Chapter 9: The Council Arrives
278 Words
Chapter 9: The Council Arrives
I didn’t sleep that night. I planned.
By dawn, the pack was moving differently. They didn’t look away when I passed. They nodded. Some even called me “Luna.” It wasn’t official yet, but it felt closer than it had in five years.
The Council arrived at noon. Three elders in black cloaks, faces unreadable, flanked by two enforcers. They didn’t acknowledge me until I stood in the center of the hall.
“Luna Lyra,” the lead elder said. “You are alive.”
“Clearly,” I said. “And I’m here to ask why you declared me dead.”
Keal stepped forward beside me. I hadn’t asked him to, but he did it anyway. His jaw was tight. He wasn’t looking at me.
“The report came from your own pack,” the elder said. “We had no reason to doubt it.”
“Then you should’ve checked,” I said. “Because I’m not dead. And I’m calling for a hearing to reclaim my title.”
Murmurs ran through the hall. The Council didn’t expect me to be this direct. Good.
“Very well,” the elder said. “We will hear you. But know this: if you cannot prove you are still fit to lead, the title remains with Alpha Keal.”
Keal’s eyes flicked to mine. For the first time, I saw something there that wasn’t anger. It was fear. Of losing me. Of losing the pack.
“Then let’s begin,” I said.
The hearing would decide everything. My past, my future, and whether Keal and I could ever stand as mates again.
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