CHAPTER 7 - THE ALPHA BOWS

By sunrise, the story had already spread through Silver Moon.

No one needed to tell the pack what had happened.

They had all seen it.

Alpha Richard had knelt before Luca.

The same Luca he had banished three years ago.

The same Luca he had once considered too weak to remain in Silver Moon.

But the humiliation of the previous night was only the beginning.

Luca wanted Richard to remember something.

He wanted the entire pack to remember it too.

So, before the morning council began, Luca walked into the central courtyard.

The courtyard was already crowded.

Elders stood near the council hall.

Warriors gathered around the training grounds.

Families watched from the edges.

Richard arrived a few minutes later.

His face was calm, but the whispers around him made it obvious that the previous night’s humiliation had not been forgotten.

Luca stood at the center of the courtyard.

He looked at Richard.

“Alpha Richard.”

Richard stopped.

“Yes?”

“Come here.”

The command was simple.

But everyone heard it.

Richard’s jaw tightened.

He walked forward.

When he reached Luca, the two men stood face-to-face.

Luca looked around at the pack.

“Three years ago, I left this place in front of all of you.”

No one spoke.

“You watched.”

His eyes moved across the crowd.

“You watched when I was rejected.”

Several wolves lowered their heads.

“You watched when I was humiliated.”

The silence became heavier.

“And you watched when Alpha Richard ordered me to leave.”

Richard’s expression remained hard.

Luca turned toward him.

“Do you remember what you told me?”

Richard said nothing.

Luca continued.

“You told me Silver Moon had no place for a weak wolf.”

A few elders exchanged uncomfortable looks.

Richard finally spoke.

“You were weak then.”

Luca nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

The answer surprised the pack.

“I was.”

He stepped closer.

“And you were the Alpha.”

Richard looked at him.

“I made the decision I believed was necessary.”

Luca’s expression remained calm.

“You made the decision because you believed you had the power to decide my worth.”

Richard’s eyes hardened.

“And now?”

Luca looked at the silver crown resting on his head.

“Now you know better.”

A murmur moved through the crowd.

Luca turned toward the elders.

“Bring the Moonblood record.”

One of the elders immediately entered the council hall.

A moment later, he returned carrying an old leather-bound book.

He opened it before the entire pack.

The elder’s voice was steady.

“The Moonblood bloodline holds authority recognized by ancient law.”

He looked at Luca.

“The rightful heir cannot be stripped of his place by an ordinary Alpha.”

The words settled over the courtyard.

Richard’s face became rigid.

Luca looked at him.

“You knew this.”

Richard didn’t answer.

“You knew what my mother was.”

Still no answer.

“You knew what I carried.”

Richard’s silence was enough.

The pack began to understand that Richard had known far more than they had.

Luca took another step forward.

“Yet you sent me away.”

Richard’s eyes finally met his.

“Yes.”

The single word carried years of regret and pride.

Luca nodded.

“Then stand before the pack and tell them what you did.”

Richard’s expression changed.

“What?”

“Tell them why you banished me.”

The courtyard became completely silent.

Richard looked around.

Three hundred wolves were watching.

He could refuse.

But refusing would mean challenging the authority he had already acknowledged.

So he spoke.

“I banished Luca because I believed he was too weak to remain in Silver Moon.”

The words echoed across the courtyard.

Luca let the silence settle.

Then he turned toward the pack.

“And now?”

The oldest elder answered.

“He is Moonblood.”

Another elder lowered his head.

“And his authority is above ours.”

Luca looked at Richard again.

“Then you owe the pack something.”

Richard’s expression tightened.

“What?”

“An acknowledgment.”

Richard stared at him.

Luca didn’t raise his voice.

“You were wrong.”

Richard’s fists clenched.

For a moment, his pride almost won.

Then he looked at the crown.

He remembered Luca walking away three years earlier.

He remembered believing he would never return.

And now every wolf in Silver Moon was waiting.

Richard slowly lowered himself to one knee.

The courtyard fell completely silent.

Luca watched him.

Richard bowed his head.

“I was wrong.”

The words were barely above a whisper.

Luca’s eyes remained cold.

“Louder.”

Richard’s jaw tightened.

He forced the words out again.

“I was wrong.”

This time, everyone heard him.

The humiliation was complete.

The Alpha who had once stood above every wolf in Silver Moon had been forced to admit before the entire pack that he had been wrong about Luca.

Luca stepped closer.

“Look at me.”

Richard slowly raised his head.

Their eyes met.

“You once told me I wasn’t worthy of this pack.”

Luca’s voice was quiet.

“Now you will live knowing that the wolf you rejected stands above the authority you used against him.”

Richard said nothing.

Luca held his gaze for another moment.

Then he stepped back.

“Rise.”

Richard stood.

But something had changed.

Not in Luca.

In the way the pack looked at Richard.

The respect was still there.

He was still their Alpha.

But the unquestioned authority he had once carried was gone.

Luca turned away.

Behind him, the wolves remained silent.

They had witnessed something they would never forget.

Three years ago, Richard had stood over Luca and ordered him out of Silver Moon.

Today, Richard had knelt before him and admitted his mistake.

And Luca had done it without spilling a single drop of blood.

He had simply made the Alpha face the truth.

The boy Richard had banished was gone.

And the entire pack had just watched his former Alpha bow before the man he had once called weak.

Then a voice came from the crowd.

“Is that all?”

The courtyard went silent.

Luca stopped.

Richard’s eyes widened.

Every wolf turned toward the voice.

Damian stepped out from among the warriors.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes were fixed on Luca.

He walked forward until he stood several feet away.

Richard stared at him.

“Damian…”

But Damian didn’t look at him.

His eyes remained on Luca.

“You made Alpha Richard kneel,” he said.

Luca said nothing.

“You made him admit he was wrong.”

A faint smile touched Damian’s lips.

“But there’s something you haven’t done yet.”

Luca slowly turned toward him.

“What is that?”

Damian’s eyes hardened.

“Prove that you’re more than a crown.”

A murmur swept through the courtyard.

Luca stared at him.

For the first time since returning to Silver Moon, something changed in his expression.

Not anger.

Interest.

He stepped forward.

“Careful, Damian.”

Damian didn’t move.

“Or what?”

Luca stopped directly in front of him.

The courtyard held its breath.

Luca looked into his eyes.

“Tomorrow.”

He turned away.

“Come find out.”

Damian remained frozen.

The pack stared between them.

Richard’s humiliation had ended.

But something far more dangerous had just begun.

And tomorrow, the entire pack would find out whether Damian truly believed Luca was nothing more than a crown.