03

Valeria

The moment the words left my mouth, declaring Kade, Aiden, and Rylan as my mates, the weight of the entire council’s judgement fell on me like a crushing wave. Every eye in the room turned to me, wide with disbelief and silent condemnation. My heart raced, not from fear, but from the certainty that what I had just done was right. I had known, even as I stood before the Alpha King’s throne, that this decision was more than just about love. It was about power. It was about rewriting the future of the wolf pack.

The air in the council hall was thick with tension, the silence stretching on for what felt like an eternity. Then, like a thunderclap, the Alpha King’s voice rang out, shattering the silence.

“Unacceptable!”

His roar reverberated through the stone walls of the hall, and the council members flinched at the fury in his tone. I forced myself to meet his gaze. His eyes were blazing, not with disappointment or disbelief, but with pure, unbridled rage.

“You dare to defy me in front of the entire council? You, a mere woman, think you can rewrite the laws of this pack?!” The Alpha King’s voice boomed, his fury almost palpable. “This is chaos! This is an abomination!”

My heart pounded in my chest, but I stood tall. I had expected this reaction. The Alpha King ruled by tradition, by fear, and by the belief that his word was law. But what he didn’t realise was that I had tapped into something far greater than any law—something primal, something that couldn’t be undone.

Kade stepped forward first, his face stern but controlled. He was always the composed one, the voice of reason, even in the face of the Alpha King’s wrath. “With all due respect, Alpha King, this bond isn’t something any of us chose. It’s not something that can be undone by decree or tradition. It’s fate.”

Fate. The word hung in the air like a whispered truth.

“Fate?” The Alpha King spat the word with disdain. “There is no fate here, only the law. And the law says that one woman cannot belong to three Alphas. Your bond,” he sneered, “is unnatural. An affront to the order of this pack.”

I felt my hands clenched into fists at my sides, but before I could speak, Aiden stepped forward, his voice calm and measured. “With respect, Alpha King, the bond we share with Valeria is more than just a physical connection. We’re stronger together. United, we can lead this pack into a future where strength comes from unity, not from blind adherence to outdated rules.”

I glanced at Aiden, feeling a swell of gratitude. He was always the calm in the storm, the one who could see through the chaos and find a way to make things right. His words were true—we were stronger together, not just as mates, but as a force that could protect and lead this pack. I know that the three Alphas are sworn enemies but to protect me, they are forcibly aligning with each other.

But the Alpha King’s face only darkened. His grip on the arm of his throne tightened, the veins in his neck standing out as his fury grew. “You speak of unity, but all I see is weakness,” he snarled. “One woman cannot bind three Alphas together. It will tear this pack apart!”

And then, Rylan spoke.

“You’re wrong,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, like a rumble of distant thunder. He took a step forward, his eyes locked on the Alpha King. “What’s tearing this pack apart is your obsession with the old ways. Your refusal to see that the world is changing, that we are changing. Valeria’s choice is not the problem here. Your refusal to let go of the past is.”

Rylan’s words hung in the air, charged with a challenge that no one in the room could deny. He had always been the one to speak out, to confront authority without fear. And now, standing beside Kade and Aiden, he embodied the rebellion that was simmering beneath the surface of the pack. It wasn’t just about me—it was about the future, and whether we would be shackled by the past or break free.

The Alpha King’s face twisted with anger, his voice thick with venom as he replied. “Enough! You speak of the future, of change, but all I see is defiance. If Valeria will not choose one of you, then she will be exiled. All three of you will be cast out with her. You will be stripped of your titles, your power, and your place in this pack. The balance will be restored.”

A murmur rippled through the council members, their faces a mix of shock and uncertainty. They hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly, but the Alpha King had backed himself into a corner, and now he was lashing out, desperate to maintain control.

I stepped forward then, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling around me. “I won’t choose,” I said firmly, meeting the Alpha King’s furious gaze head-on. “Not because I refuse to obey, but because choosing would destroy the bond between us. This bond isn’t something that can be broken by your laws, Alpha King. It’s beyond your control.”

The Alpha King’s eyes blazed, his mouth opening to deliver what I knew would be a final, devastating blow. But before he could speak, there was a sudden gasp from one of his advisors.

All eyes turned to the Alpha King as his face suddenly went pale, his body swaying unsteadily. His eyes widened in shock, and he clutched at his chest, stumbling forward.

“Alpha King!” someone shouted, but it was too late.

In a heartbeat, the Alpha King collapsed, his body hitting the stone floor with a heavy thud. Gasps echoed through the hall as council members rushed to his side, but the horror wasn’t over.

His family, who had been standing beside him, began to fall as well. One by one, they dropped to the floor, writhing in pain, their faces contorted in agony. The council erupted into chaos, voices shouting, feet scrambling as they tried to make sense of what was happening.

But it was too late.

Within moments, the Alpha King and his entire family lay motionless on the cold stone floor. Dead.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as the weight of what had just happened settled over the room like a thick fog. The Alpha King was dead. His family was dead. And the entire pack had just witnessed it.

Slowly, as the shock began to wear off, I felt the eyes of the council turning toward me. Their gazes, filled with fear and suspicion, landed on me like a brand. The weight of their stares made my skin prickle, and for the first time since I had entered the hall, I felt a flicker of doubt.

I hadn’t done this. I hadn’t caused the deaths of the Alpha King and his family. But as I stood there, the centre of their attention, I realised that none of them cared about the truth. They needed someone to blame.

And I was the perfect target.

The tension in the room was palpable, the atmosphere thick with unease as the council members whispered among themselves. The looks they gave me were filled with accusation, as if my very presence had brought about this disaster.

I glanced back at Kade, Aiden, and Rylan. They were by my side in an instant, their faces hard with determination. They knew as well as I did that this was only the beginning. The power vacuum left by the Alpha King’s death would throw the wolf pack into chaos, and I was standing at the centre of it.

The pack was leaderless, and I had just claimed the attention of every werewolf in the room. Whether they saw me as a saviour or a curse, I didn’t know. But I knew one thing for sure: the battle was only beginning.

And it wasn’t just for my survival— it was for the survival of everything I held dear.