Chapter 123

Standing before the Alpha Council that afternoon felt like being thrown to a pack of wolves. Ironic, considering we were all already wolves. The evidence Kane and I had compiled sat on the presentation table like a pile of worthless paper. Nobody gave a damn about facts anymore.

They wanted blood. My blood, specifically.

The council chamber was designed to make you feel small. Stone arches stretched toward the ceiling like ancient fingers. Pack banners hung everywhere, reminding you of all the territories whose leaders now sat in judgment. The elevated seats put every council member literally above anyone stupid enough to address them.

Today that intimidation factor hit me like a wrecking ball. Whispered conversations buzzed through the chamber. Meaningful glances got exchanged. They'd already made up their minds about me in private meetings I wasn't invited to.

"Luna Aurora," Alpha Blackwood began. His voice dripped false politeness. "Given recent... developments... some council members have expressed concerns about the credibility of your investigation."

Recent developments. That was their delicate way of talking about Kane's public betrayal. About how the man I trusted most had chosen to humiliate me at the worst possible moment.

Blackwood was old-school authority with silver hair and calculating eyes. He'd probably never trusted a woman in leadership. My current scandal just confirmed everything he already believed about female incompetence.

"What specific concerns?" I kept my voice level despite wanting to scream.

"Questions about whether personal motivations may have influenced your conclusions." He said it like he was discussing the weather. "Whether jealousy regarding your arranged marriage may have led to false accusations against your husband's chosen mate."

I almost laughed. Almost. They were seriously suggesting I'd invented an international conspiracy because I was jealous of Giana? The woman who'd been systematically destroying everything I cared about while playing innocent victim?

Several council members nodded along. They'd bought this narrative completely. Easier to believe a silly scorned woman had fabricated elaborate lies than face the reality of actual danger.

"The evidence speaks for itself," I said firmly. I gestured toward our meticulously documented proof. "Financial records, communication intercepts, coordinated attack patterns—"

"Evidence that was gathered during an unauthorized investigation conducted with a partner whose professional judgment has recently been... questionable," Alpha Thornfield interrupted.

Thornfield was younger than Blackwood but equally dismissive. His territory sat right next to the Rogue King's suspected stronghold. Yet he seemed more worried about political propriety than actual security threats. Brilliant priorities there.

Everything kept circling back to Kane. His betrayal wasn't just destroying me personally. It was undermining all of the work that could save werewolf civilization. One man's cowardice was about to doom us all.

I spent the next hour presenting our findings anyway. Methodical precision was all I had left. The timeline of infiltration, the coordination between supposedly separate rogue groups, the systematic targeting of pack leadership across multiple territories.

Financial records showed money flowing between different rogue groups. Evidence of central coordination that couldn't be explained by coincidence. Communication intercepts revealed code words and military-level organization.

Some faces showed genuine concern. Alpha Martinez leaned forward when I described the assassination attempts. He understood strategic targeting when he heard it.

Others remained skeptical. Clearly convinced that a woman saddled with relationship drama from two different men couldn't possibly be trusted with accurate intelligence.

Alpha Thornfield actually rolled his eyes during my description of Giana's nighttime meetings. Alpha Blackwood took notes that probably had more to do with my supposed mental state than conspiracy details.

"These are serious allegations," Alpha Martinez acknowledged after my presentation. "But given the circumstances surrounding their collection..."

He didn't finish his sentence. Didn't need to. Kane's betrayal had poisoned everything we'd discovered together.

Even Alpha Martinez, who'd shown the most support for our investigation, was questioning our intelligence now. The implication hung in the air like a sword over my head. If I couldn't trust my own partner, how could they trust anything we'd found?

"I understand your concerns about the source," I said. Forced diplomacy tasted like ash in my mouth. "Perhaps additional investigation by other parties would be appropriate to verify our findings."

It killed me to suggest someone else should finish our work. But the conspiracy was too important for my pride to interfere. If independent verification was what it took, so be it.

The politics were crystal clear. My credibility was shot. Kane was gone. The council needed plausible deniability for whatever decisions they made. Suggesting verification was the only way to keep the investigation alive.

As council members filed out to deliberate, I remained alone at the presentation table. Months of dangerous investigation reduced to questionable intelligence. All because the man I'd trusted most had chosen to destroy our partnership.

The empty chamber felt like a tomb. Those ancient banners representing pack alliances and historical cooperation now seemed like mockeries. What was the point of werewolf civilization if we couldn't work together when it mattered most?

A soft footstep made me turn. A woman I didn't recognize stood in the doorway. Early 40s, elegant, with a single silver streak woven through her hair and eyes that seemed to catalog everything they saw.

She moved with aristocratic grace. Expensive clothes that conveyed authority without screaming about it. The kind of woman who'd been born to power and knew exactly how to wield it.

"Impressive presentation," she said quietly. Her voice carried careful control. "Despite the circumstances."

"Thank you." I studied her cautiously. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Elsa Nightshade. Former Luna of the Northland Pack, before the Rogue King destroyed my territory."

The name meant nothing to me, but something in her manner suggested crucial information. There was hardness around her eyes that spoke of terrible losses and carefully nursed grudges. The kind of expression that came from watching everything you loved burn.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said genuinely. "The Rogue King has caused suffering across multiple territories."

Elsa's smile was sharp as broken glass. "He's caused more than suffering. He's rewritten the natural order through forbidden magic and political manipulation."

She moved closer. Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. The caution in her movements suggested this conversation was dangerous for both of us. Like we were standing in a minefield.

"I have information that could help your investigation. Information about the true scope of the conspiracy and the magical artifacts being used to control pack leadership."

My heart jumped with desperate hope. Maybe Kane's betrayal hadn't destroyed everything after all. Maybe there was still a chance to expose the truth before it was too late.

"What kind of information?" I asked carefully.

"The kind that explains how a rogue with no bloodline claim has managed to control multiple Alpha-level wolves simultaneously." Her eyes glittered with dangerous knowledge. "The kind that could give you the tools to destroy his network permanently."

She glanced around again, then handed me a small piece of paper. Her movements were quick and practiced. Like someone accustomed to clandestine meetings and dangerous secrets.

"Meet me tonight at the location written there," she said. "Come alone. Trust no one else with this knowledge. The conspiracy has agents everywhere, including among the people you consider allies."

The warning sent ice through my veins. If the council itself was compromised, then my situation was even more precarious than I'd realized. How many of those skeptical faces belonged to people already under the Rogue King's influence?

She was gone before I could ask more questions. Left me with a piece of paper and the first real hope I'd felt since Kane's betrayal. Since my world had collapsed around me.

Looking at the address written in elegant script, I realized I had a choice to make. Play it safe and continue working through official channels that had already proven useless? Or take a risk, trust a stranger, and potentially gain the tools I needed to stop the Rogue King before his plans reached completion?

Given that playing it safe had gotten me absolutely nowhere, the choice was easy.

I was going to meet Elsa Nightshade tonight. And I was going alone.

After all, alone was pretty much all I had left.