Chapter 7: The Council of Alphas

The journey to the High Council’s territory took two days.

For two days, I sat beside Kael in a massive black SUV, my hand resting in his. We didn't speak much. Instead, he spent hours teaching me how to control the wildfire inside my chest.

"You can't just let it explode," he explained, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on my palm. "You have to pull it back. Think of it as a leash. You are the master. The power is the beast."

By the time we arrived at the Council’s fortress—a sprawling, ancient stone estate tucked into the mountains—I could call upon my power and leash it in a matter of seconds.

The grand hall was already full when we walked in.

Alphas from a dozen different packs sat around a massive round table. The air was thick with hostile energy. I felt their eyes on me—judging, calculating.

Jason was there, sitting at the far end. Olivia was perched behind him like a venomous shadow. The moment Jason saw Kael and me walk in, holding hands, his face twisted into a sneer.

"Finally," Jason drawled, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "The traitor and the abomination arrive."

Kael didn't even look at him. He led me to an empty pair of high-backed chairs, pulling mine out for me before taking his own seat.

"Watch your tongue, Jason," Kael said, his voice deceptively calm. "You're in the presence of a superior Alpha."

"Superior?" Jason scoffed, slamming his hand on the table. "He's harboring a rogue! She attacked my pack with some kind of dark magic! She is a threat to the laws of the Moon Goddess!"

A murmur of agreement rippled through the other Alphas.

The Head of the Council, an ancient, silver-haired Alpha named Lord Marcus, raised his hand for silence. He turned his sharp, piercing eyes on me.

"Alpha Kael speaks highly of you, Elara," Marcus said slowly. "He claims you are the True Heir of the Moon Goddess's bloodline. Alpha Jason claims you are a dark abomination. The laws of the Council are clear: any wolf with unbound, untested power must be neutralized. You will submit to a binding ceremony."

My blood ran cold. A binding ceremony. Just like the one my mother had performed on me as a baby. It would strip away my power, leaving me weak and defenseless.

"No," Kael said flatly.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "It is not a request, Alpha Kael. If she refuses, the Council will vote to execute her."

The room went deathly quiet. I could feel the panic rising in my throat.

Kael opened his mouth to argue, but I gently squeezed his hand, silencing him. I stood up.

Every eye in the room locked onto me.

"I am not a threat to the Moon Goddess's laws," I said, my voice ringing out clear and steady. I was terrified, but I refused to let them see it. "I am a threat to the wolves who break them. Alpha Jason publicly rejected his fated mate and humiliated her in front of his pack. He violated the sacred bond. He was the one who threw me across the border like garbage."

Jason's face went red. "How dare you—"

"If the Council wishes to test my power," I continued, ignoring him completely, "then I will show you. But not by submitting to a binding. I will prove my heritage the way our ancestors did."

Marcus leaned forward, intrigued. "And how is that?"

"The Trial of the First Moon," I said.

Gasps echoed around the table. Even Kael stiffened in his chair.

The Trial of the First Moon was legendary. It was a test of physical, mental, and spiritual endurance that only the first High Priestesses had ever survived. It hadn't been attempted in over a thousand years.

"That is suicide," Jason laughed. "You're a weak omega. You'll be dead within the first hour."

I turned to him, letting a sliver of my power bleed into the air. The temperature in the room dropped, and Jason’s laugh died in his throat.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Jason," I said coldly. "If I die, you get exactly what you want. But if I survive..."

I looked around the table, meeting the eyes of every Alpha in the room.

"If I survive," I said, "I will take my place as the High Priestess of the Council. And none of you will ever be able to command me again."

Marcus sat back, a slow smile spreading across his weathered face.

"Then it is decided," he declared. "The Trial begins at dawn."