Estelle’s POV
“Oh,” Zayne said, his tone shifting to flat annoyance. “You’re still here.”
Jude rolled his eyes dramatically. “Yes, unfortunately for you, I am still here. And I have sothing interesting to tell you.”
Zayne frowned, his attention shifting fully to his friend. “What is it?”
“I noticed so uninvited guests earlier today,” Jude said, his playful deanor dropping away. “They were trying to blend in, but I caught them during the security check.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Uninvited guests?”
“Who?” Zayne asked sharply.
Jude shrugged. “They introduced themselves as the Alpha and Luna of Moonveil.”
***
Third POV
The next day, back in Moonveil, Hazel rubbed her temples as she stared at the stack of docunts spread across her desk. The numbers blurred together after hours of reviewing pack finances and territory agreents.
Nigel droned on about budget allocations, but she was finding it hard to focus.
“The security patrol costs have increased by fifteen percent,” Nigel said. “And the food supply budget needs to be adjusted for the winter months—”
A sharp knock interrupted him.
“Co in,” Hazel called, grateful for any distraction.
Kendra pushed through the door, her expression carefully neutral. But there was sothing cold in her eyes that made Hazel straighten in her chair.
“The council wants to see you,” Kendra said, not bothering to greet Hazel.
Hazel knew that Kendra didn’t like her. As a senior official in Moonveil, Kendra had grown used to Estelle’s way of leadership. She had been one of the many who voiced their displeasure when Hazel took over the role of Beta, and, thereafter, Luna.
Hazel blinked. “What?”
Kendra’s mouth tightened slightly. “The council is requesting your imdiate presence.”
“Oh.” Hazel started to rise from her chair. “I’ll get Asher, and we’ll be right there—”
“No,” Kendra cut her off. “Just you, Hazel. The council wants to see you alone.”
Alarm bells rang in Hazel’s mind, but she tried to keep her expression calm. A eting with the council without Asher present was unusual. It ant they wanted to discuss sothing they didn’t want the Alpha to hear.
This fact alone was so worrying that Hazel didn’t even care that Kendra hadn’t addressed her properly.
“I see,” Hazel said carefully. “Did they say what this was regarding?”
Kendra’s expression remained cold. “They’ll explain when you arrive.”
Nigel cleared his throat. “I’ll let Alpha Asher know about the eting.”
Hazel nodded, though her stomach was churning with anxiety. She stood up, and right as she was about to walk past Nigel, she softly whispered, “Tell him to co as soon as he can.”
Nigel t her eyes and nodded.
She followed Kendra down the hallway toward the council chambers. Her heels clicked against the stone floor, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. Other pack mbers they passed avoided eye contact, which only increased her unease.
Finally, when they’d arrived, Kendra knocked once, then pushed them open.
“Luna Hazel is here,” she announced, then stepped aside to let Hazel enter.
The chamber was dimly lit, with five council mbers seated at a curved table. Elder Benjamin Thompson sat in the center, his gray hair neatly combed and his expression stern. Elder Percy Roberts was to his right, along with three other council mbers Hazel recognized but rarely interacted with.
The mont Kendra left and the door closed with a heavy thud, the temperature in the room seed to drop.
“Sit,” Benjamin said, gesturing to a single chair placed in front of the council table.
Hazel took the seat, her back straight and hands folded in her lap. “Good afternoon, Elders. You wanted to see ?”
Benjamin didn’t waste ti with pleasantries. “I think we’re past the point of formalities. You need to leave Moonveil and give up your position as Luna.”
The words hit her like a physical blow. Hazel’s eyes widened in shock. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard correctly,” Percy added, his voice equally stern. “We’ve made our decision.”
Hazel’s mind raced. “I’m Asher’s fated mate. Finn’s birth mother. I have every right to be here with my family. My son will be the next Alpha of Moonveil!”
This wasn’t the world of humans. These elders couldn’t just demand that she leave, especially when she wasn’t Asher’s chosen mate but his fated mate. Fated bonds were sacred, and tearing two bonded fated mates apart was akin to declaring war against the Moon Goddess herself.
Benjamin said, “You are indeed Alpha Asher’s fated mate, and the birth mother of the heir.”
Relief flooded through Hazel for a brief mont.
“However,” Percy continued, “just because you have blood relations to the two, doesn’t an that you yourself are fit to take on the role of Luna. The Luna isn’t just the Alpha’s wife and mate; it is also an important leadership role that will determine the future of the pack.”
“With that said,” another councilman added, “you have been deed unfit for this important position.”
The relief evaporated instantly. “Unfit? I’ve been working day and night to keep this pack running!”
“Running it into the ground,” one of the other council mbers snapped. “Your leadership has been a disaster.”
“That’s not true!” Hazel protested, rising from her chair. “I’ve been cleaning up the ss Estelle left behind when she abandoned us!”
Benjamin’s eyes flashed with anger. “The ss you speak of was created by your own failures, not Estelle’s.”
“The Silverclaw Pack deal fell through because of your poor communication,” Percy added. “That was a significant source of inco for this pack. Not to ntion they would’ve been powerful allies.”
Hazel felt her palms turn clammy with sweat. “I was trying to negotiate better terms—”
“You were incompetent,” another council mber interrupted. “And now we’ve lost one of our most important trade partnerships.”
“Even if I am deed incompetent for the role of Luna, I am still Asher’s fated mate,” Hazel insisted through gritted teeth. “You cannot just ask to leave Moonveil entirely!”
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