Chapter 174 CHAPTER 174
Ethan had barely stepped out of the council chamber when one of the palace staff hurried down the corridor toward him, bowing slightly before speaking. The man’s voice carried urgency, but also caution.
“Your Majesty,” he said carefully, “you have guests.”
Ethan stopped walking but did not turn fully. His patience was already worn thin. “What guests?” he asked, his voice controlled but strained.
“It is the council of elders from Silverpine, Your Majesty.”
For a brief moment, Ethan did not respond. The timing alone felt like mockery. He had just learned that his own council had reshaped his memory without consent. He had just uncovered the truth about his parents’ past. And now the very people who had rejected his sister, who had humiliated her publicly and kept her from him, had arrived at his doors.
He lifted one hand in a small, dismissive gesture. “Let them in.”
He did not elaborate. He did not soften his tone.
Behind him, the Mooncrest council remained inside the chamber, sensing the storm that was forming. Lisa stood near the long stone table, her heart beating harder than she cared to admit. She had never met the Silverpine elders face to face since the day they had turned her away as their future Luna. The thought of seeing them now, after everything that had unfolded, made her chest tighten.
A few moments later, the heavy doors opened again.
Alpha Richard entered first.
He was followed by Sebastian, his posture less certain than it once had been, Cedric and two other elders from Silverpine. Their expressions were not proud. They were not defensive. They carried the unmistakable weight of men who knew they had come to kneel.
When they reached the center of the chamber, Richard lowered himself first. The others followed immediately, kneeling before the throne without hesitation.
“Your Majesty,” Richard began, his voice steady but subdued, “we have come to apologize.”
Ethan remained standing at the head of the table, his jaw tight.
“We know,” Richard continued, “that we have wronged your sister. We know that our actions were unjust. We deserve punishment. But we ask you, just once, to show us mercy.”
The word mercy echoed in Ethan’s mind like an insult.
“Mercy?” he repeated quietly.
Richard kept his head lowered. “We have come to admit our failure. We should not have judged Princess Lisa the way we did. We allowed pride and fear to guide us. For that, we are ashamed.”
Lisa felt Celia stirring inside her, anger rising like a spark against dry leaves. The memory of that rejection had not faded. To hear them now asking for mercy felt like salt pressed into a wound that had never fully healed.
Ethan took one step forward.
“Tell me,” he said, his voice beginning to thicken with restrained fury, “why I should not tear each one of you apart for what you put my sister through.”
The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop.
His shoulders broadened subtly, his posture shifting as if something beneath his skin was pushing outward. The Lycan form surfaced not with spectacle but with unmistakable authority. His eyes darkened, his presence expanding until the space itself felt smaller around him.
Rex had stepped forward.
“You rejected her,” he thundered, the dual resonance of wolf and man layered in his voice. “You use her as the pack’s slave and humiliated her in front of your pack. You treated her as if she were unworthy of the blood she carries.”
Sebastian flinched slightly, though he remained kneeling. Richard did not raise his head.
“And now,” Rex continued, “you come here asking for kindness. Why shouldn’t I treat you with the same kind of treatment you showed my sister?”
The Silverpine elders remained bowed, though the tension in their bodies betrayed the fear they were fighting to contain. They had known Ethan was powerful. They had not expected to feel that power so close.
Lisa felt her own breath grow shallow. Celia’s anger was blazing within her, but it was mixed now with something else. Fear. Not of the elders, but of the force radiating from her brother.
The Mooncrest council remained silent, watching carefully. They could see the line Ethan was nearing. They could feel how close he was to crossing it.
That was when Lora rose.
She did not hurry, nor did she show fear. She walked toward Ethan with the same measured calm she had once used when he was a child wrestling with nightmares.
“Ethan,” she said gently.
His head turned toward her, but he did not fully pivot his body.
“What?” he asked, the word rough and edged.
“I am not speaking to you as an elder,” Lora replied, her tone firm but warm. “Turn around and look at me. I am now talking to you as your guardian.”
There was a pause before he obeyed.
When he faced her more fully, she held his gaze without flinching.
“Rex,” she said softly, addressing the wolf directly, “I know they have wronged you. I know they deserve the anger you feel. But if you act on it now, what will you gain?”
His claws flexed at his sides.
“You may satisfy your rage for a moment,” she continued, “but you will lose something greater. You will lose the throne. You will lose the trust of your people. And you will become exactly what your enemies hope you will become.”
Lisa stepped closer, her voice trembling but steady enough to carry.
“Brother,” she said quietly, “I know they hurt us. I know they hurt me. But I don’t want to lose you too.”
Celia echoed her from within, her emotions blending with Lisa’s words. “Please,” Lisa added, “don’t let them turn you into something you’re not.”
Rex’s gaze shifted to her.
He saw the fear in her eyes - not fear of punishment, but fear of him.
That pierced deeper than the betrayal ever had.
Slowly, the tension in his frame began to ease. The Lycan form receded gradually, his claws withdrawing, his posture settling back into Ethan’s familiar shape. The air in the chamber lightened, though the silence remained thick.
Ethan did not look at the Silverpine elders again.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the chamber.
The doors closed behind him.
Richard and the others slowly lifted their heads, unsure whether to speak. Before they could attempt it, Kellan rose from his seat, his voice calm and procedural.
“Until the king summons you again,” he said evenly, “you will remain in custody.”
Richard’s brows drew together slightly. “In custody?”
“You will not leave Mooncrest,” Kellan clarified. “You will be escorted to the lower quarters. You will speak only when called upon by the council or by the king himself.”
There was no malice in his tone. Only order.
Richard inclined his head in acceptance. “We submit to your authority.”
The guards stepped forward, guiding the Silverpine delegation toward the doors without unnecessary force. They did not resist.
Lisa watched them leave, her emotions tangled. Part of her felt vindicated. Another part felt hollow. None of this erased what had happened. None of it restored the years she had spent questioning her place.
When the chamber was finally quiet again, Lora exhaled softly.
“He is breaking,” she said, not to anyone in particular.
Kellan nodded. “No,” he corrected gently. “It was too much for one day, even for him to handle. He’ll be fine, let’s have little faith in our king.” he patted Lora’s shoulder as he left the room.
The rest of the elders were still seated, not sure how to move forward.
And somewhere down the corridor, Ethan stood alone, wrestling not with his council, not with Silverpine, but with the weight of being both king, wolf and brother at the same time.