Chapter 26
Kaeleen's POV
Annabelle's eyes narrowed. "It has everything to do with it. It's about trust, about loyalty, about recognizing the sacrifices others have made for our community. And right now, you're showing a complete lack of respect for our history, for our elders, and for the safety of our people."
She turned to me. "Kaeleen, I apologize for interrupting." She turned back to Leon, her voice clear for everyone to hear. "What I'm trying to say is, after seeing this information, I'm withdrawing all support for this alliance. If you still insist on pursuing it, then leave my pack out of it. But if anything should happen to one of my pack members because of this alliance, I'm going to come after you, Leon. You're going to regret the day you were born."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. Several other Alphas nodded in support of Annabelle's words.
Leon's face was a mask of fury. He realized that he was losing, that his carefully constructed plan was crumbling before his eyes.
"So, none of you are going to sign this alliance?" he asked, his voice tight with suppressed rage.
"We already voted, Leon," Marcus reminded him, his voice laced with sarcasm. "And the vote was overwhelmingly against it. The alliance is dead. It's time to let it go."
Leon glared at each of us in turn, his eyes burning with resentment. He knew he was defeated, at least for now. But I could see in his eyes that he wasn't giving up. He would find another way, another angle, to push his agenda.
As the meeting finally adjourned, I felt a sense of exhaustion wash over me. We had won this battle, but I knew the war was far from over. Leon was an annoying piece of shit and I knew he was going to do something. He was not going to take this lying down.
But while he stewed over that. I was going to investigate and find out why exactly he was pushing so hard for this alliance without even thinking much of it. Or maybe he had thought it but the benefits outweighed the risks, for him.
As I left the hall, Jonathan approached me, his expression grave. "You did the right thing, Kaeleen," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You reminded us of a history we can never afford to forget."
"Thank you, Jonathan," I replied, managing a weak smile.
Just then, Alex and Rebecca walked out with Annabelle following closely behind them.
"My darling daughter." Jonathan said as he beamed with pride.
"You only have one son." Marcus pointed out.
"Hush now. She is my goddaughter." Jonathan replied to Marcus.
"I am so proud of you. You showed that bastard who's boss." Jonathan said to Rebecca with a smile.
"I've never been one to back down from a challenge." She said with a smile.
"And I like that."
Annabelle approached me. "I'm Annabelle, alpha of Red Moon Pack." She said to me,
"I know who you are." I told her.
"Oh. I never thought you'd remember me." She said to me,
I frowned in confusion. "I mean I know about you. I'm not sure we've met before?"
"Oh." She said with a crestfallen expression.
Annabelle was a beautiful woman. Bronze skin with black hair and beautiful chocolate coloured eyes but she wasn't as beautiful as my Astrid. My Astrid, I couldn't wait to get back to her. I'm pretty sure she would have been awake now. We did waste time debating.
"We visited your pack before. My mother and I although it was a long time ago. I'll never forget the help your mother offered us. It's because of her we still have a place now." She said to me,
I did not remember what she was talking about but I gave her a nod. My mother had been the previous alpha of our pack and she had helped numerous people. Both humans and werewolves because that's just who she was.
"She would be overjoyed to hear that." I said to her with a smile.
"How is she? I'm pretty sure she's still as active as ever even after passing the reins of leadership to you." Annabelle laughed.
I swallowed. "She would have been." I said softly with a small smile.
Rebecca and Jonathan stopped talking and turned to us.
"Oh." Annabelle said. "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing. She died years ago and we didn't make it public knowledge." I told her.
A Few months after my father passed away, my mother followed. She had a smile on her face even on her deathbed.
My parents had jokingly said they'll die together and it happened. Mum had gathered all her children that day, everyone available in the pack had a feast. It had been dad's birthday and we thought she was just celebrating it since he was no longer with us but it was a goodbye feast. She wasn't sick like my dad, nor did she kill herself. There was no medical condition. She passed in her sleep.
Alex coughed. "I know I shouldn't say this now but something isn't right." He said grimly.
"With this alliance right?" Marcus asked him.
"Yes."
"I felt it too. He was pushing too much for it to happen. That didn't sit right with me." Annabelle added.
Jonathan nodded, his eyes filled with concern. "Be careful, Kaeleen. Leon is dangerous when cornered. He won't hesitate to come after you."
"You also." I said to them, "But we need evidence of his actions. We need proof and not just gut feeling."
"I'll help." Annabelle said.
"You don't have to ask us. We'll help you also." Marcus said to me.
I gave them both an appreciative nod. We said our goodbyes and I began my walk back to my room with thoughts swirling through my head
Jonathan was right. Leon was a threat, not just to Emerald Glade, but to the entire werewolf community. And I knew I had to protect my pack, protect Astrid, and protect the legacy of those who had come before me.