Chapter 20: The Vote

The courtyard was silent, but every wolf there felt the weight of the moment.

This wasn’t a discussion. This wasn’t a warning. This was judgment dressed as law.

Iria stood at the edge, chest tight, eyes fixed on Kael. He didn’t look at her—not yet—but the tension in his shoulders told her everything. The bond thrummed faintly, as if aware that everything was about to fracture.

The council appeared, lined up like judges ready to pronounce doom. Lorien stepped forward, voice smooth.

“By council decree,” he began, “the Alpha’s direct command over pack matters is to be temporarily reviewed. A vote will determine the proper course of action.”

Whispers moved through the pack. Wolves looked at one another, unsure, anxious.

Kael finally spoke, slow, deliberate. “You’re doing this publicly?”

“To maintain transparency,” Eldric said quickly. “So the pack sees fairness.”

Kael’s eyes swept the crowd. “Or so the pack thinks they do.”

Iria’s chest tightened. She saw it—how they measured loyalty, how they tested obedience, how the pack’s very structure was being used against them.

Lorien raised a hand, signaling the start. “Let the vote proceed.”

The first wolves stepped forward, one by one. Neutral at first. Then cautious. Some even hesitant to speak their choice aloud.

“Kael,” Iria whispered, her voice low, “this is dangerous.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “It’s already dangerous. This is just exposure.”

As the vote continued, cracks appeared. Wolves who had always stayed in the shadows now took sides. Some voted against him. Some abstained. A few openly supported him.

Iria noticed Mara’s hesitation. Her friend’s paw hovered over the declaration tablet, trembling. Iria’s heart sank.

Mara finally spoke. “Support Kael,” she said quietly. “He… he is the pack’s strength.”

Iria exhaled, relief brief. The fractures had only begun.

When the vote concluded, Lorien tallied the results with a calculated calm.

Kael’s support held—just barely. Enough to maintain his authority, but not enough to silence the doubt the council had sewn.

“By majority decision,” Lorien announced, “Kael remains Alpha, but under temporary oversight until further evaluation.”

A murmur ran through the pack. Satisfaction for some. Unease for most.

Kael’s eyes found Iria. The bond thrummed, strained but alive. He stepped forward, voice low.

“They tried to cage me,” he said, “to dilute the pack, to isolate her, to turn loyalty into fear. They failed.”

Iria stepped beside him, shoulders back, heart pounding. “But they’ll try again.”

Kael’s gaze hardened. “Let them. We’ll be ready next time.”

That night, as the courtyard emptied and torches flickered low, Kael and Iria stood alone on the upper terrace.

“The bond…” Iria said softly. “It’s stronger than yesterday, but it feels… fragile.”

Kael’s gaze swept over the territory below. “They interfered. They tested it. But they didn’t break it. That’s what matters.”

Her lips curved faintly. “And the pack?”

“They saw us together,” he said. “They saw unity, strength, and the consequences of crossing the line. Some will follow. Some will falter. That’s always the risk.”

Iria inhaled the cool night air, feeling the tension of the vote, the fractures forming, the pack’s awareness growing.

“And the council?” she asked.

Kael’s hand brushed hers, careful but firm. “They’re calculating. They’ll strike where we’re weakest. But they forgot one thing…”

He paused, voice low and certain.

“We’re not alone. Not anymore.”

The bond pulsed once, solid and unyielding. The Blue Alpha wasn’t just a leader. He was the force the pack had underestimated.

And Iria knew—this was only the beginning.