Chapter 71 Chapter 0071
•NADIA•
"The elders and I have discussed what we talked about earlier," Elder Draven said when I arrived at the meeting. "You were right, Luna. We shouldn't trust the Alpha's decisions while he's a little disturbed."
I smiled as I looked at them one by one. They were nodding at Elder Draven's statement. This meant that none of them were against what I had said.
They believed me and that was all I wanted.
Soon, they would vote him out of leadership and appoint me as their female Alpha. And once they did, I would act as if it were their idea to put me there.
"I am so worried about him," I answered, my voice low. "He left the pack house yesterday because he's looking for Cassandra. How could he go out there to look for her? Who knows what has become of her ever since she was banished from the pack?"
The elders gasped.
"The Alpha is out there looking for her?" Elder Fenrik asked. "That's impossible. Does he want her to kill him once and for all?"
I looked at them and watched as they argued among each other and felt a warm sense of satisfaction.
My father and I were the only ones who knew Cassandra was dead. I made sure of it when I hired a hitman shortly after she left.
They would all be chasing after ghosts until they realized that Mason's position as the Alpha was unstable.
"I am sure Jane and Liam know something about this and they fed him crap information about the cursed former Luna," Elder Draven scoffed. "They must be summoned to the council hall immediately."
"I sent for them about five minutes ago," the head Elder Orin replied. "They will be here soon and we will get this over and done with."
I folded my hands in my lap and said nothing more.
The council hall was large and cold, the kind of room that had been designed to make people feel small when they stood at the center of it.
Stone walls and high ceilings. The four elders’ seats were arranged in a curved line at the front.
"The Alpha must also be found and hospitalized before he makes more irrational decisions," Elder Mira sighed. "The pack will be in danger if we let him do as he pleases in his state of mind."
"That's correct, Mira," Elder Fenrik answered.
The doors opened less than ten minutes later.
Jane walked in first with her shoulders straight and her chin level. Liam followed directly behind her.
He looked at the elders without flinching. Then his eyes moved briefly to me.
I held his gaze and said nothing.
Elder Orin spoke first. "You have been summoned to answer questions regarding Cassandra, the former Luna of Silvercrest, and her alleged conspiracy to end the Alpha's life. You will answer honestly and completely."
Jane's expression didn't change. "I have already spoken to the Alpha directly about this matter. He cleared me of any involvement."
"The Alpha's judgment is currently in question," Elder Draven replied sharply. "Which is precisely why this council exists. You will answer to us, not to him."
"I know nothing about any plan involving Cassandra," Jane answered. "I had no contact with her that was directed toward harming the Alpha. I have said this before and I will continue saying it because it is the truth."
"You expect us to believe that?" Elder Fenrik leaned forward. "A woman who served the former Luna as closely as you did, who maintained quiet loyalties long after her banishment, knew nothing?"
"Loyalty is not a crime," Jane replied.
"It is when it is directed toward a traitor," Elder Mira said from the far end of the curved row.
Liam stepped forward. "She has told you what she knows. Which is nothing, because there is nothing to tell. The Alpha himself looked into this matter and found no evidence against my mate. If this council can't respect the decision of its own Alpha, then I don't know what authority you actually hold."
"You will watch your tone, Delta," Elder Orin said coldly.
Something shifted in Liam's expression.
He reached up and unpinned the badge from his chest. The room was completely silent as he looked down at it for a moment.
Then he threw it on the floor.
"I am no longer your Delta," he replied. "And Jane is no longer a member of this pack. We are done here."
He took Jane's hand.
"If the Alpha asks where we went," he added, looking at us. "Tell him that he won. He chose this pack over the people who were actually loyal to him, and we are finished waiting for him to realize what that cost."
He turned toward the door, and Jane followed him.
They had taken no more than three steps when Elder Orin's voice cut through the hall.
"Guards, stop them!"
The guards at the door moved immediately, stepping in front of Liam and Jane before either of them could reach the handle.
Two more emerged from the side entrance, forming a line across the width of the room.
Liam went very still. "What is this?" he asked, his voice dropping low.
"You don't get to walk out of a council hearing," Elder Draven answered, rising from his seat. "Especially not when you are under suspicion of conspiring against the Alpha's life. Leaving this hall without dismissal is an admission of guilt."
"We have admitted nothing," Jane said sharply. "You have no evidence. You have no grounds—"
"We have enough," Elder Orin replied, sitting back on his chair. "Guards, take them to the courtyard."
Jane's breath caught. "The courtyard?"
Liam turned fully then, placing himself in front of her. Every line of his body had changed. His hands were no longer still at his sides.
"On what charge?" he demanded.
"Conspiracy, treason, and the abandonment of pack duty," Elder Fenrik answered. "Any one of those alone carries sufficient consequence. Together they carry only one sentence."
"Execution," Elder Orin replied.