Chapter 5
1749 Words
The Verdict
LYOLD
The shower in the locker room was cold, but it didn't cool my temper.
I watched the water swirl down the drain, pink with the blood of the Beta I had just broken. Most of it was his, some of it was mine. The deep scratches on my forearms from Vance’s claws stung, knitting together slowly.
I didn't heal as fast as I used to. Four years in the Rogue Lands, living on scarce food and constant adrenaline, had taken its toll. I wasn't the golden boy anymore.
I was iron…harder, yes, but prone to rust.
I turned off the tap, grabbed a towel, and dried off roughly. I pulled on a fresh shirt I had looted from the locker of a guard who was too terrified to stop me. It was tight across the shoulders, restricting, but it would do.
It was time to collect my prize.
I walked back to the Council Chamber. The hallway was empty this time. No Ariel running away. No lingering scent of vanilla and panic. Just the clean smell of authority that was about to be challenged.
I kicked the broken doors open again.
They were all still there. The five Elders, Henderson the lawyer, and Karen.
Ariel was there too.
She was standing by the window, her back stiff. She had composed herself since the balcony. Her face showed no feelings at all, but I could hear her heart. It was pounding fast against her ribs.
‘Thump-thump-thump.’
Good. Fear keeps people honest.
"Sit down, Lyold," Head Elder Ross grunted, gesturing to the chair at the far end of the table.
I ignored him. I walked to the head of the table…the spot reserved for the Alpha….and pulled the heavy chair out.
"You cannot sit there!" Karen snapped, her voice shrill. "That is Marcus’s seat!"
"Marcus is dead," I said, dropping into the leather chair. It creaked under my weight. I rested my boots on the polished table, crossing my ankles. "And until you prove otherwise, I am the highest-ranking male in this room. Unless one of you old men wants to challenge me in the courtyard? The mud is still fresh."
Elder Ross paled, stroking his white beard nervously. "There is no need for... further violence."
"Then get on with it," I said, checking my watch. "I am hungry."
Ollie cleared his throat, shuffling a stack of papers. He looked like a man who knew he was holding a losing hand.
"We have... deliberated," Ollie began, sweating. "The display in the courtyard was... persuasive. It is undeniable that you possess the strength required of an Alpha Prime."
"But," Karen interjected, her eyes narrowing, "strength is not the only requirement. Character matters. The pack cannot be led by a fratricide."
I looked at Ariel. She was staring out the window, refusing to meet my gaze.
"I didn't kill him," I said, my voice flat.
"So you say," Elder Ross said. "But the previous investigation was conclusive. You were found with the body. The Alpha…may he rest in peace…exiled you for it."
"An exile that was never legal," I reminded them. "So, where does that leave us? You can't kill me. You can't beat me. And legally, you can't kick me out."
The Elders exchanged glances. This was the moment. The settlement.
"We have decided to invoke the Ancient Laws of Probation," Ross announced, trying to sound authoritative.
I raised an eyebrow. "Probation?"
"An Investigation Period," Ollie clarified. "Three months. During this time, the case of Thomas’s death will be reopened by a self-reliant judge from the High Council. We will audit the pack’s records. We will interview witnesses."
"And in the meantime?" I asked.
"In the meantime, you will remain within the pack territory," Ross said. "You will be granted the rank of 'Acting Commander.' You will lead the warriors, secure the borders, and prove your strength."
"And the throne?" I asked.
"The throne remains empty," Karen said, a smirk touching her lips.
"Ariel will remain Regent for administrative duties. You will have no access to the treasury, no access to the archives, and no authority over the household staff."
It was a cage. A gilded one, but a cage nonetheless. They wanted to use my strength to protect the borders while stripping me of the power to investigate the truth. They wanted me to be their guard dog.
I let a silence stretch out. I tapped my fingers on the armrest.
"Three months," I mused.
"Take it or leave it," Karen said. "If you refuse, we declare you a Rogue by unanimous vote. You will have to kill every wolf in this room to stay."
She thought she had me. She thought I cared about the title.
I didn't care about the title. I cared about the closeness.
Three months inside the house. Three months to find the evidence my father hid. Three months to break the people who framed me.
Three months with Ariel.
"I accept," I said.
Relief washed over the room like a physical wave. Ollie slumped in his chair. Even Ariel’s shoulders dropped an inch.
"However," I added, removing my feet from the table and sitting up straight. The relaxed act vanished. The predator was back. "I have conditions."
