One week later, the council chamber at Blackclaw Pack was filled long before Alpha Kaidan arrived.
Council members took their usual seats and traded quiet remarks while they waited. Nobody knew why the meeting had been called. They had a date and a time, nothing more, and the silence unsettled them.
"Do you have any idea what this is about?" one council member murmured to the person beside him.
"Not a clue. I asked John, but he gave me the same answer he gave everyone else."
"Perhaps it concerns the Luna’s position again."
"I doubt it. That matter was already discussed."
"Then why summon every council member without giving us a subject?"
Similar conversations spread around the room. Even the usually composed members could not hide their curiosity.
Naomi sat in her designated seat as Luna, her expression calm despite the whispers surrounding her. She had received the same notice as the others and knew no more than they did.
Christine sat several seats away, occasionally glancing towards the entrance. Serena was beside her, dressed carefully for the occasion, trying to appear composed. All week she had tried to learn what Alpha Kaidan meant to discuss. Neither Christine nor anyone else could tell her.
Her greatest concern, however, was Adrian.
He had been expected to contact her after returning to Blackclaw, but she had heard nothing from him. She did not know where Alpha Kaidan’s people were holding him or what they had asked him.
What if he told them everything?
The thought had troubled her for days. She had no proof Adrian had spoken, but his silence unsettled her. She kept her expression neutral, refusing to let anyone see the fear beneath it.
The murmuring continued until the doors opened.
Alpha Kaidan entered with John at his side.
Every council member rose immediately. Christine stood, and Naomi rose with the others. Serena followed a moment later.
"Alpha," they greeted respectfully, bowing their heads.
Alpha Kaidan acknowledged them before walking to the head of the table. John followed, carrying the folder of reports and evidence.
Alpha Kaidan took his seat. "Please, sit."
Everyone returned to their seats, and the room fell quiet.
The head of the council folded his hands on the table and addressed him. "Alpha Kaidan, we received your summons without any explanation of its purpose.
This is highly unusual. In all these years, you have never called a meeting without telling us the subject.
May we know why we have all been summoned?"
"You will," Alpha Kaidan replied.
He allowed a brief silence before continuing. "The reason for this meeting is Serena Cole."
Serena went still. For a moment, she could not tell whether she had heard him correctly. Her eyes widened, and the colour drained from her face. She looked at Alpha Kaidan, searching his expression for some indication of what he meant, but his face revealed nothing.
Her thoughts immediately turned to Adrian.
Did he tell them?
She forced herself to remain seated, though her fingers had tightened around the edge of her chair.
The second-in-command of the council exchanged a confused glance with the head before turning back to Alpha Kaidan.
"Serena? Why is she the subject of this meeting?"
"Because she has been lying to us, manipulating us, and withholding the truth about matters that concern this pack. I have given her opportunities to explain herself, but she has continued to hide behind the same story."
He turned towards Serena. "Serena, I am going to ask you this question for the very last time. How did you leave Blackclaw four years ago? What really happened?"
Serena swallowed. "I have already explained what happened, Alpha. I was kidnapped. I was taken away against my will, and I spent four years—"
"Kidnapped?" Alpha Kaidan interrupted. "How do you know you were kidnapped? What evidence do you have to support that claim?"
Serena opened her mouth, but he continued before she could answer.
"You have repeatedly claimed that you were held against your will. Tell this council what happened during those four years. Where were you kept? Who held you? How did you escape?"
"I don’t remember," she replied quickly. "I have told you that. There are things I cannot remember about that period."
Alpha Kaidan gave a short, humourless laugh.
"You don’t remember."
"I have been through a terrible experience. You cannot expect me to recall every detail."
"And yet you expect every person in this room to accept your story without a single piece of evidence."
"I am telling the truth!"
"Then you should have no difficulty proving it."
Serena stared at him, her breathing becoming uneven.
The head of the council leaned forward.
"Alpha Kaidan, what exactly is happening? "I thought we had settled the matter of Serena’s disappearance." Why are we reopening it now?"
