Chapter 77 The Alpha Fall
KAEL POV
I made it back to Darkfang just as dawn broke.
The packhouse was already awake, wolves gathering in worried clusters. They scattered when they saw me approach, covered in blood and radiating barely contained violence.
Thomas met me at the entrance. "Kael. Thank the goddess. We thought."
"Is the council still assembled?" My voice came out rough.
"They've been waiting all night." His eyes scanned my injuries. "You need medical attention."
"Later." I pushed past him. "After I deal with Eldric's."
"How did you" He stopped. "Of course, you can smell it."
I could. The scent of ambition hung heavy in the air, mixed with fear and uncertainty. My pack was fracturing, and I'd been too obsessed with Lira to see it happening.
The council chambers were full when I entered. Every elder sat in their high seats, pack members lining the walls. And standing in the center, wearing ceremonial challenge marks, was Eldric.
"Alpha Kael." His voice dripped with false respect. "So glad you could join us."
"Cut the shit, Eldric." I moved to face him directly. "You want my position? Then issue the challenge properly."
Whispers erupted as Selene raised her hand for silence.
"This is highly irregular." She said carefully. "Alpha Kael has just returned from."
"From abandoning his pack to chase his runaway mate." Eldric interrupted. "Exactly the kind of instability I'm challenging."
"Watch your fucking mouth." Thomas growled from beside me.
"Or what?" Eldric smiled coldly. "The truth hurts, doesn't it? Our alpha is so compromised by a mate bond that he murdered Mira in rage, let Luna Lira flee, and then abandoned us to chase her into the wilderness."
"Mira was a traitor." I kept my voice level. "She manipulated pack law and attempted to murder the Luna. Her death was justice."
"Justice?" Eldric laughed. "Or jealous revenge? We only have your word—and your beta's—that Mira confessed to anything."
"Are you calling me a liar?" The alpha command bled through.
He didn't flinch. "I'm calling you unstable, unfit to lead. Too compromised by emotions to make rational decisions."
"Then issue your challenge." I spread my arms. "Right here, right now."
"Kael, you're exhausted." Aria pushed through the crowd. "You've been fighting all night. This isn't a fair fight."
"Life isn't fair." I didn't take my eyes off Eldric. "He wants my position? He can try to take it."
"I don't want to fight you." Eldric said smoothly. "I want what's best for the pack. And what's best is an alpha who isn't distracted by a mate bond."
"Then what are you proposing?" Selene asked.
"A vote of no confidence." Eldric addressed the council. "Let the pack decide if Kael Thorn is fit to continue leading, or if new blood is needed."
"That's not how succession works." Thomas protested. "Alpha challenges are decided by combat, not committee."
"Traditional challenges, yes." Eldric agreed. "But these are extraordinary circumstances. Our alpha is bond-sick, unstable, and potentially dangerous. Combat could end in unnecessary death."
"Scared, Eldric?" I smiled without humor. "Afraid you'll lose in a fair fight?"
"I'm afraid you'll kill me in a rage." He countered. "Like you killed Mira. Like you'll eventually kill anyone who questions your authority."
More whispers. I could feel the pack's uncertainty growing.
"Enough." Selene stood. "If Eldric wishes to invoke the ancient right of Pack Vote, that is his privilege. However, it requires a two-thirds majority to remove a sitting alpha."
"I'm confident we'll reach that threshold." Eldric's smile widened. "Once the pack hears all the evidence of Kael's failures."
"Then present your evidence." I gestured broadly. "Let's hear what crimes I've committed."
"Where do I start?" He pulled out a prepared list. "You returned to Darkfang after eleven years claiming birthright, killed your uncle and took his position, imprisoned Garrick till he escaped. Up till today you can’t account to where Garrick is, when you discovered your mate, believed her words and let her run her mouth in pack business even though she is a dangerous entity, when the pack complained, you kept her imprisoned in squalor for weeks."
"I was establishing pack authority" I started.
"You humiliated her publicly." He continued. "Fucked another woman in front of her to 'teach her a lesson.' Those were your words, weren't they?"
The room fell silent as I saw judgment in their eyes.
"You imprisoned your mate in silver chains." Eldric pressed on. "Tortured her for three days based on false accusations. Then, when your paranoia and instability became clear, you murdered Mira Voss without trial."
"Mira confessed" Aria interjected.
"To you and Thomas. Two witnesses loyal to Kael." Eldric dismissed her. "Convenient that the only people who heard this confession are the ones with most to lose if Kael falls."
"This is bullshit." I growled. "Everything I did was to protect the pack."
"Was abandoning us last night to chase Lira protecting the pack?" He turned to address the crowd. "Our alpha left us leaderless because his mate ran away. What happens next time? What happens when she's in danger and we're under attack?"
"I would never" I stopped. Because he was right. I had abandoned them, I had chosen Lira over pack duty and I'd do it again.
"You see?" Eldric's voice turned sympathetic. "He can't even deny it. The mate bond has compromised his judgment beyond repair."
"The mate bond makes me stronger." I forced the words out. "Lira makes me stronger."
"Lira makes you weak." He countered. "Makes you choose her over everything. That's not leadership, that an obsession."
"I love her." The confession echoed through the chamber. "Yes, I chose her. Every time. But that doesn't make me unfit to lead."
"Doesn't it?" Selene's voice was gentle but firm. "An alpha must put the pack before personal desires. Can you honestly say you'll do that with Luna Lira in your life?"
I opened my mouth to lie, to say what they wanted to hear.But I couldn't.
"No." The word came out broken. "I'll choose her. Over everything."
The room erupted in shocked whispers.
"There's your answer." Eldric addressed the council. "Our alpha has admitted he cannot lead impartially. I move for an immediate vote of no confidence."
"Seconded." Another elder spoke up, then another.
I watched my support crumble in real time.
"All in favor of removing Alpha Kael Thorn from leadership due to compromised judgment?" Selene called out.