Chapter 146: The Gauntlet Thrown
Alessandro’s POV
“So you’re saying that the council members are in support of you becoming Alpha?” I asked, keeping my tone level even though I was seething inside.
I needed answers, needed to hear the truth from my naive older brother’s mouth.
Leonardo didn’t even hesitate.
“Yes,” he said, chin raised.
“They believe I am worthy of becoming Alpha. And I agree with them.”
I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief.
“So they put you up to it, didn’t they?”
His brows twitched, just slightly but it was enough. That flicker of hesitation told me everything I needed to know.
“They filled your head with sweet lies,” I continued, stepping closer, my voice low but firm.
“Told you everything you wanted to hear. That you deserved it. That it was stolen from you.”
Leonardo’s jaw clenched.
“I don’t need them to tell me what I already know. I was supposed to be Alpha.”
I let out a humorless laugh.
“Supposed to be? You were next in line, yes. But you gave that up the moment you let jealousy rule your heart.”
He flinched but quickly masked it with arrogance.
“This has nothing to do with jealousy,” he snapped.
“It has everything to do with it!”
I shot back.
“This isn’t about leadership it’s about Aurora. You want her, and you think taking the title will win her back.”
His silence spoke louder than any words.
“You’re not doing this for the pack,” I said, voice steady now.
“You’re doing it for yourself. And deep down… you know that.”
His nostrils flared, rage flashing in his eyes.
And then.
Crack.
He raised his hand and punched me square in the face.
My head jerked to the side from the impact, the taste of blood filling my mouth.
The room erupted into chaos.
I staggered a step, then lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the nearest wall.
“You want to do this now?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
Leonardo shoved me back, fists clenched.
“You think you’re better than me?!
You think you deserve the title more?!”
Rafael and Gabriel rushed in, both grabbing hold of us before it got worse.
Rafael wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back, while Gabriel restrained Leonardo, who was still thrashing in fury.
“Enough!” Rafael barked.
“Both of you, stop this before it goes too far!”
We glared at each other, both breathing heavily, hearts beating with more than just adrenaline.
It was years of tension unspoken pain, resentment, betrayal all boiling over.
Gabriel looked between us and muttered,
“You’re both going to tear this pack apart if you keep this up.”
I wiped the blood from my lip, never taking my eyes off my brother.
“This isn’t over,” Leonardo said, his voice low and venomous.
“No,” I replied coldly, “it’s just getting started.”
“ENOUGH!”
Alpha John’s voice thundered through the hall, startling everyone into silence.
All heads turned.
There he stood frail, but upright leaning on his podium, his eyes blazing with authority that silenced even the wind outside.
“I will not have my sons turning this pack into a battleground!”
He barked, each word slicing through the tension like a blade.
“This is not how leaders act!”
Leonardo and I froze, still catching our breath, but neither of us dared speak.
He stepped forward slowly, the entire room watching as he made his way between us.
“I may be weak in body,” he said, voice strained but resolute, “but I have not stepped down.
And until I do, no one, no one will act in my name or seize a title I have yet to give.”
His gaze swept between us.
“If either of you want to lead this pack, you will earn it not through manipulation, not through violence, but through honor.”
Leonardo looked away, jaw tight. I held my father’s gaze, saying nothing, but the sting of his words cut deep.
“This pack is on the verge of breaking,” Alpha John said, his voice hoarse but firm.
“And if you two tear it apart fighting for the crown, then neither of you deserves it.”
My hands clenched at my sides.
“Then how do we earn it, Father?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
He looked between the two of us his sons, now rivals and the weight in his gaze was unmistakable.
“You prove your worth… not with words, or council whispers, or political games.
You prove it through action. Through strength. Through leadership.”
Leonardo stepped forward, defiant. “What does that mean?”
Alpha John straightened as much as his recovering body would allow.
“It means you’ll both enter a series of trials. Challenges physical, mental, and spiritual.
The old ways. You want to lead this pack?”
His voice rose.
“Then earn it. Show the people who their Alpha should be.”
A murmur rippled through the council seated behind us. Rafael and Gabriel exchanged a sharp glance.
“And what if one of us refuses?” Leonardo asked, his voice sharp.
“Then you forfeit your claim,” Alpha John answered without hesitation.
“And the title goes to the one who finishes the trials standing tall.”
I felt something shift in me. The weight of everything the betrayal, the pain, the competition boiled down to this moment.
This was no longer about politics or revenge. This was about the pack. About proving who we were.
I took a step forward.
“Then I accept the challenge.”
Leonardo’s eyes met mine, burning with fury.
“So do I.”
Alpha John nodded slowly.
“Then let the Trials of Shadow begin.”
*****
The crowd had just started to leave when the council members stood up and quickly walked over to Alpha John. They looked worried and were in a hurry.
Rafael and Gabriel flanked my father, ready to intervene if needed, but Alpha John stood firm despite the toll the gathering had taken on him.
“Alpha John,” Elder Marius was the first to speak, his voice urgent but respectful.
“With all due respect, this is madness. The old ways haven't been invoked in generations. Not since your great father’s trial.
There’s a reason we abandoned them.”
Another council member, Elder Thorne, nodded.
“It’s too dangerous. What if something happens to one of your sons during these challenges? Would it be worth the crown then?”
“This isn’t just about proving strength,” Elder Lysandra added.
“The trials are brutal meant to break weak men and test even the strongest.
You risk not only their lives but the stability of the pack if either of them falls.”
My father’s jaw tensed, his eyes unwavering as he met their worried gazes.
“And what would you have me do?” he asked, voice low but steady.
“Name one Alpha and leave the other to rot in resentment? Let the pack divide and choose sides in whispers and rumors?”
The council went quiet. No one had an answer for that.
“This way,” Alpha John continued, “the pack sees it for what it is earned, not given.
If either of my sons wants to wear the crown, they’ll fight for it. Not with politics, not with poison, but with courage and conviction. Just as I did.”
A silence fell over the room, heavy and uncertain.
I could feel the weight of their doubt, but deep down, I understood what my father was doing.
He wasn’t just protecting the pack’s future he was protecting us from each other.
From the resentment that would keep growing if this wasn’t settled the right way.
Elder Marius finally exhaled, shaking his head.
“We only pray the old ways don’t claim more than a title, Alpha.”
Alpha John gave a tired nod.
“Well, let's wait and see.”
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