"Conditions?" Ross sputtered. "You are in no position…"
"I am in every position,” I growled. "Condition one: The investigation includes full access to my father’s personal office. Not the archives. His office."
Karen bristled. "That is…"
"Non-negotiable," I cut her off. "Condition two: I want my birthright restored. My salary. My license.”
"Fine," Ross waved his hand dismissively. "Is that all?"
"One more thing," I said softly.
I stood up and walked slowly around the table. I stopped behind Ariel again. She didn't move, but I could smell the spike in her pheromones. Sour nervousness mixed with that traitorous, sweet arousal.
"I need a room," I said.
"The Guest Wing has been prepared," Karen said quickly. "It is in the West Tower. Very private. Far away from the family quarters."
"No," I said.
"The Warrior Barracks, then?" Ross suggested. "You are the Commander, after all."
"No."
I walked to the large schematic of the Pack House hanging on the wall. I tapped the center of the third floor.
"I will take the Alpha’s Suite," I said.
The room exploded.
"Absolutely not!" Karen shrieked, standing up.
"That is the Alpha’s private residence!" Ross yelled. "It is reserved for the crowned leader!"
"I am the heir," I countered calmly. "It is my room by blood. Besides, it has the best security. If I am to protect this pack, I need to be in the center of it."
"It is inappropriate!" Ollie stammered, looking frantically at the Elders.
"Why?" I asked, turning to face them, leaning back against the wall with a wolfish grin. "It’s just a room. Unless there’s something in there you don’t want me to find?"
"It is occupied!" Karen blurted out.
I paused. "Occupied? My father is dead."
"The... The Regent," Ollie stammered, pointing a shaking finger at Ariel. "The Luna Suite connects to the Alpha Suite. The doors... They are shared. Ariel lives there with the boy."
I looked at Ariel. She had finally turned around. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with genuine panic.
"Lyold, you can't," she whispered. "Leo sleeps in my room. The walls are thin. The connecting door..."
"The connecting door has a lock, doesn't it?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"That’s not the point!" Karen hissed. "You are a single male. She is a widowed Luna. It is a scandal waiting to happen! You cannot live wall-to-wall with her!"
"Why not?" I asked, stepping closer to Ariel until she had to lean her head back to look at me. "Are you afraid I will hurt her?"
"Yes!" Karen shouted.
"I won't touch a hair on her head," I lied smoothly. "Unless she asks me to." Ariel flushed a deep, red.
"It is improper," Elder Ross grumbled. "The pack will talk. The closeness... it creates... temptations."
"Temptations," I repeated the word, tasting it.
I looked down at Ariel. I remembered the hallway. I remembered the way her pulse jumped when I smelled her neck. I remembered the heat radiating off her in waves.
They thought putting me in the Alpha Suite was a bad idea because of appearances.
They had no idea.
I wanted that room because of the closeness. I wanted to hear her breathing through the walls. I wanted to smell her soap in the morning. I wanted her to lie in her bed, staring at the locked door, knowing that the monster she created was sleeping five feet away.
I wanted to drive her insane with my presence until she cracked and told me the truth.
"I want the Master Suite," I said again, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Or I walk out that door, shift, and tear Beta Vance’s other arm off. And then I come back for yours, Ross."
Ross swallowed hard. He looked at Karen. Karen looked at Ariel.
Ariel looked at me. Her eyes were pleading. ‘Please, don't do this.’
I smiled.
"Give him the room," Ariel whispered, her voice defeated.
"Ariel!" Karen snapped.
"Give him the room!" Ariel shouted, standing up, her hands balling into fists. "Let him have the damn room. If he wants to play Alpha so badly, let him. I have a lock. I have a gun. I am not afraid of him."
She was lying. She was terrified.
"Then it’s settled," I said, clapping my hands together. "I will move my things in tonight."
"This is a mistake," Ollie muttered, gathering his files. "Putting the two of you that close... with the history... with the tension..." He looked at me, shaking his head.
"You are putting a match next to a powder keg, Lyold. Do you really want to be that close to the woman who ruined you? Do you really want to wake up every day and see the wife you can never have?"
I walked to the door. I paused, my hand on the splintered frame. I looked back at Ariel, who was sinking back into her chair, looking like she had just signed a deal with the devil.
Ollie was right. It was torture. It was dangerous. It was a powder keg that would likely blow the roof off this entire pack.
I looked Ollie in the eye and smiled… a quick, predatory grin that promised chaos.
"Exactly."
- Writer
