🗡️Chapter 05🗡️

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was thick with tension. The Elders, a group of gray-haired men who had served since the last Alpha's time, were huddled in small groups, their voices a low, constant hum of gossip and concern.

Then, the heavy doors swung open.

Damir walked in, his expression cold and his hands clasped behind his back. The room went silent instantly. Every Elder stopped mid-sentence and rose from their chairs, bowing their heads in a synchronized display of respect.

"Alpha," they greeted in a ragged chorus.

Damir didn't acknowledge them. He didn't offer a nod or a polite word. He simply walked to the head of the long stone table and took his seat, his golden eyes scanning the room.

"Sit," he commanded. They obeyed.

"May I know the reason for this meeting?" Damir asked, even though he knew exactly why they were here, but he wanted to make them say it.

One of the Elders, a man named Hakan who had a habit of fidgeting with his rings, cleared his throat. "Alpha, we recognize the strength you've shown in securing our borders and all, but a kingdom like Belzedrom cannot stand on strength alone. The SilverCrest Pack needs a Luna. The people are unsettled. They need a mother for the pack."

Damir leaned forward, the shadows of the hall catching the sharp angles of his face. He let out a long, tired sigh. "There is no need to rush me. I will take a Luna when the time is right."

"With all due respect, Alpha," another Elder interrupted, "time is a luxury we don't have. We have already compiled a list of suitable females from high-ranking families in the neighboring territories. Daughters of Alphas who have pure bloodlines and the temperament to lead."

"A list?" Damir’s voice dropped an octave. "You’ve been shopping for a wife for me?"

"It’s about stability, Damir!" Hakan pushed, using his name in a moment of desperate bravery. "Without a Luna, your wolf will grow more volatile. You need the bond to ground you. If you won't choose one, we are prepared to arrange a meeting with the daughter of the North-Ridge Alpha. She is..."

"She is nothing to me," Damir snapped, his hand slamming onto the table. "I am the Alpha of Belzedrom. I don't take suggestions on who sleeps in my bed or who wears the SilverCrest crown. This meeting is over."

"Alpha, wait..."

"Unless the next words out of your mouth are about our food supply or our defenses," Damir growled, his eyes flashing a bright, warning gold, "keep them to yourselves."

He stood up, already walking away from the table. He didn't care about their lists or their politics. He had enough blood on his hands to last a lifetime, and the last thing he wanted was to be tied to a woman he didn't know.

"Alpha! This isn't a request!" Hakan shouted, his voice cracking with a mix of fear and desperation.

Damir kept walking, his boots echoing against the stone floor.

"This is a necessity for the pack!" Hakan continued, raising his voice even louder to reach Damir’s back. "If you don't find a Luna yourself within the next few days, we will choose one for you and bring her to the palace gates! We will not let this bloodline fail because of your pride!"

Damir stopped dead in his tracks. The entire hall went ice-cold. The other Elders held their breath, some looking at Hakan like he was already a dead man.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Damir turned around.

He didn't growl. He didn't scream. He just walked back toward Hakan with a calm that was far more terrifying than anger. He stopped just inches away from the old man’s face, looming over him like a predator deciding where to bite.

"You’ve grown very bold, Hakan," Damir said, his voice a low, dangerous silk. "So bold that you’ve forgotten who actually wears the crown. You think you can threaten me into a marriage?"

Hakan trembled, but he didn't look away.

Damir tilted his head, a cold, dark smirk playing on his lips. "Fine. If you’re so eager to play matchmaker, go ahead. Bring your 'suitable' girls. I’m curious to see how long they last before they realize they’re marrying a monster, not a husband. Just remember... whatever happens next is on your head."

Without another word, Damir turned and vanished through the heavy doors, leaving the Elders shivering in the silence he left behind.

Hakan slumped into his seat, his legs finally giving out as the weight of Damir’s presence evaporated from the room. He was breathing in short, shallow rasps, his hand trembling as he reached for the silver ring on his finger. The cold sweat on his brow made the drafty air of the hall feel like ice against his skin.

"He will be the death of us," one of the other Elders muttered, his voice barely a whisper. "He has his father’s temper and none of his restraint."

Another Elder, a man with a scarred face and eyes narrowed in thought, stood up and leaned over the table. "What should we do now, Hakan? You poked the bear, and all he did was show us his claws. If we bring those women to the gates and he rejects them, or worse, harms them,it won't just be an insult. It will be a declaration of war against every pack in the mountains."

Hakan took a long, shaky breath, slowly straightening his fur-lined robes. He stood up, using the edge of the stone table to steady himself. His eyes, though clouded with age, burned with a desperate, sharp light.

"He thinks he is invincible because he is young and strong," Hakan said, his voice gaining a hard, brittle edge. "But an Alpha without a mate is a building without a foundation. He is cracking, whether he admits it or not."

"But he told us to bring them," the scarred Elder reminded him. "He gave us his word, even if it was a threat."

"Then we bring them," Hakan snapped, his gaze fixed on the heavy doors where Damir had vanished. "We don't bring the soft ones. We bring the ones with steel in their blood. If he wants a monster, we find him a woman who knows how to cage one. We have three days before the Moon’s Peak. If he hasn't found a girl by then, we force his hand. The SilverCrest bloodline will not end because a boy is too proud to admit he's lonely."

He looked around the table, his expression hardening. "Send the messengers. Tell the North-Ridge and the Iron-Fang packs that the Alpha of Belzedrom is ready to receive their daughters. And tell them to send their most resilient."