Chapter 222 Council of Ash

Chapter 222 Council of Ash

Lazarus’s POV
The morning began too peacefully.
Sunlight spilled through the pines behind our cabin, turning the dew into scattered silver across the grass. Smoke drifted lazily from chimneys farther down the hill, carrying the smell of fresh bread and roasted herbs through the cool air. Nova sat across from me on the small wooden porch wearing one of my oversized shirts with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, her white hair braided loosely over one shoulder. She laughed when a curious sparrow landed on the railing beside her, and for the first time in days, the sound reached all the way into my chest.
I watched her longer than she noticed.
The dark circles beneath her eyes had faded slightly, though not completely. Every now and then her fingers absentmindedly touched the pendant hidden beneath her shirt, as if checking that it was still there. She caught me staring and raised one eyebrow, that familiar teasing look returning despite everything we’d survived.
“What?”
“I forgot what smiling looked like on you.”
She snorted softly.
“You’re dramatic.”
“I’m observant.”
She shook her head, but the smile stayed.
“Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”
I obeyed.
Mostly because she had started giving orders with suspicious confidence.
A knock interrupted us.
Not hurried.
Not panicked.
Measured.
I frowned before opening the door.
One of the younger runners stood outside wearing the brown leather sash reserved for council messengers. His posture was unusually rigid, and his eyes kept darting between me and the ground.
“Alpha.”
“What is it?”
He swallowed.
“The elders have gathered in the council hall.”
I waited.
He hesitated.
“They’re requesting…”
His voice faltered.
“They’re requesting your presence.”
The world seemed to grow quieter.
I looked at him.
Then at the crest stitched into his sash.
Then back at him.
“Who authorized that council?”
His face drained of color.
“I don’t know.”
“Try again.”
“I…”
His hands tightened behind his back.
“Elder Agatha said it was urgent.”
“I asked who authorized it.”
Silence.
I stepped onto the porch.
The runner instinctively took half a step backward.
Good.
“Listen carefully.”
My voice stayed calm enough to make him even more nervous.
“There is no council in this pack that gathers without my approval.”
He nodded rapidly.
“I understand.”
“No.”
I leaned closer.
“You understand now.”
His throat bobbed.
“Yes, Alpha.”
I glanced toward the square below.
Wolves were already moving in the same direction.
Toward the council hall.
Someone had spread word.
Someone wanted an audience.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Nova stepped beside me quietly.
She’d heard enough.
Her hand brushed mine.
“You don’t have to go angry.”
I looked at her.
“I’m not angry.”
She gave me a look that clearly said she didn’t believe me.
“I’ll save angry for whoever thought this was a good idea.”
She sighed.
“That somehow worries me more.”
A genuine smile touched my mouth.
“Stay close.”
“Always.”
We walked together through the pack.
The change was immediate.
Yesterday people had greeted Nova freely.
Today…
Something had shifted.
Conversations didn’t stop entirely.
They stumbled.
A butcher who normally waved hesitated before nodding.
A pair of apprentices whispered behind stacked firewood until they noticed me looking.
Then they straightened so quickly one nearly dropped an entire basket of apples.
Nova noticed.
I felt it through the bond before she even spoke.
The warmth inside her had cooled.
“They’re staring.”
“They’re uncertain.”
“That’s worse.”
I couldn’t disagree.
Near the training grounds, Captain Bram intercepted us.
His weathered face was tighter than usual.
“Alpha.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t invited either.”
That caught my attention.
“The council?”
He nodded once.
“Elder Agatha sent word directly to several elders before sunrise.”
“And?”
“They skipped protocol.”
I looked toward the hall.
“So they did.”
Bram lowered his voice.
“My men are waiting.”
I met his eyes.
“For what?”
“For your order.”
There it was.
The reminder.
The pack hadn’t forgotten who led it.
I placed a hand briefly on his shoulder.
“Hold your position.”
He nodded immediately.
“Yes, Alpha.”
The council hall stood at the center of the oldest part of the territory.
Massive cedar pillars supported a roof darkened by generations of smoke and weather, while carved wolves climbed the beams toward the open rafters above. The circular stone floor had been worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, and the pack crest was etched into its center so deeply that even time hadn’t managed to erase it.
The double doors were already open.
I stopped outside them.
Inside…
Every elder was seated.
Magnus sat comfortably among the guests.
Agatha occupied her usual chair.
Rowan looked uncomfortable.
Even Elric, who rarely showed emotion, kept rubbing his thumb against the carved armrest.
No one stood when I entered.
Mistake.
A large one.
I stepped across the threshold.
Then stopped.
The room waited.
Instead of walking toward my seat…
I turned around.
Reached back.
And pulled the doors shut.
The heavy wood slammed together with enough force to shake dust from the rafters.
The sound echoed through the hall.
Every conversation outside died instantly.
Then I slid the thick iron bar across the doors.
Locking them.
Several elders exchanged confused looks.
Magnus smiled faintly.
I walked slowly toward the center of the room.
Boots striking stone.
One step.
Then another.
Until I stood directly on the carved wolf crest.
Only then did I speak.
“Who called this council?”
Silence.
“Elder Agatha.”
She lifted her chin.
“I did.”
“Without informing your Alpha.”
“It was urgent.”
“Urgency does not outrank authority.”
She didn’t back down.
“The elders have responsibilities.”
“So do I.”
My voice hardened.
“And mine includes deciding when this room opens.”
I looked around slowly.
Every elder met my eyes in turn.
