Third POV
Asher stood at the head of the long table, his hands pressed flat against the polished wood.
“What the hell happened here?” he demanded before everyone had even taken their seats.
Benjamin adjusted his glasses calmly.
Percy folded his hands in his lap, his expression serene. “Acting-Beta Hazel Banner has been relieved of her duties, effective imdiately.”
“By whose authority?” Asher’s voice rose dangerously.
“By the authority of this council,” Benjamin replied smoothly. “We received formal complaints about her conduct and performance.”
The elder slid a thick docunt across the table toward Asher. Asher snatched it up, his eyes scanning the signatures at the bottom. His face went pale as he recognized them.
His mother’s na was there in elegant script. Ashley’s signature followed, along with several other high-ranking pack mbers. At the very bottom, Asher even spotted Nigel’s na.
Asher’s hands trembled with anger. “Hazel is my Beta. She’s the acting-Luna with Estelle missing. You cannot make decisions about my inner circle without my permission.”
“Actually, we can,” Percy said coldly. “The pack is in unrest, Alpha. By removing the source of that unrest, we are protecting Moonveil’s stability.”
Benjamin leaned forward, his weathered face stern. “As the Alpha, you should have seen this problem developing. You should have fixed it before it reached this critical point.”
“The complaints detail nurous incidents of misconduct,” another councilman added. “Not to ntion, the pack’s condition has been on a decline ever since she took over.”
Asher’s jaw clenched. “That’s ridiculous. Hazel has been working tirelessly for this pack.”
“Has she?” Benjamin raised an eyebrow. “Because from what we’ve observed, Gamma Nigel has been handling most of her responsibilities for the past week. He seems far more capable of the Beta position.”
“That’s not the point!” Asher slamd his fist on the table. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.
The council mbers remained unmoved by his display of anger.
“The point, Alpha Asher, is that your leadership has beco compromised,” Percy said quietly. “Your personal entanglents have clouded your judgnt.”
“How dare you question !” Asher growled, his voice low and threatening.
Benjamin smiled coldly.
“With all due respect, the pack trusts us to make the hard decisions when their Alpha cannot,” Percy continued. “And right now, that seems to be the case.”
Asher felt the walls closing in around him. “You have no right to remove my Beta without consulting .”
“We have every right when the Alpha is incapacitated,” Benjamin stated firmly. “Which, given the current state of affairs, appears to be exactly what has happened.”
The room fell silent except for the sound of Asher’s heavy breathing.
Percy leaned back in his chair, studying the Alpha with calculating eyes. “From this point forward, your role will be largely ceremonial. The real power and decision-making authority will rest with this council.”
“You can’t do that!” Asher roared, his face flushing red with rage.
“We can and we will,” Benjamin replied calmly. “Moonveil is declining under your leadership. We trusted you to fix the problems, but instead, they have only gotten worse.”
Percy nodded gravely. “The loss of our major trade agreents, the internal conflicts, the questions about your mate bond with Luna Estelle—all of these issues stem from your poor judgnt.”
“If you have already chosen Estelle as your mate, you should not be maintaining inappropriate relationships with Hazel, fated or not,” Percy explained. “You should have properly rejected each other instead of dragging this situation out.”
Asher’s mind raced frantically. He couldn’t tell them the truth. His marriage to Estelle was completely fake. They weren’t actually mated at all. He didn’t even know which rogue had marked her all those years ago when she was drugged.
The web of lies he had carefully constructed over the years was finally starting to collapse around him.
“You’re making a mistake,” he said desperately. “You don’t understand the full situation.”
“Then enlighten us,” Benjamin challenged. “Explain why you felt it was appropriate to maintain relationships with both won simultaneously.”
Asher opened his mouth, then closed it again. There was no explanation he could give without revealing the truth about his deception.
The council mbers exchanged knowing glances.
“We thought as much,” Percy said with satisfaction. “Your silence speaks volus about your character, Alpha.”
Benjamin stood up slowly, his joints creaking with age. “We will give you one final opportunity to salvage this situation.”
“Convince Luna Estelle to return to the pack,” Percy added. “Fix whatever damage has been done to your mate bond.”
“If you cannot accomplish this simple task,” Benjamin continued, “we cannot guarantee that the pack will not rebel against your leadership entirely.”
The threat hung in the air like a sword over Asher’s head.
The council mbers filed out of the room one by one, leaving Asher alone with his rage and desperation.
He waited until their footsteps faded completely before pulling out his phone with trembling hands.
***
Estelle’s POV
A worker approached with a clipboard full of harvest data. I reviewed the numbers quickly, noting the consistent quality and volu improvents across all sections.
“Excellent work,” I told him.
Everything was progressing exactly as planned.
The Moonveil refugees had integrated seamlessly into Blackmoon’s agricultural operations. Edmund and Juliet had proven to be excellent team leaders. The other workers respected them, and production had actually increased since they arrived.
I paused to examine a particularly robust section of crops. The yield projections were looking even better than my initial estimates. We would not only et our delivery deadlines but also exceed the expected quantities.
Blackmoon Pack would be in an excellent position for the upcoming trade negotiations.
“Make sure these reports reach Caleb by the end of the day,” I added, handing him the clipboard.
The man nodded and hurried away to continue his duties.
I continued my inspection tour, checking on the various teams scattered throughout the fields. Everyone seed focused and motivated. There were no signs of conflicts or inefficiencies.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. Whatever it was could wait until I finished my rounds.
I was just completing my final quality check when I sensed soone approaching from behind. The footsteps were asured and deliberate, not the hurried pace of a worker with an urgent report.
I turned around slowly, already knowing who I would see.
Benedict stood at the edge of the field, his light brown hair slightly disheveled by the morning breeze. His dark brown eyes were unreadable as he watched .
I nodded my head in greeting. “Benedict.”
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