing, Diana dies. You have four days to decide.”
The note was not signed. But young Sera knew who sent it.
Thomas Reed. Or Michelle’s father. Or Vincent Cross. Or all three working together.
They took Diana to force young Sera to give up. To stop fighting for omegas. To surrender everything she had built.
“This is my fault,” young Sera said, her voice breaking. “Diana is in danger because of me. Because I saved her and then made enemies.”
“This is not your fault,” Kael said firmly. “This is the fault of whoever took her. They are the ones breaking the law. They are the ones putting Diana in danger.”
“What do I do? If I go to the Council hearing, they kill Diana. If I do not go, I lose my title and cannot help any more omegas. Either way, I lose.”
Lyra was pacing, her hand on her weapon. “We find Diana. We track whoever took her. We rescue her before the Council hearing.”
“How? We do not even know who took her. The note is not signed.”
“We have suspects. Thomas Reed. Michelle’s father. Vincent Cross. We investigate all three. Find out which one has her.”
“That will take time. Time we do not have.”
Garrett spoke up. “Then we split our efforts. Some of us work on finding Diana. Others help young Sera prepare for the Council hearing. We do both. We do not give up on either.”
It was the only plan that made sense. But young Sera hated it. Hated being split between saving Diana and saving herself.
The next three days were a nightmare.
The Warriors searched for Diana. They investigated Thomas Reed’s territory. They watched Michelle’s father’s pack. They looked for any sign of where Diana might be held.
But they found nothing. Whoever took Diana was good at hiding her.
Meanwhile, young Sera tried to prepare for the Council hearing. Tried to focus on defending herself. But how could she focus when Diana was missing? When someone she had saved was now in danger because of her?
Sarah and Michelle were terrified. Both girls blamed themselves for Diana being taken.
“This is because she helped me,” Michelle said, crying. “If I had not asked for help, Diana would be safe.”
“No,” young Sera said firmly. “This is because bad Alphas want to control omegas. This is because the system is broken. This is not your fault.”
But young Sera’s words could not stop the guilt all three of them felt.
Two days before the Council hearing, Lyra burst into young Sera’s room.
“We found her. We know where Diana is being held.”
Relief and fear crashed through young Sera at the same time. “Where?”
“A warehouse on the edge of Thomas Reed’s territory. Our scouts saw guards. Saw someone matching Diana’s description through a window. She is alive.”
“We need to go get her. Right now.”
“It is not that simple. The warehouse is heavily guarded. Twelve warriors at least. Maybe more inside. Going in without a plan is suicide.”
“Then we make a plan. Fast. We have less than two days before the Council hearing.”
They gathered everyone in the war room. Spread maps across the table. Planned the rescue mission.
“The warehouse has three entrances,” Garrett said, pointing to the map. “Front door. Back door. Loading dock on the side. All three are guarded.”
“How do we get past the guards?” young Sera asked.
“We create a distraction. Draw some of the guards away from the warehouse. Then a small team goes in through the loading dock while the guards are distracted.”
“What kind of distraction?”
“A fire. We set something on fire a few blocks away. Guards will go investigate. That gives us maybe ten minutes before they realise it is a trick.”
“Ten minutes to get in, find Diana, and get out,” Lyra said. “That is tight but possible.”
“I am going with the rescue team,” young Sera announced.
“Absolutely not,” Kael said. “You are not trained for this kind of mission. You will be a liability.”
“Diana was taken because of me. I am not sitting here safe while others risk their lives to save her.”
“You are Luna Queen. Your safety matters to the entire pack. If something happens to you during the rescue, the Council hearing becomes irrelevant. The Northern Kingdom loses its leadership.”
“I do not care. I am going.”
They argued for twenty minutes. Kael refusing. Young Sera insists. Finally, they reached a compromise.
Young Sera could go with the rescue team. But she would stay outside. She would not enter the warehouse. She would be there only to support Diana after the rescue. To show Diana that her Luna Queen came for her.
It was not what young Sera wanted. But it was better than staying behind.
They planned to do the rescue that night. Under the cover of darkness. When fewer guards might be alert.
Young Sera spent the afternoon preparing. She strapped on body armour that Lyra insisted she wear. She took a small knife. Not the silver blade from the Victor fight. That one felt wrong for this. This was a rescue, not a combat trial.
As evening approached, the rescue team gathered. Twelve warriors. Lyra leading. Garrett as backup commander. Young Sera is in protective gear surrounded by guards.
Kael pulled young Sera aside before they left.
“Come back safe,” he said. “Diana is important. But you are important too. Do not take risks. Do not be a hero. Just come back.”
“I will try.”
“Trying is not enough. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
They left in dark vehicles with no lights. Drove through the night toward Thomas Reed’s territory. Toward the warehouse where Diana was being held prisoner.
Young Sera’s heart pounded the entire drive. Fear and determination mixed. Diana was close. Diana would be free soon.
Unless something went wrong. Unless the guards were ready. Unless this was a trap meant to capture young Sera along with Diana.
All those thoughts ran through young Sera’s mind as they drove closer to the warehouse.
Finally, they arrived. Parked three blocks away. The team moved on foot through the shadows.
Young Sera could see the warehouse now. Big building. Metal walls. Few windows. Guards standing at each entrance just like Garrett had described.
“Everyone in position?” Lyra whispered into her radio.
Confirmations came back from different team members. Everyone was ready.
“Start the distraction. Now.”
Four blocks away, fire suddenly appeared. An abandoned car erupts in flames. Smoke rising into the night sky.
Guards at the warehouse noticed immediately. Shouted to each other. Six of them ran toward the fire to investigate.
That left six guards at the warehouse. Still too many but better than twelve.
“Move,” Lyra commanded.
The rescue team rushed toward the loading dock. Garrett leading. Warriors following. They reached the door and forced it open with the tools they had brought.
Young Sera watched from her position behind a building. Her guards surrounded her. Protecting her. Keeping her from doing anything stupid like following the rescue team inside.
Time moved strangely. Seconds felt like hours. Young Sera counted her heartbeats. Watched the warehouse entrance. Waited for any sign of what was happening inside.
One minute passed. Then two. Then five.
Where was the rescue team? Why was it taking so long?
Then gunshots. The sharp crack of weapons firing inside the warehouse.
Guards who had stayed outside rushed toward the entrance. Weapons drawn. Running to help whoever was inside.
“We have to help them,” young Sera said to her guards.
“No. Our orders are to keep you safe. We stay here.”
More gunshots. Shouting. The sounds of fighting.
Young Sera could not just stand here. Could not just wait while her people fought and possibly died.
She pushed past her guards and ran toward the warehouse.
“Luna Queen, stop!” the guards shouted. Running after her. Trying to catch her.
But young Sera was faster. She reached the loading dock entrance and dove inside before anyone could stop her.
The inside of the warehouse was chaos.
Warriors fighting guards. Bodies on the ground. Blood on the concrete floor.
And in the back corner, locked in a metal cage, was Diana.
She looked terrified but alive. Calling for help. Rattling the cage door.
Young Sera ran toward Diana. Dodging between fighters. Focused only on reaching the cage.
She was ten feet away when someone grabbed her from behind.
Strong hands. Alpha strength. Pulling her backwards.
“Got you,” a voice said in her ear.
Young Sera recognised the voice.
Thomas Reed.
He had been waiting inside the warehouse. Waiting for young Sera to do exactly what she just did. Run in without thinking to save Diana.
It had been a trap. And young Sera had walked right into it.