Chapter 80

• Seylan
• ****
• Solstice Hall stood proud on the cliffside, overlooking the tree-covered valley below. It was old stone and burnished iron, constructed in a perfect circle, the council chamber rising beneath a massive moon-shaped skylight overhead. The hall was fortified with ancient enchantments; no sound crossed its walls. I kept Nova tucked close as we descended the stone steps into the pit. All conversation halted. Heads turned. Whispers curled around us like smoke. My father stepped forward, addressing the room with controlled dominance. “Thank you all for coming on short notice. You’ve been summoned because my son, your Alpha, has an announcement to make.” I stepped into the center of the stone floor, letting silence settle before I spoke. “I’ll keep this brief,” I began. “I’m here to inform you that I will not, now or ever, entertain the council’s request to take a chosen mate.” That got their attention. A ripple of murmurs spread like a contagion, soft at first, then louder, indignant. “The Moon Goddess has already chosen for me,” I continued. “I’ve found my mate.” The room erupted. Voices clashed, overlapped. Then a deep voice cut through the noise. “Silence,” Council Head Elder Calder commanded, lifting a hand. “Let the Alpha finish.” I continued, keeping my tone even. “I discovered she was my mate four years ago. But she was still very young, so I waited.” “You waited?” one council member echoed in disbelief. “Waited for what? Where is she from? What pack does she belong to?” “She doesn’t belong to any pack,” I answered. “Her kind isn’t bound by any pack laws.” More outcries. “She’s not one of us, then. How can she be your mate?” Lady Drenna barked. My patience was wearing thin. “I ask for silence. We have a long night ahead, and I would prefer to get on with it.” “I’ll remind everyone that any information regarding my mate, for now, is strictly confidential. Any breach, intentional or otherwise, will result in immediate removal from your position and possible banishment from Obsidian territory. I won’t tolerate carelessness where my mate is concerned.” I forced my wolf back. “Nova grew up in the city. Her family’s bloodline is ancient. She descends from a rare class of wolves.” Elder Calder leaned forward, his voice tinged with cautious intrigue. “So… she isn’t human after all?” “No,” I said. “She is a Lunar Wolf.” Gasps. Real ones this time. Eyes turned to her. They studied her. And she… she didn’t flinch. Lord Ferrin stared hard. “Did you say Lunar? That’s impossible.” Lady Drenna’s voice cut through like ice. “Lunar Wolves are a myth. What proof do you have?” “Lunar Wolves often remain dormant until the right conditions are met. Suppression of power is typical until the age of eighteen, unless triggered by a blood moon, a near-death experience, or contact with an Alpha’s blood or a true mate bond,” Calder said, his tone measured, reinforcing the authority that had earned him head of this council. “She’s already met him, and still it didn’t trigger an awakening?” a gruff voice from the back called, doubt laced in every word. “You’re staking the future of our line on someone who may not even be of proper lineage.” Another elder, a graying man with eyes like tempered steel, leaned forward. “She is not of us. What makes her worthy of the Obsidian Throne?” “She’s already touched it, and it accepted her and recognized our bond. That throne has rejected warriors, alphas, and elders who dared approach without merit. But it welcomed her. That is not something I can fabricate, nor control.” There were shifts in posture. “And we’re just to take your word for it? If the throne truly accepted her, let her prove it before the council. Let her be tested again.” More voices joined. “She doesn’t look like anything special.” “She has no wolf. No power. What can she possibly do?” I swore under my breath. Just when I thought I was finally getting through to these stubborn bastards. They dissected her in real time, as if she were some theory to be debated, a risk to be weighed. “Perhaps,” one of the elders continued, “you’ve mistaken her for something more than she is.” “…and if her wolf hasn’t surfaced by now, it never will.” Their words clawed at my skin. Kainos was ready to tear throats open. I could feel the energy shift beside me, the gravity in the room bending to her will. I reached for Nova’s hand. She was trembling. No, not trembling. Vibrating with power. She was angry. “She’s weak. She cannot rule beside you.” That was it. The dam cracked.