Chapter 21
Silver Pack Meeting Council
People nervously held their breath in anticipation. A few shivered at the deathly cold temperature that filled the room, while others were so tense that cold sweat dampened their foreheads and backs. There were even ordinary werewolves among them who stood close to tears, struggling to withstand the deadly aura pressing down on their lungs.
Seated in the large leather throne made for a king was Alpha Kade.
With his stoic presence and deathly stare, even the six elders felt a chill crawl down their spines. Who wouldn’t? He was not Alpha for no reason. His power and overwhelming aura were what placed him on that seat, and though they all held the political authority to bring him down if united, none of them possessed the physical strength to challenge him directly.
His silver eyes were as dark as burnt ash, resembling the color of a gray sky just before a storm, an impending doom waiting to descend upon them.
His expression was so cold and frigid that everyone present hesitated to speak first. He normally wore a blank, emotionless face, but today was one of those days when everyone knew he was deeply upset, and the unfortunate wolf who dared cross him would find himself shot dead through the heart with a silver bullet.
A deathly aura surrounded him, a clear warning to all. The silence that followed his arrival into the meeting room was so loud and oppressive that if a feather were to fall to the ground, it would have echoed.
The six elders had been discussing him in hushed tones, particularly how he had returned three weeks ago from the North Pack without saying a single word about the future Luna he had gone to see. Did he except them to know his decision without him telling them?
They could not allow his constant foul mood to cause them to fear voicing out what was important to the Silver Pack. Thus, despite the gloomy and suffocating air surrounding him, Elder Ysara, the second female elder among the six, finally spoke.
“Alpha Kade, it is crucial that we speak about your next Luna,” she said carefully. “The North Pack has sent word, asking whether you intend to take Ember as your Luna and if she should come here, as you left without giving them any notice p>
Sebastian’s expression barely changed as he replied. “No. She doesn’t have the first sense or the brain required to be my Luna,” he said indifferently.
Ember, or rather, the little slut, was everything he actively avoided in a she-wolf. She would be clingy, demanding more than her position allowed, using her body as a tool of seduction. Just like his first experience, he wanted a she-wolf who would use her mind to communicate rather than her body, someone who would earn the position instead of expecting it to be given to her freely.
There were times when he lost control and fell into a wild heat, moments when he wouldn’t be able to resist the first alluring female body offered to him, moments instinct and pain took over rather than rationality. In that state of mind, Sebastian knew he could be driven to agree to anything a woman wanted.
He refused to bind himself to someone who would manipulate him through desire, and Ember fell squarely into that category. She was no longer a consideration, and he made sure the elders understood that.
“We chose her for a reason. She is smart and intelligent. You can’t simply turn her away,” Elder Caelum, the commander of the Silver Pack warriors, said, his voice barely containing his displeasure, as he had been the one who suggested Ember in the first place because her father was a close friend of his.
’He called that smart’ His wolf scoffed. ’Then he should marry her himself and enjoy the smell of asshole for breakfast every day. She showed us her dripping ass instead of talking about what she would do once she became a Luna to help our pack. I don’t like her p>
“My decision is final. I will not take Ember as my Luna,” Sebastian said, the finality in his tone leaving no room for argument or further persuasion.
“Then if Ember will not do, Alpha Kade, it is time we hold a Luna competition,” another elder spoke.
“Just as we did two years ago to find the late Luna Evangeline. You cannot rule without a Luna, nor without an heir. We need stability and only your Luna could bring that in this pack p>
The remaining five elders nodded in agreement. No matter how well they knew he had lost two Lunas, and that one of those losses had nearly broken him and become the turning event that made him even colder and more despicable, they could not excuse leaving the Luna seat vacant. As their ruler, duty came before grief. And besides, he had grieved her long enough, four years was more than enough, and she had been forgotten.
Everyone knew that after that loss, he had taken more than a dozen women to his bed and discarded them just as easily. If they did not pressure him to choose a Luna and produce an heir, he never would, and that negligence would only cause the stagnation and eventual decline of their Pack.
Sebastian’s jaw clenched in irritation. One thing was certain: though he was king of his pack and many others, no king ruled alone. The six elders possessed the authority to remove him and place another in his stead, replacing him with his cousin or even his Beta should he refuse to follow the traditions and customs of werewolf law.
Sebastian had worked relentlessly and promised his father to carry on his legacy. He would not give it up over something as inevitable as choosing a Luna, someone he believed would not last long in his life and would most definitely die, just like all the others. All he needed, all he hoped for, was that the next Luna would at least give him an heir before the cruel fate bound to him claimed her as well.
Thus, he finally declared, “Fine. After I finish handling pack affairs, we will set a date and give the she-wolves of our pack a chance to compete for the position. I will marry whoever passes p>
Smiles immediately broke out across the faces of the elders and several important warriors present. This was a rare opportunity for them to bring forth she-wolves from their families, and many would not allow such a chance to slip away. It wasn’t every day that Alpha Kade agreed to something like this.
But cornering him had always been the best strategy, because Sebastian Kade was not an easy Alpha to trap, nor one anyone wished to face when pushed too far.
“You won’t be disappointed, Alpha Kade,” Elder Brenna declared, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. She was known to have daughters, and finally, one of them would have the chance to be picked as Luna.
“The meeting is dismissed p>
Without another word, Sebastian stood up from his chair, clearly intending to leave and put as much distance as possible between himself and the elders, when one of them spoke again.
“We heard you brought back a girl from the North Pack and she is receiving treatment in the healing house. Who is she p>
Every muscle in Sebastian’s body tightened into a knot. He had done his damned best to remove her from his mind, to push her existence out of his head, and for the most part, he had been succeeding, until they had to remind him of her again, and of the foolishness that had led him to bring her here in the first place.
Many times, Sebastian had felt his heart and soul being drawn to her like a moth to flames, but each time he had ignored it, buried it deep. Even now, he could feel her presence tugging at him, either longing for him through the bond or deliberately distracting him by thinking about him.
What did she think she was doing? Did she really believe he would abandon his duty and everything just to run to her? He had thought he heard her mutter that she hated him, so why the hell was she disturbing him now? She was the cause of his irritation this morning. He didn’t like being distracted in any way.
“She’s a nobody,” Sebastian said coldly. “Once she recovers, she will be gone. Matt, come with me. We need to talk p>