Chapter 72

Chapter 72
Claude

I stood at the front of the courtyard as the Stalemoon pack finished entering through the gates. My posture was straight, my face calm, the way an Alpha’s was supposed to be. Inside, though, everything felt off.

My eyes wouldn’t move away from the man walking beside Alpha Dane.

He wasn’t trailing behind him like a guard. He wasn’t hanging back like an advisor or a second in command. He was right there, close enough that their shoulders almost brushed when they walked. Close enough that it was obvious to anyone watching that this wasn’t a coincidence.

That was the place of a Luna.

Except the person standing there was clearly a man.

I felt it hit me all at once, like my chest had been punched. I swallowed and forced myself to keep breathing normally. I had seen a lot in my life. But this… this shook something deep inside me.

For years, I had told myself that what happened between me and Jesse was wrong. Impossible. Something the pack would never accept.

And now here I was, standing in my own courtyard, staring at living proof that I had been lying to myself.

My eyes flicked around without me meaning to. I noticed the elders first.. One of them whispered something I couldn’t hear. A few wolves avoided looking directly at Dane and the man beside him, like if they didn’t see it, it wouldn’t be real.

No one said anything out loud.

But the tension was everywhere and I knew everyone was thinking exactly what I was thinking.

Alpha Dane, on the other hand, looked calm like he had walked into places like this a hundred times before and stopped caring what anyone thought. He met my gaze and nodded once, steady and confident.

The man beside him did the same.

That was what got to me the most.

There was no fear on his face. No shame. He wasn’t shrinking or trying to make himself smaller. He stood tall as if he belonged there. 

How?

How did they do this?

I stepped forward, doing what was expected of me. 

“Alpha Dane,” I said. “Welcome to Revelle.”

“Alpha Claude. Thank you for receiving us.”

My eyes flicked, just for a second, to the man beside him. Dane noticed of course he did.

“This is Rhode,” Dane said, placing a hand lightly at the man’s back. “My mate.”

Holy shit! It is true.

"You’re welcome here,” I manage to say, 

Rowan met my eyes. There was no challenge there and they way he looked at me like he knew exactly what was going through my head.

That made it worse.

As the Stalemoon wolves settled into place, the whispers continued. I caught pieces of them as people forgot to lower their voices enough.

“Is that really his...” 

“I thought the rumors were he was cursed.” 

“So it’s true then…”

I clenched my jaw.

Yeah, so much for him being cursed without a mate. Who even started that bullshit rumor.

For the first time, the rules I had lived by started to feel less solid. Less certain. I had always told myself that the pack would never accept something like that. That tradition was clear. That the moon goddess wouldn’t allow it.

So why was Dane still standing? Why wasn’t his pack falling apart? Why did his mate look stronger than half the Lunas I had known?

Questions piled up in my head, one after the other.

Had I been wrong all this time?

Had I let fear decide for me?

Had I thrown Jesse away for rules that weren’t as real as I thought?

\---

The alliance meeting was being held in the main hall, the same place where every serious decision was made.

I took my seat at the head of the table.

“Let’s begin,” I said.

The elders on both sides nodded. The meeting moved forward the way these things always did. Borders were discussed first. Where Stalemoon land ended. Where Revelle land began. Which paths hunters had been using. Which rivers were still safe to cross.

An elder from Stalemoon spoke. 

"Our scouts have seen more traps near the eastern ridge and tunters are testing the area.”

“We’ve seen the same near the southern woods. They’re getting bold.”

"Joint patrols will help. We can rotate guards every three days.” I said

“Agreed,” Dane said easily.

I signed one document and then another. I answered questions when they came my way. I spoke when it was expected. On the surface, I was doing everything right.

Still, I kept noticing things.

Dane did not tell his mate to stay quiet. He didn’t ask him to step back. Rhode sat right there beside him, shoulders squared, eyes sharp. When a discussion about supply routes came up, Rhode leaned forward slightly.

