Chapter 18 Chapter 18
ΚΑΙ
Taking care of Alina became my priority.
It was what I thought about when I woke up and when I went to sleep. She had taken up every one of my thoughts, and I did not know if I liked it. The risk of falling in love was one I never thought I would want to take. I was giving her my all, and she was prone to do whatever she wanted with the power. She could easily destroy me, which was why I knew I had to be careful. I could not let go of the main goal here, which is the throne of the Seven Isles.
The lords and elders of the pack have been breathing down my neck, wanting to have a meeting with me. I have always told them I was busy but today, I knew I had to meet them. They were losing patience, and I felt too bad for making them wait this long for me to just speak to them. So after I woke up today and checked on Alina, who was sleeping peacefully in her room, I decided to talk to them.
When I arrived at the conference room, I could hear chatter coming from the inside. They sounded pissed, and they had all the right to. If not for the moon goddess, I would have ascended the throne and be doing everything that was required of me. I got into the room, and the lords and elders were already seated, their faces grim and expectant. As I walked in deeper, they nodded in greeting. I was sure of what they thought of me. My father had raised the standard for me. I was never going to match up with him, and they did not like that.
"Alpha Kai," Lord Armand, the wealthiest man in our pack and the treasurer of the Crown said, his voice echoing through the room. "Welcome."
"Thank you," I replied, keeping my tone steady. I moved to the centre of the room and sat down on the great throne that once belonged to my father. As I lowered myself into the seat, I felt a small wave of relief that I wasn't zapped by the magic that had kept me from sitting on the seat of the alpha in the conference room. The moon goddess had warned me that I was not yet worthy to sit as the alpha, and I hoped it would not extend to every single one of the seats my father used to sit on.
The elders watched me carefully, and I could feel their judgement hanging heavy in the air. I tried to not let that affect me, which was pretty easy to do because I was used to masking my true feelings away. It was a skill I had to develop, because having a father like mine demanded me to have a thick skin.
"How is your progress in securing your mate?" Elder Bernard asked me.
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "I need more time," I replied, keeping my expression composed. "Alina needs time to adjust. She's been through a lot."
A few of the elders exchanged glances, clearly unimpressed by my answer. "Time is something we do not have, Alpha Kai," Elder Agnes said sharply. "The pack is in desperate need of a leader, and the moon goddess herself decreed that you cannot take the throne without your mate by your side. A pack without a leader is a pack half dead. The more time that goes by without someone in charge, the more risk we are at losing the control of the pack. This is the longest we have ever gone without someone in charge."
I nodded, feeling the pressure build inside me. "I understand," I said evenly. "But I don't want Alina to know that I brought her back just to ascend the throne. She is never going to 'willingly', as instructed, be the luna of the pack if I ever told her about it."
My chest tightened with guilt at my own admission. I hated myself for withholding the truth from her, but I knew there was no going back now. If she found out, she'd leave in a heartbeat, and I'd lose everything.
The lords exchanged uneasy looks. Lord Armand leaned forward, his expression serious. "Then you find a way to make her agree to it. There are so many ways to make a woman be with you. Because I do not think you understand the severity of the situation. There are problems brewing in our exportation sector, and disturbing reports from the pack borders."
"What kind of problems?" I asked, frowning.
"Skinwalkers," Elder Bernard replied, his voice low. "They've been attacking and eating our guards."
I stared at him blankly, disbelief coursing through me. The damn old people and their superstitions. "Skinwalkers?" I scoffed. " Those are myths, tales to scare children. Surely you don't believe that."
Lord Armand's face remained grim. "Myth or not, our guards are dying. We've lost three men in the last month alone."
I felt a flicker of concern, but I pushed it aside. Maybe it had to be something else. From what I learned, skinwalkers were extinct thousands of years ago. "I can offer solutions without being crowned," I said firmly. "I don't need the title to protect this pack and make decisions, because I am eventually going to ascend it. It was only a matter of time."
One of the younger elders, a man named Gideon, shook his head. "We will not take advice from a man who is not sworn in by the Oath Staff," he said coldly.
I sighed, feeling the frustration building. There was not much I could do about it right now if they were not willing to let me take charge. "You'll have to wait, then. I need more time to win her over. I won't rush this."
The elders exchanged another set of looks, and I could feel the tension in the room growing. Finally, Elder Agnes spoke up, her voice calm but cutting. "She is already here, Kai. She won't be the first woman to be forcibly taken to the altar for a marriage."
Disgust twisted in my stomach at her words. I felt my wolf, Nyx, bristle inside me, a low growl rumbling in the back of my mind. "I will not force her," I said, my voice sharp. "I want her to be my Luna, but I would never do that to her." The fact that she was suggesting that made me disgusted by the kind of people who had raised me here in this pack. How was it ever allowed for a woman to be dragged to the altar when she did not want to be married? It would be one of the first things I was going to change when I became alpha because I could not stomach leaving someone to live with someone they did not want to be with forever.
The room fell silent for a moment, and I could feel their eyes boring into me, weighing my words. I guessed they did not think I would have my own say in this. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "If you want me to lead, you'll have to let me do it my way," I continued, my voice firm. "Either allow me to control the affairs before I am crowned, or wait until I win Alina over. Those are your choices."
Lord Armand's face tightened, but he nodded slowly. "Very well," he said. "But know this, Kai, we will not wait forever."
I stood up, feeling a surge of frustration and defiance. I knew they could choose to have me killed and fill in the space with the alpha of their choice. It happened when they thought the alpha was not competent enough, which was only attempted once in the history of my bloodline. They were not going to be successful with it.
"I'm aware," I replied coldly. "But as I said, this is not something you can rush. You made your own decision so I presume as the crown alpha of the Seven Isles, you will respect them." I could also choose to sack any one of them that dared to move funny towards me. I would not risk my life because of this.
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked out of the room, the heavy doors slamming shut behind me. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, anger simmering just beneath the surface. I did not like being under pressure, and much as I hated this, I knew that I had to lock in. I needed to find a way to get her to want to stay back.
Nyx's voice rumbled in the back of my mind, 'You're trying to have it both ways, Kai,' he warned. 'You want to be alpha, but you're afraid to be honest with her.'
"I'm not afraid," I muttered under my breath, knowing even as I said it that it wasn't true. I was terrified that if Alina knew the truth, she'd hate me even more than she already did. And I couldn't lose her. Not again. "And I am not lying to her. I am simply withholding the truth."
'Withholding the truth is the same as lying.' He hissed, and I ignored him. I couldn't deal with him right now.
As I walked through the winding hallways back toward Alina's room, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that filled me. I was not much of a romantic, because I never used to indulge myself in that, but I needed to figure out a way to make this work. To make her stay. When I reached her door, I paused, taking a deep breath. I could hear her soft breathing inside, steady and even. She was still asleep. Instead of going in and disturbing her, I decided that I needed to learn how to woo a lady, and I knew just the right person to ask for that.