Chapter Fifty-One

ASH

He entered the changing room slightly before Luca’s arrival, and the large, dark wolf rushed in moments later, shaking the snow from his fur hastily.

Ash held a hand out to shield his face from the sudden spray of melted snow, rolling his eyes at Luca as he appeared in front of him in human form.

“Sorry,” his beta said, seeing the droplets of moisture on Ash’s garments. “It’s freezing out there.”

Luca removed his clothes from the hook where he had left them, pulling them on before turning to Ash, who waited patiently for Luca to give him the news he had to share.

“The representative from the River Bend Pack is refusing to come,” Luca said bluntly, not one to mince his words.

“The news of Keyara’s change had already reached him, and he claims the law is clear enough that a formal tribunal is unnecessary.”

The River Bend Pack was the farthest away, bordering the other side of the pack land. Beyond them were only rogues and small unincorporated packs.

The Kodia Pack did not have a strong relationship with them given the distance. Ash had never even met their alpha, having only corresponded through letters.

Ash let out a cry of frustration, punching a fist into the stone wall beside him. “What is the point of the council if they won’t even convene when called?!” he growled.

Luca placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder in a calming gesture. “They were the only ones who took a stand so soon,” Luca told him calmly. “The others are on their way. It is only one vote.”

“It sends a clear message,” Ash muttered, rubbing his bruised knuckles. “And Charles from the Moonstone Pack has already made his position known.”

“We knew it would not be easy,” Luca reminded him.

Ash nodded stiffly as the two of them made their way into the main hall.

“Go, see Jill,” Ash told him, sensing the direction of Luca’s thoughts. “There’s nothing else to be done now,” he said darkly.

Luca nodded gravely, shaking Ash’s hand before departing to his quarters and Jill.

KEYARA

Key had sensed a flash of fury from Ash as he was meeting with Luca, but when he came back in, she only smiled softly in greeting, knowing he would share anything she needed to know.

He sat across from her, picking up his fork to continue his meal, but he only stared angrily at the plate before setting it down again and pushing his dinner away.

He opened the bottle of wine he had passed up earlier, pouring himself a generous glass and taking a deep drink.

“I’m afraid we have to start seriously considering the possibility I will be cast out as alpha,” he told her, the shame and anger evident in his voice.

“I’m so sorry I put you in this position,” she told him sadly, tears pricking at her eyes. “I hate that you may lose your home because of me.”

“Keyara, please don’t ever feel like I regret my decision,” he told her earnestly, grasping her hands.

“You are everything to me. My only regret is that I will not be able to give you what you deserve or help you reclaim your throne.”

She smiled weakly. “I don’t need any of that, Ash. It was always a folly to think I would rule someday.”

She stood suddenly and retrieved the portrait of her mother from the pocket of the dress that hung in the wardrobe, unwrapping it from its cloth and setting it on the bookshelf along with Ash’s belongings.

There was no need to keep it hidden anymore.

She had been staring at it awhile, studying her mother’s face, when she suddenly felt Ash’s touch lightly brush her neck and cool metal on her chest.

She looked down at the ruby that sparkled in the light—her mother’s necklace.

“You look very much like her,” he said quietly by her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Key smiled and placed her arms over his, leaning back into his chest. “Anne always told me I did,” she admitted. “But I had never even seen her face until Anne gave me this before I left. She had kept it hidden.”

They stood that way for a bit in silence, studying the small portrait.

“Where will we go?” she asked him finally. She wasn’t frightened or nervous at the prospect, merely curious.

“We will become rogues,” he explained to her. “Forced to denounce the pack. Most rogues live outside the territory.

“Some even in human lands, though certain packs tolerate them within their borders so long as they don’t become a nuisance.

“If we weren’t so well known, there would be a chance we could join another pack, but that seems unlikely given our current notoriety.” He laughed humorlessly.

“Maybe one of the council members who sides with us will give us clemency,” he continued. “If any side with us, that is. It is unlikely. There would be repercussions for the pack involved.”

“In short, we must find where we will be tolerated and make the best life we can.” He kissed her head as he finished.

She frowned, wondering how the alpha of a pack as powerful as the Kodia Pack could be dismissed, just like that.

“And whatever the council says goes?” she asked him, an edge creeping into her voice. “What if your pack doesn’t agree, and they want you to stay? What if they fight for you to remain alpha?”

“It is possible for a single pack to break off on their own,” he said slowly. “Revolt from the coalition of packs.

“It has never happened, however. There are packs that do not belong to the council, but then again, they never did, instead choosing to venture out on their own, far beyond pack lands.”

“Revolting would mean a fight against all the other packs,” he continued, his tone resigned. “They wouldn’t let us go easily. We are too strategically located. I won’t ask that of my men.

“While we do not need to fear invasion by the humans, the other packs would defeat us easily.”

An idea began to form in her mind, and she focused on the portrait of her mother, wondering if it would be possible. She turned in Ash’s arms, kissing him lightly. She needed to think on it before she voiced her plan.