Chapter 7

Rowan’s POV

The guards don’t speak as they escort me, not even when we pass others who pause mid-step to stare. The pack is buzzing like a nest of hornets, and I am the intruder they want stung to death.

The doors to the meeting hall loom ahead, tall and carved with ancient runes. The last time I walked through them, I was summoned for an oath. Today, I might leave with a sentence.

The guards push the heavy doors open.

Ten Elders sit around a crescent-shaped table,aged, austere, their expressions carved from stone. Each bears the sigil of their bloodline, their rank. At the center sits Elder Marros, the High Voice, his silver eyes colder than frostbite.

Alpha Kael stands near the fireplace, arms crossed, his face unreadable. The Lunas sit to his left,both regal, both rigid. Their stares pierce me like twin blades. I lower my gaze only for a moment.

“Rowan,” Elder Marros says. His voice is dry parchment. “You are here to answer questions concerning a matter of grave importance.”

I nod once, chin lifted. “Yes, Elder.”

“We will ask. You will answer. Brevity is preferred. Deception is not tolerated.”

Understood.

“Sit,” he commands.

I take the seat prepared for me. I feel exposed. No table between us. Just me, under their collective weight.

Elder Thera, a sharp-eyed woman known for her cruelty to liars, leans forward. “Is it true you carry a child?”

“I was informed of that possibility two hours ago. I have no reason to doubt the healer’s assessment.”

“Possibility?” she repeats, eyes narrowing. “You heard the heartbeat, did you not?”

“I did. But I did not plan a pregnancy, nor was I aware of one. So yes, to me, it remains a possibility,albeit a strong one.”

Elder Hanis, voice smooth as poison, interjects. “Then perhaps you’ll explain how a child could form in the womb of a woman who claims to have been with no man but the Alpha—who is widely believed to be sterile.”

I meet his gaze. “If the Alpha is truly sterile, then I suppose we are all in need of better information.”

A few Elders exchange glances.

Kael shifts slightly, but says nothing.

“You’re being clever,” Elder Marros notes. “Dangerous, given the gravity of this situation.”

“I prefer clarity, Elder. Cleverness is merely a side effect.”

A small twitch in the corner of his mouth. Not a smile,something darker.

Elder Brin, whose disdain is thicker than his fur-lined robe, leans forward. “Do you deny that this could be part of a ploy—an effort to elevate your position, or sabotage the Alpha’s alliance with the Lunas?”

“No,” I say simply.

He blinks, caught off guard.

“I do not deny that it could be seen as such,” I continue. “But perception and truth are often distant cousins. I’ve never sought rank, nor have I ever lied to any of you.”

“That remains to be determined,” Elder Thera snaps. “Is the Alpha the father?”

I glance at Kael, who still hasn’t spoken. “I’ve lain with no other. Whether that makes him the father,biologically, spiritually, or politically,is for you all to decide. My truth remains the same.”

There’s a pause. The silence is heavy with calculation.

Elder Marros steeples his fingers. “Have you used magic on the Alpha?”

“No.”

“Have you called upon any spell, enchantment, or foreign influence that might alter his body or yours?”

“No, Elder. I wouldn’t know how if I tried.”

“You wouldn’t know how?” Elder Hanis scoffs. “And yet something stirred in you in the infirmary. A force we all felt through the pack link connected to Dr. Bradley,What was that?”

My jaw tightens. “I don’t know. But I did not summon it. It responded to a threat.”

“To what threat, exactly?” Thera presses.

“I was detained and scared. My wolf reacted.”

Kael speaks for the first time. “She’s telling the truth. I was present.”

I didn't know he was just outside the door, if he was why didn't he come in and intervene?

Every head turns.

Elder Marros shifts in his seat. “And you, Alpha Kael,do you claim this child as your own?”

Kael’s expression is thunderclouds and stone. “I claim no certainty. Only that I know her, and I know deceit does not live in her eyes.”

The room simmers. That statement is not a denial. And not quite a declaration.

Elder Brin slams a hand on the table. “Then what would you have us do? Let this continue unchallenged? Risk scandal, rebellion, even war with the Northern Pack?”

“That child, if real, could be a curse or a blessing,” Thera says quietly. “And Rowan might be the vessel of something beyond our understanding.”

“I don’t know what I am,” I say, rising to my feet. “But I know what I am not. I am not a traitor. I am not a liar. And I will not sit here while the men and women who rule this pack treat me like a rabid animal for surviving something none of you can explain.”

The room freezes. Even Kael looks taken aback.

“You asked your questions. I answered. If you mean to kill me, do it. But don’t insult me by pretending this is anything but fear of the unknown.”

Marros rises slowly. “Your words have weight, Rowan. And danger. You tread the edge of a blade.”

“I’ve been on that blade since the day I arrived. I’m just learning how to stand on it.”

A long, heavy pause.

Then Marros speaks again. “Return to your room. Remain there until summoned. We will deliberate.”

I nod once, then walk toward the door—my spine straight, heart hammering, and wolf restless beneath my skin.

Let them deliberate.

Let them wonder.