Free Web NovelChapter 92: The Council
Kaden’s POV
"Alpha King, we are here," my driver’s voice broke the heavy silence of the car, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I took a deep, slow breath, trying to steady the wild beating of my heart. I had never been this scared in my entire life. I had faced things much bigger and far more dangerous than a council meeting. Even on the blood-soaked day I fought for and won my title as the Alpha King, my hands hadn’t been shaking like this. I hadn’t felt this grip of panic in my chest.
But right now, I was so anxious about this hearing. It felt like my whole life depended on what was about to happen inside that room.
I closed my eyes for a brief second, forcing the weakness down. I couldn’t let anyone see this fear. I couldn’t let a single person detect my anxiety. I had to put on my mask—the blank, hard, ruthless look that kept the entire werewolf world in check. I locked my emotions away behind a wall of ice, tightening my jaw until my face felt like carved stone.
I opened the car door and stepped out, my long black coat snapping in the wind as I walked toward the grand council hall. The security team immediately straightened, bowing deeply as I passed. One of the head guards led me down the corridor, opened the heavy double doors, and I walked inside.
Everyone was already seated around the massive wooden council table. I glanced at the clock on the wall. I was ten minutes late.
The moment I entered, every single elder and council member stood up in perfect unison. Of course they did—I was the Alpha King. I didn’t say a word as I marched to the head of the table. I took my seat, and only then did the rest of the room sit back down.
My green eyes immediately scanned the table until they fell on Kane. We exchanged a long, hard gaze.
Looking at him, a sudden pang of bitterness hit my heart. I had never imagined a day like this would come. I never thought I would be sitting across a courtroom, facing off against one of my favorite people in the entire world—my own brother. But there he sat, his shoulders square and his face set in a stubborn line, ready to fight me.
The head of the council cleared his throat, his loud voice echoing off the high ceilings to bring the room to order. He didn’t waste any time. He went straight to the reason why we were all gathered at such an ungodly hour.
"We are here today to settle a formal, high-ranking dispute," the head councilman announced, looking at the documents in front of him. "Alpha Kane Draven has brought forward a massive claim. He claims that the slave and breeder belonging to his brother, Alpha King Kaden Draven, is actually his true mate."
A low murmur broke out among the elders, but I kept my face completely blank, not letting a single muscle twitch.
"This trial has been called to address Alpha Kane’s specific demand," the councilman continued, his eyes looking between me and my brother. "He is asking the council to order Alpha King Kaden to remove the suppressing choker from his breeder, Rebecca. Alpha Kane claims that the silver and magic in the collar are blocking her scent and wolf, and he demands its removal so he can fully confirm if she is indeed his fated mate."
"I refuse," I said, my voice cutting through their whispers.
The entire council hall went completely quiet. I leaned back in my heavy chair, crossing my arms over my chest, keeping my face like stone. "I will not remove the choker."
Kane slammed his hands down on the wooden table, standing up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. "What are you so scared of, Kaden?" he yelled, his eyes burning with anger. "Are you terrified that she will actually turn out to be my mate? Are you scared to face the truth?"
I glared right back at him, my green eyes narrowing. My heart was racing wildly against my ribs. He was right. Inside, I was shaking with pure fear—the terrifying fear that he was right, that she was his mate, and that I would have to hand her over. But of course, I could never tell him that. I couldn’t let anyone in this room see my weakness and fear.
"I have my reasons not to remove that choker," I said, calmly trying my best to hide my emotion. "And I don’t need to explain them to you."
"Reasons?" Kane let out an angry, bitter laugh. "She is a living being, Kaden! Not a toy you can hide away!"
"Listen to me clearly, Kane," I leaned forward, my eyes fixed on him. "Even if she is your fated mate, you cannot have her. She is currently paying for the lives she took—the life of my Queen, Helen, and the unborn child she stole from me. Until she is done paying for her sins, I am not taking that choker off. Not for you, and not for this council." fгeewebnovёl.com
Immediately, the room exploded into a loud argument.
