Chapter 175
Chapter 175
{Ronan’s POV}
The voices around us had risen and fallen so many times it wasn't even surprising anymore. But their words were no less startled, hateful or abusive.
Every corner of the hall bristled with outrage, murmurs that quickly swelled into accusations.
“Disgrace,” one man spat.
“He has shamed the throne!” another yelled.
“Mate to a human? Lies and deception! He must be disqualified!”
The crowd pressed forward with their words, venom dripping from their tongues. I pulled Lisa against me, my arm circling her shoulders.
Her trembling stilled at my touch, but her face remained pale. Their hate was aimed at me, yet I knew the poison was sinking into her too. My wolf surged within, growling to silence them all with force, but I held him back. This was not the moment.
Some called for my disqualification, others for punishment, and a few even dared demand execution for the crime of deceiving the Elders. It was chaos, the kind that could turn a hall into a riot. Then, at last, the booming voice of Elric, the chief of the Elders, cut through it all. He had done this too many times to even find it amusing.
“Enough.”
His hand lifted, and the noise died like fire drowned by water. The hall froze, breaths caught in anticipation. His gaze swept over the crowd, then landed on me. “It seems Alpha Ronan is not the only contender with secrets to reveal.”
Murmurs rippled again, confusion this time. My body tensed, but I kept my grip on Lisa steady. Her eyes flicked up to mine, but I could give her no answer. My mind raced back to Damon, his voice in my memory asking me to trust him.
Reluctantly, I turned my head. Damon stood apart, shoulders taut, his eyes cast down in shame as if to say. “Sorry, I had to do this.”
Elric raised something high above his head. A flash drive glinted in the light, the same one Damon had showcased just a while back. ‘When did he even give it t—’ I asked internally, just to be cut short.
“During the chaos of these past days my men retrieved this from an unknown source which I now know to be Damon. The files and recordings upon it have been examined and verified. They are legitimate. And they expose Alpha Lucien for who he truly is.”
The chamber erupted again, but Elric silenced them with a single glance. He gestured to one of his aides, who connected the flash to a screen. Static gave way to sound. Lucien’s voice filled the chamber, clear and undeniable.
“…King Charles would not bend. He had to go. Veyra and Mallon Kal on the other hand… were important but disposable allies. Their deaths were a price worth paying for the throne. And now with Selena by our side and Bryan to do the dirty work, Ronan would be crushed before he ever had the chance to rise. Protect her. Keep her safe at all costs, even after her attempt on Lisa’s life. We need her. Bryan will take care of the rest, he’ll run her down if he must…”
Gasps rang out across the hall. Faces turned pale, mouths hung open. Even the Elders who had been stoic before now looked shaken. Every sordid plot spilled out of that recording, every crime laid bare. Lucien’s own voice condemned him more thoroughly than any enemy could.
Lucien surged forward, his face contorted with rage, his eyes wild. He walked toward Damon with heavy strides. “You,” he snarled, every syllable burning. “You traitor. You betrayed me?!”
Damon stood his ground, his gaze steady even as Lucien closed the distance. “I had to,” he said, his voice clear enough for all to hear. “You went too far, Lucien. There are lines even family cannot cross. You’ve crossed them all. It is not too late for you to change.”
Lucien’s lip curled. His body quaked with fury, but the guards were already on him, seizing his arms, forcing him back. He struggled, cursed, but there was no escape. His time had ended the moment his own words were played before the council of wolves.
I watched him, not with pity but with a cold satisfaction. As they dragged him past me, I leaned in close enough for only him to hear. “How does it feel to be betrayed?”
He did not answer. His silence was louder than any retort, his eyes burning as they hauled him away to the trial house, where the Elders would deliver his sentence.
The hall still buzzed with disbelief, but Elder Elric’s voice steadied it again. “There is no rule against Alphas taking a human as his mate. It is unusual, yes. But not forbidden.”
He turned his gaze upon Bryan and Selena, who flinched under its weight. “Furthermore, background checks expose Selena’s violent history against Lisa, a crime already circulated as known news. Bryan, too, is found complicit in Lucien’s schemes, his credibility destroyed. Their words are worth nothing.”
He turned back to me, his presence commanding. “Alpha Ronan, your word stands. And it will not be countered.”
The Elders conferred briefly, but the outcome was already clear. One by one, they raised their hands. Elric first, then the two others. “I cast my vote for Ronan Stormrider,” Elric intoned.
“I cast my vote for Ronan Stormrider,” the second Elder echoed.
“I cast my vote for Ronan Stormrider,” the third said firmly.
The Council, who had remained silent as judges until now, stood together. Their spokesman stepped forward, his voice almost sounding as old as Elric's. “By the will of the Elders and the support of the Council, it is decided…”
“Ronan Stormrider will be crowned King of the Werewolves.”
The crowd gasped, some in disbelief, others in reluctant acceptance, and many in awe. My hand tightened around Lisa, pulling her close against me. Her head tilted toward me, her eyes brimming with emotion, and I knew in that moment that everything we had endured… the betrayals, the lies, the blood… had led us here.
“This one is for you, King Charles… rest well.”