Free Web NovelChapter 31: The Council
ALPHA KING KADEN’S POV
I woke up to the angry howling of my wolf in my head. freewebnøvel.com
Grunting softly, I sat up on the edge of the bed and tiredly massaged my temples. I closed my eyes and tried to communicate with him, but he just kept howling, filling my mind with a deafening, agonizing noise.
Sighing heavily, I stood up and walked into the bathroom. I leaned against the marble sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My pitch-green eyes looked tired and heavy. I hadn’t been able to get a single night of decent sleep since Helen’s death.
Her brutal murder was tormenting my wolf, forcing him to shut himself away from me behind a wall of pure grief. As a ritual of our kind, my wolf would completely isolate himself from me for a full six months before he could start talking to me again. Until then, I couldn’t communicate with him like we usually did. I could only hear his empty howls and wails in my head while he finished mourning his mate.
Sighing heavily, I turned on the tap and splashed freezing water onto my face before wiping it with a towel.
I left the bathroom and walked back into my master quarters. A soft knock rattled the heavy wooden door. Without being told, I already knew who it was.
"Get in," I ordered, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.
A maid walked into the room with her head lowered, keeping her eyes strictly on the floor. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"Good morning, my Lord," she greeted quietly. She placed a silver bowl of warm water on the floor and knelt before me.
I lay back on the bed, extending my left foot for her to wash while my mind drifted into deep thought.
The thought of Rebecca flashed in my mind. A strange curiosity hit me. I wondered if her broken shoulder had gotten worse. The stubborn slave was injured, battered, and barely able to stand, yet she still found the strength to threaten Tanya.
I instantly hated myself for even thinking about her. A dark thought suddenly crossed my mind. If she recovered, perhaps it was time she learned exactly what her place was in this kingdom.
The servant finished washing my feet, dried them carefully, and stood up.
"Permission to leave, my Lord?" she asked, her head still lowered.
I sat up on the bed and stared at her, a sudden thought cutting through my dark mood.
"After the slave heals from her broken ribs and her leg, she will be the one performing this duty," I spoke up, my voice cold. "Rebecca will wash my feet from now on."
"Yes, my Lord."
"You may leave."
The maid bowed deeply and quickly left the room.
I stood up, pulled off my sweatpants, and walked into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stood beneath the spray, letting the hot water hit my shoulders for a long time before taking a quick bath. Once done, I walked back out, the water dripping from my chest and tattoos. I grabbed a clean towel from the closet, dried myself off, and began to dress.
Greetings, Alpha King, Logan’s voice echoed in my mind.
Go ahead, I mind-linked back.
The council meeting is about to start. The Gammas and elders are waiting for you in the grand hall, my Beta informed me.
I’m on my way, I grumbled, breaking the mental connection.
I left my private chambers and walked down the long, luxurious upper hallways of the mansion. As I passed the grand foyer, I caught the faint, lingering scent of mint and old ash. Taking a deep breath, I stared toward the wing where Helen’s rooms were, pleasant but painful memories playing in my head.
Owooooo. My wolf howled in pure agony at the reminder.
Ignoring him, I smoothed down my black jacket, ran my fingers through my hair, and adjusted the cuffs of my shirt. My jaw clenched as I forced my expression into a cold, unreadable mask before pushing open the heavy doors of the meeting hall.
The moment I stepped inside, the Gammas and council elders noticed my presence. They instantly stood to their feet, lowering their heads in absolute respect.
Nodding tightly to acknowledge their greetings, I walked down the center aisle toward the heavy, throne-like seat at the front of the hall. I sank into the chair, leaning my back against the leather, and took a deep breath.
"I heard you guys insisted on seeing me," I spoke up, my voice flat and tired.
"Yes, my Lord," Gamma Lazarus spoke up from his seat, stepping forward.
"Speak."
"Thank you, my Lord." Lazarus paused, staring at the other Gammas, who gave him a collective, reassuring look to proceed.
"I don’t have much time," I grumbled, my patience wearing thin as I noticed his hesitation.
