Chapter 67

Ava

After Dedrick strode out of the council chamber, a heavy silence blanketed the room.

I shifted in my seat, pinching the bridge of my nose. A headache had begun to set in while Dedrick was giving his speech, and it was worsening now. Squeezing my eyes shut for a brief moment, I tried to will the pain away—now was certainly not the time to appear anything less than fully present.

When I blinked my eyes open again, I found Olivia’s piercing gaze fixed on me from across the table. There was a strange light burning in their depths, her lips curved into the faintest hint of a smug smile.

“Well?” Chris asked, breaking the silence. “What do you all think of the contestants?”

“Dedrick’s performance was nothing short of masterful,” Olivia said without hesitation, snapping her eyes away from me and over to Chris. “I’m thoroughly impressed. Sam and Allen, on the other hand…”

Her voice trailed off, but the implications were clear. Sam and Allen’s performances had been disappointing, to say the least.

Around the table, I saw several of the Elders slowly nodding in reluctant agreement. Even Elder Degas’s face was uncharacteristically solemn, his usual jolly demeanor nowhere to be found.

“If I may be so bold…” Olivia paused, letting her gaze drift meaningfully to where Chris sat at the head of the table. “I believe we have found ourselves a worthy candidate to take over the mantle of Alpha.”

Another heavy silence followed her words. Chris sat ram-rod straight, his expression utterly inscrutable as he studied his sister. For a long, endless moment, I didn’t think he would respond at all.

Until, finally—

“You’re right, Olivia,” he said at length. “Dedrick’s performance was... exceptional, to say the least. I must admit, even I had my doubts about someone from the human realm, but he has seemingly proven himself more than capable of leading this pack into a new era of prosperity and alliance.”

The breath caught in my throat at his words. Was he really saying...?

“However,” he continued before I could speak, “the decision is not solely mine to make. We’ll put it to a vote, just as we discussed. Those in favor of appointing Dedrick as the next Alpha, raise your hand.”

One by one, the Elders slowly lifted their hands into the air, grim resignation etched into each of their faces. When both Elise and Olivia’s hands joined the others, I felt the first stirrings of panic rising up to choke me.

This couldn't be happening. They couldn't possibly be considering this—could they? Handing the pack over to a man who would monetize our sacred moondeer, use them as nothing more than a tourist attraction?

Finally, Chris turned his attention to me, his expression carefully neutral.

“Ava?” he prompted softly. “Your vote?”

Every eye in the chamber snapped to me, waiting, watching. We needed a majority vote, and I had already lost. But I couldn’t just support this man so blindly. There was something… off about Dedrick, something that left me feeling uneasy.

“No,” I said, refusing to raise my hand. “I won’t vote for Dedrick. I don’t believe he would make a good Alpha.”

The silence after I spoke was palpable. The Elders slowly lowered their hands, exchanging looks with one another—clearly trying to read my angle, to find out whether I was trying to stall the Alpha selection process for the sake of the prophecy.

But I wasn’t. I genuinely didn’t believe that Dedrick was a good choice.

“Why not?” Olivia hissed before Chris could so much as speak. “He was the best one out of all three!”

“His strategy relied too heavily on exploiting the sacred moondeer for—for tourism and trade.” My cheeks flushed hot despite my best efforts to remain calm and composed. “The antlers of the moondeer are not mere… goods to be bought and sold, nor are they gifts to be given in exchange for political purposes. They are offerings to the Goddess herself. To use them as bargaining chips with other packs would be tantamount to blasphemy.”

“It was merely a hypothetical scenario!” Olivia all but snarled, her cool veneer cracking for the first time throughout this entire process. In the corner of my eyes, I saw one of her hands ball into a tight fist on the worn oak table.

“Regardless of whether the scenario was hypothetical or not, using the sacred moondeer in such a way shows a fundamental lack of respect for our most deeply-held spiritual traditions and beliefs,” I shot back. “I cannot in good conscience vote for anyone who would so carelessly defile what we hold sacred, all for the sake of attaining political advantage.”

“Not only that,” I added after a beat before anyone else could speak, “but we all know what the land does to those who try to exploit it.” My gaze landed meaningfully on the Elders, who seemed to shrink a bit in their chairs. They knew what I was referring to.

Olivia opened her mouth again, her eyes blazing with fury—but before she could say anything else, Chris held up a placating hand.

“Enough,” he said, glancing over at me. “Ava has a point. We should go into this with a bit more caution.”

The chamber fell silent once again, although Olivia’s seething seemed to fill the space. I could feel her gaze burning into the side of my head, but I kept my chin held high. I wouldn’t let her walk all over me, bully me into making a decision that would haunt me forever.

And even if Dedrick did wind up as Alpha, I would much rather spend the rest of my days knowing that I had stood up for what was important to me rather than giving in to peer pressure.

“Well then.” Olivia pushed back her chair so abruptly that the legs scraped loudly on the floor. “I’ve made my vote, and I vote for Dedrick—as did the majority. There’s no point in lingering here any longer.”

With those parting words, she whirled on her heel and stormed out of the chamber, letting the heavy oak door slam shut behind her with a crash.

Once she was gone, it felt as if a collective breath was let out. I pinched the bridge of my nose again, breathing deeply. The headache that had begun earlier was now turning into a full-blown migraine, and I wished nothing more than to just go home and rest.

“Alpha,” Degas finally said, inclining his head toward Chris. “I know that you wished for a majority vote—but ultimately, the decision does stand with you and you alone. Do you feel that Dedrick would make a good Alpha?”

Chris was silent for a long moment, seeming to weigh the words heavily. When he spoke again, his voice was strained and tired.

“I’d like to take some time to consider everything,” he said slowly, his gaze sliding over to me. I saw his eyes soften then, a look of understanding passing between us, and I felt a bit of relief wash over me. “Ava, can you please tell the candidates that the results will be posted tomorrow instead of today? They’re welcome to remain in Moonstone until then.”

I nodded and stood, grateful for the opportunity to leave this stifling room. Chris shot me another apologetic look, and I mustered the tiniest of smiles before walking out.

In the parlor, I found the candidates still waiting. Sam and Allen were conversing quietly in their chairs, their heads close to one another, while Dedrick stood looking out the window with his hands behind his back.

I cleared my throat as I entered, taking note of how sore it suddenly felt. Too much talking lately, or was I perhaps getting a bit of a cold? Maybe I really did need to go home and rest.

“Thank you all for your patience,” I said, inclining my head politely. “Alpha Chris has asked me to inform you all that, due to some considerations, he’ll be posting the results tomorrow instead of today. You’re all welcome to remain in Moonstone for another night.”

Sam and Allen nodded and stood, striding out together. Dedrick, however, remained.

“Was there some sort of issue?” he asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Why is it taking so long?”

“Alpha Chris feels that he needs the day to think,” I replied. I started to feel a little dizzy, so I carefully placed my hand on the back of a nearby chair to steady myself.

Dedrick, much to my surprise, scoffed. “I thought it was a vote. Did you not all just vote?”

“It was decided that Chris will ultimately make the decision himself.”

“So this whole process is a sham.”

I furrowed my brow, my fingers tightening around the back of the chair. “What are you—”

“I worked damn hard in there,” Dedrick hissed, taking a step closer. A look of anger washed over his face that hadn’t been there before, masking over his usually-cool and collected countenance. He pointed at me with one thick finger, speaking through his teeth. “She told me you would be a problem.”

“Who? Who are you—”

Before I could finish speaking, something happened then. I felt the world grow dark and fuzzy around the edges, and my grip around the chair slipped.

Suddenly, the earth tilted beneath me, and everything went dark.