THE ALPHA'S SILENT BETRAYAL

Chapter 20: The First Choice

Devlin's POV

The first thing I did after Kaelan left was check the door. I don't even know why. Four years of being watched had taught me to expect a lock whenever someone said I was safe. My fingers closed around the iron latch. I pulled, and it opened easily. No lock, no hidden mechanism, no guard waiting to stop me. Just a door.

I let go slowly, pressed my forehead against the cool wood, and closed my eyes. Six miles. That was all that separated me from Red Moon Pack. Six miles from the life I'd known for years, from the pack where every part of my life had existed. Where I stood. What I wore. What I was allowed to say. What I was expected to endure. Even my place as Luna had never really felt like mine.

I had spent years telling myself it was normal. That being Luna meant sacrifice. It meant standing beside my mate no matter what. That a good woman endured what she had to endure for the sake of her pack. Or at least, that's what they'd made me believe.

I pushed away from the door and walked toward the window. Beyond the glass, the land around Veyrith stretched quiet and green. There were no guards outside my room. No one watching the path. The silence should have made me feel free. Instead, it made me uneasy.

Freedom was strange when you'd spent so long being told where you belonged.

A sharp knock hit the door. I turned quickly.

"Who is it?"

"It's Lance, Luna Devlin."

I froze. Why was he here?

Jason's Beta had served Red Moon long before I became Luna. He was Jason's best friend and one of the few people who had always treated me with respect.

"What are you doing here?"

"Kaelan allowed me five minutes."

"Why?"

"I came without weapons. Under the old peace custom."

That made sense. Even enemies knew better than to violate an Alpha King's peace inside his own Keep.

The latch moved.

"I'm coming in."

Lance stepped inside, exhausted. Mud and pine needles clung to his shoes, his hair was messy, and his face looked drawn from lack of sleep. His hands stayed where I could see them.

I didn't relax.

"What do you want?"

"Jason sent me."

Something inside my chest sank, even though I'd known that was probably why he'd come. He pulled a folded letter from his pocket, sealed with dark crimson wax and the Red Moon crest.

"Take it back."

"Devlin—"

"I said I don't want it."

"But he wrote it himself. It took him two hours to put it down."

"Then he can keep it."

Lance lowered the letter.

"Devlin, please. I'm telling you this as his friend. He hasn't been himself. He's at the river, been there since dawn. He won't come back to the estate. He won't eat or sleep. His wolf is losing control."

I looked away.

"That's not my problem anymore."

"The pack house is in chaos," Lance continued. "Elder Thorne is trying to convince the Council to place the pack under temporary leadership."

I glanced at him.

"And what does Jason want?"

"He wants to see you."

I shook my head.

"Just five minutes. Please."

"He said if you look him in the eyes and tell him you want him to leave you alone, he'll accept it. He said he needs to hear it from you."

For a second, I said nothing. There was a part of me that wanted to go. I never wanted to return, but my wolf wanted to see him, even for a brief moment. Part of me still wanted an ending I could understand. I wanted to hear what he had to say. Maybe I wanted to know if there was anything left in his voice that sounded like the man I had once believed he was. But wanting an explanation wasn't the same as owing him one.

I looked at the letter in his hand.

"Tell him I said no."

"Devlin."

My voice was quiet this time.

"He doesn't get to decide when I see him."

Lance studied my face before placing the letter back inside his pocket.

"I'll tell him."

"Good. Now leave."

He bowed his head and walked out. The door closed behind him.

I stood there staring at the closed door, feeling the weight of what I'd just done settle over me. It wasn't an easy decision, but I had to. My wolf whimpered softly inside me, then went quiet.

A few moments later, a soft movement came from the other side of the room. I turned and found Kaelan standing beneath the stone archway. He'd been there, listening. My face warmed up.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"You could have taken his letter."

"I didn't want it."

"Maybe used it to bargain for your belongings. Official release. Anything you believed you were owed."

"I don't want anything from Jason," I said. "Not his apologies either. I just need time to think."

"Then take all the time you need. There is no rush."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small iron key hanging from a leather strap. "The key to your chamber and the side gate. There are no guards outside your door."

He placed it in my palm. I stared at it for a while. After everything that had happened, I almost laughed at how simple it looked.

"You aren't being held here," he said. "Leave tomorrow if you want. Stay if you want."

I looked up at him.

"You aren't going to ask me to join your pack?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"How about my loyalty?"

He looked at me without changing his expression.

"Or use the power inside me for your throne?"

"No, Devlin."

His answer came so quickly that I believed him before I had time to question it.

A faint smile touched his mouth.

"I don't take what isn't freely given. And I certainly won't demand obedience from a woman carrying the blood of the Old Lands."

The Old Lands. The words still felt strange. A place I'd barely heard about. It was connected to my mother and the power now waking inside me. There were so many things I didn't understand. Why my wolf had awakened now. Why the power inside me felt different from anything I'd ever known. Why Kaelan seemed to know things about me that I didn't know about myself.

But he didn't press me for answers. He didn't ask what I planned to do with the power or ask me to promise anything. He just stood there and let me hold the key.

"You are safe here because you chose to be here," he said. "The moment you want to choose something else, the gate is always open. Make your choice."

I closed my fingers around the key.

For the first time in my life, the choice was mine.

Then a knock sounded again at the door.

Kaelan's expression changed.He turned towards it.

"Your Majesty," a guard called from the other side. "We have a problem."

I looked at Kaelan.

"What happened?" The guard hesitated.

"Red Moon has sent an official demand for Luna Devlin."

My fingers tightened around the key.

I had thought leaving Red Moon meant I was finally free of them.I was wrong.