Chapter 48

ELENA

I’d barely slept the night before. My head still throbbed from the press conference, the way Derek had held my hand in front of the cameras like we were still something, like we were united. Like I wasn’t still carrying the weight of all the things inside me that he’d shattered.

The shrapnel he’d left behind, working its way out of my skin slowly, one piece at a time. And every piece hurt.

Now, I stood outside the Alliance Summit chamber, listening to the muffled sounds of arguing voices through the thick oak doors. Wolves from all over were inside—Alpha Council members, envoys from neighboring packs, a few Lunas and Betas who’d earned the right to advise.

And Mason… was nowhere to be found. Again. My father had expected him to attend in his stead. And now I had to do it.

I clenched my jaw and opened the doors, the voices quieting for a beat before the tension rolled back in like thunderclouds over a dry field.

“Princess Elena,” Alpha Jameson of the Hollow Pines Pack said, raising his brow as I took my seat. “Glad someone from Moonstone could finally join us.”

I gave a polite nod. “My apologies. My brother was delayed.”

A low murmur ran through the room. The same murmur that had started cropping up all summit long. Where was Mason? Why was the future Alpha of Moonstone being represented by his sister? Was it a show of Luna strength… or a sign of something broken?

I ignored it. Just like I ignored the flare of heat I felt when Derek stepped into the room, dressed in his signature black, the platinum pin on his lapel flashing like a warning sign. His eyes found mine briefly, unreadable as always.

“Now that we’re all here,” said Alpha Chen from the western plains, “we need to talk about the rogue faction. Who’s leading them?”

“Rogues don’t have leaders,” someone scoffed from across the table.

“That used to be true,” I said quietly. The words slipped out before I’d even thought them through.

Silence fell like a blade.

All eyes turned to me.

I swallowed. “They’re coordinating. That much is clear. My Gamma said—” I stopped, realizing how it might sound, that I was quoting tactics.

“He said if he were leading them, he’d unite the scattered groups. Hit packs where they least expect it. Make them panic. Disrupt their alliances.”

“Guerilla tactics?” Asked an elder Luna. She’d been a warrior before she’d become a Luna. I’d always respected her.

I nodded.

She gave me a knowing look, a nod of respect. “That would make sense,” she went on. “Guerrilla forces avoid head-on battles with better-equipped armies and instead use coordinated, small-unit tactics to destabilize, demoralize, and exhaust the larger force.”

“You’re saying this was orchestrated?” Alpha Chen asked, brow furrowing.

Derek leaned forward. “She’s not wrong. The attack on my convoy several weeks ago was strategic. They pulled back before reinforcements could arrive.”

There was some rumbling amongst some of the Alphas, but Derek pressed on. “It wasn’t a chaotic ambush—it was a test. A probe. They’re watching us. Measuring our responses. That kind of coordination doesn’t happen without leadership.”

“Who the hell is smart enough to organize rogues?” said another voice from the far side of the table.

I stared at the crest embroidered into the tablecloth, my fingers tracing the gold stitching.

“They’re not dumb animals,” I said. “Not all of them.”

A few skeptical glances were exchanged. One Alpha leaned forward. “Since when are you a war tactician, Princess?”

“I’m not,” I replied, lifting my chin. “But I can fight if I need to.”

I held my composure, but I could feel my eyes flash gold for a moment, and a few of the older Alphas sat back, surprised.

Derek gave a slow nod. He didn’t smile, didn’t gloat—but I saw it in his eyes. Approval. And I hated how good that made me feel.

Then the conversation turned. Alpha Regis stood and slammed a file down on the table. “What’s this I hear about Moonstone’s future Alpha missing half the summit preparations? And where is he now?”

Oh, Goddess.

“He’s had business back home,” I said.

“Business that outweighs this?” Regis snapped. “Forgive me, Princess, but it’s been you handling most of the affairs here. Is this a sign of things to come? Will Moonstone be led by its Alpha… or its Luna?”

A wave of murmurs rose again.

I opened my mouth to respond—then saw Mason walking into the chamber, just in time to hear it.

His jaw flexed. His eyes locked on mine. But he said nothing.

Which wasn’t like him.

We all broke for lunch after that, and I pulled Mason aside the moment we were out of sight.

