Chapter 86

Chapter 86
{Ryanna’s POV}

They stood around me like pillars. My proud Council. Young, yet old in ways I couldn't describe, due to the kind of life…we have lived.

Each of them stared at me like I was the problem that needed solving.

“I’m not saying give in,” Basten said, arms crossed, “But we’re not made of steel. We need numbers. These neutral packs have them.”

“You mean Ilia and Coren?” I asked. “The ones gave such a brazen ultimatum?”

Ophelia didn’t meet my eyes. “We have to decide our stance now.”

“That's what we're trying to do,” I muttered.

We stood in the Council chamber. Maps spread over the table, small marks showing where Aurelius’s forces were pressing hardest. 

There were red chips, representing us. And then there were the black ones, far too many of which represented Aurelius, and his allies.

“Look. They won’t budge unless you make a concession. Just words. You don’t have to chain anyone up. Say you’ll consider it after they've sent forces to help us.” Basten added.

“I won't lie,” I snapped.

“Then say you’ll defer the decision till after the war,” Adolph said.

“I’m not delaying equality either.”

He grimaced. “Then we lose their aid. We need more claws in the field.”

“Stop repeating what we already know. With the two allied families supporting us and the two supporting Aurelius, we should be equal… but that's not the case. They outnumber us. And then he still has the Wraiths to deal with,” Ophelia said quietly. Her tone was soft, but the words cut.

Basten glared at her. “You think I want this caste nonsense? I don’t. But I want to live long enough to see the end of it. That means winning. Whatever it takes.”

“Even if it costs your very moral compass. You don’t get it, do you? First, it's a desperate concession, but then we start leaning. When does the price become too high? Have you even wondered if this is how Aurelius started, Basten?” I asked.

No one spoke.

Then the door creaked open and a heavy breath filled the room. Casper stepped in, shirt torn, cuts across his cheek, dried blood across his collar. He looked dreadful.

…Much like any of us here. The war was starting to take a major toll on everyone. Physically and mentally. 

“What did I walk into?” he asked, voice flat.

I said nothing.

Magnus cleared his throat. “A… strategy conversation.”

Casper’s eyes narrowed. “Does this strategy involve putting chains back on Omegas?”

Silence followed his question like everyone was scared to talk.

Then me: “Casper—”

“No,” he said, eyes locked on mine now. “Answer me.”

“It’s a complicated affair.”

“It’s betrayal, Mom.” He said.

Adolph stepped forward. “Watch your tone.”

Casper ignored him. “You think the Rogues follow you because you’re powerful? They don’t. They follow you because you represent something. Because you’re proof that a wolf can rise. That anyone — Omega, Rogue, whatever — can have worth something. If you cave now, then what did we bleed for?”

I opened my mouth. No sound came out. He was getting good at this.

Casper crossed the room and leaned in. “You know what it was like. Being tossed aside. I’ve seen it in your eyes. You crawled through that hell and came out whole, but not everyone is that gifted. If you do this now… the Rogues will lose faith. You’ll be turning your back on every version of yourself that never made it out. And this will be just the reaction from our people. What about the wolves that chose to support us?”

He paused and completed. “Are we willing to lose our allies just to gain some more?”

And then he left.

×××

I didn’t sleep that night.

Instead, I decided a walk was a good idea. Something to clear my mind. Right about now, I'd be heading to Nox for a conversation… Sometimes I wondered how I ever got anything done without him.

Before long, I'd reach another part of the pack. The infirmary was quiet. I found a couple of wolves there. Our rogues and omegas who defected from Aurelius,  all wrapped in thin cloth, bruised and burned from the last battle in this spreading war.

One was limping while tending to a friend. Another stirred broth for the wounded. They weren’t all soldiers or warriors, but they were trying.

One of them, a young woman with a crooked nose and one blind eye, noticed me.

She bowed.

I waved her off. “Don’t. Just… keep doing what you were doing.”

Her eyes flicked between the others. “Yes, Luna Ryanna.”

They didn’t look angry. Or frightened. They looked tired.

But they still worked.

Still gave what they had.

And at that moment, it hit me.

If I sold their future for aid, then I wasn’t a leader. I was a new face for an old nightmare.

I left without saying another word.

But when dawn broke, I stood in the central courtyard, lifted my voice, and spoke.

“I made a decision.”

Wolves gathered. My counsel. Fighters. The wounded. Even a few cubs.

I looked directly at the two Alphas from House Vale and Ilia who had returned early, to see if I'd changed my mind. “You offered your troops in exchange for reinstating the Omega hierarchy.”

Coren looked expectant.

Ilia looked smug.

I smiled bitterly. “Request denied.”

A beat of silence followed by words, before I continued.

“I’m not going backward. Not for war. Not for survival. Not for anyone. From this moment forward, the caste system is abolished. There are no Alphas. No Betas. No Omegas. Only wolves.”

The crowd was silent for three long breaths.

Then one rogue started clapping.

Then another.

Then it spread.

The Alphas didn’t clap. Obviously.

They turned and walked out.

“I hope your equality serves you well when you are nothing but memories,” one of them muttered.

I didn’t stop them.

Casper came up beside me as they left. He didn’t say anything for a while. Then finally—

“You drew the line.”

I nodded.

“Now they’ll come harder,” he said.

“I know. Let them.” I mused.

Later that morning, we were deep in strategy when a scout burst through the doors.

“Luna!”

Adolph growled. “We’re in Council—”

“It’s urgent,” the scout panted. “Redpine. They’re under attack. Fires have erupted near their northern wall. We have confirmation, and it's Aurelius’s men.”

My blood went cold.

Nyra was an ally and she was on our war fronts far from her pack.

I turned to the Council. “Ready the riders.”

Casper sighed. “Good thing we decided early… even I can see how tempting that offer would have been right about now.”