Chapter 177: Elder Council
The council chamber buzzed with tension as the senior members of the Pack sat around the crescent-shaped table.
At one end, Elder Collins sat stiffly, his gnarled hands clenched on the polished wood. The chaos that now plagued the Pack had begun with his sister’s children, and the weight of that shame pressed heavily on his shoulders.
Elder Benjamin, a feeble old man, spoke first. His sharp gaze swept the room. "The temple was desecrated," he said, voice low and cold. "A crater in the wall. Burn marks scorched into sacred stone. And not a single soul saw who did it?"
He was the oldest among them and only ever attended meetings when the matter was grave.
"There was." Elder Maya replied, her silver hair framed a face as hard as rock. "The warriors reported hearing voices. When they arrived, the temple was empty, but they caught Luna Reana’s scent... and another. They say it was foreign, unidentifiable, and powerfully male."
All eyes shifted to Reana.
She sat at the head of the table, eyes closed and head resting lightly against the high-backed chair.
Beta Thane leaned forward, wincing through his injuries. "Luna... did you see anything?"
"He threw a fireball. That’s what caused the crater," she said. Her voice was disturbingly calm, yet her eyes remained closed. She didn’t want to look at them while she lied and concealed that shameless man – Ryder’s involvement.
"He?" Benjamin’s voice sharpened. "You saw who did it?"
"He called himself my mate," she breathed, and the slightest tremor betrayed her, hinting that the matter was more serious than they imagined. "My wolf acknowledged him... but that person is no ordinary..."