Chapter 83

Chapter 83
Claude

I sat in my office, staring at the paperwork on my desk, but I wasn’t really reading any of it. My mind was back at the training grounds, or in the dining hall, or basically anywhere Alpha Dane and Rhode went.

Seeing them together had been a shock. It made me rethink every decision I had ever made in the last few years. The alliance was going smoothly.

Alpha Dane and Rhode didn't hide their relationships. They worked together like two parts of a whole.

The weirdest part? Revelle pack didn't seem to care.

I had spent so long telling myself that I had to reject Jesse to protect the pack. I thought they would revolt. I thought they would look at me with disgust if I took a male mate. But lately, all I heard was the opposite.

The other day, I was walking past the barracks and overheard a group of Betas talking.

"Did you see the way Rhode handled that spear?" one of them asked. "Man, it’s actually kind of sexy, isn't it? Being mated to someone who can actually hold their own in a fight like that?"

"Total power couple," another one agreed, laughing. 

"They look good together. It makes the alliance feel stronger, you know? Like they really trust each other."

I had frozen in the hallway, my heart sinking into my stomach. They didn't hate it. They liked it. They actually liked it.

I walked away feeling a heavy, dull sadness in my chest. I had been so wrong. If they could accept it from a visiting Alpha, they would have accepted it from me. 

I could have had Jesse. I could have been the one standing side by side with my mate, instead of being the guy who threw his happiness away because he was afraid of what people might whisper.

But... that’s the thing. There were always whispers, aren't there?

Not everyone in Revelle was as open-minded as the younger fighters. 

There was still the old ones. The people who lived by "tradition" and didn't like change. 

Specifically, the elders. They didn't say much when Dane and Rhode were around, they were too afraid of ruining the alliance, but I could see the way they looked at them. It was a look of pure judgment.

A few days ago, Elder Thane called a meeting.
It wasn't a normal pack meeting. It was private. He sent a messenger to my door telling me to come to his quarters immediately. 

No Stalemoon wolves were informed. Just the Revelle leadership.

The moment I got the message, I knew what to expect. One didn't call a secret meeting in the middle of an alliance unless they have something nasty to say.

I walked toward Thane’s quarters. Was I going to have to defend Dane? Or was this going to be about my own past? 

My palms were sweating. Why was I even so nervous? I was the Alpha, right? I should be the one calling the shots.

I reached the door and knocked.

"Come in, Alpha," Thane’s voice called out.

I pushed the door open. 

Thane was sitting in his high-backed chair, and two other elders were standing behind him like shadows.

The air in the room was tensed. It wasn't just Elder Thane waiting for me. Elder Morris was tucked into the corner, and Elder Ian sat by the small table. 

A few of the older Betas from the pack were there too, standing stiffly against the walls. They wouldn't look me in the eye.

Thane started the meeting with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. 

"Alpha Claude," he said, his voice smooth and fake. "Sit. Please. We were just discussing how well the training went today. It really is a good thing we formed this alliance with the Stalemoon Pack. Their warriors are quite skilled, wouldn't you say?"

"They are," I said shortly. "Is that what this is about? Training schedules?"

"In a way," Thane replied. He started pacing, warming up his way toward the real point. 

He talked about pack strength and the future of our bloodlines. 

He spoke about how Revelle has always been a beacon of tradition. I just watched him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

How long was he going to play this game, exactly?

Eventually, he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. He stopped pacing and turned to face me. His face turned red. 

"But we have to address the elephant in the room, Claude. This... situation with Alpha Dane and his so-called mate."

"What about them?" I asked.

Thane snapped. The "sweet" act was gone in a second. 

"It is an abomination! That’s what it is! Mating with a man? It is an abomination before the Moon Goddess herself. It goes against everything we are taught. It’s unnatural, and frankly, it’s embarrassing to have them under our roof."