"Because it was never properly resolved," Alpha Kaidan answered. "We accepted her account without investigating whether it was true. I will not allow this council to continue making decisions based on a lie."
He turned towards John. "Bring in the first witness."
John nodded and left the chamber. The council members exchanged uneasy looks. Serena sat rigidly, her gaze fixed on the doors. Christine looked from her to Alpha Kaidan, her confusion deepening.
A moment later, John returned with the patrol captain.
The officer approached the table, bowed respectfully to Alpha Kaidan and the council, and waited for him to speak.
"State what you know about Serena Cole’s departure from Blackclaw four years ago," Alpha Kaidan instructed.
The patrol captain straightened. "Four years ago, I was on duty when Serena Cole left Blackclaw in a vehicle driven by an unidentified man. I observed her departure and later provided my account to the investigation."
"What did you observe?" the head of the council asked.
"She left willingly. She was calm, showed no visible signs of injury, and did not ask anyone for help. At no point did she appear to be escaping from someone or being forced to leave."
A murmur spread around the table. The patrol captain continued.
"A missing-person report was filed several days after her departure. I had already submitted my account of what I witnessed. No further search was conducted after the investigation was put on hold."
The second-in-command turned towards Serena.
"Is this true?"
Serena shook her head immediately.
"No. He must have misunderstood what he saw. I was frightened. I couldn’t tell anyone what was happening."
"You were calm when you left," the patrol captain replied. "You were not injured, and you did not ask for help."
"You cannot possibly know what I was feeling!"
"I am telling the council what I witnessed, not what you claim to have felt."
"Enough," Alpha Kaidan said.
The room quieted.
He looked at the patrol captain. "You may wait outside. You will be required again."
The officer bowed and left the chamber. Alpha Kaidan turned back to the council. "That is not the only evidence we have."
He motioned for John to continue. John placed the folder on the table and brought out a recording. He connected it to the room’s playback system.
"This is a recorded account obtained during the investigation in Ravencrest," he explained.
He started the recording. Peter Hale’s voice filled the chamber.
He described Serena’s arrival in Ravencrest with Adrian Cross. Serena, had not come seeking rescue. She had left Blackclaw willingly because she wanted political influence and opportunities that she believed her position as Alpha Kaidan’s mate would not give her.
Peter said Adrian had helped her leave because he had feelings for her. Serena knew it and used it to win his help.
The recording continued with Peter recounting a conversation he had overheard. Serena had spoken about wanting enough political power to stand independently rather than being confined to the role of a future Luna.
When the recording ended, nobody spoke for several seconds.
Christine slowly turned towards Serena. "Is that what you told people in Ravencrest?"
Serena’s lips parted, but no answer came. "That is a lie," she eventually managed. "Someone is trying to discredit me."
John placed another recording on the table. "This account concerns Serena’s departure from Ravencrest."
He played it. The source described how Serena had been found responsible for poisoning a prominent Ravencrest Pack leader. The victim had survived but suffered lasting harm. Following an investigation, Ravencrest’s council had decided to banish Serena, prohibiting her from returning to Ravencrest and neighbouring territories.
Ravencrest had kept it quiet to avoid a wider political dispute.
As the recording ended, the chamber erupted with shocked voices.
"Poisoning?"
"She was banished?"
"How could something like this have been concealed from us?"
The head of the council raised his hand, demanding silence.
Christine remained motionless, staring at Serena as though she were looking at a stranger.
"You told me you had been kidnapped," Christine said quietly. "You told me you had suffered for four years and had nowhere else to turn."
Serena looked at her desperately. "Christine, please. You have to understand—"
"Understand what?"
Christine’s voice rose. "Do you mean you lied to us about everything? I have been covering for you and standing behind you. I wanted you to retain your place in this pack and reclaim your position as Luna, and I have been fighting for you without knowing that you were capable of something like this!"
"That’s enough!" Serena snapped, losing control of herself. "You don’t know the whole story!"
"Then tell us the truth," Alpha Kaidan said. "You have been given every opportunity."
Serena turned towards him. "You are doing this because of Naomi! Ever since you chose her, you have been looking for a reason to turn everyone against me."
