Chapter 124: 124

Chase’s POV

“When did this happen?” I asked sharply, my voice reverberating through the room. My chest tightened with every word.

“The leaks started a few weeks ago,” one of the elders said, his voice carrying both anger and disappointment. “You didn’t notice because you were too busy chasing after a woman.”

The words struck like a blow, though I kept my face impassive.

“If not for Gretchen handling the situation,” the elder continued, his tone laced with frustration, “half of the pack might have been wiped out. She’s the only one who’s been standing between us and complete disaster.”

I clenched my fists, the weight of his accusation settling heavy on my shoulders. “Gretchen?” I repeated, barely above a whisper. My mind struggled to process what I was hearing. I knew things in the pack had been tense lately, but I’d had no idea it had come to this.

One of the council stepped forward. “Alpha, we believe it’s time for you to step down.”

My head rang and my eyes snapped to him. “Step down?” The words came out slowly, as though testing their weight. “You want me to step down as Alpha?”

“Yes,” he replied bluntly, his old eyes sharp and resolute. “If you have no time to take care of the pack, we need someone who can.”

Shock rippled through me, but I didn’t show it. I refused to. I looked at each elder seated at the long oak table. I had known these men for years, trusted them, fought beside them and yet, here they were, questioning my leadership.

“Who exactly do you have in mind to replace me?” I asked coldly.

A heavy silence fell over the room before Maurice the one who had been conversing with me broke the silent. “We believe Gretchen is more than capable.”

The name hit me like a slap. “Gretchen?” My voice betrayed the disbelief I felt. “You want Gretchen to be Alpha?”

“Yes.” Maurice’s tone didn’t waver. “She has already proven her ability to lead. She’s kept the border secure, commanded the warriors effectively, and made critical decisions where you’ve been absent. She has earned this.”

I stared at them, incredulous. “Do you even realize what you’re saying?” My voice grew sharper, cutting through the room. “Gretchen is my daughter!”

“We know,” another elder chimed in, his tone calm yet firm. “And we also know she is the best candidate to lead this pack.”

I took a step back, as if distance might somehow help me see this situation more clearly. My own pack, my own council wanted me gone. Worse yet, they wanted my daughter to take my place.

The door creaked open, and footsteps echoed across the stone floor. I didn’t have to look to know who it was.

Gretchen.

She entered with purpose, her shoulders squared and her chin tilted high. She walked across the room without hesitation, her boots clicking rhythmically against the polished floor. I couldn’t help but see her mother in her strong, unyielding, and impossible to ignore.

She came to a stop in front of me, her hazel eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, we just stared at each other. There was no hatred or smugness in her expression only resolve.

“Dad,” she said evenly, breaking the silence. “Step down.”

I blinked, stunned by how steady her voice was.

“I’m capable of leading this pack,” she continued, her words precise and deliberate. “You can have all the time in the world to chase after your Luna.”

Her words stung like an open wound.

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think. All I could do was look at my daughter the girl I had raised, the one I had taught to fight, to lead, to survive and see the woman she had become.

There was no hesitation in her. She believed every word she said, and that belief shook me to my core.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for,” I finally said, my voice low.

Gretchen didn’t flinch. “Yes, I do.”

I looked at the elders, at their grim but resolute faces. They were serious about this. This wasn’t some bluff or idle threat they had already made up their minds.

“You don’t understand,” I said, louder this time, my voice filling the hall. “Being Alpha isn’t just about borders and warriors. It’s about sacrifices. It’s about carrying the weight of every life in this pack. It’s about living with the decisions that haunt you every night.”

“And I’ve been doing that,” Gretchen shot back, her voice unwavering. “While you were distracted, I was the one making those sacrifices. I was the one carrying the weight.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words cone out of my lips, how could she even think of taking my position?

I let out a shaky breath, running a hand through my hair. “You think you can do this better than me?”

“I think I have been doing this,” she replied simply.

“Do you even want this?” I asked, searching her face. “Is this really what you want for yourself?”

Gretchen’s gaze softened, just slightly. “I don’t want to take this from you, Dad. But I can’t stand by and watch the pack suffer because of your distraction. I love this pack, and I’m not going to let it fall apart.”

Her words hit me harder than any punch I’d ever taken.c