Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Adelie

Kairos and I made our way to the heart of the pack. He addressed one of the guards. “Gather everyone. Do you want to do the talking?” he asked me.

I was taken aback. “What do you mean?” I understood his implication, but I hadn’t expected him to want to implement changes so soon.

“I don’t want my pack to think I’m hiding things from them, stirring up whispers behind my back. I want them ready for what’s next.”

“But shouldn’t we discuss how we’re going to do this first?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “We?”

“Aren’t we doing this together?”

He smirked, making my heart flutter as the crowd around us grew. “I’ll be there, but this is your call.”

Was he trying to make me the scapegoat? “What if they turn on me? Are you scared they’ll blame you?”

He laughed. “Are you trying to make me the fall guy?”

“This is ~our~ pack,” I insisted.

“Then lead ~our~ pack,” he retorted. I felt abandoned.

A guard approached Kairos. “Everyone’s here,” he reported.

Before Kairos could say anything, I spoke up. “Why are you doing this?” I felt betrayed.

He kissed my hand. “Lead your pack, Adelie,” he said, stepping forward.

“Night walkers’ pack!” His commanding tone was unfamiliar to me. I still couldn’t reconcile his Alpha persona with the Kairos I knew.

The crowd fell silent, all eyes on us. They were undoubtedly curious about what we had to say. King had left, and now we were holding a meeting. It didn’t bode well.

“King was here to take Peter to his work camp. He must pay for his actions,” Kairos announced. This wasn’t news to them.

Peter’s brother looked upset, but it was necessary. “What you don’t know is that Peter will be demoted. From now on, Peter is an Omega.”

There were gasps of surprise. I saw some Omegas smirking. “For how long?” someone asked.

“For life,” Kairos replied, causing a stir. He turned to me. “Now, a word from your Luna.”

He stepped back, leaving me to step forward. I thought it was bad before when everyone was watching us, but now it was worse. They were looking at ~me~.

I was their leader. Two hundred werewolves waited for my words. I straightened my back and looked out at them.

“Night walkers’ pack,” I said, my voice as loud as I could make it.

“Changes won’t just affect Peter, but all of you.” Suddenly, they seemed more interested.

I didn’t want to sound unsure or like I was just testing a theory. I was confident this would work. “From now on, your rank system will change.”

“To make our great pack even greater, the selection will be the day after tomorrow. I expect you all to look your best and show your strengths.”

“Is someone coming?” a woman asked.

“Why? Are you expecting someone?” I countered.

She seemed taken aback, and I worried I hadn’t been clear. Or maybe they wouldn’t like it regardless.

“Selection?” she asked. “What are you selecting from?”

“From all of you.”

The commotion began. “We’ve already been sorted into our ranks,” someone voiced.

A man stepped forward, his anger more pronounced than the others. “You can’t penalize us all for Peter’s actions.”

“Quiet!” I commanded.

“This isn’t a punishment, it’s an opportunity. You’ll all get a chance to demonstrate your worthiness of your rank. We’ll assess your skills.

“Some of you will advance, while others”—I glanced at the irate man, a pack guard—“might fall.”

Their faces hardened. Only a few Omegas seemed satisfied. “Prove your worth. There’s no point in holding a rank you can’t fully serve.”

An elder Omega approached. “Luna, forgive me. My lineage has been Omega for countless generations.” He rested his hand on a young man’s shoulder.

“I’ve never felt we deserved more, but this one,” he gestured to the man, “my grandson, he’s capable of so much more.”

There were jeers from the crowd. The higher ranks didn’t like this idea.

“He’ll have his chance to prove himself at the selection.”

“What about our families?” someone questioned. “What if a family member changes ranks? You can’t just split us up.”

“I won’t. The living arrangements will change too. There won’t be an Omega section, mid-rank section, elder section, or any other section.

“Everyone will live together to maintain family unity.”

“And then what?” a woman inquired. “Some Omegas will be living with higher ranks. Respectfully, Luna, this will break families apart.”

I turned to her. “Assuming that our pack members are so heartless that they’d love someone less because of their rank says more about you, ma’am.” She blushed.

“I expect everyone to follow these rules. If you have any concerns or complaints, come see me.”

A man raised his hand. “Is this your decision?” he asked.

“It is.” His dissatisfaction was clear, and it irked Kairos.

“Any other questions?” Kairos barked. I was puzzled by the pack’s reaction to a Luna’s rule. I wasn’t around when Mia was in charge, but I’d heard nothing positive.

The pack was still hurting. I was a reminder of that pain.

I cut the man off before he could finish. “Thank you for your time.” Gradually, the crowd dispersed, whispering amongst themselves and stealing glances at me.

They were unsure of my intentions. They didn’t know me. They couldn’t trust me. But Kairos was here, and he’d allowed me to do this. I hoped that would be enough for them.

“They hate me,” I muttered, loud enough for Kairos to hear.

He chuckled. “Maybe, but if this works, you’ll be redeemed. If not…well, you’ll figure out another way to earn their trust.”

“That’s not very comforting,” I confessed.

“Do you want honesty or comfort?” he asked.

“Comforting honesty?”

He kissed my forehead. “Regardless, everything will be okay. Don’t worry about it.”

I noticed his nose was bleeding. “Kairos, your nose is bleeding,” I said, alarmed.

He pulled a tissue from his jacket pocket and held it to his nose.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” he replied.

“You need to see a doctor,” I insisted.

“Adelie, it’s just a nosebleed,” he retorted.

“You’ve been different lately, Kairos. It’s not just about the staring spells where you zone out completely. You never used to do that.”

“Let’s talk about this later.”

“No, Kairos. We need to see a doctor. Now.”

He didn’t respond. He just stood there, his gaze fixed on something far away.

“Kairos?” I questioned.

“I’ve already seen one.” His eyes were still distant.

I released his arm, trying to read his expression. “And what did the doctor say?”

Silence.

“Kairos, what did the doctor tell you?”

He finally turned to look at me, his head slowly bobbing in a nod.

I didn’t understand why he was nodding. I didn’t want to understand.

My throat felt dry and scratchy as I asked again, “What did the doctor say?” My voice wavered, teetering on the brink of panic.

His eyes, now mirroring my own fear, met mine. “Let’s go home, Adelie.”