"My Lord," Lazarus lowered his head further. "We think you should get another Luna for yourself... you are the Alpha King. For the Luna throne to stay vacant without a female ruler to anchor our people is not good."
"Yes, my Lord," another Gamma stood up to support him. "Lady Helen was a good Luna to us, but we cannot keep her seat empty for this long. It will start to affect the pack’s morale."
A third Gamma stood up, clearing his throat. "You have Lady Tanya, your betrothed, and Princess Anita. Both women are of high value to the country. I think you should officially choose one of our noble ladies to take the title of Luna..."
My jaw tightened. For a moment, I said nothing.
Helen’s smile flashed through my mind. Then another memory followed. Her laugh. The way she used to sit beside me during council meetings. The way her scent lingered on my clothes long after she left the room.
The hall suddenly felt suffocating. Still, I remained silent.
He didn’t even finish talking before another elder interrupted him. "My Lord, I would prefer you take Lady Tanya as your wife and Luna. Rumors have it that her beauty is unmatched, her wolf is legendary, and she possesses amazing abilities. She is the perfect match to fill the vacant seat..."
"Enough!"
My roar echoed violently through the massive room. I slammed my hands onto the armrests and stood up, my dark aura flaring out so brutally that the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"How dare you?" I asked in pure outrage. I scanned the hall with anger-filled eyes, but none of them dared to meet my gaze out of sheer fear.
"Lazarus," I barked out.
"Yes... my Lord," he stammered, his knees shaking as he stood up.
"Has it even been a month since I buried my mate?" I asked, my voice vibrating with rage.
"No... my Lord," he answered.
"Then how dare you!" I yelled, the dark anger of my wolf completely overpowering my senses. "You dare to come into my hall and ask me to take another Luna when the dirt on my mate’s grave isn’t even dry!"
"I’m... we are sorry, Alpha King..."
"Shut up!" I snarled, moving my lethal gaze across the remaining Gammas in the hall. "None of you have the right to tell me what to do, or who to put in my bed."
Lazarus swallowed hard, exchanging a nervous glance with Logan, who was standing silently by my side. Finally, Lazarus gathered his courage and spoke up again.
"My Lord, please understand our concern." Lazarus lowered his head even further. "We heard the rumors. We heard you took that traitorous slave, Rebecca, to your quarters as a breeder."
His voice shook slightly.
"If she were to bear your child one day, tradition would create difficulties regarding succession."
The room fell silent. Lazarus swallowed hard.
"Some members of the kingdom may consider such a child illegitimate. They may refuse to accept them as heir."
The entire hall went completely dead silent. Logan’s hand instantly moved to the hilt of his blade, his eyes widening at the Gamma’s audacity.
An explosive, angry chuckle forced its way out of my throat. I stepped down from the platform, walking slowly until I was standing directly in front of Lazarus. The raw pressure of my Alpha King command forced him down to his knees.
"An illegitimate child?" I asked softly, though the tone held a deadly promise. "Do you think I am one of those weak, foolish Alphas who will let a bunch of old men dictate how I treat my own flesh and blood?"
A dangerous fury burned through my chest. I didn’t know why the thought angered me so much. Perhaps because the child they were talking about did not even exist yet, and already they were trying to strip away its worth.
Lazarus trembled violently on the floor, unable to look up.
"Listen to me carefully, all of you," I growled, my voice echoing off the stone walls like a death sentence. "My child is my child, regardless of how they are born or who carries them. Anyone who dares to call my blood a bastard, or tries to stand in the way of what belongs to me, will have their head taken from their shoulders before sunset. Am I understood?"
A chorus of terrified, shaking voices filled the room. "Yes, my Lord."
"The position of the Luna will remain vacant for a full year," I declared angrily, glaring down at the entire room. None of them dared to speak against my word. "And after that, I will decide what to do with it. Not you."
I turned my back on them.
"This meeting is over."
Without waiting for them to stand and bow, I stormed out of the grand hall, leaving the council paralyzed in fear behind me.
