Chapter Fifty-Two

ASH

Key became withdrawn and thoughtful after their conversation, though he could sense no fear or sadness about her.

After a while, he left her alone to her thoughts, excusing himself to take a bath as she resumed her book on the couch.

He sat in the steam and darkness, the room lit only by a small lantern now that the sun had set, and let the warmth overtake him.

He couldn’t help but wonder how he could ever have been foolish enough to allow Jonas to get to her, how his mistake and carelessness had changed everything.

His anger and disappointment with himself just grew the longer he stewed about it. He ducked his head under the water, letting the silence envelope him, and tried to clear the negative thoughts from his mind.

He stayed submerged in the blackness of the warm pool until he felt his lungs would burst, coming up for air at last.

When he broke through the surface of the water, he could see Keyara sitting next to the pool on the cave floor, her worried eyes trained on him as he slicked his hair back, squeezing out the water.

“I could feel your misery out there,” she said to him, her tone light despite her concern. “I felt like I needed to come make sure you weren’t drowning yourself.”

He laughed at her assessment of his mood, pushing himself through the water until he was standing at the edge of the pool by where she sat.

“I’m so sorry, Keyara, for everything. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,” he told her fervently. Though she had made it clear she did not blame him, he knew he would always blame himself.

She caressed his face lovingly, leaning over to kiss him, a curious sparkle to her eye as she looked at him. “I have an idea,” she said eagerly.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly, realizing this is what she must have been thinking about all evening and wondering what might have her so excited.

“Oh?” he replied, waiting for her to continue her train of thought.

“From what I gather, the castle here is more important than who leads it, from the standpoint of the council, correct?” she inquired.

“That is accurate, more or less,” he agreed. “It is the gateway between the human territory and the pack territory.

“If we wish to maintain trade with the humans, our castle is the only way to bring in the goods from the base of the mountain and to the packs beyond.

“It takes a strong leader to keep up alliances with the humans, but I’m not arrogant enough to think I am the only one who could do it.”

“If you were to step down willingly and let someone else take over while we returned to the human territories, would they stop you? Would you be free to do whatever you wished, outside the rule of the council?” she posited.

He could now see the direction her mind was going, and he straightened, thinking it over himself.

“It would take at least two dozen men to take back Levia, even in its weakened state,” he murmured softly, playing out the different possible scenarios in his mind.

He suddenly met her gaze and saw the fierceness in her blue eyes. “You want to start your own pack.”

She nodded, confirming his guess, and he suddenly felt energized at the idea.

“Would the council stop us?” she asked him excitedly, picking up on his mood. “If we could convince others to join us?”

“They would have no basis to step in and do so,” he answered carefully, thinking it over.

“Anyone is free to leave a pack if they wish and to join another. And once I denounce this pack, I am outside the control of the council, so long as I do not join another pack within its rule. But they won’t be happy about it.”

He stepped out of the pool, wrapping a towel around himself and striding quickly into the bedroom.

She followed close behind him, closing the door to the cave as he dried himself hastily. She watched him carefully, cheered by his sudden and renewed hopefulness at her idea.

“I need to talk to Ethan,” he said, pulling on a shirt. “I need to find out what he thinks the council will do if an independent pack moves into the human territories. It is not forbidden, per se, but it will cause concern.”

Ethan would be their best insight into the tendencies and mindset of the council.

She nodded. “I’m going to call Luca in here, discuss my idea with him,” she told him in return. “Is it safe to do so? I’m going to ask him not to join us, even though I know he will want to support you.

“As the first choice for your replacement, it will benefit us both for him to take over leadership here.”

He smiled at her, placing a hand on either side of her face and looking deeply into her eyes. “You’re thinking like a leader, Key,” he said in praise, before leaving to meet Ethan in his quarters.

***

KEYARA

As soon as Ash left to find Ethan, her confidence began to wane. Perhaps she was pushing him into something he wasn’t ready for. Maybe he wanted to fight harder against the council to maintain leadership of his pack.

This was his home and being the alpha of Kodia was his birthright after all. Why should she ask him to give up his legacy to chase after hers?

She decided to wait to speak to Luca until she and Ash were able to have a deeper conversation about the idea. She was also curious what Ethan would have to say about it first.

About an hour later he returned and joined her on the couch where she was waiting for him, sliding an arm across her shoulders.

“I didn’t speak to Luca,” she admitted to him when he was settled.

He laughed softly. “I know,” he replied. “He was there with Ethan. So I took the opportunity to get both of their opinions.”

“Oh,” she replied, disappointed.

He frowned slightly at her tone. “What’s wrong, Key?”

