By the following morning, the council was no longer having informal conversations.
The members who supported Serena had begun speaking privately with those who remained undecided. They did not approach them with demands. Instead, they presented the same questions that had surfaced during the previous meeting and asked each council member to consider what the situation meant for Blackclaw.
By midday, the council was divided into three groups.
Some believed Serena’s return changed the situation completely and that Alpha Kaidan should eventually restore her as Luna.
Others believed Naomi’s four years beside Alpha Kaidan could not simply be dismissed because Serena had returned.
The remaining members did not want the council involved in the matter at all.
They believed Alpha Kaidan had the right to decide what happened within his own household. That division made it difficult to reach a formal position but it also made one thing clear. The council could no longer ignore the issue.
Inside the council chamber, Harold sat with several members when Richard entered.
"They’ve spoken to most of the undecided members," Richard said.
Harold looked up. "And?"
"Still divided."
"By how much?"
Richard took a seat. "Enough that we can’t present a united position yet."
Thomas, who had been reading through the notes from the previous meeting, looked up. "What are the undecided members concerned about?"
"Some think Naomi’s contract should be respected. Others think the mate bond carries more weight."
"And the succession issue?"
Richard sighed. "That is where opinions become complicated."
Harold frowned. "Explain."
"Some believe four years without an heir is a concern for Blackclaw. Others don’t think the council should use that against Naomi."
Thomas closed the folder in front of him. "They shouldn’t."
Richard looked at him. "You disagree?"
"I disagree with making children the measure of whether Naomi has fulfilled her role."
Richard nodded. "So do some of the others."
Harold leaned back. "Then we need to stop arguing about individual women and determine what the council’s responsibility actually is."
Thomas looked at him. "And what do you think that responsibility is?" "To protect the stability of Blackclaw."
Richard folded his arms. "Then what happens when the Alpha’s personal decision begins affecting that stability?"
No one answered.
Harold looked around the room. "That is exactly what we need Alpha Kaidan to answer."
Thomas studied him. "You want to call him before the council?"
"Not yet."
Richard frowned. "Why not?"
"Because we still don’t have a united position."
Harold stood and walked toward the window.
"If we bring Alpha Kaidan here with half the council supporting Serena and the other half defending the existing arrangement, he’ll leave without giving us anything."
Thomas nodded slowly. "So you want us to agree among ourselves first."
"Yes."
"And if we can’t?"
Harold turned back. "Then we may have a bigger problem than we thought."
At the pack house, Alpha Kaidan had no idea how quickly the council’s private conversations were developing. He was in his office reviewing reports when John entered.
"Sir."
Alpha Kaidan looked up. "What is it?"
John placed a folder on the desk. "The eastern boundary repairs have been completed."
Alpha Kaidan opened the folder and scanned the report. "Good."
"The patrol captain has reopened the route."
"Fine."
John remained standing. Alpha Kaidan looked up.
"Anything else?"
"There is."
John hesitated.
Alpha Kaidan closed the folder. "Go on."
"The council has continued meeting."
Alpha Kaidan’s expression changed. "About Serena?"
"Yes, Sir."
"What have they decided?"
"They haven’t reached an agreement."
Alpha Kaidan leaned back. "What are they discussing now?"
John looked at him carefully. "Your marriage."
The words were followed by silence.
Alpha Kaidan’s expression hardened. "My marriage?"
"Yes, Sir."
"What exactly are they discussing?"
"Miss Serena’s position. Madam Naomi’s position. The contract. The mate bond."
John hesitated before adding, "And the future of the Alpha’s line."
Alpha Kaidan’s hand tightened around the edge of the desk. "They’re discussing my marriage as part of a political issue?"
"Yes, Sir."
Alpha Kaidan let out a short, humourless breath.
"Unbelievable."
He pushed away from the desk and stood, the movement sharp enough to make the chair scrape against the floor.
"They can question Serena. They can question the circumstances of her return. They can discuss pack politics if they want to." His voice grew colder. "But my wife is not a position they get to vote on." The words came out measured, but his knuckles had gone white against the desk.
John remained quiet.
Alpha Kaidan paced once across the office before stopping. "They’re discussing whether Serena should be restored as Luna?"
