Fire In The Pack
Chapter 101:
She gasped, her fingers clawing at his wrist weakly, but Lucien didn’t let go. “Alpha Lucien…let….go."
Instead his hand tightened, squeezing harder. Around them, wolves backed away, fear rolling through the courtyard like ripples in water.
“I wake up and my mate is gone,” Lucien snarled out, his voice low. “And I come to find out that ‘you’ gave the order." His golden eyes burned through her. “Tell me, Elder Ilyra, who exactly gave you the authority to exile your Luna?”
His grip loosened just enough for her to wheeze out some words. Her fingers pressed weakly against his arm, but her voice didn’t tremble. “We did what we thought was right. Your Luna has brought danger to this pack more than once. Her presence...”
“Her presence,” Lucien cut in, voice vibrating with restrained rage, “has saved your lives more than you’ll ever understand."
Her feet dangled inches from the ground, her face reddening as he squeezed tighter and tighter. The wolves surrounding them didn’t dare move. No one even dared to breathed too loudly.
“Be that as it may…’ She rasped, her voice hoarse but steady. “Your duty is to protect your people, and she only an impediment to that. You can’t see that and I don't blame you. The bond blinds everything, that you never even stood a chance. We only acted in your absence to ensure her powers didn’t go unchecked."
“And you are arrogance unchecked,” he hissed, dropping her suddenly.
She crumpled to the stone floor, coughing. The guards tensed, unsure whether to intervene or look away. Lucien didn’t give them a chance to decide. He stepped over her like a fallen branch, his eyes blazing.
“I am your Alpha,” he growled to the onlookers, “not your puppet. The next time any of you make a decision concerning my Luna, it will be your last."
Ilyra straightened slowly, brushing the dust from her robes, her chin lifting even as her breath rasped. “We are the balance this pack needs. You forget your place, Lucien. You rule by strength, but even strength answers to…”
His aura flared again, silencing her mid sentence. “I answer to no one,” he said, each word low and measured, deadly calm. “Not the Moon. Not your council. Not anyone who thinks they can decide what’s best for me or my mate."
“You tried to strip her of her place beside me and you dare to call it wisdom?” he snarled. “Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?”
Ryn stepped forward carefully. “Lucien…”
The ground cracked beneath him. The energy pouring from his body in heavy waves. The wolves around the courtyard, whimpered, clutching their chests as his aura pressed down on them.
“Stay out of this,” Lucien barked without looking at him. “You had your chance to stop them."
Ryn’s jaw tightened. “You think I didn’t try?”
Lucien turned on him, eyes glowing brighter. “I think you didn’t try hard enough.”
“Maybe not,” Ryn snapped back, surprising everyone. “But she chose to do it, she could have caused trouble for us but she didn't, which means she knew we were at least right about something. If you decide to kill us all right here, aren't you just putting that statement, ‘that she brings trouble' true?” He lowered his voice, “Do you think Aria would want that?”
Lucien paused, the image of Aria’s face flickered in his mind, the way she’d looked at him in the hollow, her hand brushing his hair, whispering, ‘You’re safe.’ He took a step back, breath shuddering, as his aura slowly started receding.
“She wouldn’t want blood,” Ryn continued carefully. “Nor would she want this, you know that."
Lucien stood there, chest heaving, his claws retracting slowly. The silence in the courtyard was heavy and thick with tension.
Ilyra finally spoke again, her voice strained but scathing. “See, even now…you can’t think clearly where she’s concerned."
“My mind has never been more clear,” He turned, his back to them, his voice low but carrying through the yard. “She’s left, so I'm leaving."
Ilyra’s composure faltered for the first time. “Lucien, if you abandon your post, the packs will…”
“Let them." He threw over his shoulder. “If they want their Alpha, they’ll find him when he brings his Luna home."
Ilyra straightened, trying to appear stern, “Alpha Lucien… if you go after her now, the Council will…”
“The Council,” Lucien cut in, “can all rot."
Murmurs and gasps went up among the crowd, but he ignored them, stalking toward the armory, shoving past two guards who scrambled out of his way.
Ryn ran after him. “Lucien, wait. If you go now, you’ll be leaving the pack leaderless…"
“I would never leave my pack leaderless, that's why you're the Beta.”
Ryn stopped his movements with a hand on his arm, “You know what I meant Lucien, I'm not an Alpha.” He said, trying to plead with his eyes, hoping he would reconsider.
Lucien snarled and looked back, his gaze burning gold, “You’ll do just fine. I mean look how well you did while I was unconscious." He replied sarcastically, and shrugged off Ryn’s hand, stalking forward.
By the time they reached the armory, word had spread. Warriors pretended to train but every one of them watched him from the corner of their eyes. None dared to speak. The air hummed with unease, the scent of fear thick and unmistakable.
Lucien ignored them. He reached for weapons, twin blades, and buckled them to his belt with swift, practiced movements.
“Alpha,” Ryn tried again, “you’re not in any state to…”
“Try to stop me, I dare you,” Lucien said without looking back.
Ryn didn’t try.
Lucien’s senses sharpened as he stepped out again. The world felt louder, his bond thrumming faintly in the distance. It wasn’t gone. It was faint, but alive, pulsing somewhere past the ridge. His pulse matched its rhythm.
“She’s moving east,” he muttered, more to himself than the others. “Toward the river pass."
Kael frowned. “You can feel that from here?”
Lucien’s eyes glowed faintly gold again. “I can ‘feel’ her, period." He turned to Ryn. “Call the guards. Open the gates."
Ryn hesitated. “Lucien.”
“Now.”