Chapter 59. They Died Three Days Ago
Lia
Morning came too quickly.
I woke wrapped in Kai's arms, warm and safe and momentarily able to pretend everything was fine. But the moment I opened my eyes and saw the tension in his sleeping face, reality crashed back.
We weren't safe. We weren't fine. We'd just patched one wound while dozens more festered beneath the surface.
I slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake him. He looked exhausted even in sleep, and I wondered how many nights he'd spent pacing instead of resting while I was gone.
Pulling on a robe, I moved to the window overlooking the pack grounds.
What I saw made my stomach drop.
The courtyard that should have been buzzing with morning activity was... wrong. Wolves moved in tight clusters, speaking in low voices. The training grounds sat empty. And near the gates, I spotted what looked like fresh graves, two mounds of disturbed earth with simple stone markers.
Two graves that hadn't been there when I left.
"They died three days ago," Kai's voice came from behind me. I turned to find him awake, his expression grim. "I was going to tell you last night, but I wanted one night where we weren't drowning in pack problems."
"Who were they?" I asked, my throat tight.
"Anna and Cole. Young warriors, barely twenty. Engaged to be mated next month." His jaw clenched. "Poisoned. Same method as before, nightshade in their evening meal."
"While I was gone," I said quietly. "While I was away at Silvercrest, supposedly keeping the pack safe by removing myself as a target, two more wolves died."
"It's not your fault…"
"Isn't it?" I turned to face him fully. "That's what they're thinking, aren't they? That I abandoned the pack to train with another Alpha while our own wolves died."
Kai's silence was answer enough.
"I need to address this," I said, moving toward the wardrobe. "Now. Before the narrative gets out of control."
"Lia, wait…" He caught my arm. "The pack isn't in a forgiving mood. Half of them are still angry you left. The other half is terrified that my Luna went to another Alpha's territory and might have been compromised."
"Compromised?"
"They're saying Theron could have manipulated you. Used his Alpha influence to make you loyal to him instead of me." Kai's expression was pained. "And after what almost happened between you two, I can't entirely dismiss their concerns."
The words stung, even though I understood them. "So what do you suggest? I hide up here while they decide whether I'm trustworthy?"
"I suggest we face them together. As a united front. Show them our bond is stronger than ever." He pulled me close. "But Lia, you need to be prepared. They're going to ask difficult questions. Accuse you of things. And you can't lose control or show weakness."
"When have I ever shown weakness?"
His smile was sad. "That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried you'll show too much strength and terrify them further."
He had a point. My time at Silvercrest had changed me in visible ways. I moved differently now, more fluid, more predatory. My wolf was closer to the surface, easier to access. And the power I'd learned to channel...
If they feared me before, they'd be absolutely terrified now.
An hour later, we entered the council chamber.
The remaining nine council members sat around the table, their expressions ranging from cautious to openly hostile. Seraphina stood against the wall, her face carefully neutral. And filling the gallery behind them were dozens of pack members who'd come to witness this confrontation.
"Luna Lia," Councilor Vera began, her voice formal. "Welcome back to Feril Pack. We have... concerns we need to address regarding your absence."
"I'm sure you do," I said, keeping my voice steady. "And I'm prepared to answer any questions you have."
"Why did you leave?" This came from Damien, Marcus's eldest son, the one I'd fought and defeated. He still bore the scars from our match. "In the middle of a crisis, with the Eastern Pack threatening our borders and wolves dying in our own territory, you fled to another Alpha."
"I didn't flee. I went to seek answers about my bloodline. To understand why I'm being targeted, and hopefully stop the attacks."
"And did you?" Vera asked. "Find those answers?"
"Yes." I pulled out the journal Theron had given me, setting it on the table. Several council members flinched away from it like it was diseased. "I'm descended from the Silvermane Pack. An ancient bloodline of Lunas with unique abilities. That's why the Circle wants me, wants all dormant bloodlines. We represent a threat to their pure-blood ideology."
"The Circle," another council member, Adrian, said skeptically. "This shadow organization we can't prove exists."
"They exist," Seraphina interjected. "I've shown you the evidence."
"Evidence that could be fabricated." Adrian's eyes fixed on me. "Or evidence that Alpha Theron provided to make himself look like an ally while actually manipulating our Luna."
"Theron didn't manipulate me," I said firmly.
"Didn't he?" Damien stood, his voice rising. "You spent two weeks in his territory. Trained with his wolves. Learned his ways. Ate at his table. Slept under his roof. And now you come back with books of 'forbidden knowledge' and expect us to just trust that you're still loyal to this pack?"
"My loyalty has never wavered…"
"Then prove it," he challenged. "Open your mind. Let the pack shaman read your memories. Show us that Theron didn't plant suggestions or commands. Show us you're really still ours."
The chamber erupted in shouts, some supporting the demand, others protesting the invasion of privacy.
Kai's growl cut through the noise. "Absolutely not. My Luna's mind is her own. No one reads her memories without her explicit consent."
"Then how do we know she's not compromised?" Adrian demanded.
"Because I'm telling you she's not," Kai snarled, his Alpha authority flooding the room. Several wolves instinctively dropped their heads in submission. "And my word should be enough."
"Your word is clouded by the mate bond," Vera said quietly but firmly. "With respect, Alpha, you cannot be objective about your Luna. Not when you nearly went feral when she left."
Kai's hands clenched on the table, his control visibly fraying.
"I'll do it," I said suddenly.