The Alpha Council Verdict

Allene

Nothing satisfied me more than the shock written all over Leonard’s face when Draven addressed me as his Luna.

The way his eyes widened, the sudden stiffness in his posture, the anger that boiled just beneath the surface, it was so intoxicating.

“You… this isn’t possible!” he shouted, voice raw with disbelief. “No one… no one can take you from me! You can’t belong to another Alpha when you’re still mated to me!”

I let his words wash over me, letting a small smile tug at my lips. I didn’t say anything.

Then he went further, venom dripping from every syllable. “It’s… it’s insulting. Absolutely insulting. That you, my mate, would be with him! With my uncle! The one who was banished from our kingdom!”

I could feel the satisfaction rising in me, warm and fierce. I had wanted him to feel this, to realize just how much I can do without himself. That was why I led him straight here… to make him angry enough to do something very reckless.”

“Do you not find it disgraceful?” I asked, stepping closer, letting my words linger in the air between us. “To have another woman defile the bed that was meant for us? The bed that should have been ours? Didn’t you know that was very insulting when you did that?”

His nostrils flared, chest heaving as he tried to collect himself. “I… I have free will!” he spat, voice trembling with fury. I didn’t back down. I held his gaze, steady and unyielding. “And so do I,” I shot back, letting each word fall like a strike. “I have free will too. I choose who I am with. I choose who I belong to.”

His hands curled into fists at his sides, the anger radiating off him in waves, but I didn’t care one bit. I refused to give him the satisfaction of fear, or hesitation.

He opened his mouth again, but I could see the words faltering, trapped somewhere between outrage and disbelief. His eyes were dark pools of anger as he spat out words that made my skin crawl.

“It’s against the law!” he roared, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “You can’t just… this… this isn’t allowed! You cannot…”

Before he could finish, Draven stepped forward, his tone was calm but unshakable. “Allene can be with whoever she chooses, Leo. And she chose me.”

I could see the blood drain from Leo’s face as if he hadn’t expected the words to hit him like this. His jaw tightened, his hands clenching at his sides, and I caught the flicker of pain in his eyes.

“I don’t care!” he bellowed, his anger growing hotter with every second. “I… I’ll make sure you pay for this, Allene. I’ll punish you for what you’ve done. For defying me, for choosing… him!”

I let out a small, bitter laugh, trying to keep my voice steady even as my heart skipped a beat. My body trembled faintly, but I refused to show it.

“Do your worst,” I said, my words deliberate, almost teasing, though the pit in my stomach reminded me that I was feeling very excited. I was so excited of what he could do, and how far his anger might go.

His eyes snapped toward Draven, and the possessiveness in his gaze made my stomach twist. “And you,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, “ You won’t take my woman away from me. She belongs to me, and me alone.”

The words made me freeze mid-step. My woman. The way he said it… the claim, the possessiveness, the entitlement, all made my chest turn sour. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him directly, though the sting of it burned through me.

I wanted to scream, to remind him that he didn’t own me, that abandoning me had been his choice before I ever walked away but the words caught in my throat. I was stunned. Stunned at the audacity of his anger, the audacity of his possessiveness, when it had taken my leaving for him to finally act like I mattered.

And there it was, plain and ugly in front of me: the version of him I had loved, twisted by pride and fury. Acting as though the world revolved around him, as though the very act of refusing him was a crime against him personally.

I wanted to spit out something biting, something that would wound him the way he had tried to wound me but my voice faltered.

“Draven,” Leonard said again after taking a deep breath, “we’re going to the council of elders. This… this matter cannot stand. I will never let go of my mate.”

The words made my chest tighten. Mate. Every time he said it, it carried the weight of possession, of entitlement, and it was sickening.

***********

Leonard actually took the matter to the council of elders.

When Draven and I got there, the entire council was already seated, their expressions stern, and unreadable. The chamber felt cold despite how many bodies were present. Every step I took echoed too loudly, like the room itself was judging me.

They wasted no time.

One of the elders spoke first, his voice deep and authoritative.

“Tell us your sides of the story.”

Leonard went first.

He spoke with anger, with entitlement, painting himself as the wronged one. He talked about the mate bond like it was a chain that could never be broken. Like my will did not matter. Like I was something that had been stolen from him.

When it was my turn, I did not beg. I did not cry.

I told them the truth.

I spoke about the betrayal. About the other woman in our bed. About how he had broken us long before I ever walked away. I told them I had rejected him because I no longer wanted him, because the bond had become a prison.

I chose Draven. The room fell quiet after that.

The elders murmured among themselves, low voices exchanging glances, weighing everything they had heard. Each second stretched painfully long, my heart beating hard in my chest.

Then the verdict came.

The majority of them ruled in my favor.

The words hit me slowly, like I needed time to believe them. They acknowledged my rejection. Acknowledged my right to choose. Acknowledged my marriage to Draven.

Leonard stiffened beside me.

One of the elders cleared his throat and turned to him.

“Leonard,” he said calmly, “it is clear to us that Allene is free to marry your uncle. You betrayed her first. It would do you no good to keep the mate bond any longer. It is best that you accept her rejection and sever it.”

The room held its breath.

“No.”

Leonard’s voice exploded through the chamber, very furious.

“I refuse,” he snarled, his eyes burning straight into me. “I would never accept Allene’s rejection.”