Chapter 34 - The Council
1299 Words
The events of yesterday stayed with Elara as she stepped out of her room the following morning.
Spending time with Rafe, Seren, and Rowan had been useful. For the first time since arriving in Draegon, she had seen more than warriors, politics, and tension. She had seen friendships, routines, and the people who made the pack what it was.
Unfortunately, she still didn't have the answers she wanted.
Her thoughts kept returning to the same questions.
Draven.
The war.
The history between Draegon and Valamere.
Every conversation seemed to follow the same pattern. People answered enough to satisfy curiosity before steering away from anything important. The deeper she dug, the more convinced she became that entire pieces of the story were missing.
Someone knew the truth.
Several people, if she was being honest.
The challenge was finding the right person to ask.
That had been her plan for the morning.
Thorne might not appreciate being cornered, but she was rapidly running out of alternatives.
The pack house had already come alive around her. Voices drifted through open windows. Somewhere outside, warriors trained in the morning sun, the distant impact of blows carrying through the cool air.
Elara rounded a corner and nearly walked straight into the man she had been looking for.
"Looking for me?"
She stopped.
Thorne approached from the opposite end of the corridor.
One glance told her this wasn't a good morning.
Tension sat heavily across his shoulders. His expression was harder than usual, and his jaw looked tight enough to c***k stone.
"Maybe."
His gaze settled on her.
"Change of plans."
That immediately caught her attention.
"What happened?"
"The council is at the border."
Elara blinked.
"The council?"
"They arrived twenty minutes ago."
She stared at him.
"Twenty minutes?"
"Apparently they considered that sufficient notice."
A laugh escaped before she could stop it.
The look he sent her was immediate.
She pressed her lips together.
"Sorry."
"You should be."
The corner of her mouth twitched.
Seeing Thorne irritated was far more amusing than it should have been.
"They wanted an update."
"They could have requested one."
There was enough annoyance in his voice to make her feel sorry for whichever pack member had been tasked with delivering the news.
Without another word, he headed toward the center of the pack.
Elara followed.
The largest meeting hall in Draegon stood near the heart of the territory. The building had hosted Alphas, treaty negotiations, and pack gatherings for generations. Thick stone walls rose toward exposed wooden beams darkened by age and smoke.
Today the hall was already full.
Conversation drifted through the open doors as they approached.
The moment Thorne stepped inside, it disappeared.
A dozen conversations died at once. Several council members straightened in their seats while others suddenly found reason to study the reports spread across the table.
Whatever mood Thorne carried into the room, everyone else felt it too.
Everyone except Valric.
The councilman sat near the center of the table with the same calm expression he always wore. His gaze found Thorne immediately, and a faint smile touched his mouth.
The smile looked less welcoming than challenging.
"Alpha Thorne."
"Councilman."
Neither greeting sounded friendly.
Valric's smile widened slightly.
Around the table sat several familiar faces from previous meetings.
One woman stood out immediately.
Dark-haired and younger than most of the council, she seemed far more interested in people than paperwork. While others organized reports, her attention moved between Thorne and Elara with quiet curiosity.
Valric followed Elara's gaze.
"I don't believe you've met Councilwoman Andrea."
The woman inclined her head.
"A pleasure."
Warmth touched her voice in a way that felt unusual among the council.
"Likewise."
Andrea smiled briefly before turning her attention back to the room.
Valric rose from his chair.
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin."
The meeting opened with updates regarding the bond.
Questions followed regarding stability between Draegon and Valamere.
Trade routes had reopened.
Border incidents had decreased.
Several council members appeared pleased with the reports.
Thorne handled most of the discussion himself.
His answers were concise and carefully measured. Every response provided exactly what was requested and nothing more.
Eventually one council member offered a diplomatic smile.
"We appreciate your cooperation on such short notice."
Thorne looked at him for a long moment.
"You didn't give me a choice."
The smile disappeared.
A chair creaked somewhere down the table.
Several council members lowered their eyes to the reports in front of them.
Valric remained completely at ease.
"The council has a responsibility to oversee agreements affecting multiple packs."
Thorne held his gaze.
"Then perhaps next time the council can remember basic courtesy and provide notice."
The words hung between them.
No one rushed to fill the silence.
Valric folded his hands together.
"Your concerns are noted."
Courtesy wrapped neatly around dismissal.
The look Thorne gave him suggested he recognized both.
The meeting moved forward.
Reports changed hands.
Questions shifted.
Then one councilman glanced down at his notes.
"And the prisoners?"
Elara resisted the urge to look at Thorne.
Immediately she found herself remembering her first night in Draegon.
Someone inside the pack was feeding information elsewhere.
At the time she hadn't known what to make of the claim.
Now she listened more carefully.
"The Valamere wolves," the councilman clarified.
Thorne's expression remained unchanged.
"What about them?"
"Have they returned to Valamere?"
A flicker of impatience crossed his face.
"Yes."
As far as Thorne was concerned, that should have been the end of the discussion.
The wolves were back in Valamere.
Nothing else mattered.
Valric glanced toward the councilman.
"Then the matter is resolved."
Several people nodded and returned to their reports.
The conversation moved on.
Elara remained focused on the exchange.
No one had asked what happened.
No one seemed interested in how the wolves had made it back.
The subject had been accepted and filed away with surprising ease.
Beside her, Thorne appeared relaxed.
Only his attention remained sharp as the discussion continued around him.
The thought lingered with her long after the conversation shifted elsewhere.
Eventually Valric turned the conversation toward another topic.
"And the future?"
The room quieted.
Heat crept into Elara's cheeks.
She already knew where this was going.
"The heir."
Elara immediately found the grain of the table fascinating.
"The original timeline remains reasonable," Valric said. "Though sooner would undoubtedly be preferable."
Across the table, Thorne lifted his gaze.
"My bond is not a council project."
The words carried through the room without effort.
Several council members straightened.
One man's hand paused halfway to his notes.
Only Valric appeared unaffected.
"It's a matter of stability."
Their gazes locked.
The tension between them stretched across the table, forcing everyone else to choose between watching and pretending not to.
Most chose the second option.
Eventually Valric leaned back in his chair.
The pressure in the room eased enough for conversation to resume.
The remainder of the meeting passed quickly after that.
Reports were finalized.
Documents gathered.
Council members rose from their seats and began preparing for departure.
Andrea lingered near the far side of the room while the others spoke among themselves.
More than once, Elara caught the woman looking in her direction.
Then toward Thorne.
Then back again.
The curiosity in her expression reminded Elara of someone trying to solve a puzzle.
A few moments later, Andrea followed the others toward the exit.
Elara watched her disappear through the doorway before her attention drifted back to Thorne.
He remained seated, watching the departing council members until the last of them disappeared from sight.
For reasons she couldn't fully explain, that bothered her more than the meeting itself.
On her first night in Draegon, Thorne had told her someone inside the pack was talking.
After today, the possibility felt far harder to dismiss.
- Writer
