Chapter 19
1185words
Kayden left before sunrise to meet with his father, telling me to remain in his quarters. "No matter what happens," he said, "trust that I will find a way for us."
I pace anxiously until a knock interrupts my thoughts. I open the door to find Melissa.
"Can I come in?" she asks.
I hesitate but step aside. She enters, looking around the room.
"Everyone's talking about last night," she says. "About you and Kayden."
"What are they saying?"
"That the ceremony revealed you as his mate. That your eyes glowed like a werewolf's. That three different Alphas are fighting over what to do with you. Is it true?"
"Some of it."
"Which parts?"
"My eyes did glow. And the ceremony showed something unexpected."
Melissa laughs bitterly. "Of course it did. Perfect Freya. Always special, always chosen."
"That's not fair. I never asked for any of this."
"Didn't you? You've always been different. Even back home, my mother saw it. That's why she hated you so much."
"What do you mean?"
"She knew there was something unnatural about you. The way animals followed you, the way you could hear things no one else could. She was afraid of you. We all were, a little."
"I never knew."
"No, you were too busy being the tragic orphan. And now here you are again, rising above your station."
"It's not that simple," I say.
"It never is with you." She moves to the window. "Lucas told me what happened. About the Western Alpha claiming you."
"You've been talking to Lucas?"
"We've become... close. He understands what it's like to always come second."
"Lucas is dangerous. He hurt you."
"He was teaching me my place," she says. "And now he's helping me find a new one."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I know things. Like where the council is meeting right now. Like what they're deciding about your fate."
"Tell me," I demand.
"Why should I?"
"Because we're family. Whatever else has happened, that hasn't changed."
Something flickers in her eyes. "The council chamber in the east wing. They've been arguing since dawn. Lucas says your precious Kayden is losing."
"Losing how?"
"The Eastern Alpha is threatening to withdraw support if Kayden chooses you over Ashley. The Western Alpha is demanding you be handed over as pack property. And Kayden's father is furious that his son would risk everything for a half-breed servant."
"And Lucas? What does he want?"
"What he's always wanted. Power. If Kayden falls from favor..."
"Thank you for telling me," I say, moving toward the door.
She catches my arm. "Where are you going?"
"To the council chamber."
"You can't just walk in there!"
"I'm tired of others deciding my fate without me."
"Freya," Melissa says, her expression conflicted. "Be careful. Ashley was with Lucas this morning. She's not stable after what happened."
"Why tell me this?"
"Maybe I don't completely hate you. Or maybe I just want to see what happens when you throw yourself into the wolves' den. Either way, good luck."
---
I approach the council chamber and hear raised voices from within. I slip into a small antechamber where I can listen unseen.
"—cannot seriously be considering this!" Kayden argues. "She is my true mate, confirmed by the Goddess herself!"
"The water could have been tampered with," the Eastern Alpha counters. "My daughter has prepared her entire life to be your Luna."
"The Goddess's choice supersedes all arrangements," Kayden insists.
"When the choice is between proper werewolves," Kayden's father says. "Not when it involves a half-human with questionable bloodlines."
"Her bloodline is not questionable," the Western Alpha interjects. "She is the daughter of Lyra, who was born to my pack. Her blood belongs to the Western territories."
"She belongs to no one but herself," Kayden says angrily. "And she has chosen to stay here, with me."
"Has she?" the Western Alpha challenges. "Or have you simply claimed her without giving her a choice?"
"Lyra wasn't taken," Kayden counters. "She chose to leave. She chose a human mate."
"Impossible," the Western Alpha dismisses. "No werewolf would choose a human over their own kind."
"Yet here I stand," Kayden says quietly, "choosing Freya over all political advantage."
After a silence, his father says, "Then you choose to abdicate your position. If you take this girl as your mate, you cannot be Alpha."
"Father—"
"The pack will not follow a leader who puts personal desire above pack welfare. If you persist, Lucas will be named my successor."
"Perhaps there is another solution," a female voice suggests. "One that satisfies all parties."
"What do you propose, Elder Selene?" Kayden's father asks.
"A test. If this girl truly carries werewolf blood strong enough to be a true mate, let her prove her worth to the pack."
"What kind of test?" Kayden asks warily.
"The Blood Moon Challenge. It has not been used in generations, but the old laws still stand. Any werewolf—even one of mixed blood—may prove their right to pack membership through trial."
"That's barbaric," Kayden protests. "She's barely awakened to her abilities."
"Then she is not worthy," the Eastern Alpha says.
"I did not say she would face it alone," Elder Selene continues. "The Challenge allows for a champion to stand with her. You, Kayden, as her claimed mate, would fight at her side."
"What exactly is this Challenge?" Kayden's father asks.
"Three trials, set by the council. If she and her champion succeed, her place among us cannot be denied by any Alpha. If they fail, she must accept the council's decision regarding her fate."
"And if I refuse to allow this?" the Western Alpha demands.
"Then you admit you fear she might succeed," Elder Selene says. "That perhaps Lyra's daughter has more right to choose her own path than you acknowledge."
I push open the door and step inside. All conversation stops as everyone turns toward me.
"Freya—" Kayden begins.
"I accept the Challenge," I say clearly.
The Western Alpha scowls. "You were not invited to this council, girl."
"Yet you're deciding my fate. If there's to be a test to determine where I belong, I should have the right to accept or refuse it myself."
Elder Selene smiles slightly. "She has spirit. Like her mother."
"Spirit isn't enough for the Blood Moon Challenge," Kayden's father says. "It requires strength, cunning, and wolf instincts."
"If I am what you all claim—daughter of a werewolf, true mate to your future Alpha—then shouldn't I have the chance to prove it?"
Kayden moves to my side, taking my hand. "You don't have to do this. We can find another way."
"Is there another way? One that doesn't end with you losing everything or me being sent away?"
"Then I accept the Challenge, with Kayden as my champion."
Elder Selene nods. "So be it. The Blood Moon Challenge will commence at moonrise tomorrow. The council will determine the three trials by then. Prepare yourself, daughter of Lyra. Tomorrow you fight for your future."
