POV: Kade
The mood within the Shadow Pack lands felt heavier than normal, filled with rumors that wouldn't stop spreading, Everywhere Kade went—the yard, the training areas, even the hallways of the council's meeting room—he felt people watching and talking quietly,
It was starting up once more,
He thought with a bitter feeling, like he had been here before, Another day, another problem brewing,
The rumors spread fast—Nyra's eyes shining bright red, her strength coming out like a second moon rising in the sky, The pack's confusion was slowly turning into fear, Some said she was a magic user, Others quietly said she was blessed—or cursed—by the Moon Goddess herself, But everyone agreed on one thing,
She wasn't the shy girl hiding in the shadows anymore,
And Kade… he wasn't the Alpha everyone respected without question anymore,
He sat by himself in his office, bent over the edge of his desk, his muscles tight, He hadn't been able to sleep, How could he, Nyra's words still echoed in his head, her challenge to his leadership still new and hard to believe, It wasn't just the pack she had surprised—it was him, His own family, His sister,
No, His enemy now,
A quick knock interrupted his thoughts, Kade didn't raise his head,
"Enter,"
Lorian, his second in command, walked in, his eyes looking away from his Alpha's face,
"They've asked for another meeting,"
Kade sighed, Of course they did, "What is it now," he mumbled,
"They didn't say," Lorian answered, "But… I think you should get ready for bad news,"
That didn't sound good,
Kade forced himself to stand up from his chair, each step toward the council chamber feeling like it was taking years off his life, He had hoped—foolishly—that the trouble would calm down, that things would go back to normal over time, But the Shadow Pack didn't forgive weakness, They didn't wait, They destroyed,
As he walked into the chamber, he looked at the elders already sitting in a half-circle, His uncle, Lord Rovan, leaned back in his usual spot—smiling like a vulture waiting for dead meat, Next to him, Elder Thorne looked especially pleased with himself,
This was not a good sign,
"Kade," Thorne said, standing up slowly, "thank you for joining us, We know you've been... dealing with a lot,"
Kade didn't sit down, "Let's get to the point,"
Rovan chuckled, "No time to be friendly, That's too bad,"
Kade ignored him, "If this is about Nyra—"
"It's not," Thorne cut in, "Not exactly,"
Kade blinked, "Then what is it about,"
"The matter we're discussing today," Thorne said, his voice cold and careful, "is Rae,"
Kade felt his body freeze,
"Rae," he asked, even though he had heard it clearly, "What about her,"
"She turned you down in front of everyone," Elder Morwin said, putting his hands together, "And now she is always with your rival,"
"She has gone against several rules," Thorne added, "The rejection, the close relationship with another female—Nyra of all people—and her disobedience at the sacred grounds, We've let it go on for too long,"
"She's a traitor because of who she's with," Rovan said with a relaxed smile, "And as Alpha, you've done nothing about it,"
Kade squeezed his hands tightly, "So you asked me to come here to—what, Demand that I punish someone,"
"To make sure you remember what you need to do," Thorne answered, "We cannot let personal feelings ruin our rules,"
Kade didn't say anything, He could feel his heart beating fast,
Rae,
He had not seen her since Nyra came back to their land, He didn't even know if she was still close to the pack house or had disappeared into the trees again, Part of him didn't even want to know, Seeing her—especially next to Nyra—made him feel bad inside, A connection broken, a future ruined,
But still, even now, a part of him thought that things shouldn't be this way, That she still belonged to him,
He had agreed to Nyra's challenge, That was like war, That was out in the open, But Rae… she was different, She had shared things with him that no one else had, She had seen into his heart and found something good, At least he thought she had,
"Why now," Kade asked quietly, "Why bring her into this all of a sudden,"
"She is on Nyra's side," Thorne said, "If Nyra is going against the Alpha, Rae is helping her, We will not let love stories and not following the rules ruin things,"
"She's not just a troublemaking fighter," Rovan said calmly, "She is a reminder of your failure, nephew, That makes her dangerous,"
Kade held back a growl, They were putting pressure on him, Trapping him, Using Rae's connection with Nyra as a reason to make him weaker,
He turned a little, looking out the window of the room, Outside, wolves were training under the pale sky, He remembered training Rae, How hard she fought, How much she loved without fear,
