Lilith
I stood at the head of the long obsidian table, sunlight pouring through towering windows behind me, casting my shadow forward across the gathered wolves.
The council chamber felt larger than the great hall. Or perhaps it only felt that way because every single pair of eyes inside it was fixed on me.
I kept waiting and hoping that Jaxon Talon would jump out from wherever he was hiding and call whatever this was off. But it hadn't happened in the hours since I'd awoken in his chambers, and my hope was slowly dwindling.
On either side of me stood the twin Deltas: Nala & Tala.
Nala stood on my right, her dark hair braided tightly down her back, her posture razor-straight. Tala mirrored her on my left, her expression cool and unreadable. They moved in unsettling harmony, like two halves of the same blade.
They were my chief enforcers and, apparently, the most feared women in the pack. According to everyone in this building, they would rip out the throat of anyone who disrespected me.
Hours earlier, they had "reeducated" me. They had done everything short of shaking sense into me. They were terrified the council would sense weakness. They believed I had suffered some mysterious illness that had scrambled my memory.
They had spoken to me in careful, measured tones, feeding me information about the pack's hierarchy, alliances, disputes, and upcoming obligations. Every time I faltered or asked something that seemed too basic, they exchanged worried glances.
"The worst thing that can happen," Nala had told me bluntly while fastening a heavy black cloak around my shoulders earlier, "is for the Elders to question your mind."
"And once they question your mind," Tala had added coolly, "they will question your right to rule."
I swallowed.
"Your authority must be absolute," Tala insisted. "Even a hint of instability will invite rebellion."
"So no one must know something is wrong, at least until we have fixed it," Nala had finished.
If not for the memory of them dragging me naked through the same corridors yesterday, I might have found their loyalty touching.
As for the guard who had stumbled into the chamber that morning, Nala and Tala had wasted no time in knocking him out. He was currently held in my private torture chamber while they "decided his fate." They had asked me whether he should live or die, and I had not known how to answer.
Now, the council members sat in a half-circle before me. Nala brushed her fingers subtly against my wrist.
The second seat from the left is Beta Corvin. She whispered through the mindlink. He is loyal, but ambitious, very distrustful, and dangerous if slighted.
I shifted my gaze discreetly to the tall, broad-shouldered man, with steel-gray eyes, who studied me carefully. He bowed his head slightly when our eyes met.
Tala's mental whisper followed. Gamma Soren. Beside him. Scar on his jaw. Oversees training and warriors. Blunt. Values strength.
I located the scar and noted his rigid posture. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and I wished desperately to wake up from this nightmare.
"Alpha," An elder began. "We are relieved to see you recovered."
I inclined my head slowly and tried to smile. "It was nothing," I managed.
"The pack was concerned. You were unconscious for an entire day." Another elder added, and a murmur passed between the Elders.
Panic flared within me again. Nala's hand brushed mine again. Stay calm.
"Alpha, before your illness, you made several… abrupt decisions." Yet another elder added.
"You ordered the restructuring of patrol routes along the eastern border. You reassigned three enforcers without explanation. And you dismissed a trade negotiation with the Silver Fang Pack." The elder stated.
My breath hitched subtly. I had no idea what they were talking about.
Speak decisively. Tala's voice slipped into my mind. Ignore the questions about the eastern border and the enforcers. Silver Fang has proven untrustworthy.
I swallowed carefully.
"If Silver Fang wishes trade, they will return with better terms. We will not chase them; they are untrustworthy." I grunted,
The council exchanged subtle glances.
"And your decision," one of the elders spoke up, "to postpone the border inspections yesterday?"
My mind went blank.
There was a rogue activity along the southern ridge. You delayed it to strengthen patrol units first. Nala supplied.
I folded my hands behind my back, mimicking the posture Nala had drilled into me.
"Rogues are not mindless," I said evenly. "I delayed it to strengthen our patrol units first."
There was a pause, then a slow nod from Beta Corvin.
"That aligns with our reports," he said.
My pulse pounded violently in my ears.
The questioning continued for what felt like hours. And it was only as the meeting was drawing to a close that it dawned on me that my wolf was not the same; something about it vibrated with extraordinary power and dominance. This was not a dream or a cruel joke: I was Alpha, and everyone in this room depended on me, whether they wanted to or not.
Beta Corvin cleared his throat once more. "There is one final matter," he said carefully.
My stomach tightened again.
"With the Moon Festival approaching in three months, our pack's stability is paramount." Gamma Soren added.
Nala stiffened beside me.
"Yes, yes." Several elders muttered eagerly.
I raised a brow in question.
"You are unmated," Corvin continued. "The pack requires the security of your mating ceremony, preferably before the Festival."
I almost choked, then remembered who I was and what I was supposed to be.
"My mating status is not your concern," I snapped.
"It is precisely our concern," a thin-lipped Elder countered. "Several suitors have already expressed interest."
My breath caught.
"Yes, Alpha," Corvin smirked. "Three neighboring Alphas are all too willing to be your mate as well as two high-ranking commanders within our own ranks."
Tala's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"We believe," another elder continued, "that binding yourself in marriage before the Festival will solidify your reign and silence any doubts."
The room felt smaller suddenly.
"I will not be rushed," I hissed.
Or controlled. Nala murmured into my mind.
"The proposals have already been drafted," Gamma Soren said. "We advise you to choose swiftly."