Callum's POV
The hall was loud. Too loud. The voices of the elders bounced off the walls as they argued with each other.
Some spoke in favor of me. "He is still young. Twenty-nine is not too old. He is strong. Let him lead how he wants."
But most were against me.
"He refuses to marry!" one shouted, hitting his cane on the floor.
"A pack without children has no future!" another barked.
"His father had him when he was just nineteen."
I groaned… again this same talk… comparing my refusal to marry and bear children with my father's choices.
I sat still in the chair, my back straight, my hands tight on the arms of the seat. I didn't move, didn't answer, just listened. But inside, my wolf growled.
"He is twenty-nine!" another added. "No Luna beside him. No children. If he dies tomorrow, what then? Who leads us?"
Their words stung like knives, but I kept my face cold. They didn't know. They didn't understand.
