The Alpha King’s Verdict
Williams’ POV
The council chamber was still, as the head council member’s decree hung in the air like a death sentence. My hands clenched into fists, my pulse thrumming with fury. Mistress? Anya as my queen? The very thought of it made my blood boil.
“Shadow cannot be brought down so low to the level of a mistress because of your stupid verdict,” Lucien sneered. “Have you all forgotten that she is also an Alpha?!” he yelled and was met with silence.
Cleopatra deserved better. We deserved better. And if walking away from all this is the sacrifice I have to make to keep her by my side, then so be it.
But I have to give them a piece of my mind. Before I could lash out, a deep, guttural growl tore through the room. The sound was so powerful that it brought everyone to a standstill. I turned, my eyes locking on my uncle, the Alpha King. His eyes flashed a dangerous gold, his voice commanding the rest of the council to bow their heads.
“Enough!” his voice thundered, and the air seemed to vibrate with his command. The tension in the room shifted instantly and the council members fell silent, their arrogance melting away as they bowed again in submission to the Alpha King.
“Have you all forgotten who will be your Alpha King after I step down?” His voice was like steel, cutting through the room. His eyes swept across the council, daring any of them to challenge him. “Will any of you dare question Williams when he chooses Cleopatra as his queen?”
The room was suffocatingly still, no one daring to speak, to even breathe too loudly. Even the head council member, the one who had just declared Cleopatra unworthy, looked pale and uncertain, his once defiant posture now hunched in shame.
I threw my uncle a subtle look of gratitude, my heart swelling with relief. For the first time in days, the tightness in my chest eased. I had been so worried about what the realm and my pack would say, and if they would accept her that I had forgotten what being the Alpha King meant.
My uncle took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with the weight of his authority. “I am Williams’ only surviving family,” he continued, his voice steady but filled with raw emotions. “And as such, I invoke my right as both his uncle and his Alpha King to sever the promised alliance with Alpha Othello through Williams and Anya’s marriage. Alpha Othello’s pack would have no choice but to pledge their allegiance to him as the new Alpha King.”
Anya gasped, her face draining of all color. The murmurs in the room grew louder, uncertainty and confusion rippling through the council. They hadn’t expected this. They had no idea what to say.
“I have watched this council make decisions for the good of the realm, and I have supported many of them,” the Alpha king continued, his eyes hard. “But Cleopatra is not the enemy. She was manipulated, framed for a crime she didn’t commit—-just like her parents.”
The weight of his words settled over the room, and I saw the council members exchange hesitant glances. My uncle's voice was calm but forceful, driving home what he needed to say.
“Are you all willing to make the same mistake twice?” he asked, his voice rising with passion. “Will you condemn the same family again? Will you allow history to repeat itself?”
The council members shifted uncomfortably, their earlier defiance crumbling in the face of his powerful argument.
“And even if Cleopatra was guilty of what she is being accused of,” he continued, his voice growing softer, more dangerous, “she should be pardoned by the realm. Why? Because it was our failure. We failed to protect her parents when they were wrongfully accused. We failed to investigate the truth. This realm failed to protect its own. We owe her more than a pardon, don’t you think?”
One by one, I saw the heads of the council members begin to nod in agreement. It was slow at first, hesitant. But then, it was as though a wave of realization washed over them. They knew my uncle was right. They knew they had been wrong.
Anya’s chair scraped loudly against the stone floor as she shot to her feet. “No! This isn’t over,” she hissed, her voice sharp with venom. Her eyes burned with fury as she glared at me and then at the Alpha King. “This is not a fair judgment, Alpha. We’ve not heard from the Silverfang pack to determine if she was manipulated!” she spat with malice laced in her voice.
“I will suggest you leave this instant and never return, except you are being summoned,” I growled, my voice icy.
She glared at me furiously and stomped her feet on the ground. “You’ve not heard the last of me, Alpha Williams. This isn’t over. Not yet.” She stormed out of the chamber, her footsteps echoing off the walls as the heavy doors slammed shut behind her.
The room remained silent, the council visibly shaken by the turn of events. But I wasn’t thinking about Anya. All I could think of was how to bring Cleopatra back and let her mark me. My uncle had just eased off the burden on my shoulders and for the first time, I saw a path forward, a future where she could stand by my side as my queen.
I looked back to my uncle, our eyes meeting across the room. I wanted to thank him, to express the depth of my gratitude, but no words came. He gave me a small nod, understanding flashing in his eyes. He had done this for me—for my happiness. For my future.
But even as the council members slowly rose, murmuring in agreement, a deep sense of unease crept into my mind. ‘Where the hell are you Cleopatra,’ I whispered to myself.
My relief was short-lived, overtaken by a growing sense of dread. What if she is in danger? What if something had happened to her?
As the council slowly dispersed, I pulled Lucien aside. “I’ll be locked up for a few days as part of the coronation process. Please if you know where Cleopatra is, tell her to come home. Tell her that I need her here.”
He patted my shoulders and gave me a soft nod, before leaving with the elderly man.
“This is far from over, Williams,” I heard my uncle’s voice cut through the haze of my thoughts, his eyes dark and warning. “Prepare yourself. I have set the stepping stone for you. Now it’s up to you to do what is right. And what is necessary.”
I nodded, my throat tight with unspoken fears. Not for me. But for my mate who is out there alone, with enemies scattered in odd places.
And deep down, I knew—this was only the beginning.
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