Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Nolan POV
I stood at my office window, the early light spilling over the training fields below. Even from here, I could hear the murmur of pack life, guards changing shifts, warriors gathering for patrols, the occasional bark of orders. carried by the wind.
It should have been reassuring, a sign that Silver Fang was running like the well- oiled machine I’d built.
But it wasn’t.
Today, everything felt fragile. One word from the elders’ council could change everything-my candidacy, my future, the stability of the pack itself.
Today, the official list of candidates would be announced.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as I turned back toward my desk. The documents scattered across it, patrol reports, supply lists, letters of endorsement, all blurred together. None of it mattered until the list came through.
Lance leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You’re pacing,” he said lightly.
“I’m thinking,” I corrected gruffly.
“You’re pacing,” Lance repeated with a faint grin. “You’ll wear a hole in the floor if you keep it up.
I didn’t bother answering. He was trying to lighten the mood, but I was too anxious for that to work.
The elder council’s messenger was late, which only made the wait worse. I could still hear the way Elder Harrow had spoken at the last meeting, cold and condemning, his voice echoing in that vaulted hall.
‘The goddess may have spared you once, Alpha, but I see no blessing in you p>
I clenched my jaw. That man had been my father’s fiercest critic, and he’d made it no secret that he saw me as a curse carried forward. It didn’t help that he openly favored Kieran.
It wasn’t even enough for him that I had passed his ridiculous test at the altar. He was still determined to undermine me and destory my chance at the throne.
I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it did. Maybe it was the was he looked at Ellie when she confronted him. To have an elder look at my wife with such open contempt and suspicions made my blood boil. I hadn’t been able to get the thought out of my head any time I had to interact with the elders since.
When the knock finally came, both me and Lance turned sharply. A young attendant entered, bowing slightly as she held out a sealed envelope marked with the royal crest.
“From the council, Alpha p>
I took it, my pulse quickening. The wax seal cracked under my thumb. I unfolded the parchment inside, eyes scanning the short list of names.
And there it was. My name.
1/4
134
+25 Bonus
“Approved,” I breathed.
The weight of the uncertainty lifted in an instant. My lack of faith and personal tragedies weren’t going to hold me back. Not from this. The council had found me worthy.
Lance let out a low whistle. “You did it p>
My shoulders eased, though only slightly. My relief lasted barely a heartbeat before I saw another familiar name a few lines below my own.
Kieran.
My jaw tightened.
“Of course,” I muttered.
Lance caught the look in my eyes and sighed. “Don’t start. He’s your competition, don’t obsess p>
But I couldn’t help it. The memory of Kieran’s hand on Ellie at the last event flashed through my mind. The way she’d looked startled, uncomfortable, and the way I had nearly lost control because of it.
I pushed the thought aside. There were more important things to focus on now.
The campaign was just beginning. There was work to be done, meetings, announcements, and events to play.
Before I could say as much, the office door burst open again, this time without knocking.
A beta stumbled in, his chest heaving, eyes wide. “Alpha-rogue attack. Border patrols are holding, but it’s bad. They came out of nowhere p>
Lance straightened immediately. “Where p>
“Eastern ridge,” the beta said breathlessly. “They’ve already taken down two of ours. The reinforcements are en route, but they’re calling for you p>
I didn’t hesitate. My body moved on its own before I had even fully processed the words.
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair, my voice sharp and commanding. “Double the patrols along the north edge. I want the perimeter sealed tight. No one gets through p>
Lance was already moving. “You’re going out there p>
“I’m not sitting behind a desk while my men are bleeding p>
“You have captains for that,” Lance said, matching my stride. “You’re on the king’s ballot now. You can’t afford
“I can’t afford to look like the kind of alpha who hides behind his title. I’m a lot of things, but not a coward,” I snapped.
That ended the argument.
The ride to the eastern ridge was short but tense. The trees grew denser here, the terrain rougher. The smell of blood hit us before we even saw the first fallen wolf.
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Chopka 195
+25 Bonus
When I arrived, chaos reigned. The rogues were faster, stronger. It was like something had driven them into a frenzy. But my warriors were holding formation, their training evident in the tight defensive lines they’d built around the perimeter.
I leapt out and shifted mid-run, bones cracking, muscles surging as my wolf burst free.
My huge, black furred form broke through the chaos with a howl that reignited the fight in my warriors.
The world sharpened-the scent of iron, the pounding of hearts, the tang of rage on the wind.
I tore into the nearest rogue, claws slicing through fur and flesh.
My wolf had been clawing to get out for weeks now and it showed in the vicious snarl that cut through the din of the battle.
The creature fell, lifeless before it hit the ground. Another came from the side-l caught it mid-leap and threw it down, snapping its neck in one clean motion.
I was distantly aware of Lance shifting and joining the fray. I was equally proud of my little brother for not hesitating and concerned that he was now involved, given his less that stellar training record.
More were coming. Too many.
“Fall back to the ridge!” I barked above the fray. “Tight formation-no one breaks rank p>
The warriors responded instantly, their discipline turning chaos into order. The rogues began to falter, their numbers thinning under coordinated strikes.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the assault broke. The surviving rogues scattered into the trees, retreating as quickly as they’d come.
I stood amid the carnage, my breath ragged. My fur was streaked with blood-not all
of it my own. Around me, my warriros regrouped, checking the wounded.
I shifted back, sweat cooling on my skin as I scanned the treeline. Something about the attack didn’t sit right.
This was a soft point in our patrols because ther forest was so thick here. It wasn’t realistic to form a sustained attack against Silver Fang here. So what was this? A test, a warning?
They’d been organized. Too organized. Rogues didn’t coordinate like that unless someone was pulling the strings.
I exchanged a grim look with Lance, who had shifted back as well, his clothes splattered with mud and blood.
“That wasn’t random,” Lance said, voicing what we were both thinking.
“No,” I said quietly. “It wasn’t p>
I looked back toward the distant hills, where the faintest scent of ash hung in the
wind.
A warning, maybe. Or the first move in something bigger.
Either way, one truth settled cold and heavy in my chest-
3/4
*Moute 134
Someone was targeting Silver Fang,
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