Chapter 47: The Empty Throne And A Wedding Ring

Okay, in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have left this until the last minute. But, in my defense, I was literally released from the hospital after a near death experience yesterday, so I’d figured I’d have a moment to talk to Marcel today. Apparently, that would have been too easy.

Marcel, Dorian, Emily, and I are at the Pack House, and we’re not alone. There are easily over a hundred glycans here today, scattered across the expansive grounds. About two dozen of us have come together in the main hall, representatives that were hurriedly elected by the people of Greywood to determine the future of our pack. The four of us are the youngest ones here, and in most scenarios, it might seem strange to include a handful of teenagers in such an important decision. But this is not an ordinary town, and thankfully, no one questions our right to be here. We’ve each earned a place at this table the hard way.

I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marcel in private, and I’d stupidly hoped that we’d be able to discuss his proposal after the gathering. It shouldn’t have to be a political decision, and it sure as hell shouldn’t have to be public.

But here we are.

Marcel is down on one knee again, only this time, he has a ring. And an audience. One thing is certain, his timing is consistently terrible. Everyone is looking at me, but I don’t shy away. I’ve waited on the sidelines long enough. I take a deep breath to say what I have to say.

Here I go.

“Elder Angelica, may she rest in peace, once foretold that Marcel Ernouf and I would marry and lead this pack together. But Angelica is dead, killed at the hands of our own Alpha. The future, like our past, is not perfect. There might be a day when Marcel and I join hands as she predicted. But not today.” Not any time soon. Maybe not ever. I keep that last bit to myself.

“Valerie, what are you doing?” Marcel asks in a furious whisper, standing up.

“The future is not set in stone, Marcel. The betrayal of our Alpha showed us that things aren’t always as they appear,” I say, loud enough for everyone to hear. Marcel wanted to make this a spectacle? Fine. Let’s give them a show worth remembering. “The world is a complicated place, and I can’t live my life satisfying the expectations of others. I don’t know what everyone wants, and I don’t know what will happen. All I can do is trust my own heart and try to do the right thing. So, I’m sorry, Marcel, truly,” I say, and it’s true. He will never know how deeply sorry I am to do this to him, but it has to be done. “We may be destined to be mates, but I cannot be your Luna. I will always be your friend, but I refuse to be your wife. I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

Murmurs break out throughout the crowd, some of support and others of disapproval. I try my best to tune them out as Marcel looms over me.

“Why not? Why are you doing this?” he says, full of hurt and accusation. It saddens me that he doesn’t know the answer.

“You mean so much to me, Marcel. I need you to know that,” I say softly. “You’re the first boy I ever liked, the first man I ever kissed. You’re the first friend I ever made, my oldest friend. My family, but….” He betrayed me. This man rejected me, humiliated me, turned his back on me, and sold me out, but I don’t feel anger as I look at him now. I don’t resent him. I just forgive him, and I feel sorry. “I don’t love you.”

Voices grow louder, and something snaps in Marcel’s gaze. There is no love there, not even the slightest trace of affection.

“So who will lead the pack? The Ernouf line is over,” someone cries out, and the murmur grows louder.

Emily’s father is the one to silence the crowd. He speaks up calmly, but his voice is loud enough to bring order back into the hall.

“Angelica couldn’t see the entire future. Her prophecies were complicated, as it’s been mentioned. I do not have my late wife’s gift, but even I know that the Moon Goddess wouldn’t want an Alpha and Luna trapped in a loveless marriage. That is no way to lead a pack. I don’t know what that means for you, Mr. Ernouf and Ms. Whren, but I can tell you this: Angelica loved these kids. She loved Valerie, and she would have wanted her to make her own choice. Even after her pack mistreated her, this young lady stayed here and fought for us. We failed her just as much as Anthony Ernouf failed us. What does it say about us as a pack? Those who we’d outcasted showed more wisdom and resilience than the one who led us,” he says, pausing for a moment to meet my eyes.

He looks older than I remember him. Yet, through the sadness and fatigue in his expression, I can see something else, something that fills my heart in a way I cannot express. Respect. I can only nod at him gratefully as he goes on.

“With the help of young Mr. Boris, she opened our eyes to the truth. She got justice for my wife and for the late Mr. Jacob Whren, who deserves our sincerest apologies. These kids are heroes.” As he addresses the crowd, he turns to Marcel, who’s breathing heavily. “In honor of my wife, I stand before you to tell you this: Valerie Whren is the daughter of the Lobo Pack, and anyone who seeks to cross her will have to go through me first.”

“And me,” Dorian says, and when I look at him, he’s beaming with pride. For a second, he’s the only thing I see, and I want to run to him and throw my arms around him. But this isn’t over yet.

“And me,” Emily adds, stepping up beside her father with teary eyes and a small smile. Then Felix comes forward as well.

“And me.”

There are mutters of approval throughout the crowd. These faces that I’ve known my entire life, the people who’d abandoned me… I watch as they rally in my support. I’m filled with a sense of peace, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.

Then Marcel steps forward.

“I won’t stand for this,” he says in a low and threatening voice. “I am your mate; I’m the son of the pack’s last Alpha, and I will not be cast aside. You were promised to me, and I will have what I am owed. Mark my words, Valerie. You will be my Luna.”

He turns away from me to face the crowd.

“Valerie may be a hero, but she couldn’t have taken down my father without my help. I led her to the Wolf’s Bane and gave her the proof. I stood against my own mother to defend our town. I’m the heir of this pack by blood and by right, and I stand before you ready to redefine the Ernouf legacy.”

“Marcel, please, you don’t have to do this,” I beg, trying to reach him.

“I hereby claim the title of Alpha of the Lobo Pack, and I challenge anyone who dares to take it from me.”