Naomi’s expression remained composed, though surprise flickered across her face at Serena’s accusation.
Alpha Kaidan did not raise his voice. "Do not drag Naomi into this. Your choices brought you here."
He looked at John. "Show them the final piece of evidence."
John took out a device and connected it to the display screen at the end of the chamber.
"Several months ago, an incident occurred during a gathering at Blackclaw. Naomi fell into the pool.. "No one examined the circumstances at the time."
Alpha Kaidan requested the archived surveillance footage as part of the present investigation."
Naomi looked towards the screen, startled. She had not expected Alpha Kaidan to revisit something that happened months ago.
The footage began to play. The council watched as Naomi stood near the pool. Serena approached her. Their exchange was brief, but the next movement was unmistakable: Serena deliberately shoved Naomi into the water.
Several council members gasped. The footage continued. Serena looked around before reacting to the commotion, presenting herself as though she had only just become aware of what had happened.
Then the screen went dark.
Naomi stared at it in disbelief. She remembered falling into the pool, but seeing Serena’s deliberate action captured so clearly was something else entirely. She glanced at Alpha Kaidan, wondering how long he had known to look for the footage.
She said nothing.
Christine, however, could no longer contain herself.
"You pushed her?" she demanded, turning on Serena. "You deliberately pushed Naomi into the pool?"
Serena rose abruptly. "She was standing in my way!"
The admission fell into the silence.
Christine stared at her. "You have lost your mind."
"No!" Serena shouted. "You all wanted me to stand aside and watch her take everything that should have been mine!"
"Nothing was yours to take by force," Alpha Kaidan said coldly. "And you had no right to harm my wife."
Serena looked around the chamber. The council members who had once listened sympathetically to her story now regarded her with disbelief and disgust. Christine had moved away from her, her face pale with shame.
Serena had come to Blackclaw believing she could rely on the people who remembered her. Now all of them had heard the evidence against her.
The head of council looked at Alpha Kaidan. "If these findings are accurate, Serena’s presence here is a serious matter. Ravencrest has banished her, and we have been sheltering someone accused of a grave crime without knowing the truth."
"Which is precisely why I called this meeting," Alpha Kaidan replied. "This pack will not continue protecting someone based on a fabricated story."
Before the council could respond, the chamber doors opened suddenly. John turned towards the entrance. A guard hurried inside and approached him, speaking in a low voice.
John’s expression hardened. He leaned towards Alpha Kaidan. "Sir, Ravencrest representatives have arrived at the main gate. They are demanding to see you and demanding the release of Adrian Cross."
Alpha Kaidan’s gaze sharpened. "What have they been told?"
"They know Adrian is being detained. They are also demanding an explanation for Serena’s presence here."
"Tell them I am occupied with a council meeting. They will have to wait."
John turned to carry out the instruction, but before he could leave, raised voices erupted from the corridor.
The doors swung open again. Several Ravencrest representatives entered, accompanied by their guards. Their leader was furious and did not hide it.
"We will not be kept waiting outside while Blackclaw harbours a criminal and detains one of our own!" he declared.
The council members rose in alarm.
Alpha Kaidan stood. "You have entered a council meeting without permission. You will explain yourselves before making accusations in my chamber."
"Explain ourselves?" the Ravencrest representative retorted. "You have one of our members in detention, and you are sheltering a woman our pack has banished for poisoning one of our leaders. What explanation do you intend to give us?"
The room erupted in overlapping arguments.
"We have evidence against Serena," one council member said.
"And you detained Adrian without informing us!" another Ravencrest representative shouted.
"Adrian is being held pending questioning in a matter connected to this investigation," John replied. "He has not been convicted of any crime."
"Then release him!"
"He will be released through the proper procedure."
The Ravencrest representative stepped closer to the table.
"You have no authority to keep him here indefinitely!"
"And you have no authority to storm into my council chamber and dictate how I conduct an investigation,"
Alpha Kaidan answered.
The two sides exchanged heated words. One of the Ravencrest guards pushed past a Blackclaw guard, and the latter shoved him back. Seconds later, the argument turned physical.