“There’s a narrow pass near our western border,” he said calmly. “Hunters tried using it last winter. We collapsed part of it, but it’s still a risk. Sharing that location could help both packs.”

No one interrupted him.

No one looked offended.

“That’s true. It’s marked on our maps.” Dane added.

One of my elders glanced at Rhode, then at Dane, then nodded slowly. “That information would be useful.”

I felt my fingers curl slightly against the table.

Rhode wasn’t just sitting there. He wasn’t decoration. He wasn’t pretending. He was part of this fully.

As the meeting continued, it became impossible to ignore. Every time Rhode spoke, people listened. Not because Dane demanded it necause they respected him.

I kept thinking, This shouldn’t work. This should cause problems. 
But there wasn’t.

I looked around the hall. No whispers this time. No looks of doubt. If anything, their pack seemed sure of itself. Like they knew exactly who they were.

When the final agreement was placed in front of me, I picked up the pen and signed it. Dane did the same. We stood and shook hands.

“Revelle and Stalemoon stand together,” Dane said.

“For mutual defense,” I replied.

“For survival,” Rhode added quietly.

The meeting ended and everyone left.

The treaty went well. The packs were stronger now. This was a win.

Instead, my thoughts were loud.

If they can do this… why couldn’t I?

If Dane could stand beside his mate without losing his pack, what had I been protecting myself from?

The meeting had long ended but I was staring at Dane and Rhode.

I told myself to stop staring.

I didn’t.

Finally, I gave myself an excuse. Courtesy. That was what Alphas did, right? I straightened my shoulders and walked toward him before I could talk myself out of it.

“Rhode,” I said.

"Alpha Claude.”

There was no tension in his voice. No caution. That alone made me feel awkward.

“I wanted to thank you,” I said, then paused. Why did that sound so stiff? 

“For your input during the meeting. It was helpful.”

"You’re welcome.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said, keeping my tone even, “how long have you been Alpha Dane’s mate?”

I hated how obvious my curiosity sounded. I tried to mask it, but there was no point pretending.

“Seven years.”

Seven freaking years!

“That’s… a long time.”

“It is,” he agreed.

“And your pack,” I continued, choosing my words carefully, “how did they react when they found out?”

There it was.

Rhode studied me for a moment, not sharply, just thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. “Some didn’t take it well at first.”

“And?”

“And then they adjusted,” he said simply. “Not everyone right away but enough did.”

“That’s it?”

He smiled, small and calm. “That’s it.”

“No backlash? No challenge to Dane’s position?”

“There were questions,” Rhode said. “There was fear. People worried about how others would see us.”

I swallowed. That sounded too familiar.

“But Dane didn’t hide me,” Rhode went on. “He didn’t ask me to step back. He stood his ground. And over time, people saw that nothing changed. If anything, things got better.”

“Because?” I asked quietly.

“Because leadership isn’t about who you love,” he said. “It’s about whether you protect your people. Whether they trust you. Whether you stay.”

That hit harder than I expected.

Rhode met my eyes. There was no anger there. No judgment. Just truth. “I didn’t beg them to accept me. I didn’t explain myself over and over. I just lived. I showed up. That mattered more than anything else.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“So,” he added, gently, “being an Alpha’s mate isn’t about appearances. It’s about bond. About trust.”

I nodded, even though my chest felt tight. “I see.”

Did I? Or was I only just starting to?

Rhode gave a polite nod. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course,” I said quickly.

He turned and walked back to Alpha Dane’s side. And that was the thing. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t look around first. He just went, openly, confidently, like he belonged there.

Because he did.

I stood there and watched them together. The way Dane leaned slightly toward him. The way Rhode stood close without shrinking.

And suddenly, it all became painfully clear.

I had never been alone.

I had never been wrong for feeling the way I did.

The difference was simple and cruel. Dane had stood his ground. I hadn’t. I had pushed Jesse away. I had chosen fear over him.

That understanding settled heavy in my chest as I watched Rhode stand where I had never allowed Jesse to stand.