"Yes."
Alpha Kaidan’s jaw tightened. "And Naomi?"
"Some believe her contract should be respected."
Alpha Kaidan gave a bitter laugh. "Some?"
"Yes, Sir."
"How many?"
John gave him the names of the council members who were openly defending Naomi.
Alpha Kaidan listened, his expression becoming harder with every name. By the last one, his breathing had shifted: controlled, but deliberate.
"And the others?"
"They believe Serena’s return changes the situation."
Alpha Kaidan’s hand curled into a fist at his side "They don’t get to decide that either."
John watched him carefully. Alpha Kaidan’s anger was a living thing now, coiled and waiting. The danger of it lay not in his voice, which remained low, but in the absolute stillness of his body.
Alpha Kaidan had expected questions when Serena returned. He had expected the council to investigate her disappearance. He had even expected some members to sympathise with her. What he had not expected was for them to sit together and discuss his marriage as though the outcome didn’t belong to him, as though he didn’t have the right to choose.
"If they want to discuss the future of Blackclaw," Alpha Kaidan said, his voice low and controlled, "they can come to me directly."
John nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"And if they think they can decide who stands beside me as Luna without my consent..." Alpha Kaidan’s eyes hardened. "They’ve forgotten who they are speaking to."
John said nothing.
"What does my mother have to do with this?"
John was silent for a moment.
"She has spoken with several council members."
Alpha Kaidan’s expression hardened. "About Serena?"
"Yes, Sir."
"What has she been telling them?"
"Mostly about the responsibilities that come with standing beside an Alpha and the importance of stability."
Alpha Kaidan looked away.
Of course Christine had always believed Serena belonged beside him. But this was no longer simply his mother’s preference, it was becoming a political position.
Alpha Kaidan turned back toward the desk. "Keep listening."
"Yes, Sir."
"I want to know exactly what they plan to ask me before they come into this office."
"Understood."
Alpha Kaidan looked toward the door. "And John?"
"Sir?"
"If anyone thinks Naomi is going to be pushed aside because Serena walked back into Blackclaw after four years, I want to know about it."
At the healer’s quarters, Naomi was busy examining a young boy whose mother had brought him in with a high fever.
"Has he eaten today?" Naomi asked.
"A little."
"And how long has the fever been this high?"
"Since morning"
Naomi checked the boy carefully before giving his mother instructions. "Keep him hydrated. Give him the medication exactly as I explained, and bring him back tomorrow if the fever hasn’t come down."
The woman nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Madam."
Naomi smiled. "You’re welcome."
The woman gathered her son and left.
Naomi returned to her desk and began updating the patient’s record. Another healer entered carrying a stack of files.
"Madam, these are the reports you requested."
Naomi looked up.
"Thank you."
She took the files and placed them beside her.
The healer smiled. "You’ve been busy." "I’ve noticed."
"There are still people waiting outside."
Naomi looked toward the door. "Then I should get back to work."
The healer laughed. "You never stop."
Naomi smiled faintly. "Patients are waiting."
She picked up the next file. She had no idea that, less than a mile away, people were discussing whether she should remain Alpha Kaidan’s wife.
She didn’t know that her name had become part of a political argument and she certainly didn’t know that Serena’s return was being used to question her future.
For Naomi, the day was ordinary. There were patients to treat, reports to complete, medicine to organise.
Later that evening, Alpha Kaidan returned to the pack house.
Grace was arranging dinner when he entered.
"Alpha."
"Grace."
She bowed slightly.
"Dinner will be ready shortly."
Alpha Kaidan nodded. "Has Naomi returned?"
"Not yet."
He glanced toward the staircase. "She has been staying late?"
"Yes, Alpha. There have been many patients."
Alpha Kaidan looked at his wristwatch. "She should not be working this late every day."
Grace smiled faintly. "Madam doesn’t seem to mind."
"I know."
Alpha Kaidan removed his jacket.
Grace took it from him.
"She said she would finish her reports before coming home."
Alpha Kaidan nodded. "Tell her I need to speak with her when she returns."
Grace looked at him.
"About something important?"
Alpha Kaidan hesitated.