“What’s going on?” I hissed. “They’re questioning your leadership.”

He didn’t answer, just stared out the window at the courtyard below.

“Mason.”

“I heard them,” he muttered. “Loud and clear.”

“Then talk to me. Where have you been? Why have you missed meetings? You’re the future Alpha—”

“I didn’t ask for that title,” he snapped, then caught himself. “Sorry. I just… I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

I was surprised. Mason had been groomed to take over the pack and had never once voiced any kind of resentment about his future.

I put my hand on Mason’s shoulder. “Let’s go up to our suite,” I said gently.

He exhaled and followed me.

In the elevator, I kept sneaking glances at him, trying to get a read on his expression. Mason could be infuriatingly good at hiding his thoughts when he wanted to be. Still, something about his silence struck me as... guilty.

Not devastated. Not even brooding in that dramatic Alpha-in-waiting way. Just—distracted. Elsewhere.

When the doors opened, I let us into the suite and shut the door behind us with a quiet click.

I turned to face him. “Mason.”

He looked up at me warily.

I stepped closer. “Are you... seeing someone?”

He blinked. That wasn’t the question he was expecting. He hesitated. Then gave me a short nod.

It explained so much. The absences. The weird energy. The way he seemed to vanish right when I needed him most.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I’m so relieved,” I whispered, letting out a nervous laugh.

He tilted his head, confused.

“I thought you were—I don’t know—working with the rogues or something,” I said, still laughing, though it felt slightly unhinged now that I said it out loud.

He didn’t laugh back.

“Mason?” I said, my voice shifting.

Before he could answer, the suite door at the end of the hall slammed open with a force that made us both jump.

“Where the hell is Mason?” my father’s voice rang out, followed by the heavy tread of his boots and the quieter step of his Beta, eyes sharp and quiet behind him.

They swept into the suite a moment later, the tension following like a thundercloud.

My father’s eyes immediately found Mason. “Is it true?”

Mason straightened. “Is what true?”

“That you’ve been missing summit meetings,” our father snapped, “dodging updates, skipping strategy briefings—leaving your sister to pick up the slack—and for what?” He advanced on Mason, jaw clenched. “What exactly is so important that you can’t be where you’re supposed to be?”

Mason didn’t say a word. His arms were folded across his chest, expression unreadable.

My father’s nostrils flared. “Don’t play games with me.” His expression turned shrewd. “You’re sneaking off to see someone, aren’t you?”

Silence.

He looked between us, seething. “You are.”

Mason didn’t deny it. Just nodded once, eyes steady.

“Who is she?”

“I’m not saying.”

That landed like a slap. Our father’s whole body stiffened.

“You’re telling me you’ve been disappearing in the middle of a crisis—during an historic summit of the Alpha Council—slipping away from your responsibilities to see someone, and now you won’t even tell me who she is?”

Mason didn’t flinch. “I’m not saying,” he repeated.

Something like betrayal flashed through our father’s expression—sharp and fleeting, gone almost as soon as it appeared. He looked from Mason to me, then back again.

“You're behaving like a reckless pup, not an Alpha,” he growled. “And if your secret mate, or whatever she is, becomes a problem for this pack, you’ll answer for it.”

Then he turned and stormed out, the Beta close behind, the door slamming shut hard enough to rattle the chandelier.

The silence that followed was thick, like fog curling around us.

I stood there, shoulder to shoulder with my brother, feeling that weight settle deeper into my chest.

“I thought you were seeing someone,” I said, quieter now. “I didn’t think it would be someone you had to hide.”

Mason didn’t look at me.

Which, of course, only made me more suspicious.

“Why?” I whispered. “Why the secrecy?”

Mason’s shoulders slumped. “Because I found her, Elena. My fated mate.”

My heart stopped. “What?”

He peered at me, his eyes vulnerable. He looked so desperate for my understanding.

“Is she… pack?”

He didn’t look at me. “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” I asked.

Another pause.

Then: “She’s a rogue.”

The words hit me like a slap. I staggered back half a step, blinking hard.

“Mason—”

“She wasn’t born rogue,” he rushed out. “She was forced out when her pack fell. She’s not—she’s not like that.”

A powerful Alpha, fated to a rogue.

All I could think of… was Derek.