Caden’s POV
Gunnar strode in and the mont I saw him, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. My chest felt lighter imdiately. That was what he did. He walked into a problem and sohow made it feel like it could be handled, even when everything was already going wrong.
At the sa ti, I felt a tight knot of worry sit right under that relief. Gunnar didn’t like being challenged, and Sebastian was already on edge. If this turned into a fight, it wouldn’t just be shouting. It would get ugly fast.
Sebastian turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he looked Gunnar up and down like he was already annoyed just by his presence.
"And where do you think you stand to give those orders or words?" Sebastian snapped sharply, his voice loud enough to carry across the room.
He didn’t wait for a reply before letting out a short, mocking laugh, like he already thought Gunnar had no right to be here.
I glanced at Gunnar, expecting him to react imdiately, but instead, he smiled.
That was when I knew sothing was wrong.
Gunnar rarely smiled, and when he did, it wasn’t because he found sothing funny. It ant he already had sothing planned, sothing that would hit hard.
"Careful," Gunnar said calmly, his voice steady and controlled. "You’re speaking like soone who still thinks he’s in charge."
Sebastian’s expression darkened instantly. His shoulders stiffened.
"I am in charge," Sebastian shot back without hesitation. "And you will rember who you are speaking to."
Gunnar tilted his head slightly, still smiling like he was enjoying this.
"I rember exactly who I’m speaking to," he replied. "The question is, do you rember what you said?"
Sebastian frowned, clearly confused for a second, but he covered it quickly with irritation.
"I don’t have ti for whatever ga you’re trying to play," he said sharply.
"You made ti when you opened your mouth and made that promise," Gunnar said, his tone turning just a little colder.
Before Sebastian could respond again, soone stepped in beside Gunnar.
My eyes widened imdiately.
Riley.
For a second, everything in the room felt like it stopped. Even the tension intensified.
Sebastian’s reaction matched mine. His face changed completely as his gaze locked onto her.
"No..." he muttered under his breath, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Riley stood there, calm like she had been preparing for this mont. There was no hesitation in her stance, no fear in her eyes.
Sebastian took a slow step forward, staring at her like she might disappear if he blinked.
"That’s not possible," he said, his voice tight. "You... you were supposed to—"
"Die?" Riley finished for him, her voice sharp.
Sebastian didn’t answer, but his silence said everything.
Gunnar let out a small breath, almost like he had been waiting for this exact reaction.
"Do you rember the deal now?" Gunnar asked, his tone firm.
Sebastian finally dragged his gaze away from Riley and looked back at Gunnar, anger building again.
"I made no deal that matters now," he said quickly.
"That’s not how this works," Gunnar replied imdiately. "You don’t get to ignore your own words just because the outco doesn’t favor you."
Sebastian scoffed, shaking his head.
"You’re twisting things," he said. "That was a aningless agreent made under circumstances that no longer apply."
Riley stepped forward slightly, and for the first ti, I saw a hint of sothing stronger in her expression.
"It applies," she said. "I completed the Rite of the Borrowed Moon supposed to be sixty days under fourteen days."
Sebastian’s jaw tightened as he looked at her again.
"That ritual kills people," he said, his voice rising. "No one walks out of it like this. You must have used tricks"
Riley didn’t back down instead she said "I did."
There was a brief uncomfortable silence.
Then Riley lifted her hand.
In it was the lunar fur.
The mont it caught the light, the entire room reacted. I felt it imdiately. The energy from it was real, strong enough to make my wolf stir.
Sebastian saw it too, and this ti, he couldn’t hide his shock.
His eyes widened and he took another step forward, almost like he was being pulled toward it.
"No..." he said again, softer now. "That’s not... that’s not possible."
"It is," Gunnar said firmly. "And now we’re here."
Sebastian looked between the two of them, his anger returning quickly, stronger than before.
"So what?" he snapped. "You expect to just accept this and step aside because of so stupid rite?"
"Yes," Gunnar said without hesitation."You brought the stupid right yourself in the first place"
The direct answer made the tension spike again.
Sebastian let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head.
"You’ve lost your mind," he said. "Do you think this changes anything? I am still the Alpha King."
"For now," Gunnar corrected.
Sebastian’s eyes flashed.
"You’re pushing your luck," he warned.
"And you’re running out of ti," Gunnar replied, his voice still calm but much firr now.
I stayed where I was, watching everything unfold, but my attention kept shifting between all of them.
"You said it yourself," Gunnar continued. "If Riley survived the Rite, we would marry her. All three of us. And when that happens, she becos the next Luna of Obsidian Veil."
Sebastian opened his mouth to interrupt, but Gunnar didn’t stop.
"And when that happens, we take our place as Alphas. Which ans you step down."
"Enough," Sebastian snapped loudly.
The force of his voice made a few people in the room flinch.
"That was a hypothetical situation," he continued, his voice sharp. "A situation that was never ant to happen."
"But it did happen," Riley said.
Sebastian turned to her again, frustration clear on his face.
"You don’t understand what you’re stepping into," he said. "This isn’t so reward you get just because you survived sothing reckless."
"I understand exactly what I did, Sir Alpha," Riley replied. "And I understand what you promised as well."
Sebastian clenched his jaw, clearly struggling to keep control.
"You’re not ready for this," he said. "You don’t have the experience, the control, or the authority—"
"That’s not your decision to make anymore," Gunnar cut in.
That did it.
Sebastian stepped forward aggressively, his eyes locked on Gunnar.
"Do you think you can just take everything?" he demanded.
Gunnar didn’t move.
"I’m not taking anything," he said. "I’m claiming what was already agreed on."
Sebastian laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
"You really believe the pack is going to accept this?" he asked. "You think they’ll just follow her? Follow you and your brothers?"
"They’ll follow the truth," Gunnar said.
"That’s not how power works," Sebastian shot back.
The two of them stood there, facing each other, neither backing down.
I could feel the pressure building, like sothing was about to snap at any mont.
Sebastian’s gaze shifted briefly to and Cane, like he was asuring sothing then back to Gunnar.
"And you’re all just fine with this?" he asked, his tone accusing now. "You’re willing to throw everything into chaos for this girl?"
"She’s not just ’this girl,’" I said before I could stop myself.
Both of them looked at .
I took a breath and continued.
"She proved herself," I said. "You set the condition. She t it."
Sebastian’s expression hardened.
Sebastian looked at both of them, his frustration clear on his face.
He knew this wasn’t sothing he could easily shut down.
"You’re making a mistake," he said finally.
"No," Gunnar replied. "We’re fixing one which is you."
Sebastian exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as he looked away for a second then returned his gaze to Gunnar and stared at him for a long mont, then finally turned away.
But before he walked off, Gunnar spoke again.
"Be ready dear Father."
Sebastian stopped.
Gunnar’s voice was calm, but there was no doubt in it this ti.
"You’re relinquishing your entitlent as Alpha King in the next full moon coming up," he said. "Which is five days from now"
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