Chapter Seventy-seven

Chapter Seventy-seven
Chapter 77

Elder Rowan’s POV

The council chamber had always been a place of certainty, its vaulted ceilings and carved oak table echoing with the decisions that shaped Duskwood’s future. But this morning, as we gathered in uneasy silence, certainty was the one thing none of us possessed.

I folded my hands across the polished wood, my eyes flicking over the faces of the other elders. Each bore the same shadow of thought, though no one spoke it aloud yet. What Lia Mason had done yesterday had shaken us all.

She had stood before the entire pack, fire blazing in her words, and declared herself more than just the Alpha’s mate. She had made herself untouchable, claiming strength, daring defiance, and challenging anyone who would dare lay harm on her or the child she carried.

The child of Edgar Nolan.

My lips pressed together as I studied the others. Old Merek drummed his fingers against the table, restless. Lady Hester’s lips were pursed thin, her gaze sharp with disapproval. The younger ones, Kael and Brenna, shifted in their chairs as though they sat on needles, unsure of whether they should admire her boldness or recoil from it.

I cleared my throat, and the sound carried far in the hush. “We cannot pretend yesterday did not happen.”

At that, Lady Hester leaned forward, her voice clipped. “She embarrassed us. Shamed the council. To stand there and make threats like a warrior, as though she holds equal power to this table”

“She carries the Alpha’s heir,” Kael interjected, his voice quiet but firm. His brown eyes darted nervously around the chamber. “That alone grants her standing.”

“Standing, yes,” Hester snapped, “but not authority.”

The air tightened with the sharp clash of their words. I let them bite at each other for a moment before raising a hand. “Enough. The truth lies somewhere between your points. The girl has made herself a figure none dare challenge openly, but that does not mean her position is secure. Strength in words can be smoke. We must see if there is fire beneath it.”

Merek gave a grunt, leaning back in his chair. “Words or fire, the pack bent yesterday. Did you see them, Rowan? Not a soul moved against her. Some even looked at her as if” He paused, then spat the words like poison. “As if she were already Luna.”

A murmur rippled around the table. It was the truth none of us wished to acknowledge but could not deny. Lia Mason had done more in one speech than months of our maneuvering.

I steepled my fingers, lowering my voice. “The question is not whether the pack will follow her. The question is whether we will allow her claim to stand uncontested.”

Hester’s eyes gleamed. “You mean to strip it from her.”

I did not answer immediately. Instead, I glanced at the heavy doors, ensuring they were closed tight. Our voices were safe here; no ears but our own. Then I let the thought unfurl like smoke.

“Edgar Nolan is still weak. His body has not fully recovered. And though Lia has proven herself bold, boldness can be broken.”

Merek’s brows lifted. “You’d suggest action against her?”

“Not yet,” I said smoothly. “Patience, Merek. Haste will only tighten her hold. But we must be watchful. For all her fire, she is still mortal, still vulnerable. And if she grows reckless, she may give us the rope with which to hang her.”

Silence stretched heavy. Each of them weighed my words, some with eagerness, some with unease.

Brenna, the youngest, finally spoke. Her voice trembled with the weight of opposing us. “She is carrying the Alpha’s child. To move against her would be”

“Necessary,” Hester cut in coldly.

I met Brenna’s gaze, softening my tone. “No one speaks of harming her. That would fracture the pack beyond repair. But influence can be undermined without blood. Doubt can do what daggers cannot.”

I saw understanding flicker in her eyes, though it was reluctant.

Kael leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “And what of Edgar? He may be weakened, but he is not blind. If he sees us working against her”

“He will not,” I interrupted. “Not if we are careful. He loves her, that much is plain. Which makes him vulnerable, too. The more he clings to her, the more dangerous it becomes for us. But also” A thin smile touched my lips. “The more dangerous it becomes for him if she falters.”

The chamber grew colder at that, though no draft stirred the air. They understood.

I let the silence linger, then spoke again, my voice low and deliberate. “What we must do now is simple: we wait. We watch. We let Lia enjoy her triumph, let her believe she has cowed us. But behind the veil, we will look for the cracks. And when they appear, we strike, not with swords, but with whispers, with shadows. So that when the time comes, the pack will not remember her as the fierce woman who stood tall, but as the reckless girl who could not bear the weight of her crown.”

Merek gave a slow nod, his jaw tight. Hester’s eyes glimmered with satisfaction. Kael and Brenna exchanged uneasy glances, but neither spoke against me again.

The decision was made.

And though I did not say it aloud, a truth burned quietly in my chest.

The pack might see Lia Mason as untouchable now. But fire, no matter how bright, always leaves ashes.

The council dispersed in silence, each elder vanishing into the stone halls like ghosts. I lingered behind, my hands resting on the cool surface of the table.

I could still hear her voice, ringing in my memory, fearless, defiant. She reminded me of another woman long ago, one who had stood against tradition, who had dared to wield power meant for men. She, too, had burned brightly. And she, too, had been reduced to embers.

Perhaps Lia Mason would prove different. Perhaps she truly did have the fire of a Luna.

But fire was dangerous.

And I had spent my life learning how to smother it.