She sighed, leaning against his chest. “I just couldn’t help but think that it was wrong for me to ask this of you.

“This is your home. I know it will not be easy to leave. Perhaps we should just wait until after the council decides.”

“No, Keyara,” he replied, his tone serious. “I think your plan is a good one. Ethan is not at all optimistic that the council will let this pass unpunished.

“At the very least, I will be asked to step down as alpha. He is certain of that.”

“Luca also made a very good point,” he continued. “If I step down, I will be able to appoint my successor, and Luca can take over. If the council removes me, they will decide.”

“Would they not choose him, being the beta?” she asked.

“They likely would,” he admitted. “But this way, it is certain.”

“Additionally, if we rely on the decision of the council, they could place additional restrictions on us that would prevent us from leaving the territory,” he told her.

She nodded, knowing he was right, and swallowed back her nervousness.

“When will we do it?” she asked him.

“The last council member will not arrive until the day after tomorrow,” he explained. “As soon as he arrives, we will have a formal meeting, and I will make the announcement.”

“They already think they’re here because you changed me. Will that matter?” she wondered.

“No,” he said assuredly. “Revealing it ahead of time was simply a courtesy. These meetings are very formal and follow a specific format. The alpha who calls it dictates the topic to be discussed.”

“What do we do now?” she asked him.

“I’ll spend tomorrow approaching those I think will stand with us. Luca will help.”

“What can I do?” She wanted to help in any way she could.

“Write down anything you know about the castle that will help us,” he instructed. “Weak points, important targets to gain control of early in the fight. It will help us devise a plan of attack.”

She nodded, several things already coming to mind. He kissed the top of her head before standing, reaching out a hand to pull her to her feet.

“For now, my love, it’s time for bed,” he said with a smile.

ASH

When he awoke the next morning, Keyara was already busy writing at the desk next to the bed, outlining her knowledge of the layout of the castle.

She stopped when he sat up, turning to face him and rubbing her writing hand, flexing her fingers.

“Where will you start?” she asked him, her eagerness evident in her voice.

He had thought about it last night while sleep evaded him and knew who would be a good bet. He would start with the men who had been there for her transformation.

They had already voiced their support when he made the announcement to the pack. He doubted Alton would join—he and his mate had just had a child—but he was hopeful the others would.

“Mateo first,” he said to her simply. “He is unattached and grew up with Luca and me.”

She nodded and turned back to her writing. “Good luck,” she told him.

He dressed quickly, linking Mateo as he pulled the shirt over his head.

~“Mateo, may I speak with you?”~

~“Of course, Alpha,”~ came the reply. ~“I am in the dining hall.”~

~“Meet me in my office when you’re done,” ~Ash told him.

He made his way down the stairs outside his room. His office was the first door at the base of the staircase.

A fire was roaring in the fireplace, making the room uncomfortably warm. He propped open the window behind his desk to let in the frigid morning air before taking a seat behind the desk.

It was only a few minutes later he heard a quick knock at the door.

“Come,” he said, rising to shake Mateo’s hand as he entered.

Mateo took a seat across from the desk, looking at Ash expectantly. Ash propped his elbows on the desk, linking his fingers and resting his chin on his hands, considering how to best approach the topic.

“What would you say,” he began slowly, “if I told you it would be a folly to wait for the council’s decision on this matter. Would you agree that I need to act first?”

Mateo frowned lightly, absorbing Ash’s words. “I would agree, Alpha, that the outcome will likely not be in your favor. So my question to you would be, what action are you considering taking?”

Ash decided to be blunt with him. Even if Mateo disagreed with Ash, he would not betray him or divulge his plan to anyone.

“I want to step down. Hand the pack over to Luca before they do it for me.”

Mateo’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Where will you go?” he asked him.

Ash cleared his throat, placing his palms flat on the desk and leaning forward slightly. “Keyara is the heir to the throne of Levia.

“We will retake the castle in her name and start a new pack, outside the control of the council. I need others to join us to accomplish it.”

“All right,” Mateo replied, startling Ash with his easy agreement.

“Just like that?” Ash asked him in surprise.

“You are a good alpha,” Mateo told him, smiling. “And truthfully, I dislike the cold. The change in climate would be welcome.”

Ash laughed, knowing there was much more to his decision than that. Old friendships were hard to break, and Ash felt thankful he had so many to fall back on.

They shook hands again, and Mateo left for his morning patrol, promising to speak to Rowan on Ash’s behalf. Mateo was confident he would join as well.

Ash sighed in relief when he was alone once again. Having someone promise to back him was one step closer to the end goal, and he was glad the first hurdle was out of the way.