THE WOLF KING'S RUIN

4

Chapter Four

The Council chamber was nothing like I expected. I'd imagined something grand and imposing with marble columns, ornate decorations, the kind of space designed to make you feel small.

Instead, it was functional to the core.

I stood behind Marcus's chair because that's where unmated guests were supposed to stand during Council sessions. The other Alphas were already seated, their eyes tracking me like predators watching prey. I kept my face neutral and my posture straight.

I'd spent ten years being stared at like I was something unclean and I could handle a few more hours.

"Gentlemen," Marcus said, and even that single word carried weight. He didn't sit immediately, he just rested one hand on the back of his chair. "I appreciate you convening on short notice."

"I didn't have much choice." The voice came from a broad-shouldered man with grey streaking his temples. Alpha Dominic Kane, if I remembered Sarah's briefing correctly. Northeastern territory, old money, older grudges.

"When the Alpha King calls a mandatory session, we come. Even when some of us have better things to do than discuss... strays."

The insult landed exactly where he intended. I felt my wolf bristle, but I kept still. This wasn't my fight yet.

Marcus smiled. It was a beautiful smile, the kind that made him look younger and more approachable, the kind that probably charmed visiting dignitaries and alliance partners. It didn't reach his eyes at all. "Your dedication to Council duties is noted, Dominic. Just As always."

He sat, the movement calculated and controlled, then gestured for the session to begin. The Alpha to his right—a lean man with sharp features named Torres—cleared his throat and opened a leather folder.

"We have one petition on today's agenda," Torres said. His voice was neutral, but I caught him glancing at me before looking back at his notes. "Alpha Evan Cross of the Crescent Lake Pack has formally requested the extradition of one Vera Ashwood, formerly of his pack, currently residing on Thorne territory without proper clearance."

"Residing is a strong word," Marcus said mildly. "She's been here three days."

"Three days without notifying the bordering packs, without filing for refugee status, without any of the proper protocols." This came from another Alpha, younger than the others, with the kind of eager energy that marked him as someone still trying to prove himself. "Pack law is clear about rogues crossing territorial lines."

"She's not a rogue." Marcus's voice didn't rise, but something in it made the young Alpha sit back in his chair. "She left her pack of her own volition, which makes her a free wolf. Free wolves can travel where they choose."

"Free wolves notify territory holders when they cross borders," Kane said. "Free wolves don't collapse half-dead at your doorstep and expect shelter without consequences."

"No, they expect basic decency. Which she received." Marcus looked around the table, meeting each Alpha's eyes in turn. "Is the Council suggesting I should have left an injured wolf in the snow? Because I'm certain that it violates at least three laws regarding the treatment of non-hostile wolves on our lands."

Torres shifted uncomfortably. "No one is suggesting that, Marcus. But Alpha Cross has made serious allegations about Miss Ashwood's departure. He claims she took pack property, violated her exile terms, and posed a potential security risk."

"He's lying." The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Every eye in the room turned to me. I felt my heart hammering, but I didn't look away. "I took nothing but the clothes on my back. There were no exile terms because I wasn't exiled—I left. And the only security risk I pose is to Evan's pride."

"You weren't given permission to speak." Kane's voice was sharp.

"She doesn't need permission to defend herself against slander," Marcus said. His tone was still mild, but there was something rigid underneath.

"Continue, Vera."

I took a breath, aware that I was walking a knife's edge. These men didn't know me, didn't care about my truth. But they cared about law, about precedent, about the rules that kept their world ordered. "Evan Cross rejected me as his mate ten years ago. Publicly. In front of the entire pack. By pack law, that severed any claim he had over me. I stayed in Crescent Lake anyway because I had nowhere else to go, but I was never under exile. I was never his prisoner. Two weeks ago, his enforcers told me to leave or they'd make me leave permanently. So I left."

"And came straight to the most powerful pack in the region." The young Alpha again, skepticism dripping from every word.

"Convenient."

"I came to the nearest border that wasn't controlled by packs allied with Evan," I said. "This is simply geography, not a strategy you must understand."

"Perhaps we should hear from Alpha Cross directly." Torres pulled out a tablet, tapping the screen. A moment later, Evan's face appeared on the large monitor mounted on the wall behind Marcus.

Seeing him again felt like touching an old wound—not fresh pain, but the memory of it. He looked exactly the same. Handsome, confident, with that easy smile that used to make my teenage heart race but now it just made me tired.

"Alpha King Thorne," Evan said, inclining his head with just enough respect to avoid insult. "Council members. Thank you for hearing my petition."