Chapter 229
The morning after eavesdropping on the traitors, I woke with a plan.
No, not a rage-fueled, fire-and-blood kind of plan—though I admit that was tempting—but something quieter. Sharper. If they wanted to play politics behind closed doors, then so would I.
Let them whisper.
I’d outmaneuver them in plain sight.
While Roman coordinated border patrols and tightened security around our younger wolves, I gathered allies. Not overtly. Just quiet chats between training sessions. Pulling aside key she-wolves, influential healers, and respected matriarchs. Women who had watched this pack survive fire, famine, and war—and had grown tired of the men pretending they ran it alone.
“We’re not building an army,” I told them. “We’re reminding the council who actually holds this pack together.”
And they understood.
Ella, of course, was the first to catch on.
“You’re stacking the room,” she said with a wicked grin, walking beside me toward the storage cabin. “Council meeting’s in two days, and I’m guessing you want every strong-minded woman in that room by then.”
“They can’t vote, but they can watch,” I replied. “And that’s all I need. Eyes.”
Ella raised a brow. “And if the snakes start hissing?”
“Then we hiss louder.”
She snorted. “Gods, I love you.”
Roman had been quiet the past two days. Not cold—never that—but measured. Focused.
I found him in the war room, poring over patrol maps and documents. His sleeves were rolled up, jaw tense, hair slightly tousled like he hadn’t slept properly. The moment I stepped inside, he looked up. His eyes softened—but just slightly.
“You’re hiding something,” he said.
I blinked. “Hello to you too.”
He smirked and leaned back. “You’ve been… busy. Talking to people. Whispering in hallways. Not even pretending to deny it.”
I closed the door behind me. “What gave it away?”
“Ella dropped a scroll labeled ‘Operation Smoke Show’ on my desk this morning. With glitter on it.”
I groaned. “Remind me to kill her later.”
He chuckled, then stood, walking toward me. “Seriously, Iris. What’s going on?”
I exhaled, resting my hands on his chest. “I overheard something. Halrick’s not just grumbling. He’s organizing. They want to block the vote for the expanded training program. And they want to start chipping away at our authority without looking like aggressors.”
Roman’s jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because if you knew, you’d go full Alpha mode,” I said gently. “And if you push too hard, they’ll use that to turn undecideds against us. Paint you as the tyrant, me as the manipulator.”
His silence was the kind that rang loud.
“You think I can’t play politics?” he asked.
“I think you could,” I said carefully. “But I don’t want you to have to. Let me handle the shadows, Roman. You handle the storm.”
He looked down at me, conflict flickering across his face—protective instinct versus trust.
Then, finally, he nodded.
“I trust you,” he said. “But I want names. And when we’re ready… I want to be the one who locks the damn door behind them.”
I smiled, heart thudding with both relief and pride. “Deal.”
He cupped my cheek. “Just don’t shut me out. We’re stronger when we move together.”
“Always.”
The day of the council meeting arrived cloaked in overcast skies, thunder rumbling somewhere in the distance. A good omen, I thought. Storms cleared the rot.
I arrived at the hall early, flanked by Ella and Nessa—who now walked like someone who belonged. Already, the outer rows were filled with she-wolves from all corners of the territory, some whispering, some glaring openly at the Elders who filtered in with narrowed eyes.
Roman arrived five minutes later, in full Alpha black, commanding attention without saying a word. When he sat beside me at the head of the room, the pack fell silent.
Elder Halrick stood with a rustle of robes. “Before we begin, I’d like to address the… influx of observers in today’s council.”
“They’re pack members,” Roman said smoothly. “They have every right to be present.”
Halrick’s lip twitched. “Of course. But the council votes should remain a matter of—”
“Transparency,” I cut in. “That’s what you meant, right?”
His eyes flicked to mine, annoyed. “Naturally.”
We began.
Reports were given. Patrol updates. Supplies tallied. Then, finally—
“The matter of expanding the combat training program,” I said, rising to my feet. “Including open enrollment for any willing female pack member.”
A few groans. Some mutters. One bark of laughter.
“Let it be known,” Halrick said, standing too, “that we do not oppose the idea of readiness. But stretching our limited instructors and space for non-combatants could jeopardize focus on our elite warriors. We recommend the vote be delayed until a more suitable time.”
I smiled.
“Interesting. Because the last time we delayed readiness, we buried three patrolmen. And two children barely escaped an attack.”
Murmurs rippled.
I let the silence stretch, then turned to the room. “This isn’t about space. Or time. This is about control. You fear what happens when every wolf is trained to fight. You fear a world where women don’t wait behind walls.”
A sharp inhale from the back. Nessa stepped forward, uninvited. Brave girl.
“I was denied a role in this pack last season because I didn’t look strong enough,” she said. “Now I spar three times a week. I’m not alone. We’re not asking for your approval. Just the right to protect the home we bleed for too.”
Several women stood with her, shoulder to shoulder.
The Elders fell into an uneasy quiet.
Roman rose then, his voice deep and clear. “We will vote. But let it be known: any attempt to manipulate or delay this process further will be seen as obstruction. And I will deal with it accordingly.”
A pause.
Then the vote.
The motion passed.
Eight to three.
Halrick sat still, his eyes burning holes through the table.
Too bad. The rot was showing—and this time, we had the numbers and the nerve.
Later that night, Roman and I stood on the balcony of the war tower, watching lightning split the distant sky.
“You handled that perfectly,” he said.
I leaned into him. “You didn’t do so bad yourself.”
He smirked. “I especially liked the part where you challenged decades of tradition in front of fifty wolves and didn’t blink.”
I looked up at him. “They blinked first.”
And I knew this was only the beginning.
But it was one hell of a start.
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