Chapter 183 Pack complications
Chapter 183: pack complications
Damon pov
When we reached my office, a scowl was already plastered on my face, while James stood before me, holding a tab that contained the mysterious message.
“Let this better be worth it” I almost growled, thinking of things I could have been doing to my mate now.
He thrust a tablet at me. On the screen was a news broadcast…emergency coverage of what they were calling "The Council Purge."
But it was the headline that made my blood run cold: QUEEN SEIZES CONTROL… SYSTEMATIC REMOVAL OF CORRUPT COUNCIL MEMBERS UNDERWAY
"What the hell..." I breathed, my hands tightening on the tablet until I heard the screen protector crack.
"It's her," James said, and there was something in his voice I couldn't quite place. "The Queen. She's been planning this for months, apparently, she had succeeded in extending her claws towards the council.
I scrolled through the article, my stomach twisting with each paragraph, and each statement that confirmed what i had just seen. This wasn't just a political shake-up. This was a complete coup. A power display of the kind of force we were dealing with.
Who was the council? The number one unit force in the werewolf kingdom, made up of all powerful old mongers that could topple mountains individually, but seeing these powerful beings being brought down by the queen herself sent cold blood through my veins.
The Queen had moved with surgical precision.
"What the hell happened?" I breathed, fighting the urge to punch something.
“News reached me that the remainder of the whole council is being integrated in the queen's army, bolstering her forces. Also I heard that they are calling her the chosen one.
"This is..." I couldn't find words. The Council, which had held power for centuries, had fallen, something no one had managed to do for centuries, despite their enemies.
I sat back, trying to process it all. This would change everything… pack politics, the power balance that have been on the edge centuries before now, and the most important thing, the ongoing war we were facing with the righteous pack. Let's not forget that it's no news that the queen is weirdly interested in Milo… this was chaos on a scale I couldn't comprehend.
"Damon." James's voice was gentle now, concerned. "Are you worried?"
"Shouldn't I be? This affects everyone, James. Our pack, our way of life…"
"But is it a bad thing?" he interrupted. "The Council was corrupt. Everyone knew it, even if we couldn't prove it. Maybe this coup, this downfall... maybe it's exactly what we needed."
"Damon." James leaned forward, his voice dropping. "This changes everything. She's calling for new elections, new leadership. She's promising fairness, transparency, and an end to the old ways."
Suddenly the temperature in the office dropped to several degrees. “Are you saying that what they have been doing to us is good?”
“Noo, alpha I was merely trying…”
"The old ways kept the balance," I interrupted him. "James, this kind of power vacuum... it could mean war."
I stood up, walking around my table.
"No more checks on royal power. James, the Queen, just executed a coup. She might be wrapping it in pretty words about corruption and justice, but we all know that she is a power maniac, who could do anything for power. Do you understand what that means?"
James's expression shuttered slightly. He refused to say it, but I saw everything in his eyes.
“Go and announce, for an emergency meeting of all the unrighteous pack, we need to be ready for whatever's coming. And we need to figure out if we are all on the same page.”
Because that was the real question, wasn't it? The Queen had just proven she could topple governments. What did that mean for packs like ours? For the delicate balance of power we'd maintained for centuries?
“Yes alpha”
After he left to prepare for the evening, I sat in my office, staring at the mangled tablet that lay on my table. She'd planned this for months. Waited. gathered evidence. Struck with perfect timing.
Just like a chess master moving pieces into position.
A knock came at the door, scattering my thoughts, as Milo entered, his expression excited. He came straight to me, straddling my laps, the same teasing and somewhat nervous smile playing on his lips.
"Damon! Everything's ready for tonight's run. The pack is gathering at sunset." He said, running his hands all over my body. Unawares of the hanging danger we were about to fall in.
"Right." I'd almost forgotten. Tonight was the full moon run, a sacred tradition. "Milo, have you heard about…"
"About?...” he asked, tilting his head to stare at me with those loving purple eyes.
Um, the co…pack run will require changing to your wolf.” I changed direction at the last minute. I didn’t know why but I couldn't bring myself to tell Milo that there is a high tendency that we will enter into another war again.
Not after I have promised him safety.
“Ohh, yes, Daphne told me.”
“And you are not bothered about it?”
"Why would I be?" He came around the desk, taking my hand. "Whatever happens tonight is the least of my problems, as long as we have each other. We have our pack. That's what matters."
I pulled him even closer, inhaling his scent. "Are you sure you're ready for this? The full moon run is important. As Luna, you'll shift first, in front of everyone. It's tradition."
"I know." There was determination in his eyes now. "I want to do this properly. I want them to see me as their Luna, not just your mate. This is how I prove myself."
"You don't have to prove anything…"
"Yes, I do." He cupped my face. "For me. I need to do this."
I studied him for a long moment, searching again for any sign of doubt or deception. But all I saw was resolve, courage, and love.
"Okay," I said finally. "We'll do this together."
His smile was brilliant. "Together," he agreed.
As sunset approached and the pack began to gather, I pushed aside my worries about the Council, about changes coming, about everything except this moment. Tonight was about pack, about tradition, about Milo taking his place as Luna.
"Ready?" I asked, already pulling off my shirt.
Milo nodded, reaching for his own clothes, the pack members were already bare under the moon, waiting for their leaders to start the ritual. I let my wolf rise, feeling bones crack and reshape, fur sprouting across my skin. The transformation was smooth, practiced. Within seconds, I stood on four legs, shaking out my dark fur.
I turned to Milo, expecting to see his smaller wolf form beside me, but he was still human, standing frozen with a look of confusion on his face.
"Milo?" I said through our bond, "What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know." His voice was tight with strain. "My wolf... she's not responding."
Concern rippled through the pack. This wasn't normal. Especially not under a full moon, when the pull to shift was strongest.
"Just relax," I said, moving closer to him.
"Don't force it. Let her come naturally."
He nodded, closing his eyes, and I could see him concentrating. The purple glow beneath his skin intensified, pulsing with his heartbeat. His body began to tremble.
"That's it," I encouraged. "Just let it happen."
But something was wrong. His trembling became violent shaking. The glow flickered erratically, bright then dim then bright again. Sweat broke out across his forehead despite the cool evening air. This was not how shifting was supposed to be…
"Milo, stop. Don't force…"
He ignored me, his face contorting with effort. His body started to shift, bones beginning to crack and reshape, but then it stopped. Stuck between forms. His back arched, a pain filled scream tore from his throat.
"Milo!" I was fully human again in seconds, not caring about any modesty. I caught him before he could reach the ground.
"Stop! You're hurting yourself!"
"I can do this," he gasped, his eyes wild with determination and pain. "I have to…"
His body convulsed in my arms, trying desperately to complete a shift that wouldn't come. The purple glow exploded outward, so bright it was blinding. The pack stumbled back, shielding their eyes.
"Milo!" His skin burned with fever, and that purple glow flickered erratically like a dying lightbulb. "Help! Someone help!"
Pack members came running. Someone called for the healer. Someone else brought water. But all I could do was hold him as his body fought against something I couldn't see or understand.
His eyes fluttered open for a moment, unfocused and frightened. "Damon?"
"I'm here. You are safe. What's happening?"
"Something's wrong," he whispered. "My wolf... he's screaming."
Then he was unconscious again.