Chapter 32
POV: Cain?
The next week…
Barely a week had passed and the baby was already growing rapidly inside her. Yet with each sign of growth, the pack’s concerns grew, too.
The council had convened at 8:00 am this morning.
I sat at the head of the brown, oval table. 14 council members surrounded me, their sullen gazes fixed in my direction, while the air pressed in, heavy with unspoken tension.
Elder Vero was the first to speak up. His tone measured, steeped in a quiet, sanctimonious authority. “The pack’s unease regarding your choice of Luna has only deepened. Now that her pregnancy nears its end, serious concerns have arisen about the child’s condition and its place among us. The child will be part human, and therefore unfit to lead or serve the pack as tradition demands. Even the act of bringing a human into our ranks has long been met with disapproval, mate or not.”
Anger rose within me—in my golden eyes, in the growl that left my mouth, and in the way my fists bunched.
The elders cowered but remained in their seats, watching me.
I slammed my fist down onto the wood table. The table shuddered as the wood quaked. “You will not speak of your Luna in that matter!”
“But…” Elder Vero began.
I cut him off. “Your opinion is not welcomed regarding this matter. The Goddess has chosen Kiera as my mate. Do you wish to challenge the Goddesses’ will?”
The room fell eerily silent.
“Exactly,” I added, growling. “The Goddess shall never be challenged.”
“Yes, Alpha,” he said carefully. “But what of your pack’s concerns? What of their fears and objections?”
My wolf cared little for their fears and objections. He was an animal, who only sought to protect his mate.
But the human part of me—the rational voice that sensed the storm on the horizon knew trouble was coming.
My voice shook as I spoke. “What of it? What would you have me do? Reject my mate? Reject the child in her belly—who is the future of this pack?
Elder Vero’s expression tightened in careful deliberation. “Several members of the pack are contemplating their departure.”
Xavier shifted nervously in his seat.
My eyes scanned over the room, surveying each council member’s face before leaning forward. “Let them leave, if they so wish. I lead this pack. Before my time as Alpha, my father led, then before him, my grandfather, and before him my great-grandfather, and before him my great-great grandfather and so on. This pack is not led by its followers. And they would do well to learn that. If not, let them go, let them find another pack to accept them—let them become rogues. They can do as they wish. Because I know the Goddess’s will is not to be questioned, and I am not foolish enough to defy it.”
I scanned over each council member’s face to gauge their reactions.
Elder Tomas was the first to speak up. “Understood, Alpha. The Goddess has a purpose behind every intervention. This is no exception.”
I nodded curtly, using the table to push myself up to my feet. The table quaked from the weight of my body, causing some of the council members to scramble backwards.
I turned my gaze across the table, studying each member’s face with careful scrutiny, searching for any flicker of deceit or hesitation. “If that is all,” I said, my voice steady as my gaze tracked across them, “I will be on my way to accompany my mate to her weekly health check with our pack’s healer.”
Xavier got out of his seat and left with me.
As we walked side by side through the hallway he whispered, “Do you believe they’ll accept her after she has the child?”
“No,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. “I do not believe she’ll ever be truly accepted. But recognition is not the same thing as respect. They do not have to accept her, but they will damn certain respect her.”
Xavier nodded. “I know your best interest is in this pack. I trust your instincts, Alpha.”
I grunted. “What kind of Alpha would I be if I rejected my Goddess’ given mate?”
He placed a hand on my shoulder in support.
I let out a quick breath. “All they see is hate—because she’s human, because she’s different and physically weaker, Xavier. But she’s one of the strongest people I know, mentally.”
Xavier listened intently.
“She’s suffering, though she won’t admit it. She hides it to spare me the burden. Do they even understand what it feels like for her—alienated from the very pack that should be welcoming her? And then there’s me…I’ve grown distant, paralyzed by the fear of marking her wrong, of harming her or our unborn child. Even being close, even intimacy, feels like a gamble I dare not take. She’s an outsider here, yet somehow, she carries it all with a strength I can barely comprehend.”
Xavier’s grip tightened on my shoulder, grounding me in place. “Maybe the pack will see it for themselves—after she gives birth.”
I shook my head. “We can only hope. Because no one can endure living as a stranger in their own home forever.”
I looked over at him. I saw the depth of concern within his eyes—a burden that neither of us could put a name to.
“I should get back to Kiera. She has her weekly appointment in 10 minutes.”
Xavier nodded.
Before I turned away I paused, “And Xavier, make it clear to the pack that anyone who dares to challenge me on the matter of my mate and unborn child will face no mercy.”