Semua Bab Luna To Alpha Ace: Bab 71 - Bab 78

The morning light filtered through our bedroom curtains, casting soft shadows across Ace's face as he stirred beside me. For a moment, I allowed myself to simply watch him sleep, memorizing the peaceful expression he wore so different from the weight of authority he'd been carrying lately. His eyes opened slowly, meeting mine with that lazy smile that still made my heart skip. "Morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. "Morning." I traced my finger along his jawline. "How are you feeling?" "Better. Much better." He stretched, and I could see the tension that had been knotting his shoulders for days was finally starting to ease. "Today feels... different." "Different how?" "Like maybe we can get through this." I wanted to share his optimism, but something in my chest felt tight. Maybe it was just the stress of everything we'd been through, or maybe it was intuition warning me that our peace wouldn't last. "Come on," I said, pushing the feeling aside.

The neutral ground felt like a battlefield before the first shot was fired. Twenty-three pack leaders sat around the massive oak table, their scents mixing into a cocktail of tension, aggression, and barely contained violence. The Alpha King ring pulsed on my finger, responding to the electric atmosphere. I'd known this moment would come. The question was whether I'd be ready for it. "Let me make this simple," growled Alpha Thorne of the Silverback Pack, his grey eyes fixed on me with open hostility. "You're not our king. You're a pretender who got lucky with an ancient trinket." "The ring doesn't choose pretenders," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "It chooses leaders." "Leaders are earned, not appointed by magic jewelry." Alpha Reeves of the Ironwood Pack leaned forward. "We've been governing ourselves for over a century. We don't need some upstart telling us how to run our territories." "And we sure as hell don't need

We moved to the bed still damp, our bodies fitting together perfectly as we had so many times before. My head found its place on his chest, his heartbeat steady under my ear. "I want to come with you," I said into the darkness. His body tensed immediately. "No." "Ace—" "No, Lily. Not." "Why?" "Because it's dangerous. Because I need to focus on the fight, not on keeping you safe." "I can keep myself safe." "Against four Alpha wolves in combat frenzy? I don't think so." I pushed up on my elbow to look at him. "I'm not asking to fight. I'm asking to be there." "Same thing." "No, it's not. I'm asking to be close enough to know you're alive. To be there if..." I couldn't finish the sentence. "If I lose?" "If you get hurt." "I won't." "You can't promise that." "I can promise that having you there will distract me. That knowing you're in danger will make me vulnerable." "And being separated from you makes me vulnerable too." He was quiet for a long moment

The horn sounded. Time slowed to a crawl as I stepped into the center of the ancient circle. Four Alphas surrounded me, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. The crowd fell silent, the weight of centuries pressing down on us. I kept my mind linked with Lily open, feeling her steady presence like an anchor in the storm. *Ready?* Lucas asked. "As ready as we'll ever be." Alpha Thorne moved first, his massive frame lunging forward with surprising speed. I sidestepped, feeling the rush of air as his claws whistled past my face. The others circled like sharks scenting blood. "Is that all you've got?" Thorne snarled, his grey eyes blazing with contempt. "We're just getting started." Reeves came at me from the left while Cross attacked from the right. I dropped low, rolling between them as they crashed into each other. The crowd roared its approval. *Use the ring,* Lucas urged. *End this quickly.* "Not yet. They need to see we can win without it." "Without what?