Chapter 24 : The Council of Wolves
The Lycan Council Hall rose from the centre of the Dominion like a monolith carved from moonstone. Runes spiralled over the walls in shifting patterns, glowing faintly as Kael approached with Darius at his side. The closer they drew, the heavier the air became — thick with power, politics, and tension older than either of them.
Guardians flanked the wide doors, bowing their heads. They didn’t question Kael’s presence despite his exile; no one would dare. Not when they could feel the change in the air — an old magic that hadn’t pulsed like this in centuries.
The Lost Luna was awakening.
The council chamber buzzed with voices as they entered, but the sound died instantly. Twelve Elders sat in a crescent, each representing a major bloodline. Along the edges stood warriors, emissaries, and nobles. But Kael barely acknowledged them. His gaze travelled immediately to the two figures seated at the highest tier.
King Aldric. Queen Veyra.
His parents.
Aldric’s silver gaze hardened when he saw Kael, though his expression remained controlled. Veyra, by contrast, smiled — a slow, calculating curve that never reached her eyes.
“It seems the banished prince returns,” she said lightly, her voice like silk stretched over steel.
Kael bowed, not out of respect but because protocol required it. “I come because the Priests are moving.”
A ripple of unease travelled through the room.
Darius remained a step behind him, expression unreadable, but every muscle coiled as if anticipating violence.
Elder Theron, the eldest of them all, leaned forward. His long white hair glowed faintly in the rune-light. “We have sensed activity near the eastern ridge. It is unlike their usual behaviour.”
Kael nodded. “They’ve found a focal point.”
Veyra’s eyes narrowed. “A focal point… or a person?”
Silence shifted sharply.
Kael didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
Elder Maren, the seer of the council, inhaled sharply. “The Lost Luna. The signs have been unmistakable. The bond awakens. The prophecy stirs.”
Shouts broke out immediately — some fearful, some triumphant, others enraged.
“She must be brought here before the Priests do!”
“She is a threat—”
“She is the key—”
“The Priests will slaughter us all if we expose her—”
Aldric’s fist struck the arm of his throne, cracking the stone beneath his knuckles. The chamber fell silent.
“We will not speak her name,” he growled, “until we know the extent of her power. The Priests hunt her for a reason. We cannot risk exposing the Dominion.”
Kael stepped forward, voice low but steady. “You risk far more by keeping her ignorant.”
Veyra’s eyes flickered, amused. “You have always been drawn to her. Even before the banishment. Even before the prophecy was spoken aloud.”
Kael ignored the bait.
“She must remain hidden until the time is right,” Elder Maren insisted. “Her wolf has not fully awakened. Her body is not ready.”
“And when it does awaken?” Aldric asked, his gaze landing on Kael with icy sharpness. “Do you believe she will accept her role? That she will understand the burden we all bear?”
Kael met his father’s stare, refusing to look away. “She doesn’t need to accept it. She just needs to survive.”
Veyra tilted her head. “And you intend to be the one who ensures that?”
Kael said nothing — which was an answer.
The murmurs rose again, some supportive, others hostile.
“You would risk the Dominion for one girl?”
“You would defy your King?”
“He acts as if she belongs to him—”
“She does,” someone whispered.
The words travelled through the chamber like wildfire.
Darius stiffened.
Veyra’s smile sharpened to a blade.
Aldric’s aura pulsed, complex and dangerous. “Explain.”
Kael stepped forward, shoulders squared. “The bond has begun. She feels the pull. She called to me — even through the wards.”
Gasps broke out.
A few Elders stood in shock.
Veyra’s eyes glittered with triumph. “So the rumours are true.”
Aldric’s expression turned to stone. “And you concealed this.”
“She is safer hidden,” Kael said. “If word spreads—”
“Word has already spread,” Veyra purred. “The Priests have felt her. And so have others.”
The temperature in the room dropped.
“Others?” Kael’s voice was barely controlled.
Elder Theron nodded gravely. “There are whispers beyond our borders. Old clans. Exiled packs. Opportunists who see the Luna as a weapon — or a prize.”
Darius cursed under his breath.
Aldric rose slowly, power gathering around him like a storm. “Her existence threatens the Dominion.”
Kael took a step forward. “Her existence could save it.”
“Or destroy it!” Aldric snapped.
Veyra looked between father and son, her smile widening. “The question is not what she is, but who controls her.”
A growl rumbled in Kael’s chest. “She is not a thing to control.”
“No,” Veyra whispered. “But she is the key. And keys unlock power older than this Dominion itself.”
The Elders erupted into argument again, but Kael heard none of it.
He heard only the distant call — a soft pulse through the air, the faint echo of her heartbeat through the bond.
Aria.
He forced his voice steady. “I will return to her.”
Aldric’s eyes snapped toward him. “You will stay where you are commanded.”
Kael met his father’s gaze unflinchingly. “I am her mate.”
Silence crashed into the room.
Even the air seemed to stop moving.
Aldric’s voice grew dangerously quiet. “And because of that bond, you are the greatest danger to her. If the Priests take you — if they twist that link — they will have full access to her power.”
“That will not happen.”
“You cannot guarantee that.”
Kael held his father’s stare. “I will protect her. With or without the council’s approval.”
Aldric stepped forward, power crackling like lightning around him.
“You are still my son—”
“No,” Kael cut in. “I am her mate before anything else.”
The shock on the Elders’ faces told him everything he needed to know.
The battle lines were drawn.
Veyra reclined in her throne, satisfaction curling around her like mist. “Then let the games begin.”
But Darius, always the quiet anchor beside him, leaned subtly closer.
“Kael,” he murmured, “the Priests are moving now.”
Kael’s heartbeat quickened.
Aria was in danger.
He turned toward the exit.
Aldric’s voice thundered behind him. “You walk out of this chamber, Kael, and there is no going back.”
Kael paused only for a breath.
Then he looked back over his shoulder, eyes glowing with the fierce, undeniable truth of the bond.
“She’s calling me. And I will answer.”
And without waiting for permission, the exiled prince walked out — toward the girl who was both prophecy and salvation.
Toward the Lost Luna.