59. The Council Hall.

Adrian POV

The council hall was empty.

That was the first thing that hit me.

The silence.

It was too quiet. Too still. This hall was never quiet. Never empty. It was the place where decisions were made about my life without my consent. The place where men older than time sat and judged my fate like I was nothing more than a piece on a board.

And now, when my blood was boiling, when my heart was burning with questions, they were nowhere to be found.

My jaw tightened.

Cowards.

I stepped further into the hall. My boots echoed against the stone floor, the sound loud in the emptiness. Tall pillars surrounded me, carved with ancient symbols of power and history. Symbols they loved to hide behind. Symbols they used to control.

I stood at the center of the hall and slowly turned around, scanning every corner.

Nothing.

They were avoiding me.

I could feel it in my bones.

My hands curled into fists. My chest rose and fell heavily as my wolf stirred inside me. Anger wasn’t just an emotion anymore. It was a force. It was pressure. It was fire crawling under my skin.

They thought they could run.

They thought I would calm down.

They were wrong.

I'll summon them!.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. The air felt thick, heavy, like the world itself was holding its breath with me. I reached deep inside myself, deeper than I had ever gone before.

Past restraint.

Past fear.

Past control.

I reached for the power they told me not to touch.

The ancient power.

My veins burned as it answered me.

The symbols on the floor beneath my feet began to glow faintly. A low hum filled the air, vibrating through the walls, through my bones. The hall trembled slightly, dust falling from the ceiling.

I raised my hands slowly, palms open.

“I am done being controlled,” I said to the empty room.

Then I pulled.

Not physically.

Mentally.

Magically.

I summoned them.

The air cracked like thunder. Space twisted, folding in on itself. One by one, bodies appeared around the hall, dragged from wherever they were without warning.

Some fell to the floor.

Some stumbled.

Some shouted in shock.

The council had arrived.

Gasps filled the room. Confused voices rose in panic.

“What is this place—?”

“How did we get here?”

“Who did this?!”

I opened my eyes.

My gaze landed on Rowan.

Lucy’s father.

He stood frozen, eyes wide with horror. He was barely dressed, wearing only boxers. His face flushed with shame as he realized where he was and who had summoned him.

Good.

Let him feel exposed.

Matthew stood nearby, calm as ever. Straight-backed. Composed. His eyes met mine, and instead of fear, I saw something else.

A knowing look.

Almost pride... pride that I used this old power.

The council began shouting again, their voices overlapping.

“That spell is ancient!”

“No Alpha can summon like that!”

“This magic is forbidden!”

I raised my hand sharply.

Silence slammed down on the room like a heavy door.

Their mouths closed instantly.

“You’re asking the wrong question,” I said, my voice low and cold. “You should be asking why.”

No one spoke.

I stepped forward slowly, my eyes never leaving Rowan.

“You,” I said.

Rowan swallowed hard. I could see his throat move. He forced a smile, weak and fake.

“Alpha Adrian,” he said nervously. “I don’t understand what this is about.”

I didn’t answer him.

I moved.

In one blink, I was in front of him.

My hand shot out and grabbed his neck. I lifted him off the ground effortlessly. His feet dangled as his hands clawed at my wrist.

His eyes widened in panic.

“I hate lies,” I said quietly, my voice shaking with restrained fury. “And I hate being played.”

The council rushed forward, their combined power pushing against me, trying to restrain me. Magic pressed into my back, my shoulders, my arms.

I felt it.

I didn’t release him.

“Don’t pretend,” I shouted, my voice echoing violently through the hall, “that you don’t know what you and your daughter did!”

Rowan’s fear exploded.

That fear told me everything.

“Adrian.”

Matthew’s voice cut through the chaos. Calm. Firm.

I froze.

“Enough,” he said. “You’ve made your point.”

I stared at Rowan one last time. His face was red, eyes watering, body shaking.

Slowly, I released him.

He collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, clutching his neck as he gasped for air. He crawled away from me like a frightened animal.

I turned to face the rest of them.

“You pushed me,” I said, my voice cold but shaking underneath. “You backed me into a corner.”

I pointed at them one by one.

“If you push me again,” I continued, “I won’t wait for the gods. I won’t wait for tradition. I will deal with you myself.”

No one challenged me.

Not one.

I turned and walked out of the hall, the doors slamming shut behind me.

Rowan POV

My throat burned like fire.

I could barely breathe as I lay on the cold stone floor. Pain pulsed through my neck with every breath. My hands shook as I slowly pushed myself up.

Humiliation crashed into me.

Dragged here half-naked. Exposed. Powerless.

By Adrian.

That magic he used… it terrified me.

No Alpha should be able to summon like that. No Alpha should control ancient magic so easily. The council had always said it was lost.

They lied.

The council whispered around me, their voices filled with shock and confusion.

“What just happened?”

“Is he accusing us?”

“What did he mean?”

I forced myself to stand straight. I couldn’t look weak. Not now.

“The mark has appeared,” I said suddenly.

The room went dead silent.

“What?”

“Are you sure?”

“The Luna mark?”

“Yes,” I said. “Lucy has it.”

Shock rippled through them.

Then excitement.

Then confusion.

“That shouldn’t be possible.”

“But the Alpha—”

“This changes everything.”

They were smiling.

Celebrating.

They didn’t see the danger.

Only Matthew stayed quiet.

He stepped closer to me, his eyes sharp and unreadable.

“Be careful,” he said.

I frowned. “Careful of what?”

“Whatever you did,” he replied calmly, “will not stay hidden forever.”

Before I could respond, he disappeared.

For the first time since everything began, fear settled deep in my chest.

Matthew POV

I left the hall quietly.

The air outside felt heavy, charged with power and consequences. Adrian had crossed a line today. Not out of madness, but out of pain.

And that made him dangerous.

His power had grown too fast. Too raw. Too uncontrolled.

And the reason stood among the council, pretending innocence.

Rowan.

The Luna mark should never appear through force. Never through manipulation.

Adrian knew something was wrong.

And now, he was standing between destiny and rebellion.

I looked in the direction Adrian had gone.

“I will protect you,” I murmured.

Because if this continued unchecked…

Everything would fall apart.