Chapter 137

• Callan POV
• The smell of food still lingered in the air from dinner; all of the tables had been pushed aside, and benches had been set out in rows facing the front of the banquet hall, where I sat waiting with Ayla. I must admit it felt fucking amazing having her sitting beside me like this; my Luna was taking her place. The large chandeliers above us cast a bright white light into the room, but there was an unnatural chill in the air, even though I was happy to finally be getting rid of Alister, a giant ball of dread coiled in my stomach. Minister Robert stood in front of me, ready to address the pack, and sitting to my right were Micha, Eric, and Freya. My mother sat at the very front on the benches, blending in with the pack; she had her hands folded in front of her, resting on her lap; she had a grim twist to her mouth, and every time she answered Ron, who was sitting beside her, she responded with a slow nod. Not once did she speak; she just slowly nodded her head as if she was on autopilot. Above us on the balcony stood the four council members, who all looked down at Ayla, watching her as if she were the main show in a freak circus.
• The doors opened up, and silence filled the room. Pedro walked in, followed by Kai, who was going to become my head guard after all of this was done with, and some of the pack warriors who were trusted to watch over Alister and his band of miscreants. Their footsteps ricocheted all around the room, joined by the small shuffling sound of the prisoners who were walking in a single line between Pedro, Kai, and the trusted warriors. Alister tried his best to strut as he walked, but the enchanted rope around his feet only gave him little movement; it didn’t stop him from pushing his shoulders back, thrusting his chest out. He sat down on a chair, but the way he sat down infuriated me; he had an over-exaggerated casualness about him, as if what was happening today was just another day for him. The rest of his motley crew all sat down on the chairs beside him. Alister leaned over to Riven and whispered something in his ear, but Riven’s back tensed at Alister’s words.