"The Alpha King is right!" Elder Thomas shouted, striking his wooden gavel against the table. "Rebecca is a condemned criminal! She confessed to murdering our Luna Queen! The law states her life belongs to the King for punishment. We cannot break pack law just for a mate claim!"
"But this is a fated mate bond we are talking about!" Elder Marc argued back, standing up to face Thomas. "The Moon Goddess creates the bond! If she is Alpha Kane’s true mate, keeping that magical collar on her is torturing his wolf! We cannot allow our own Alpha to suffer!"
"She is a murderer!" another elder yelled from the back. "She deserves no mercy!"
"We need proof first!" another voice barked.
I just sat there in the center of the storm, watching them argue, my face completely blank. They could yell all they wanted. Heaven would come down before I took that choker off her neck. If I took it off, the truth would come out, and I wasn’t ready to face the damage I had caused.
The argument got even more heated. Kane stepped around the table, his breathing heavy as his wolf’s aura began to flare wildly in the room.
"Slavery has been abolished for over a century, Kaden!" Kane shouted, his face turning red with fury. "By the laws of the Great Pack Alliance, you cannot hold a slave! Why are you still keeping her in chains and forcing her to labor in your palace?"
I stood up slowly, matching his anger, my own Alpha aura blasting out into the room so hard that the elders instantly shut their mouths. The air in the hall became heavy and hard to breathe.
"She gave herself to me, Kane!" I roared back, my voice shaking the high walls. "She offered her own body and her freedom in exchange for her life! I was going to execute her, and she begged for a slave deal to stay alive! It is a legal contract of blood, and I own every single breath left in her body!"
"You broke her until she had no choice!" Kane screamed, taking another step toward me. "Take the collar off, Kaden!"
"Enough!"
The head of the council shouted, slamming his heavy wooden mallet down three times. The sound echoed like thunder, forcing both me and my brother to freeze.
The head councilman looked between the two of us, his face pale from the intense pressure of our competing Alpha forces. He wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead and shook his head.
"Enough..."
Kane opened his mouth to speak, but the councilman raised his hand, stopping Kane from speaking.
"This council will now take a short break to make our final judgment," the head councilman announced, his voice booming over the sudden quietness in the hall. "Alpha King Kaden, Alpha Kane, please leave the room while we make our choice."
Kane opened his mouth to argue, but the councilman raised his hand, stopping him from saying a single word.
I didn’t wait for my brother. I turned around, my long black coat moving behind me as I walked out of the heavy double doors. Kane followed right behind me, his heavy steps showing how angry he was. We walked out of the council building and into the cold morning air of the courtyard.
The silence between us was loud. I walked over to the side of my car, pulling a cigar from my pocket. My hands were finally steady as I lit it, blowing a thick cloud of grey smoke into the wind. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Kane didn’t leave. He stood just a few feet away, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his eyes staring at me like sharp knives. If looks could kill, I would be dead on the pavement.
I took another long pull from the cigar, looking at him through the smoke. The anger and worry inside me turned into bitter annoyance.
"What is this really about, Kane?" I asked, my voice low and angry. "You just want to fuck her, is that it? You want to sleep with my slave, so you came up with this fake mate story to trick the council?"
Kane ignored my words completely. He didn’t yell. He didn’t jump to defend himself. He just kept staring at me with a look of pure disgust and pity. His silence made my stomach twist painfully. He looked so sure of himself, so certain that Rebecca belonged to him, that the fear inside me started to grow again.
Before I could say anything else to break his quiet look, the heavy doors of the council hall opened behind us. A guard stepped out, bowing low.
"Alpha King, Alpha Kane," the guard said softly. "The council is ready for you. They have made their decision."
I dropped the cigar onto the ground, crushing the glowing heat under the heel of my boot. I fixed my hard mask back onto my face and walked back inside, ready for whatever war was coming next.
