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His father left out a strangled cough, and Draven broke their kiss, but he didn’t miss the way a few of the Alphas now shifted uncomfortably in their seats.Good, he thought, they should see what they are missing out on when it came to finding their moon-blessed mate. Maybe it would sway them to listen.
Donna, his ever-prepared assistant, stepped from the wings and offered them the robes they kept on hand at the Howler. He almost didn’t accept his, as his wolf wanted to tout his prowess as the newest Alpha in the room, but Flora moved uncomfortably beside him, and he knew he’d pushed his Luna far enough.
He took the robes and handed one to Mateo and Kade before helping Flora into hers. Flora winced.
“Are you okay?” he whispered against her ear.
She clenched her jaw tight and whimpered through her teeth. “More memories.”
Fuck, he cursed internally. He wished he could take them away. That he could make them right. The King would pay for using her.
He remembered the pain that came with Joseph’s remembering. He’d explained that it wasn’t so much the compulsion that hurt, it was the realization that he hadn’t had any control. Flora had said the exact same thing.
Draven pressed a kiss to her temple to hide the anger coursing through him. “Later, you’ll tell me later.”
Flora turned in his arms and nodded.
Draven pressed another kiss, this time to her lips and turned toward the stage. He took a step forward and inhaled a confident breath before launching into recounting the story of what happened from the moment they stepped foot in the Goddess’s realm. He told them of the shadow wolves and the moment he knew Flora was his mate. Of the Goddess, Rieka and her hesitancy to trust her people with the moonstone given their past. But most importantly of all, he ensured they knew he wasn’t backing down. That he and Flora had every inclination to follow in the footsteps the Goddess had set out for them and lead wolves and hybrids into a future that would allow them to thrive.
Many of the Alphas, elders, and tribesmen nodded in agreement with him as he spoke, and his father’s pride radiated in his smile. But there were still those who openly opposed him, namely Elijah, a few Alphas from eastern Europe, and Fernando, Mateo’s uncle and the Alpha from the Ambersy Pack. The pack he was supposed to unite by marrying Mateo’s cousin.
Fernando stood from his seat and stepped forward. The way he raked his eyes over Flora left Draven’s wolf wanting to tear out his throat, but what set him off even further was the way Fernando chose to turn up his nose at his mate.
“While you tell a compelling story, little Dempsy, I don’t think we should be inclined to believe you.” His tone was compelling, and it was easy to see why people followed the despicable piece of shit. “While we are all eternally grateful that you restored the moonstone, there is no way you can possibly expect us to believe the Goddess chose you and this… this person as her heirs. You’re hybrids. Not even given the privilege of being full-blooded wolves. Not to mention you are breaking the deal you already made with the Ambersy pack to marry my daughter, Darcy.”
Draven followed his gaze to where Darcy stood with his ambassadors to the side of the stage. She was beautiful in the kind of way that a doll was beautiful; it was artificial. A mask. Nothing about her held a candle to Flora.
Flora stepped forward, her eyes narrowed on Fernando, and before Draven could stop her she unleashed hell on the Alpha. “You and I both know that deal was null and void the moment Draven found his moon-blessed mate. But I don’t expect you to honor that. You are the perfect example of why the Goddess chose us to lead her people. It’s because of full-blooded wolves like you who can’t get their head dislodged from their asses to see the changes that need to be made.”
Mateo snorted behind him, and Draven couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across his face as Flora called Fernando out on his bullshit. She had definitely come a long way from the diplomatic emissary sent by his brother and he was damn happy to see her embracing her role at his side.
Fernando’s mouth dropped open but he quickly regained his composure, but if looks could kill Flora would be lying in a pool of her own blood.
“Change is on the horizon, Fernando,” Draven’s father echoed, albeit in a more diplomatic manner. “We need to unite under the Goddess and help shape the evolving supernatural world.”
“Evolving supernatural world?” Fernando scoffed. “We have our wolves at our disposal again. Our strength. Our instincts. Let the vampires and witches have their war. We are in a position where we no longer have to be their enforcer lap dogs. We can rise to the occasion and rule as our forefathers once did.”
“And we could lose our wolves again,” countered one of the Alphas on the screen behind his father. “Is that what you want?”
“Iwouldn’t let the moonstone be taken from us.” Fernando’s gaze flickered to each of the Alphas and then to his father. “You’ve grown soft in your old age, Sampson, and your son is following in your footsteps. Now is the time to rise up. To take back what was ours. Our lands and our power. We once ruled over humans in the Americas, we can do it again.”
“Here, here.” A few of the Alphas and tribesmen echoed.
His father’s eyes narrowed and the usually stoic Alpha let out a low growl. “Are you challenging my son?”
“No.” Fernando retaliated with a growl of his own. “In order to challenge a leader, they have to be an Alpha, and I refuse to acknowledge a fucking hybrid as chosen by the Goddess.”
“Enough.” Draven forced an Alpha’s command into his statement. He’d had enough of Fernando’s bullshit. He stepped forward, climbing the stairs at the center of the stage as he spoke. “Let him go. If he doesn’t want the blessing of the Goddess, let him and whoever feels the same leave Moon Ridge. There will be no consequences, but just know, the moment you set foot off our lands, there is no coming back.”
“Are you threatening me?” Fernando roared, throwing every bit of his own Alpha weight into his words, but it didn’t compare to Draven’s.
“I don’t make threats, Fernando. I make promises with the weight of the Goddess behind me. The choice is yours.”
“I won’t ever bow to you,” Fernando growled.
“I’m not asking you to. I’m not the Goddess, but I am the Alpha she’s chosen to lead our people through this time of change and growth. I can’t do it alone, and I will require the help of every pack to ensure we aren’t lost to our monsters again. The supernatural world is evolving, and I believe together, along with the vampires and witches, we can strengthen our future.”
A chorus of praise sounded from the Alphas and elders.
