CHAPTER 94
1789 Words
Kai didn’t sleep that night.
Or if he did, his dreams didn’t feel like rest — they felt like punishment.
He kept seeing her face. Elise’s.
At first, she was standing in front of him the way she used to — quiet, nervous, always searching his eyes before speaking. Then her expression would twist, the same image morphing into something colder. Betrayal in her stare. Blood dripping from her fingers. His mother’s voice echoing behind her.
He woke with a start, breath heavy, palms damp. The room was dark except for the dying glow of the fireplace. His bed felt too large, too empty. The bond — that cursed, fading bond — burned faintly in his chest, reminding him that she was still alive. Still inside his reach.
He dragged a hand over his face. “Stop,” he muttered to himself. “Just stop.”
But his mind didn’t. It never did anymore.
A knock came at the door.
“Enter,” he said flatly.
Lucien stepped in, his face tired but composed. He looked like he hadn’t slept either.
“Another nightmare?” Lucien asked quietly.
Kai didn’t answer. He got up and walked toward the window. The pack grounds stretched out below, silent and silver under the moonlight. Everything was calm on the outside — but he could feel the storm brewing underneath. Rumors had reached even the lowest guards. Everyone was waiting to see what their Alpha would do.
Lucien broke the silence. “The Council’s meeting again this morning. They want your presence before making their final recommendation.”
Kai’s jaw tightened. “Final recommendation,” he repeated bitterly. “They mean her execution.”
Lucien said nothing. He didn’t have to.
Kai turned around. “You don’t believe she’s guilty, do you?”
Lucien’s eyes flicked up. “I believe… there are things we don’t understand yet. But the council thinks the longer you delay, the weaker you look. The whispers are spreading, Kai. Some packs are questioning your leadership.”
“Because I haven’t killed the woman I—” He stopped, his voice catching. He clenched his fists. “The woman who betrayed me.”
Lucien’s gaze softened for a brief second. “You don’t have to decide today. But if you don’t, they might decide for you.”
Kai exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself. “Let them try.”
By midmorning, the council chamber was crowded again. The elders sat in a semicircle, papers spread before them. Becky stood near the far end of the table, head bowed in false respect, but her eyes glowed with quiet satisfaction.
Kion was already speaking when Kai entered. “Alpha,” he said, rising to bow slightly. “We’ve reviewed the testimony again. Luka confirmed his earlier statement. The evidence against the prisoner stands.”
Kai sat without responding. His chair creaked under the weight of his silence.
Becky stepped forward. “With respect, Alpha,” she said smoothly, “the longer this drags on, the worse it looks for the pack. The people are confused. They don’t understand why a traitor still breathes while others have died for less.”
Kai’s eyes snapped to her. “Is that what they’re saying, or what you’re saying?”
Becky smiled faintly. “I only speak for the concerned voices of the people. You’ve always taught us that leadership means sacrifice — sometimes even emotional sacrifice.”
Lucien’s expression shifted slightly, but he stayed quiet.
Kion nodded in agreement. “She’s right, Alpha. If you show mercy now, you’ll lose authority. You’ve already refused to hold public court. You’ve kept her imprisonment private. That fuels suspicion.”
Kai’s fingers dug into the arm of his chair. “You think I care about suspicion?”
“No,” Becky said, stepping closer, “but they do. Soldiers. Betas. Other packs. If you appear weak, they’ll come for your borders next. They’ll smell blood.”
Kai looked at her sharply. “And what do you suggest I do?”
She lowered her gaze just slightly — the perfect act of submission. “Do what’s necessary to protect your legacy. The Council stands ready to enforce the Code.”
Lucien spoke for the first time. “The Werewolf Code demands proof, not gossip.”
Becky turned her head toward him, her tone silky. “And what proof would you accept, Lord Lucien? We all saw how deeply she influenced him. It doesn’t take much to poison loyalty.”
Kai rose suddenly, his voice sharp. “Enough.”
Everyone went silent.
He walked to the center of the room, hands behind his back. “You all speak of loyalty as if it’s a weapon,” he said quietly. “But I’ve led you through war, through famine, through raids. I’ve buried soldiers with my own hands. Don’t mistake restraint for weakness.”
Becky lowered her head, feigning shame. “Of course not, Alpha. Forgive me.”
But there was a glint in her eyes when she lifted them again. She knew what she was doing — pushing him closer to the edge without touching him.
Lucien watched her closely but didn’t interfere. Not yet.
