Chapter 155 The claim
Kane did not move.
He stood exactly where he was, his gaze locked on Victoria and Devon, and nothing in his expression gave away what was moving beneath the surface.
Aria stood beside him, and she felt the shift in him immediately.
Victoria took another step forward, and the sound of her heels against the floor echoed through the hall with quiet authority.
“We came through the council because we intend to do this properly,” she said.
Her tone remained calm.
Measured.
One of the elders leaned forward.
“This is not a matter you simply announce,” he said. “There are rules.”
Victoria’s gaze flicked to him briefly.
“I am aware of the rules,” she said. “That is why we are here.”
Devon remained silent beside her.
But his presence did not go unnoticed.
Marcus stepped slightly forward, placing himself just enough between them and the rest of the room without making it obvious.
His eyes never left Devon.
Kane finally spoke.
“You expect this to be recognized,” he said.
Victoria met his gaze without hesitation.
“I expect it to be considered,” she replied.
Her expression did not change.
Aria’s voice cut in before Kane could respond.
“You do not get to walk in here after everything you have done and pretend this is a formal request.”
Victoria turned her attention to her.
“I am not pretending anything,” she said. “I am following the law.”
Aria stepped forward.
“The law does not protect traitors.”
Devon’s jaw tightened slightly at that, but he did not speak.
Victoria, however, did.
“Careful,” she said quietly. “Accusations require proof.”
Kane’s voice dropped.
“We have proof.”
Victoria looked back at him.
“Then present it,” she said.
The room shifted again.
The elders exchanged brief glances, and the tension deepened into something more structured.
More official.
One of them spoke.
“If there is a formal claim, then it must be heard,” he said. “That is the law.”
Aria turned toward him sharply.
“And what about what they have already done,” she asked. “Do we ignore that?”
The elder did not look away.
“We do not ignore anything,” he said. “But we do not bypass process either.”
Kane lifted a hand slightly.
That was enough to stop the exchange.
His gaze stayed on Victoria.
“You are claiming eligibility through Alexander,” he said.
Victoria nodded once.
“The seven territories belonged to him,” she said. “His line does not end with him.”
Kane’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You were not his Luna.”
Victoria did not hesitate.
“I was his daughter,” she said. “That gives me standing.”
Marcus spoke for the first time.
“Not without a bonded Alpha,” he said.
Victoria’s grip on Devon’s hand tightened slightly.
“That has been resolved,” she said.
All eyes shifted to Devon.
Kane’s voice remained even.
“You expect us to accept that,” he said.
Devon finally spoke.
“It is not about what you accept,” he said. “It is about what the council recognizes.”
The shift in his tone was subtle.
But it was there.
He was no longer the man standing in Kane’s pack house days ago.
He was standing as an equal.
Or at least he believed he was.
Aria looked between them.
“You planned this,” she said.
Victoria’s gaze returned to her.
“Of course we did,” she said.
There was no denial.
Kane stepped forward then.
“You disappear for days,” he said. “And then you walk in here with a claim.”
Victoria held his gaze.
“Yes.”
Kane’s expression hardened slightly.
“You think that gives you leverage?”
Victoria tilted her head slightly.
“I think it gives me a chance,” she said.
The elder who had spoken before leaned forward again.
“A formal challenge requires more than a claim,” he said. “It requires grounds.”
Victoria nodded.
“I have grounds,” she said.
Kane’s voice lowered.
“Then say them.”
Victoria took a breath.
Not because she needed it.
Because she wanted the moment.
“The territories were never meant to be consolidated under one Alpha,” she said. “Alexander took them through force. You took them after him through war. But that does not make it lawful.”
A murmur moved through the elders.
Kane did not react.
Victoria continued.
“I was part of that structure,” she said. “Which means I have a right to challenge it.”
Aria stepped closer to Kane.
“This is manipulation,” she said quietly.
Kane did not look at her.
“I know,” he replied.
Victoria’s gaze flicked between them briefly before returning to Kane.
“You can deny it,” she said. “Or you can face it.”
Kane’s voice dropped again.
“You are not in a position to make demands.”
Victoria’s expression shifted slightly.