She was not the enemy, But in the council's eyes… she had become one,
When he spoke again, his voice was flat, "You want her punished,"
"We want things to be in order," Thorne said, "And we expect the Alpha to make that happen,"
"And if I don't,"
There was a silence,
Rovan leaned forward, his smile gone, "Then you become a problem,"
Kade turned back to face them, standing up straight,
"I'll think about it,"
"No," Thorne said, "You will do something,"
Kade's jaw tightened, His thoughts raced,
Punishing Rae would be the end of everything, Nyra would go crazy, She would fight back, The challenge would turn from a ritual into a bloody fight,
But if he didn't do something, the council would turn against him completely, They would use Rae as proof that he was weak, That he couldn't lead,
He nodded stiffly, "Okay,"
Without waiting to be told he could leave, he walked out of the room, his boots making noise on the stone floor,
The whispers followed him,
So did the guilt,
And far away, the winds howled—like a warning he didn't understand yet,
Kade didn't go back to his work area, Instead, he walked around through paths created a long time ago before he ruled, going by trees that had heard soldiers yelling and leaders making promises, His head hurt with sounds louder than the wind—hearing the council talking, the mean look on Rovan's face, and the demand for Rae to be punished,
He hadn't even seen her since they argued,
Nyra had taken her away and disappeared—probably into the woods, away from the walls that once made Rae feel secure, Kade wondered if she stopped thinking of them as her own when she held Nyra's hand in front of the Moonfire Flame,
The disloyalty still hurt,
But now, the group wanted him to be disloyal to her too,
As the sun got low behind the mountain top, making the group look orange-red, Kade had made his decision, Not because he wanted to… but because it was the only way to get more time, To keep his position, To stop the trouble from turning into a war—at least for now,
He went back to the war room, This time, no council or helpers, Just a few trusted guards and Beta Lorian, who stood quietly by the door,
"Send a message," Kade said plainly, without showing any emotion, "Rae is to be arrested because the Alpha said so,"
Lorian didn't react, "Okay, What is she charged with,"
"Going against pack rules, Spending time with someone who wants to fight for your position, Disrespecting the importance of the mate bond," The words tasted bad in his mouth, "She has to be kept somewhere, Don't hurt her,"
Lorian paused, "What about Nyra,"
Kade looked away briefly, "If she gets involved, don't fight, Step back, This is not the right time for another war,"
Lorian nodded seriously and left to do what he was told,
Kade was alone again, But this time, the quiet wasn't peaceful, It was too much,
He knew what would happen next,
As soon as Nyra found out Rae had been arrested, she would get very angry, Maybe not with words—but with a strong emotion that no one could stop, The red glow in her eyes wasn't just a special power, It was a warning, A promise, She had already said she wanted to fight for the position, Now, Kade had given her a reason to,
He told himself it had to be done,
If he didn't do something, the older members would take things into their own hands, Someone might have secretly attacked Rae, At least this way, he could control what happened,
But deep down, he knew… he had made a choice Rae would never forgive,
And Nyra—his sister—would never forget,
Later that night, as he stood on the porch looking over the inside courtyard, the first bits of moonlight touched the stone, It was almost full, The same phase when Rae had first held his hand… the same one when she had turned him down,
He couldn't help but wonder, again, if this was how it was always supposed to end,
He shut his eyes tightly, letting the chilly air hit his face, attempting to dull the parts of him that still felt too intensely,
Footsteps came closer behind him,
It was Rovan there,
Kade did not turn his body around,
"Brave move today," Rovan spoke, his voice full of slimy fun, "Putting your old partner in jail, It's almost as if you're finally figuring out how to be in charge,"
"I didn't need you to say it was okay,"
"You never have," Rovan laughed, "but you still need it all the same,"
Kade tightened his jaw, "Be happy while you can,"
"Oh, I am," Rovan softly said, "But be careful, family, The Night Whisper won't like this at all, And if she fights back… well, even the Alpha needs friends,"
Kade turned around then, his eyes cold, "I'm still the Alpha,"
"For now," Rovan replied, pretending to bow before going away into the dark,
Alone once more, Kade looked up at the sky,
The stars were starting to show up, And he knew, a storm was coming too,