Chapter 4: The Council's Judgement

Brian

The Council Hall had stood long before I was born.

Built from black stone and timber cut from the oldest forest in the territory, it wasn't the tallest building in the capital, but it was undoubtedly the most intimidating. Every Alpha who ruled the Northern Territories answered to the Werewolf Council, and every important decision that shaped our kind had been made within these walls.

I had walked through its doors countless times over the years.

Today, felt different. 

The massive wooden doors swung open, and Ethan stepped in beside me without saying a word. The long chamber stretched ahead, lit by towering chandeliers that cast a warm glow over the polished stone floor. Twelve Elders occupied the semicircular table at the far end, each dressed in dark ceremonial robes marked with the crest of their respective packs.

The Head Elder, Elder Magnus folded his hands on the table.

"Alpha Brian Silverman."

I inclined my head.

"Elders."

His sharp eyes swept over me.

"I trust you've recovered from the unfortunate incident at your company's gala."

"How do you know about the incident." As far as I knew, only Maya, Ethan and Rolland, my pack doctor, knew what happened and I knew they would rather die than tell another soul. 

A faint smile tugged at one corner of his mouth and Silence settled over the chamber.

Finally, an older man seated to the Head Elder's right leaned back in his chair.

"It wasn't intended to harm you."

The words echoed through the chamber. Ethan's jaw tightened beside me. I stared at the Elder.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It was never our intention to kill the Alpha of Silver Moon."

"Then explain."

The Elder met my gaze without flinching.

"You call it poisoning." He paused. "We call it a lesson."

A muscle ticked in my jaw. "You tampered with my drink."

"A measured dose," another Elder replied calmly. "Enough to weaken your senses for a short time. Nothing more."

Ethan took a step forward.

"You drugged an Alpha without his knowledge." The Elder didn't even look at him.

"If a single altered drink can bring one of the strongest Alphas in this territory to his knees, then perhaps the problem isn't the drink."

His gaze returned to me.

"Perhaps the problem is how vulnerable Silver Moon has become." The chamber fell silent.

Every pair of eyes settled on me. I felt Ethan's anger radiating beside me, but I forced myself to remain calm.

"You risked my life to prove a point." I said 

"No, We exposed a weakness." Elder Magnus finally spoke again. "If a rival pack had wished to assassinate you, Alpha Brian, the outcome would have been very different."

His words landed with uncomfortable precision. I remembered waking in the lounge, the headache and the missing memories.

The dream that had felt so real it still lingered in the back of my mind. If Maya hadn't found me… I pushed the thought away before it could settle.

"You overstepped your boundaries." I told them. 

"We are trying to fulfilled our responsibility."

Elder Magnus countered, his voice remained steady.

"The Council exists to protect every pack under our authority."

"And poisoning an Alpha protects us?"

"No." He leaned forward. "But Preventing the collapse of an Alpha bloodline does."

The room grew impossibly quiet. I already knew where this conversation was headed.

"You lost your mate years ago," one Elder said.

"You have no heir," another added.

"If something was to truly happen to you, then Silver Moon would be left without an alpha."

"The succession would immediately become contested."

"Rival packs would seize the opportunity."

"And Civil war would not be far behind."

Each statement landed like another stone added to an impossible weight as elders took turns to finish the sentence. 

The Head Elder rested both hands on the table.

"The events at the gala proved what we've warned you about for years."

He looked directly at me.

"Your pack is vulnerable."

"It isn't."

"No?"

His eyebrow lifted.

"You were unconscious for hours inside your own headquarters."

For the first time since entering the chamber, I had no answer. Not because he was right, but because I couldn't prove him wrong.

Another Elder cleared his throat.

"My youngest daughter recently celebrated her twenty-fourth birthday."

The sudden change in topic drew every eye toward him.

"She is unmated."

He smiled as though he were discussing a business merger.

"Strong bloodline and well educated. Healthy” He added. 

Ethan let out a disbelieving laugh.

The Elder ignored him. "She would make an excellent Luna."

I stared at him.

"I'm not looking for a mate."

"Perhaps you should be."

"My daughter is fertile," he continued without the slightest hint of embarrassment. "Young enough to give you strong pups and secure your bloodline before next winter."

"I said no."

The smile disappeared from his face.

"You refuse before meeting her?"

"I refuse because I have no intention of replacing my mate. Linda was my Luna, and I will not dishonor her memory by treating marriage like another political negotiation.”

The Elder leaned back. "A leader doesn't always have the luxury of choosing."

"No." I held his gaze. "But I do."

A ripple of whispers spread among the Council.

Elder Magnus raised one hand, silencing the room instantly.

"Enough."

His expression hardened.

"This discussion has gone in circles long enough."

He slowly rose to his feet.

Every Elder followed. The atmosphere shifted immediately.

And I knew whatever came next wasn't a suggestion. It was a ruling.

"Alpha Brian Silverman."

His voice filled the chamber.

"The Werewolf Council acknowledges your years of service and your loyalty to the Northern Territories."

He paused.

"However, loyalty alone cannot preserve a bloodline."

I felt Ethan glance toward me. Magnus continued.

"You are hereby granted one year." The words echoed through the silent hall. "Twelve months." He clarified. 

"One full cycle before the next Blood Moon Assembly." His gaze never left mine.

"Within that time, you will produce a legitimate heir capable of inheriting the Silver Moon Alpha line."

Every instinct inside me stiffened.

"And if you don't?"

No one spoke immediately. Then he continued, his voice calm, 

"...the Council will invoke the Ancient Succession Law."

The room felt colder.

"Your title as Alpha of Silver Moon will be revoked."

Even Ethan stopped breathing.

"Leadership of your pack will pass to the next eligible member of the Silverman bloodline."

I already knew the name before anyone spoke it.

Laura.

My older sister.

The woman who had never hidden her belief that the title should have been hers.

For years she had tolerated my leadership because there had been no legal path around it.

Now they had handed her exactly what she'd been waiting for.

The Head Elder sat back down. "This meeting is concluded."

I looked around the chamber one last time, meeting the eyes of each Elder in turn.

Not one of them looked remorseful and I'm sure they believed they had done anything wrong.

As we walked toward the doors, Ethan's voice entered my mind through the pack link.

They planned this.

I didn't answer. The heavy doors closed behind us with a deafening boom, shutting the Council Hall out of sight.

We descended the long stone steps in silence before Ethan stopped walking.

"This was never about protecting Silver Moon." He said out loud. 

I looked back at the ancient building towering over us.

The ultimatum, the poisoned drink and the offer of a Council Elder's daughter. None of it had been random.

It had all been part of the same game.

"No, it wasn't," I said quietly. My gaze lingered on the Council Hall for one final moment before I turned away.

"What are you going to do?" Ethan asked.

I looked back at the Council Hall one last time before turning away.

"I don't know."

The words tasted bitter.

"But I have one year..."

"...and I'm not handing Silver Moon to Laura.”