Then I did something none of them expected.
I walked past my own chair.
Past Agatha.
Past Magnus.
Straight to the carved ceremonial staff standing against the far wall.
The Alpha’s staff.
It hadn’t been carried into battle in generations.
Most Alphas left it there as decoration.
I pulled it free.
The sound of ancient oak scraping against stone filled the room.
Then I turned.
And drove its iron-capped end into the floor.
The crack rang through the hall.
Nobody breathed.
“This council,” I said quietly, “is now officially open.”
Another pause.
“Because I allowed it.”
The difference mattered.
Agatha recovered first.
“No one intended disrespect.”
I looked at her.
“You seated guests before your Alpha entered.”
She hesitated.
“You began proceedings.”
Another pause.
“You spread word through my pack.”
She swallowed.
“I…”
“You embarrassed my runner.”
Her confidence finally cracked.
“I only wanted to protect the pack.”
“There.”
I nodded once.
“Now we’re telling the truth.”
She straightened again.
“I am protecting the pack.”
“From who?”
Her eyes flickered.
Toward Nova.
Then away.
The movement lasted less than a second.
It was enough.
I felt Nova tense beside me.
Agatha noticed it too.
She took a careful breath.
“Strange things have been happening.”
“They have.”
“Unusual powers.”
“They exist.”
“Disturbances in the forest.”
“I’m aware.”
She frowned.
“You already knew?”
“I’ve been investigating them for days.”
A murmur spread through the room.
Interesting.
Someone had assumed I was blind.
Agatha continued.
“Wolves are frightened.”
“They should be.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“They’re frightened of uncertainty.”
“No.”
I rested both hands on the Alpha’s staff.
“They’re frightened because someone is teaching them to fear the wrong thing.”
The room went still.
Agatha’s expression tightened.
“I’m not accusing the Luna.”
“Good.”
“I am asking whether emotion has clouded your judgment.”
Magnus watched quietly.
Too quietly.
I turned my head toward him.
“Enjoying yourself?”
His smile widened slightly.
“I’m merely observing.”
“I’ll get to you.”
His smile faded.
Good.
Agatha tried again.
“Your devotion to Nova is admirable.”
I laughed.
The sound startled even Rowan.
“Admirable?”
I stepped toward her.
“I didn’t choose my mate because she was politically convenient.”
The staff struck the floor again.
“I chose her because she’s mine.”
Another strike.
“And if anyone in this room believes love makes me weaker…”
I looked directly at every elder.
“They’ve forgotten who trained half the wolves standing outside.”
Silence.
Captain Bram’s voice suddenly echoed faintly through the doors.
“Hold the line.”
The elders heard it.
Their faces changed.
Agatha whispered,
“You brought guards.”
“No.”
I smiled coldly.
“They brought themselves.”
The meaning settled over the room.
The warriors hadn’t gathered because I’d ordered them.
They’d gathered because they were waiting to see whether anyone forgot who Alpha they served.
Magnus finally spoke.
“Still dramatic.”
I turned toward him.
“You’ve been in my territory less than forty-eight hours.”
I walked until only a few feet separated us.
“You’ve spoken to elders.”
His face remained calm.
“You’ve spoken to former loyalists.”
Silence.
“You’ve spoken to wolves who still remember following you.”
He folded his hands.
“People are free to speak.”
“They are.”
I leaned slightly closer.
“They’re not free to organize behind my back.”
Something flickered across his face.
The first genuine irritation I’d seen.
Interesting.
Agatha stood.
“We’re losing focus.”
“No.”
I answered without looking away from Magnus.
“We’ve finally found it.”
The room held its breath.
Then Rowan stood unexpectedly.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His old bones protested the movement.
“I should say something.”
Every head turned.
Even Magnus looked surprised.
Rowan’s weathered hands trembled slightly against his cane.
“There are things…”
He stopped.
His eyes found Nova.
Then me.
“There are things we should’ve spoken about years ago.”
Magnus spoke sharply.
“Sit down.”
The command came too fast.
Too instinctive.
Rowan flinched.
Not because he obeyed.
Because he’d reacted to an old habit.
I saw it.
So did everyone else.
The room shifted.
Power changed shape.
I opened my mouth.
Then the doors exploded inward.
The iron bar flew across the floor.
Captain Bram stumbled inside covered in dirt and blood that wasn’t entirely his own.
His breathing came in harsh bursts.
Three warriors followed behind him supporting another patrol wolf whose chest had been ripped open by three deep claw marks.
The smell of blood swallowed the room.
Every elder stood.
“Alpha.”
Bram’s voice cracked.
“We found the eastern patrol.”
I moved immediately.
“How many?”
“Seven alive.”
His eyes found Nova.
Then dropped.
“They’re all marked.”
I looked at the wounds.
Three claw marks.
Exactly.
Like hers.
My stomach tightened.
“Where?”
“Three miles inside our territory.”
The room erupted into overlapping voices.
Magnus went silent.
Agatha crossed herself instinctively.
Nova stopped breathing beside me.
I grabbed Bram’s shoulder.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
He looked me straight in the eyes.
His face had gone pale beneath the blood.
“It ignored us.”
The room quieted.
“What?”
“It walked past every warrior.”
His voice became barely audible.
“It smelled each of us.”
Another pause.
Then—
“It only stopped when it caught her scent.”
His trembling finger lifted.
Pointing directly at Nova.
“It isn’t hunting wolves.”
The entire hall froze.
Bram swallowed once.
“It’s hunting your Luna.”