Not anger.
Something colder.
“I am in exactly that position,” she said.
Devon stepped forward then.
Just enough to stand fully beside her.
Not behind.
Not ahead.
Beside.
“We are not here to ask permission,” he said. “We are here to initiate the process.”
Marcus’s posture shifted.
“That process includes accountability,” he said. “You do not get to separate this from what you have done.”
Victoria looked at him.
“I am not separating anything,” she said. “I am prioritizing what matters.”
Aria’s voice sharpened.
“And what matters to you.”
Victoria did not hesitate.
“Winning,” she said.
The word landed cleanly.
Kane studied her for a long moment.
Then he spoke.
“You are asking for a formal challenge,” he said.
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.”
Kane’s gaze shifted briefly to the elders.
They were watching.
Kane looked back at her.
“And you think you are ready for that.”
Victoria’s lips curved slightly.
“I know I am,” she said.
Kane took another step forward.
The space between them closed just enough to matter.
“Then understand something,” he said quietly.
Victoria held his gaze.
Kane’s voice dropped lower.
“If you do this, there is no turning back.”
Victoria did not blink.
“I am counting on that,” she said.
The room held still.
The weight of it settled fully now.
This was not a threat.
Not posturing.
This was real.
One of the elders stood slowly.
“Then we proceed,” he said. “A formal challenge will be scheduled.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
Kane did not move.
The elder continued.
“Until then, both parties are expected to maintain order and avoid escalation.”
Devon let out a quiet breath.
Victoria did not look away from Kane.
“Of course,” she said.
Kane’s gaze remained locked on hers.
“Of course,” he repeated.
The words carried a different meaning when he said them.
Victoria turned slightly.
“Then we will prepare,” she said.
She began to step back.
Devon followed.
But before they reached the door, Kane spoke again.
“Victoria.”
She stopped.
She turned back slowly.
Kane’s expression had not changed.
But his voice had.
“Be very sure about what you are doing,” he said.
Victoria studied him for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“I am,” she said.
She turned again.
She and Devon walked out together.
The doors closed behind them.
The silence that followed was heavier than before.
Aria exhaled slowly.
“This is not just a challenge,” she said.
Kane did not respond immediately.
His gaze stayed on the closed doors.
Marcus stepped closer.
“They are too confident,” he said.
Kane nodded once.
“Yes,” he said.
Aria looked at him.
“That means they have something we do not see yet.”
Kane finally turned away from the door.
His expression settled into something sharper.
More focused.
“Then we find it,” he said.
The elder who had spoken earlier stepped forward again.
“You do not have much time,” he said. “They would not have come forward unless they believed they could win.”
Kane met his gaze.
“They cannot win,” he said.
The elder did not look convinced.
“That remains to be seen,” he replied.
The room shifted again.
This was no longer about waiting.
It was about preparation.
Aria stepped closer to Kane.
“We need to understand what they are planning,” she said.
Kane nodded.
“And we will,” he said.
Marcus crossed his arms.
“They are not relying on strength alone,” he said. “This is strategy.”
Kane’s gaze hardened.
“Then we outplay them,” he said.
Aria studied him carefully.
“You are very sure,” she said.
Kane looked at her.
“I have to be,” he said.
The words settled between them.
But something in the room still felt off.
Something unfinished.
Marcus turned slightly toward the hallway.
“Maya,” he said suddenly.
Aria’s focus snapped to him.
“What about her,” she asked.
Marcus’s expression shifted.
“The bond,” he said. “It just changed.”
Kane’s gaze sharpened.
“What do you mean.”
Marcus did not look away.
“I cannot feel her the same way I could a few minutes ago,” he said.
Aria’s chest tightened.
“That is not possible.”
Marcus shook his head slightly.
“It is happening,” he said.
Kane moved immediately.
“Medical room,” he said.
They moved.
Fast.
The hallway blurred as they reached the door.
Marcus got there first.
He pushed it open.
And then he stopped.
Aria came up behind him.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
Marcus did not answer.
Kane stepped forward.
He looked past Marcus.
And the room fell into silence again.
Because the bed was empty.