Chapter 16
809 Words
The council chamber felt smaller than usual.
Elvis sat at the long table, his back straight, his hands resting calmly in front of him. On the outside, he looked composed. On the inside, his wolf paced restlessly, irritated by the tension filling the room.
Political matters had been piling up for days now. Border disputes. Trade concerns. Pack alliances. And now this.
The elders sat across from him, their expressions tight and calculating. His father, the Alpha King, sat at the head of the table, his gaze unreadable.
“Elvis,” one of the elders began, stroking his grey beard, “the pack is unsettled.”
Another nodded. “Whispers are spreading.”
Elvis already knew this. He heard them too. He felt them in the way wolves watched him, waited for him to act. Still, he said nothing.
“The Luna position remains uncertain,” another elder added.
There it was.
Elvis clenched his jaw slightly but kept his voice calm. “There is no uncertainty. I have a mate.”
A murmur spread through the room.
“But she has not accepted,” an elder replied quickly. “And the pack sees that as rejection.”
Elvis’s eyes darkened. “She asked for time.”
Time, the elders did not like.
His father finally spoke. “Time is a luxury a throne does not always have.”
Elvis turned his gaze to him. “With respect, Father, the bond is sacred. It cannot be rushed.”
One elder scoffed. “Sacred or not, the pack needs stability. A Luna who stands beside her Alpha.”
Another leaned forward. “If Irene refuses to be claimed, perhaps you should consider taking another Luna.”
The words hit him like a blow.
Elvis froze. His wolf snarled violently inside him.
“Say that again,” he said slowly.
The elder did not back down. “There are many suitable candidates. High ranking females. Strong bloodlines. Loyal.”
Another elder added sharply, “Not some useless Omega who thinks she’s better than everyone else.”
The room went deadly silent.
Elvis stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
“Do not speak about her like that,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.
Several elders stiffened.
“I am not interested in your ‘many beautiful girls,’” Elvis continued, anger rising. “Rank means nothing to me. And Irene is not useless.”
One elder sneered. “She embarrassed you. Ran from you. Refused you.”
“She did none of those things,” Elvis snapped. “She was overwhelmed.”
His father raised a hand. “Enough.”
Elvis turned sharply. “If this council thinks I will discard my mate like a political tool, you are mistaken.”
He moved to leave, fury rolling off him.
“Elvis.”
His father’s voice stopped him.
“Everyone out,” the Alpha King commanded.
The elders hesitated but obeyed. One by one, they filed out of the chamber until only father and son remained.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Elvis stood rigid, his fists clenched. “If you plan to threaten me too”
His father sighed deeply. “Sit.”
Reluctantly, Elvis did.
“You are my son,” his father said slowly. “And the future Alpha King. My duty is to the pack.”
“And mine,” Elvis replied.
“Which is why this situation cannot drag on forever,” his father said. “The throne cannot stay empty for long.”
Elvis’s chest tightened. “So you would force me to take another Luna?”
His father looked away for a moment. “I don’t want to.”
That surprised him.
“But politics do not wait for feelings,” the Alpha King continued. “If Irene truly refuses, the pack will fracture.”
“She hasn’t refused,” Elvis said firmly.
“Then prove it,” his father replied.
Elvis frowned.
“I will give you three weeks,” the Alpha King said reluctantly. “Three weeks to win her heart. To have her stand beside you willingly.”
Elvis’s breath caught.
“If after that time she still resists,” his father continued, voice heavy, “you will be required to take another Luna.”
The words burned.
Elvis stood slowly, fury simmering beneath his calm exterior. “You ask me to gamble my mate.”
“I ask you to secure your throne,” his father replied.
Elvis bowed stiffly, the gesture sharp and formal. “Understood.”
He turned and stormed out of the chamber, the doors slamming shut behind him.
His wolf roared inside his chest.
Three weeks.
Three weeks to prove that patience was stronger than politics.
And he swore no matter what he would not force Irene into accepting him.
- Writer
