Chapter 111. Just The Anchor

Chapter 111. Just The Anchor
Lia

I reached for my power, feeling it flow through the mate bond like water through a channel. Kai's presence stabilized me, gave me the anchor I needed.
And I touched every bond in that clearing.
Not breaking them. just brushing against them. Letting every wolf feel my presence, my power, my absolute certainty that I could protect them.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Some wolves dropped to their knees. Others simply stared.
"I am Silvermane," I said, my voice layered with power. "My bloodline was hunted to extinction because we were too powerful to control. Because we could unite packs, break tyranny, choose our own paths." I looked at Zara. "Yes, I need my mate bond to use this power safely. That's not weakness, that's how Silvermane Lunas were designed. We were never meant to rule alone. We were meant to partner with Alphas strong enough to handle what we are."
I released the bonds, and wolves exhaled collectively.
"Does anyone else have doubts?" I asked, my eyes sweeping the crowd.
Silence.
Then Zara knelt. "Luna."
One by one, others followed. Not Kai's pack showing submission to their Alpha, these were wolves from dozens of packs, all choosing to follow me.
It should have felt like victory.
Instead, it felt like pressure crushing down on my shoulders.
"Rise," I said. "All of you. I'm not here to dominate or command. I'm here to protect. To build something where dormant bloodlines don't have to hide anymore." I looked at the male Alpha who'd challenged me. "But I won't pretend to be something I'm not. I need my mate bond. I need allies. I need all of you. Leadership isn't about standing alone…it's about knowing when to lean on others."
"Pretty speech," the male Alpha said. "But what happens when your mate disagrees with you? When he decides you're too fragile to lead? Do we follow you or him?"
The question hung in the air, sharp as a blade.
Because he was right. What happened when Kai's protective instincts overrode my leadership? When he decided I was in danger and needed to be protected instead of followed?
"You follow her," Kai said, surprising everyone. "If she and I disagree, you follow her. She's your Luna. I'm just the anchor."
"Just the anchor?" I looked at him.
"Just the anchor," he repeated, but something in his eyes said it cost him to say it. "This is your coalition, Lia. Not mine. I'm here to support you, not control you."
It was exactly what I'd asked for.
So why did it feel wrong?
"Meeting adjourned," Zara announced. "We have defense plans to finalize. Luna, Alpha…join us when you're ready."
The crowd dispersed, leaving Kai and me alone with Theron.
"That was impressive," Theron said quietly. "Both of you. Kai, that took guts—admitting you're just the anchor."
"Get the fuck away from us," Kai said without heat. "Before I remember all the reasons I want you dead."
Theron smiled sadly. "She's still going to need help building this coalition. Training. Strategic planning. Things you're busy with at the northern outpost." He looked at me. "I'll be around. When you need me."
He left.
And I stood there, feeling Kai's tension, his barely controlled anger, his fear that I was slipping away.
"I hate him," Kai said.
"I know."
"I hate that he's right. That you need him." Kai's hands clenched into fists. "I hate that I can't be everything you need."
"You don't have to be everything…"
"But I want to be!" The words exploded from him. "I want to be enough. Your mate, your anchor, your support. But I keep watching you turn to him for the parts I can't provide, and it's killing me."
"Kai…"
"I'm trying, Lia. I'm really fucking trying to be better, to trust you, to not cage you. But watching you work with him, watching you need him, watching him love you…" He stopped, breathing hard. "I don't know how much more I can take before I break completely."
"Then what do you want me to do?" I asked, frustrated. "Stop building the coalition? Stop working with other Alphas? Limit myself to only what you're comfortable with?"
"I want you to choose." His silver eyes met mine, and I saw the raw pain there. "Him or me. The coalition with Theron or the mate bond with me. Because I can't keep watching you build a life where he's essential and I'm just... there."
The ultimatum hit like ice water.
"You're asking me to choose between being a Luna and being your mate."
"I'm asking you to choose between a coalition that needs you to work intimately with an Alpha who's in love with you, and a mate bond that can't survive watching that happen." Kai's voice was hollow. "Because I've tried, Lia. I've tried to be okay with it. But I'm not okay. I'm dying inside every time he looks at you. Every time you turn to him instead of me. Every time you need him."
"He's not a threat…"
"He is to me!" Kai's roar echoed across the clearing. "Maybe not to you, maybe you don't see it, but I do. I see how he watches you. How he positions himself to be indispensable. How he's slowly becoming the partner I can't be because I'm too busy holding myself back from controlling you."
"So this is my fault? For trying to lead?"
"This is reality. You can have a mate or a coalition built around another Alpha. Not both." Kai's expression was carved from stone. "Choose."