LOGINChapter 45GIDEON'S POVI was not sure what I had expected when Cassandra said she had set up a private meeting, but it was definitely not this. We walked through the door of the meeting court and my eyes landed on the two council members already seated opposite each other with a small stack of documents placed at the head of the table where I took my seat. "I just filed a petition that formally requests consideration for pack mateship," Cassandra explained in a more serious tone as I settled into my chair.But now, it felt like I'd been lured into a trap. This was a meeting that had been carefully planned for and quietly set up, so I felt a sense of unease as I sat and stared in her direction, knowing what was coming. The petition she had filed was used when a person wished to be officially mated to their partner. Under pack law, I was required to hear her case and according to protocol, two council members are to be present as witnesses. The only problem was, I already knew tha
Chapter 44GIDEON'S POVRestless was an understatement if I had to describe how I felt as the minutes ticked by. And the large old wall clock only worsened the situation as the ticking echoed around the hall.The council members were gathered in the council room, basically deciding my fate. The outcome of their meeting would determine whether I would still remain the Alpha of Willow Ridge or a panel would take over until the next Alpha was chosen. And as the rumors I had heard from Julian about Reginald flooded my mind, I only got more anxious. Without doubt, those in favor of the panel were going to lean heavily on the constant attacks from Damon, but as I thought the situation through now, I concluded that there was no better time for Damon to have filed the formal challenge.We were constantly drawing nearer to the due date and I was certainly confident in conquering Damon. It was going to be the perfect moment to show my people that no matter the circumstance, I was going to fi
Chapter 43VICTOR'S POV The meeting bells still seemed to be ringing faintly in my ears as I walked into the council room.My eyes quickly scanned the room to know who was present and who wasn't. There were four more councillors left to join the meeting."Councilman Victor!" Edmund, one of oldest among us called. He had been absent from the last meeting but was later informed of the proposition and outcome.I turned to him with a smile and nodded. "Councilman Edmund." "What are your expectations for this meeting? Surely you have come to a decision, haven't you?" I glanced in Reginald's direction and noticed he was already looking my way. A strange chill ran down my spine and I quickly looked away. He had three secure votes in favor of the proposition and the possibility that there would be more after today nagged at me. I exhaled softly and returned my attention to Edmund. "I believe I have. What about you?" "You could say I'm still on the fence, but we'll see by the end of the
Chapter 42FREYA'S POV I had been angry before. Extremely angry. But it felt different this time. It felt more intense. Like what I had heard had struck the most fragile parts of my heart and everything in me was begging to strike back.Maybe it was because my children would have been affected if Cassandra's plan had worked out. I refused to believe she was not at fault. Deep down, I felt she had a hand in it. It was more than a coincidence that the one day she decided to visit just to "thank me" was the same day the antidote got contaminated.The thought of it made me laugh bitterly, but I had decided not to confront her directly. I had no solid proof she had done it, and without proof, Cassandra would only laugh in my face and make me look like the stupid one. It had happened too many times in the past and I'd learned my lesson.After receiving the second test result from Doctor Carver, confirming that he was indeed right, I forced out a smile and decided not to dwell on the sit
Chapter 41OWEN'S POVEarly the next morning, I began my usual routine of clearing and arranging my workspace while also thinking back on what had happened the previous day with Cassandra.Her sudden reaction had left me concerned for hours, but since there was no crazy news flying around about her, I guessed she had gotten better. I put the thought away, deciding to talk to Freya about it instead when she arrived. It would not be so long until both she and the Alpha would come together for their last session so I had to make sure I had all the antidotes and compounds in place. And besides, the Alpha was about to go against Damon himself, so I was willing to do anything within my power to make sure he was ready to face anything. I couldn't lose to Damon twice.Experimenting had become my favorite thing to do and I made sure to monitor my projects and attempts each day. The most important being the antidote.I picked up the two vials left that contained the antidote with a proud smi
Chapter 40CASSANDRA'S POV I was standing by the balcony, watching the entrance to the pack house and waiting. Desperation tugged at my heart as the minutes passed.Just when I decided to give up waiting and return to my room, Beta Julian walked through the gates with Alpha Gideon closely behind him."It's about time," I rolled my eyes and made my way down to the waiting lounge to meet them.He had gone to her cabin that morning for his second healing session and knowing that he was with her for hours stirred up something bitter inside of me.I put on my usual smile like I did when I had pack members around me. After all, I had to appear to be the kind of mate that would be perfect for Gideon and I could not risk any of the council members catching me off guard.My position was still very fragile since the public confirmation was not completed, and the uncertainty only worsened with Freya's return. I widened my smile as I approached them. I needed to know how much progress they were
Chapter 26GIDEON'S POV I heard the loud, commanding voice as clear as crystal before I actually saw him. It seemed a few guards had tried to get in his way and with only a few threats, he had managed to scare them all away.A few seconds later, Julian was at my door. My ever loyal beta. His eyes
Chapter 25FINNLEY'S POV I returned to the pack house the next day to speak to Bria to know what new updates she had. I desperately needed eyes on Reginald and the visitors he had and Bria was the only reliable source.Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found at the infirmary where she worked.
Chapter 23FREYA'S POV "What the hell are you doing?" I snapped at Cassandra as I snatched the mug and set it down by the bedside table.I was far too concerned about what she had been trying to give the Alpha to even wonder how I had covered the long distance between the door and the bed with onl
Chapter 22FREYA'S POV I had always held a small fraction of distrust for Julian.Granted, he had done so much to keep us all safe in Sera's cabin, but it was not so easy to completely forgive the same man who had slapped me so hard for something that wasn't my fault. He had no idea what had actua







