THE ROGUE ALPHA’S FORSAKEN MATE

Chapter 17

The next morning, I was summoned to the elders' hall.

A young wolf I didn't recognize came to the house at dawn. He knocked twice, delivered the message, and left without waiting for a response. Mara was already awake. She looked at me from across the kitchen table, her expression unreadable.

"Already?" she asked.

"Already."

I dressed slowly. I didn't know why. It wasn't as if I had anything to prepare for. I knew what they were going to say. I had known since the moment Kael arrived in Ashford. They were not going to approve the bond. They were never going to approve it.

Kael was waiting for me outside the house. He had been sleeping in the clearing, but someone must have told him about the summons. He looked tired. He always looked tired now. I wondered if he had slept at all since he arrived.

"I'll come with you," he said.

"No."

"Nova—"

"I need to do this by myself." I met his eyes. "Please."

He didn't like it. I could see it in his expression. But he nodded.

"I'll be here when you're done."

I walked to the elders' hall alone. The morning was quiet. The pack grounds were mostly empty. A few wolves were out, going about their morning routines, but they stopped when they saw me. They watched me pass. Some of them looked at me with pity. Others with contempt. I kept my head down and kept walking.

The elders' hall was cold when I entered. Three elders sat at the long table. Elder Corvin was in the center. Elder Miriam was on his left. Elder Aldric was on his right. My father stood near the head of the table, his face pale. He didn't look at me when I walked in.

"Nova," Elder Corvin said. "Sit."

I sat.

"We have called you here to discuss the matter of the bond," he continued. "The council has not reached a decision."

I stared at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means we need more time."

"How much time?"

The elder didn't answer.

I looked at my father. He didn't meet my eyes.

"You've had weeks," I said. "You've had more than enough time to decide."

"These things take careful consideration."

"These things?" I stood. "You're not considering anything. You're stalling."

Elder Corvin's expression hardened. "You will watch your tone."

"No." I met his eyes. "I won't. You gave me two weeks to find Kael. I found him. He came forward. He stood before you. He answered every question you asked. And still, you won't decide."

"We need more time."

"You need more time because you've already decided." I felt my hands shaking. "You're just waiting for me to give up."

The room was silent.

Elder Miriam shifted in her seat. She was older than the others, her face lined with years of watching and waiting. She had always been quiet. She had always let the others speak first. But now she looked at me, and there was something in her eyes I hadn't seen before. Something like regret.

"Nova," she said quietly. "This is not an easy decision."

"It shouldn't be a difficult one." I looked at her. "I found the wolf who marked me. He came forward. He stood before you. He answered every question you asked. What more do you want from him?"

"We want to know he can protect you."

"He can."

"How do you know?"

I didn't answer immediately. How did I know? I knew because of the way Kael had stood beside me when Declan and Wren confronted us. I knew because of the way he had looked at me when he said I was the only thing that had felt right in three years. I knew because of the way he had left his settlement, his people, his life to come to Ashford and stand before the elders.

"Because I know him," I said finally.

Elder Miriam studied me for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly.

"I believe you," she said.

Elder Corvin looked at her sharply. "Miriam—"

"I believe her," she repeated. "But belief is not enough. The council must be unanimous. And we are not."

I felt my heart sink.

"We need more time," Elder Corvin said again. "A week. Perhaps two."

"You've already had weeks."

"And we need more."

I looked at my father. "Do you have anything to say?"

He didn't answer.

I turned and walked out.

***

Kael was waiting for me outside.

He took one look at my face and knew.

"They're not going to approve it," he said.

"No."

"What are they going to do?"

"Delay. Again. They want more time."

"How much more?"

"I don't know. A week. Two. It doesn't matter." I looked at him. "They're never going to approve it, Kael. They're just waiting for me to give up."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "What are you going to do?"

I looked at him. I thought about the elders. About my father's silence. About Wren's smile. About the whispers and the stares and the way the pack looked at me like I was a problem to be solved.

"I'm thinking about leaving," I said.

Kael didn't look surprised. He just nodded slowly.

"Where would you go?"

"I don't know. Somewhere else. Somewhere I can start over."

"You could come with me," he said. "To the settlement."

I looked at him.

"It's not much," he continued. "But it's something. A place where no one judges you by your bloodline or your past. A place where you could be yourself."

I didn't answer immediately. I thought about the settlement. About Ilsa and the survivors. About the small house Kael had offered me. About the possibility of building something new.

"I don't know," I said. "I need to think."

"Take your time."

I spent the rest of the day thinking.

I walked through the pack grounds. I watched the wolves go about their lives. I listened to the whispers. I saw the stares. I felt the weight of everything I had lost and everything I was about to lose.

I thought about my mother. About the truth Mara had told me. About the power that had been suppressed inside me for my whole life. I thought about what it would mean to stay here. To fight for a place in a pack that would never truly accept me.

I thought about Kael. About the way he looked at me. About the way he made me feel seen. About the way he had risked everything to come to Ashford and stand beside me.

I thought about leaving. About walking away from everything I had ever known. About starting over in a place where no one knew my name or my past.

That evening, I walked back to the house and found Mara waiting.

"You look tired," she said.

"I am."

"Did something happen?"

I told her about the elders. About their refusal to decide. About my conversation with Kael.

When I finished, Mara was quiet for a long moment.

"You're thinking about leaving," she said.

It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"With Kael?"

"Yes."

Mara nodded slowly. She didn't look surprised. She didn't look upset. She looked like she had been expecting this for a long time.

"I've been in this pack for decades," she said. "I've watched it change. I've watched it become something I barely recognize. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

I stared at her. "You would let me go?"

"I would help you go." She reached for my hand. "You were never meant to stay here, Nova. You were meant for something more."

I felt tears prick my eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't." She smiled. "I'll follow you. When the time is right."

I hugged her. She held me tight.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. My mind was racing. I thought about Kael. About the settlement. About the possibility of starting over. I thought about the elders. About their delays. About their refusal to see me as anything other than a problem.

I thought about my father. About his silence. About the way he had stood by while the elders decided my future.

I thought about leaving.

And for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid.