All Chapters of A Vengeful Luna. Three Alphas : Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Derek’s POVThree weeks had passed since my father’s death, yet the palace still felt wrong. Too quiet in places that once echoed with his voice. Too loud in others, where whispers now replaced certainty. I had learned that grief did not fade; it settled. It rearranged the air, the walls, the way people looked at one another. And today, it pressed against my chest harder than usual.The summons from the pack elders came at dawn.I knew what it meant before I even dressed. Drake knew too, he barely looked at me as we walked the corridor together, his jaw tight, his steps sharp. Damon walked ahead of us, shoulders straight, expression unreadable, as if he had already decided how this would end.The council chamber doors stood open when we arrived.Elders lined the long stone table, men and women who had watched our father rule, who had watched us grow from reckless boys into dangerous men. Their eyes followed us as we entered, measuring, judging. I felt my wolf stir uneasily beneath my

Derek’s POV. I stayed behind after the doors slammed shut.The council chamber felt cavernous without them. The elders shifted in their seats, some avoiding my eyes, others watching me like I was already wearing a crown I hadn’t accepted. My wolf paced in tight, angry circles, unsettled by the fracture I could still feel echoing in my chest.“Elder Rovan,” I said finally, my voice low. “I need a word.”Rovan dismissed the others with a quiet gesture. One by one, they filed out, leaving us alone among the stone and silence. He waited until the last footsteps faded before turning back to me.“You don’t want this,” he said, not unkindly.“Yes,” I replied immediately. “I don’t.”That surprised him. I saw it in the slight lift of his brows, the pause before he spoke again.“This throne,” I continued, forcing myself to meet his gaze, “it’s already tearing my family apart. Damon and Drake...” My jaw tightened. “They were never like this. Not completely. We fought, yes. We competed. But this

Drake’s POVI didn’t stop walking until the palace walls disappeared behind us.The path to the lake was familiar, too familiar. I’d come here as a boy, angry and reckless, throwing stones into the water when Derek won sparring matches or Damon took what I wanted. I never thought I’d return here with the woman who had become the reason everything was unraveling.Elise walked beside me in silence. The wind tugged gently at her hair, the late afternoon light catching on strands of gold and shadow. She didn’t resist when I led her closer to the water, didn’t pull away when I slowed, didn’t ask me to release her hand. That alone steadied something feral inside my chest.The lake lay still, glassy and dark, reflecting the sky like a secret it refused to give up.I stopped near the edge and finally let go of her.She turned to face me. “You dragged me all the way out here,” she said calmly. “You might as well speak.”I laughed under my breath. “Straight to it. No fear. No hesitation.” My ey

Elise’s POVMy chamber was too quiet.The candles burned low, their flames trembling as if they could feel the weight of my thoughts. I sat by the window, knees drawn to my chest, watching the night stretch endlessly beyond the palace walls. The moon hung full and indifferent, silvering the rooftops and the gardens below, and for the first time in days, I allowed myself to stop moving.Thinking, I was learning, was far more dangerous.Drake’s words still echoed in my head, his certainty, his hunger, the way his eyes had lit up when I told him Derek would have no way. I had meant it. I still did. Supporting Drake felt… strategic. He wanted the throne openly, aggressively, and that made him predictable. A man who wanted power could be guided. A man who didn’t want it but would sacrifice everything to avoid conflict? That kind of man was far harder to control.And Derek...I pressed my fingers to my temple, exhaling slowly.Ignoring him would hurt. I knew that. He would feel it in every

Derek’s POVAfter I left Elise, my heart was filled with pains. It was as if the woman I loved was slowly being taken away. That gaze wasn't filled with anything good. She was determined to crush whatever plans the Elders were plotting.Ever since that kidnapping, Elise had changed drastically. Although I could still feel her pounding heart each time I was close to her, she wasn't the Elise I knew anymore.Still lost in my thoughts, a message popped in through the general mindlink. It was from the Elders. It looked like they were getting impatient too. I clenched my jaw. The Elders wanted a decision, and they wanted it now. But I knew pushing Elise wouldn't work. She'd dig her heels in, and we would end up with nothing.My mind was a mess, thoughts swirling with Elise, the throne, and the Elders' demands. I couldn't shake the feeling that Elise was playing us all, using us against each other like pawns on a chessboard.But why?What was her endgame?The more I thought about it, the m