Chapter 154 The Calm Before the Claim
Three days passed, and nothing about them felt normal.
The pack house remained active, but the rhythm had changed into something quieter and more watchful.
Every movement carried awareness.
Every conversation stopped a little too quickly when someone new walked into the room.
Aria felt it in everything.
She stood by the window in Kane’s office and watched the training grounds below, but her focus was not on the wolves moving through drills.
Her mind stayed fixed on what was not there.
“They should have made a move by now,” Aria said.
Kane stood behind his desk, reading through reports that had told him nothing useful for three days straight.
“They will,” he said.
He did not look up.
He did not rush the answer.
“They are not the type to disappear without a reason.”
Aria turned slightly toward him.
“That is what worries me.”
Kane set the report down and finally looked at her.
“I have patrols covering every boundary and trackers moving through all outer territories,” he said. “If they are anywhere near us, we will know.”
Aria held his gaze.
“And if they are not near us?” she asked.
Kane did not answer immediately.
The silence said enough.
They were not running.
They were planning.
Aria exhaled slowly and turned back to the window.
“I do not like waiting like this.”
“Neither do I,” Kane said.
He stepped away from the desk and moved closer to her.
“But if we stop everything to chase them, then they control the pace,” he continued. “And I am not giving them that.”
Aria folded her arms.
“So we do nothing.”
Kane shook his head once.
“We move forward,” he said. “We make it clear that whatever they are planning does not stop this pack from standing.”
Aria studied him for a moment.
“Are you talking about the wedding?”
Kane’s expression did not change.
“Yes,” he said. “The elders are already pushing for it. The territories need to see it.”
Aria looked away again.
“They want a Luna they can point to.”
“They already have one,” Kane said.
“They want it official,” Aria replied.
Kane stepped closer.
“It already is,” he said quietly.
Aria turned to face him fully.
“In here, it is,” she said. “Out there, it is politics.”
Kane held her gaze.
“Then we give them what they need to see.”
Aria searched his expression.
“And what do you need,” she asked.
Kane did not hesitate.
“You,” he said.
The answer came without weight.
Without hesitation.
Aria exhaled slowly and nodded once.
“Then we do it,” she said.
Kane studied her carefully.
“No hesitation.”
Aria shook her head.
“I am not hesitating,” she said.
Kane gave a small nod.
“Good,” he said.
A knock sounded at the door.
Kane stepped back slightly.
“Come in.”
Marcus walked in, and the shift in the room followed him immediately.
Aria straightened.
“How is she?” she asked.
Marcus did not waste time.
“She is awake,” he said.
Aria moved instantly.
Kane followed without a word.
They reached the medical room within seconds, and the energy inside it felt completely different from before.
Maya sat on the edge of the bed.
Her posture was rigid, and her hands were clenched tightly against her knees.
Her breathing was steady.
Too steady.
Like she was forcing it.
Marcus stayed close enough to reach her in a second.
“She has been like this for a few minutes,” he said.
Maya’s eyes shifted toward them.
They were not fully yellow anymore.
But they were not fully human either.
The color flickered.
Unstable.
“How do you feel,” Aria asked carefully.
Maya held her gaze.
“Like I am sharing my body with something that does not trust me,” she said.
Her voice was steady.
But it carried strain beneath it.
Marcus nodded slightly.
“That is normal,” he said. “Your wolf is forming.”
Maya let out a small breath.
“It feels like it is judging me.”
Kane leaned slightly against the wall.
“It probably is,” he said.
Maya looked at him.
“That is not helpful.”
Maya looked away again.
Marcus stepped closer.
“You are still in control,” he said. “You just need to learn how to hold it.”
Maya shook her head slightly.
“It does not feel like control,” she said. “It feels like waiting for something to snap.”
Aria moved closer.
“It will not snap,” she said. “Not if you stay grounded.”
Maya looked at her.
“And if I do not,” she asked.
Aria did not look away.
“Then we help you through it.”
Maya studied her for a long moment.
Then she nodded once.
Marcus exhaled quietly.
“She is adapting faster than expected,” he said.
Kane’s gaze sharpened.
“That is not always a good thing.”
Marcus shook his head.
“It means her body is accepting the change,” he said. “But it also means the next phase could come harder.”
Maya closed her eyes briefly.
“That is reassuring.”
Kane pushed off the wall.
“You will get through it,” he said.
Maya looked at him again.
“You sound very certain.”
Kane met her gaze.
“I am,” he said.
Maya held his eyes for a moment longer.
Then she nodded.
“Then I will try not to prove you wrong.”
The tension in the room eased slightly.
But not completely.
It never did anymore.
A sudden burst of laughter echoed from down the hall.
Aria turned toward the sound immediately.
“That’s the twins.”
Marcus stepped back slightly.
“They have been doing that all morning,” he said.
Kane moved toward the door.
“Come on,” he said.
The twins stood at the far end of the corridor.
Energy crackled faintly around them.
Two younger wolves stood across from them trying to keep up.
Leo moved.
The older wolf missed the block entirely and stumbled back.
Aria’s expression tightened.
“They are pushing too hard.”
Kane watched them carefully.
“They are not being pushed,” he said. “They are doing it on their own.”
Aria folded her arms.
“That is exactly the problem.”
Lily moved next.
The energy around her spiked slightly.
The air shifted.
The older wolves hesitated.
Just for a second.
The twins stopped at the same time.
Perfectly in sync.
Marcus stepped forward.
“That is enough,” he said.
They turned toward him.
“Already?” Leo asked.
Marcus did not smile.
“Yes,” he said.
They exchanged a glance.
Then shrugged.
And backed off.
Aria stepped closer to Kane.
Before she could talk, another guard approached quickly.
“Alpha.”
Kane turned.
“What is it.”
The guard hesitated.
Then spoke.
“The elders have arrived.”
The words shifted everything.
Aria’s expression hardened.
“They did not send word.”
“They did not need to,” Kane said.
His voice had already changed.
“Where are they,” he asked.
“In the main hall,” the guard answered.
Kane nodded once.
“Clear the area,” he said. “No interruptions.”
The guard moved immediately.
Aria stepped closer to Kane.
“This can’t be good.”
Kane shook his head slightly.
“No,” he said.
They walked together toward the main hall.
The air grew heavier with each step.
The doors stood open.
The elders were already inside.
Kane stepped in first.
Aria followed.
Marcus stayed a step behind.
The room fell completely silent as they entered.
One of the elders leaned forward slightly.
“We were not expecting you so soon,” Kane said.
The elder’s expression remained neutral.
“Neither were we,” he replied.
Kane’s gaze sharpened.
“Then why are you here.”
The elder did not answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the entrance behind Kane.
Aria felt it first.
The presence.
Kane turned slowly.
Two figures stood in the doorway.
Devon and Victoria.
She stepped forward first.
Her presence filled the room without effort.
Her pregnancy was undeniable now.
Devon stood beside her.
Victoria’s gaze moved directly to Kane.
“We are here to make a claim,” she said.
The room did not breathe.
Kane’s expression did not change.
“What claim,” he asked.
Victoria did not hesitate.
“The seven territories,” she said.
A murmur moved through the elders.
One of them leaned forward.
“That is not how succession works,” he said.
Victoria’s lips curved slightly.
“It is if I am eligible,” she said.
Kane’s voice dropped.
“You are not.”
Victoria turned slightly.
She reached for Devon’s hand.
And held it.
“We are married,” she said.
The words landed cleanly.
And she did not look away from Kane as she spoke again.
“And we are here to take what belongs to us.”