Chapter 198: Daughter of Power
Alessandro’s POV
The chamber was so quiet I could hear the crackle of the torches against the walls.
My father’s fists curled on the table, his knuckles white as bone. His eyes burned into me, seething with the rage of an Alpha who had just been challenged before his own council.
One of the elders, Elder Marcus, cleared his throat nervously.
“Alessandro… these are heavy words. To defy the Alpha, your own father—”
“I’m not defying the Alpha,” I cut in, my voice slicing through the tension. “I’m defending my mate. My Luna.”
Another elder, Elder Helena, leaned forward, her brows knitted in thought.
“And yet, Alessandro, your father is not wrong. The pack faces threats greater than we have seen in decades.
Alpha Maverick grows bold, and if Lena bears Leonardo’s child, he will have blood ties to this pack whether we like it or not. An alliance with Raven Pack would give us the numbers to face him head on.”
I turned to her, my jaw set. “Numbers don’t win wars, Elder Helena. Loyalty does.
And I will not buy borrowed loyalty with a bond that means nothing to me. I will not take a stranger into my bed while the woman fated to me stands cast aside.”
Gasps again. Whispers spread like wildfire.
My father shot to his feet, slamming his hand on the table so hard the wood splintered.
“You arrogant boy!” he thundered.
“You think you can lecture this council on loyalty? You, who dares stand here and spit on your Alpha’s decree?”
His power surged through the room, heavy and suffocating. Several elders bowed their heads instinctively.
Even Rafael stiffened beside me. But I forced my wolf to rise, meeting that power with my own.
“No, Father,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous, “I’m not spitting on the decree of an Alpha.
I am rejecting the command of a man who would rather sell his son’s happiness for politics than trust him to lead.”
A deadly silence fell. My father’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous gleam flickering in them.
“You would challenge me?” he hissed.
“If it means protecting my mate—” I stepped forward, my wolf clawing at the surface,
“—then yes.”
The room erupted in chaos. Some elders cried out in shock, others demanded silence. Rafael’s voice rang in my ear, desperate:
“Alessandro, don’t—!”
But it was too late. The line had been drawn.
My father glared at me, his chest heaving.
“So be it. If you choose this path, Alessandro, then know this you are no longer just my son.
You are my rival. And rivals do not sit at the same table.”
His words struck like a lash, but I stood my ground, my grip tightening on the edge of the council table.
“Then prepare yourself, Father,” I said evenly, though my voice shook with the weight of what I was declaring.
“Because I will not step down. Aurora is mine. And I will lead this pack with her, or not at all.”
The words thundered from my chest like a vow sealed in blood. The elders shifted in their seats, but none dared speak first. The great hall felt heavy, as if even the walls themselves were holding their breath.
The war I had feared wasn’t clawing at our borders it was already here, tearing us apart from within.
Elder Tobias finally rose, his cane scraping against the stone floor. His voice was calm, but his eyes cut sharp.
“Listen, Alessandro. Tamara Dickson has power. Resources. Armies at her command.
Her marriage into this pack would make us untouchable. But what does your fated mate have?” His gaze swept toward the door as if Aurora might appear there any second.
“She’s not even the child of an Alpha. What does she bring to this pack? What does she have to her name?”
I clenched my fists so tightly I felt my nails dig into my palms. “She has me,” I said firmly, stepping closer so every elder could feel the truth in my words.
“And if I, your future Alpha, am not enough reason then perhaps you’ve all forgotten who I am.”
“Do not speak out of turn!” my father snapped, his voice cutting through the chamber like a whip. His jaw was tight, eyes flashing with fury.
“You think love alone can protect this pack?
Do you think your mate’s tears will shield us from Alpha Maverick’s ambitions?
From rogues? From traitors hiding in our midst?”
I raised my chin, refusing to back down. “No. But Aurora’s strength will.
You see weakness because you measure her by bloodlines and titles. I see the fire inside her the fire that survived betrayal, survived exile, survived every wound you allowed her to suffer under this roof.
She has something no alliance can buy: loyalty. Heart. And I would trust her with this pack before I ever trusted Tamara Dickson.”
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. Some lowered their eyes. Others whispered behind their hands.
Elder Tobias struck his cane against the floor again. “You speak boldly, Alessandro. But heart does not win wars.”
“No,” I admitted, my voice steady, my chest rising with defiance.
“But neither does fear. And if you force me to choose between a throne built on betrayal or a bond blessed by the Moon Goddess…
I will choose Aurora every time.”
The room buzzed with murmurs, tension heavy in the air.
Before anyone could speak further, the doors burst open. One of the guards rushed in, breathless, bowing before my father.
“Alpha John,” the guard whispered urgently into his ear.
My father’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean… Alpha Tony Holmes of the Glow Pack is here to see me?”
The entire council stirred at once, half the elders rising from their seats.
“You mean, Alpha Tony?” Elder Marco’s voice shook.
“The Alpha Tony of the Glow Pack? Here?”
“Yes,” the guard confirmed with a nod.
My father quickly straightened, his expression hard. “Council, forgive me.
We must reschedule this meeting… including the matter of banishing Aurora… till tomorrow. I have an urgent guest to attend.”
The word banish made my chest tighten. My eyes darted to my father, but his face gave nothing away. Something about his urgency didn’t sit right.
As he swept from the hall, I followed at a distance, my footsteps silent. When he entered his office, I pressed myself against the wall just outside the door, leaning to catch every word.
“Alpha Tony,” my father’s voice carried, forced and polite. “What do I owe this pleasure?
You don’t visit other packs often… certainly not packs weaker than yours. So tell me, why are you here?”
A deep, commanding voice replied, smooth with authority. “I am here for my daughter.
I heard she was here… and I’ve come to take her home.”
My heart skipped a beat. Daughter?
There was a pause, then my father’s incredulous voice. “Your… daughter? Who are you speaking of?”
“Aurora Holmes,” Alpha Tony said firmly.
I staggered back, my pulse racing.
Aurora… Holmes?
Aurora wasn’t just my mate.
She was the daughter of Alpha Tony of the Glow Pack.
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