Chapter 143 Human Authorities Step In

Chapter 143 Human Authorities Step In
~ Caelen's POV ~

I lowered the letter onto my desk after Allene finished reading the final line aloud. The request that she leave Dravik under what another Alpha called protective supervision immediately felt less like diplomacy and more like an insult.

The room remained quiet for several seconds after the words settled between us. Kieran and Allene both watched me without speaking because they already knew what my answer would be.

"No," I said firmly. "The answer is no."

Kieran folded his arms while remaining silent. Allene studied my expression instead of the letter.

"No Alpha has authority over my mate," I continued. "No one decides where she lives except her."

I picked the letter up again before reading the request one more time. Every sentence sounded polite, but the meaning behind it remained clear.

They wanted to separate Allene from Dravik. They simply chose softer words to hide that intention.

"They're calling it protection," I said. "That's not what this is."

"I agree," Kieran replied. "The timing isn't a coincidence."

I looked toward Allene. She had stayed calm throughout the entire conversation.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I think someone is afraid," she answered. "People don't ask for supervision unless they believe they're losing control."

Her answer reminded me why I respected her judgment so much. She looked beyond the obvious while I still fought the anger building inside me.

"I'll prepare our official response," Kieran said. "We don't need to answer emotionally."

"I already have my answer," I replied. "They won't take her anywhere."

Neither of them argued with me. Even so, I could sense Kieran watching me more carefully than usual.

After the meeting ended, I walked outside to clear my thoughts before speaking with the council. The cool morning air did little to calm the instinct constantly telling me to keep Allene close.

That feeling had grown stronger every day since her Moonbound abilities continued awakening. Sometimes it became difficult to tell whether I was thinking as an Alpha or as her mate.

Whenever I imagined someone trying to separate us, every instinct inside me rejected the idea immediately. Logic struggled to keep pace with emotions I had never experienced before.

I found Kieran reviewing patrol assignments near the training grounds. He looked up the moment I approached.

"You've been quiet," he said. "That's usually a bad sign."

"I've been thinking," I replied. "Too much."

He placed the reports aside before giving me his full attention. We had known each other long enough that neither of us needed formal conversations.

"This isn't only about the letter anymore," he said. "Is it?"

"No," I admitted. "It stopped being political the moment they aimed the request at Allene."

Kieran nodded slowly. He already understood what I meant.

"You've changed," he said. "Not in a bad way."

"I know," I replied.

"You keep standing in front of every problem before anyone else can reach it," he continued. "That won't always work."

I remained silent because I knew he was right. The truth simply felt difficult to accept.

"You can't solve everything by protecting her yourself," Kieran said. "Sooner or later she'll need room to fight beside you."

I looked across the training grounds before answering. Young wolves laughed together while practicing drills, completely unaware of the conversation taking place nearby.

"I understand what you're saying," I replied. "I just don't know where the line is anymore."

Kieran waited patiently. He knew I had more to say.

"I don't know where my duty as Alpha ends," I admitted. "And I don't know where loving her begins."

He let those words settle before answering. His expression remained thoughtful instead of critical.

"Maybe there isn't a clean line anymore," he said. "You only need to remember that she chose to stand with you, not behind you."

His advice stayed with me long after we ended the conversation. I knew I needed to hear it even if I still struggled to follow it.

Later that afternoon I found Allene organizing supplies with several volunteers outside the community center. She thanked each person before carrying another box toward the storage room.

"I'll help," I said.

"You've already been helping all morning," she replied. "You can rest for five minutes."

"I don't mind."

She smiled but continued carrying the box herself. Even that simple decision reminded me how determined she had become.

After the volunteers finished their work, we walked back toward the cabin together. The silence between us remained comfortable until she suddenly stopped walking.

"Can we talk honestly?" she asked.

"Always," I answered.

She turned to face me completely. Her expression stayed calm, but I recognized the frustration she had been trying to hide.

"Everyone keeps making decisions for me," she said. "The council, other Alphas, even you sometimes."

"I only want to keep you safe," I replied.

"I know," she answered. "But I don't want safety to become a prison."

Her words struck me harder than I expected. I realized she had been carrying those feelings quietly for some time.

"I don't want to spend my life hiding behind you," she continued. "I want to stand beside you."

"I've never wanted to hide you," I said.

"No," she replied gently. "But you keep trying to carry everything before I even have the chance."

I looked away for a moment because I could not immediately find the right answer. The memory I had tried so hard to bury returned without warning.

"When Magnus took you," I said quietly, "I thought I had already lost you."

She remained completely silent. I could feel her waiting for me to continue.

"I searched every place I could think of," I admitted. "Every hour without you felt longer than the one before."

I took a slow breath before meeting her eyes again. Speaking those memories aloud felt harder than facing any battle.

"Watching you disappear nearly broke me," I said. "I don't know how to pretend that didn't happen."

The frustration slowly disappeared from her expression. Understanding replaced it instead.

She stepped closer without saying anything immediately. Then she reached for my hand before I had the chance to move.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said softly. "You don't have to fight that fear alone anymore."

Her fingers tightened gently around mine. That simple gesture quieted every instinct urging me to hold on too tightly.

"I believe you," I replied. "I'm still learning."

"We both are," she answered.

We walked the rest of the way back to the cabin hand in hand. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with more words.

Several wolves passed us along the path and quietly smiled before continuing on their way. Months earlier many of those same faces had openly questioned our relationship.

Now no one looked surprised to see us together. Even those who once opposed us seemed to recognize that we had become stronger together instead of weaker.

Far from Dravik Territory, Duno sat inside a private conference room overlooking a modern city skyline. Across the table sat several influential businessmen with long connections to human political circles.

"If wolves can't separate them," Duno said calmly, "then perhaps humans still can."

The businessmen exchanged thoughtful looks before the meeting continued behind closed doors. Their interest told Duno he had chosen the right audience.

The following morning, Kieran entered my office carrying another sealed document marked with an official government seal. His expression immediately warned me that the news would only create another battle.

"A formal request arrived from the human authorities," he said. "They want to question Allene about the mountain incident."