Hours passed. The council adjourned for “further review,” but everyone knew what that meant. Decisions were already being whispered in corners, behind closed doors.
Lucien found Kai again in his office, standing by the window, staring at nothing.
“You can’t keep avoiding it,” Lucien said softly. “They’ll make a move soon.”
Kai didn’t look at him. “She said she loved me,” he murmured.
Lucien hesitated. “And you loved her.”
Kai’s throat tightened. “If I did… that’s my mistake to pay for. Not hers.”
Lucien sighed. “You’re not thinking clearly. That’s exactly what they’ll use against you.”
Kai turned, eyes hard. “You think I don’t know that?”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the door opened. Becky stepped in quietly, holding a folded parchment. “Forgive the interruption, Alpha,” she said softly. “A message from the outer patrols. Another small clan refused to renew their alliance. They said they’re waiting to see how Archview ‘handles its traitors.’”
Kai took the parchment and tossed it onto the table without reading. “So that’s the game now?”
Becky tilted her head slightly. “You can end it, Alpha. The Code exists for a reason.”
Lucien frowned. “Be careful, Lady Beckett. You tread close to incitement.”
She smiled sweetly. “I only serve the Alpha’s best interest.”
Kai studied her for a long moment. “And what’s that to you?”
Her expression softened into something almost sympathetic. “I’ve seen what guilt can do to a leader. It breaks them. You don’t deserve that.”
He didn’t respond, but his jaw clenched.
Becky lowered her voice. “If you keep her alive, she’ll haunt you — and this pack. Sometimes mercy is the cruelest thing.”
Then she turned and left.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving an echo that lingered in the silence.
Lucien sighed. “She’s dangerous.”
Kai nodded once. “I know.”
But even knowing that, her words had taken root.
That night, Kai didn’t go to his bed. He stayed in the war room, staring at the old maps of Archview’s territory. The candle beside him burned low, wax dripping onto the parchment.
He thought about Elise — chained in the dark, alone. About the way she’d looked at him the last time they’d spoken. The confusion in her eyes. The hurt.
He remembered the way she used to touch his hand without asking. The way she’d whisper his name when she thought he was asleep. The way she’d begged him to believe her that night before the arrest.
Every memory twisted like a knife.
“Lies,” he muttered, trying to drown the echo of her voice. “All of it.”
But deep down, he wasn’t sure.
Sleep came in fragments. He saw her again — this time kneeling in the snow, tears running down her face. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Then suddenly she screamed his name, and blood poured from her chest.
He woke with a violent jolt, gasping, his heartbeat racing. The bond flared sharply — real pain this time, faint but unmistakable.
He grabbed his chest, staring at the window. The sun hadn’t risen yet. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming.
At dawn, Luka arrived.
He was calm, as always, but there was a strange coldness in his eyes. He bowed. “Alpha.”
Kai nodded. “You have something to say.”
“Yes.” Luka stepped forward. “The Council is ready to proceed, but they want clarity — your clarity. They need to know your decision.”
Kai didn’t move.
Luka continued, “If I may, there’s another option. The Werewolf Code allows trial by blood. Execution before the full pack. It would end the doubt. No one would question your authority again.”
Kai looked at him sharply. “You sound like them.”
Luka smiled faintly. “No, Alpha. I sound like someone who wants to protect what we built.”
Kai walked closer, staring him down. “You think killing her will protect anything?”
Luka didn’t flinch. “It’ll protect you.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
For a long time, Kai said nothing. Then he turned toward the window again. “Leave me.”
Luka bowed and left without another word.
Kai stayed there for a while, silent, breathing hard. The room felt smaller by the second, as if the walls were closing in.
Finally, he moved — slowly, deliberately — to his desk. He picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
When he finished, he folded the parchment, sealed it, and called the guard.
“Deliver this to the Council,” he said.
The guard took it, bowing before leaving.
Lucien entered just as the door shut. “What did you send?”
Kai’s eyes were empty. “My answer.”
Lucien hesitated. “What did you decide?”
Kai didn’t look at him. His voice was low. “If the bond doesn’t lie… she’ll feel it soon enough.”
The next morning, the Council chamber buzzed again. The seal on Kai’s parchment broke under Kion’s hand.
He read the words aloud, and silence followed.
Becky smiled faintly. “Then it’s settled,” she said softly.
Lucien’s expression turned grim.
The order was clear.
The Alpha had spoken.
Elise Thorne was to be executed at dawn.
- Writer