"An abomination? The Moon Goddess chose them, Thane. If she willed it, then it isn't an abomination. It’s fate. Who are we to tell the Goddess she made a mistake?"

Thane let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Fate? You call that fate? Claude, there is a very clear line drawn between fate and insanity. The Stalemoon Alpha has crossed over to the other side. He is living in a delusion."

"He’s happy," I countered. "And his pack is stronger for it. Have you seen them fight? They’d die for each other."

"I don't care if they can swing a sword!" Thane shouted, stepping closer to me. 

"There is no way in hell the Moon Goddess would mate an Alpha with another man. It’s a farce. It has to be. Probably some twisted spell or just a lack of self-control. It’s a disgrace to our kind, and I won't have my warriors thinking this is acceptable behavior for a leader."

I looked around the room. Morris and Ian were nodding. They actually agreed with him. I felt like I was suffocating. Was this what I was so afraid of back then? These three old men and their narrow minds?

"You think he’s lying?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. 

"You think he’s pretending to be mated to Rhode just to... what? Annoy you? Why would anyone choose a harder life if it wasn't the truth?"

"Because people are weak, Claude," Ian piped up from the table. "They follow their urges and call it 'fate' to justify their sins. But Revelle is better than that. We have to be."

"And what if I told you it wasn't just Dane? What if the Goddess does this more often than you think?"

"Then the Goddess is testing us, and the only right answer is to reject the temptation. Anything else is just... madness." He replied.

I hated the way Thane called it a farce. He was acting like he knew the secrets of the universe, but he didn't know anything. 

He hadn't felt the pull. He hadn't felt that heat in his chest that tells exactly who you belong to. 

I felt it every single day. Even now, with Jesse gone to goddess knows where, I could still feel that connection. It wasn't a joke, and it definitely wasn't a "spell." It was real.

"Your opinions don't really matter to the council of Stalemoon, Thane," I said. I stood my ground, staring him down. 

"They are an independent pack. Whatever thoughts you have about their personal lives? You should probably just keep them to yourself before you ruin a partnership we actually need."

Elder Morris cleared his throat. "It’s not just about opinions, Claude. Revelle should not be aligning itself with a pack that commits such acts. It looks bad on us. It weakens our reputation. We should withdraw from this alliance immediately and find a more... suitable pack to work with."

"Suitable? Like who, Morris? Like the Variant pack?"

The room went dead silent. No one said a word. The mention of the Variants always shut people up because everyone knew they were ruthless.

"That’s what I thought," I said, finally letting my Alpha presence dominate the room. I let my scent flare just enough to make them sit back. 

"Don't ever arrange a secret meeting like this again. I am the Alpha of Revelle. If you want to talk about our allies, you do it in the main hall, in front of everyone. What Dane and Rhode do is not your business. It’s not mine, either."

"Besides, think about it for a second. What other packs are out there right now that are even willing to talk to us? We need Stalemoon. If you want to throw away our safety because you're uncomfortable with who someone sleeps with, then you're the ones who are insane."

I didn't wait for them to answer. I turned on my heel and walked out, ending the meeting right there. 

I knew they weren't going to stop. Men like Thane and Morris don't just give up, they just move to even smaller, darker rooms to whisper. 

I’d have to keep an eye on them. I’d have to make sure they weren't planning some kind of internal coup.

But honestly? My mind got pulled away from the elders faster than I expected. Something happened yesterday that changed everything.

I was heading to my office, my mind was still looped on the elders' nonsense, when I heard heavy footsteps running down the stone corridor. It was Eric.

"Alpha!"

"Eric? What is it?" I had asked. 

"Why the urgency? Is the perimeter breached?"

"No," he panted, wiping his forehead. "The scouts... they captured a man near the eastern border. A human... a hunter."

A hunter? That's not good 

"Put him in a cell immediately."

"You don't understand," Eric said, shaking his head. 

"He says his name is Dorne. And Alpha... he claims to know where Jesse is."