Chapter 462: Chapter 462

Chapter 462

Mason “Stella! Show us Stella!”

At the sound of my daughter’s name in the voice of the crowd, Colt stirred inside me and rose with a growl. I felt my eyes blazing, and my claws and teeth were both descending. If they tried to harm her, I’d fight them all to the death.

My brother held up his hands again, although the audience had gone quiet. I could feel their anticipation rising, along with an edge of anxiety. It wasn’t that I blamed them, but I still wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her.

“It is not the custom for the pups of the Alpha and Luna to be paraded around like show dogs,”

Xander said firmly in a clear voice. “If you have questions about Stella—”

“I heard she’s the one who killed the entire High Council!”

“She’s not a wolf!”

“Someone said she’s not even Alpha Xander’s pup!”

Xander and I shared a look. His fists were clenching, and his snarl was loud enough I could hear it even over the crowd. I knew he was going to lose his shit if they kept up with the accusations, even with Zane pulsing out his calming Beta energy.

“She can control people’s minds!”

“She ate the High Council!”

This last shout sent ripples all through everyone in the audience. I could see Xander raising his fists, but who did he think he could pound first? There were so many of them, and what they were shouting pissed me off, too, but we had to keep our heads clear.

When I stepped up again, I made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the front row, one at a time, along with a reassuring nod and smile. Then I addressed everyone else. I kept my voice steady, but firm. I might not have been raised to be an Alpha, but I was one now.

“Friends!” I shouted. “We’re all getting a little worked up. Let’s not allow unsubstantiated rumors to fly around, okay? Stella Constantine is the daughter of Xander and Lanie, but I consider her my own, as well. As many of you know, in order to save our Luna’s life, she spent some time in Stillwood, where she and I met.”

This had the possibility of getting sticky with explanations that I didn’t want to shout out to a crowd, but I had to keep my brother from shifting into his wolf and tearing into the restless pack. I didn’t blame him for being upset, but we had to keep ourselves under control. Lead with example. Protect our family while also honoring our commitment to the entire pack.

“I saw her! I saw Stella, and she’s an adult!” The woman shouting this turned to her companions with a frightened look. “Those twins look like they doubled just fine. How can she have grown up so fast?”

“She’s a freak!” someone shouted in response.

“A hybrid!”

“The High Council warned us about hybrids!”

“The High Council were bigots who deserved everything that happened to them!” Xander growled.

His Alpha fury rippled out into the crowd. Some fell back, but not everyone did. “Their campaign of hatred will not happen again! Look around you. I guarantee you in this crowd you’ll find your friends, your loved ones, might also be hybrids.”

I added my Alpha energy to his, but used mine to pull his back a bit. I spoke up again. “Our Stella is unique and unusual, that’s the truth. She’s also not used to being in the spotlight like me and Xander are, so I’m going to ask you to respect that and give her some time and space. But she is the descendant of Xander, she is not a freak, and yes, she is now an adult. When she’s ready, she’ll address you. But on her terms!”

I could tell they weren’t exactly happy with this response. I couldn’t really blame them, either. This pack had been lied to for so long, I couldn’t be shocked if they had trouble trusting in any kind of authority figures. Plus, I knew that if I were among them, I’d be wary and scared by rumors, too.

Xander and I stood shoulder to shoulder, with Zane slightly behind us. Lanie stepped up beside him.

The four of us would be no match if the pack rushed the stage…at least that was the expectation.

None of these people had any clue about what we’d faced. How we’d conquered. They were afraid of Stella, and I understood their concerns, but they were afraid of her for the wrong reasons.

“We demand to see her!”

“You said no more secrets!”

“What are you hiding, Alpha Xander? Why won’t you show us your daughter?”

“What’s wrong with her?”

As more shouts and accusations rang out, Xander, Zane, Lanie, and I formed a line. Our wolves rose, ready to fight if necessary. We’d faced the High Council.

We were about to find out if we had to fight the entire remaining pack.