"Stand down!" Alpha Kaidan commanded.
Nobody listened. Guards struggled to separate the men. Council members moved away from the table as chairs scraped across the floor. John stepped forward to prevent one of the Ravencrest representatives from reaching Alpha Kaidan, while the Blackclaw guards attempted to force the intruders back towards the doors.
The patrol captain heard the commotion and rushed in to help.
Serena stood near the far end of the room, watching the chaos unfold.
For a moment, she saw an opportunity to escape the consequences closing in around her. If the two packs turned against each other, perhaps she could slip away before anyone remembered her.
Then she saw Naomi moving towards Alpha Kaidan.
Something inside Serena snapped.
Naomi was still there. Still standing beside Alpha Kaidan. Still the woman he had chosen in front of the entire council.
Even now, after everything had been revealed, Alpha Kaidan had not looked at Serena with regret for losing her. He had looked at her as though she meant nothing to him.
Serena’s eyes fixed on Naomi. If I cannot have my place, no one will.
As the patrol captain struggled to restrain a man near the entrance, his weapon was knocked loose in the confusion. It struck the floor, and Serena lunged for it before anyone could react.
She snatched up the gun and raised it.
"Serena!" Christine screamed.
The sound of her name cut through the noise. Naomi turned towards the movement.
Serena aimed directly at her. "If I can’t reclaim my position," Serena shouted, her face twisted with rage, "then nobody is going to have it!"
She pulled the trigger. The gunshot tore through the chamber.
Alpha Kaidan moved before Naomi could even react. He threw himself between them, wrapping an arm around Naomi and turning his body to shield her.
The bullet struck him in the back near his upper arm.
His body jerked from the impact.
"Alpha Kaidan!"
Naomi caught him as he staggered, but his weight forced them both down. She pressed her hands against him, her face draining of colour when she felt the blood spreading beneath her fingers.
For one terrible second, she could not speak.
Then she looked up. "Someone get a healer! Now!"
John was already at their side. He helped Naomi support Alpha Kaidan while shouting for the guards to secure the chamber.
The patrol captain seized Serena from behind. She fought violently, trying to wrench herself free, but another guard caught her arm and forced the gun from her hand.
"Let me go!" Serena screamed. "You can’t do this to me!"
"Serena Cole, you are under arrest," the patrol captain declared. "Do not resist!"
She continued struggling until the guards restrained her completely.
Across the chamber, the fight was finally being brought under control. Ravencrest’s representatives were forced away from the council table, and Blackclaw’s guards secured the entrances. The shouting gradually gave way to orders and urgent calls for assistance. But Naomi heard little of it.
She was kneeling beside Alpha Kaidan, one hand pressed against his wound, the other gripping his hand.
"Alpha Kaidan, look at me," she pleaded. "Please, look at me."
His eyes opened briefly. His face had gone pale, and his breathing was strained. "Naomi..."
"Don’t speak. Save your strength."
John knelt on the other side, applying pressure to the wound while calling for the medical team. Within moments, healers arrived with a stretcher.
Naomi refused to move away as they carefully lifted Alpha Kaidan. She walked beside them, still holding his hand, her eyes fixed on his face.
Behind them, guards dragged Serena towards the doors. Her earlier fury had given way to disbelief as the reality of her arrest settled over her.
Christine stood frozen beside the council table, tears gathering in her eyes. She watched Serena being taken away, unable to reconcile the woman she had defended with the person who had just tried to kill Naomi.
The head of the council adjourned the meeting and ordered the guards to lock down the chamber.
Ravencrest’s representatives were informed that Adrian Cross would be released into their custody, while the matter of Serena’s crimes and the shooting would be dealt with through the appropriate authorities.
Adrian was brought out of detention and handed over to Ravencrest’s representatives. He looked towards the corridor as he was escorted away, but Serena was already gone.
None of the arguments that had filled the chamber moments earlier mattered now.
Alpha Kaidan had taken a bullet meant for his wife.
And as Naomi followed the healers out of the council chamber, her hands still stained with his blood, she could think of nothing except whether he would survive.