"Yes."
Grace nodded.
"Yes, Alpha."
She walked away.
Alpha Kaidan stood alone in the sitting room. He knew what he wanted to say but he didn’t know how to say it.
How could he tell Naomi that the council was beginning to question her place beside him without making her feel as though she was being judged?
How could he explain that people were discussing Serena again without reopening wounds Naomi had spent weeks trying to leave behind?
And more importantly, what answer could he give if Naomi asked him what he intended to do?
Alpha Kaidan had spent four years treating the contract as the answer to every question. Now the council was forcing him to confront everything that contract had never settled.
The front door opened.
Naomi walked into the house carrying a folder.
She looked tired.
When she noticed Alpha Kaidan, she slowed.
"You’re back."
"Yes."
She nodded. "I need to put these away."
Alpha Kaidan watched her.
"Naomi."
She stopped.
"What is it?"
He hesitated. "We need to talk"
"About what?"
"The council has been discussing you."
Naomi’s expression changed. "Me?"
"Yes."
She waited. Alpha Kaidan took a breath.
"They’ve been discussing my marriage."
Naomi stared at him for a moment. "And what exactly are they saying?"
Alpha Kaidan knew there was no simple way to explain it. "Serena’s return has made some members question whether our contract should continue."
Naomi’s face remained calm. "Okay."
"They’re also discussing the future of the pack."
Naomi understood immediately. "The pups."
Alpha Kaidan nodded. Naomi lowered her eyes to the folder in her hands. She was quiet for a few seconds before looking back at him.
"If they’re discussing whether I can give you a future, I hope you can tell them the truth."
Alpha Kaidan frowned. "What truth?"
"That I was never the one who refused that future."
His expression changed. Naomi continued before he could speak.
"You were the one who kept telling me to take suppressants every time. You made sure I wouldn’t get pregnant because you never wanted children with me."
"Naomi—"
"No." Her voice remained steady. "You don’t get to let them discuss this as though I was the reason."
Alpha Kaidan stared at her.
"I wanted children," Naomi said. "I’ve always wanted them. And you knew that."
He had no answer.
"I asked you more than once if we could build a real marriage. I asked you about our future. And when I finally realised you didn’t want that with me, I asked you to let me go."
Her fingers tightened around the folder. "I asked for a divorce."
Alpha Kaidan’s jaw tightened.
"You refused."
"I know."
"You told me it was your decision, not mine." Naomi’s eyes held his. "So if the council is now asking what happens to this marriage, I honestly don’t know what you expect me to say."
Alpha Kaidan took a step toward her.
"Naomi, that’s not what I—"
"It is." She shook her head.
"I’ve already told you what I wanted. I wanted us to go our separate ways, and you wouldn’t let me."
Her voice softened, but there was no weakness in it.
"So whatever happens now is your decision." "I don’t have anything else to say about it."
"Naomi."
Her steps faltered. Alpha Kaidan looked at her, but the words he needed still wouldn’t come.
Naomi waited for a moment. When he said nothing, she nodded. "I think I’m happy with this decision of the council. It finally gives you a chance to undo your mistakes. You get your true mate you’ve always wanted. And I get the divorce I want." I have work to finish if you’ll excuse me"
She walked away, leaving Alpha Kaidan standing where he was. He didn’t stop her because there was nothing he could say that would change the truth she had just placed in front of him.
The next day, a sealed letter arrived at the council offices. Harold opened it and read the contents.
His expression became serious. Richard watched him. "What is it?"
Harold folded the letter. "The council has reached enough agreement."
Thomas looked up. "Enough?"
"Enough to request a formal meeting with Alpha Kaidan."
Richard stood. "When?"
"Tomorrow."
The room became quiet.
For weeks, the council had talked around the issue.
Now they were going to place it directly in front of Alpha Kaidan.
Harold looked at the other members. "No more private discussions after this."
Richard nodded, Thomas remained silent.
The decision had been made. Tomorrow, Alpha Kaidan would sit before his council and answer questions about his marriage, Serena’s return, Naomi’s position and the future of Blackclaw.
And this time the council was no longer waiting for Alpha Kaidan to notice the problem they were bringing the problem to him.