Claiming the Last Alpha She-Wolf
Chapter 23: Trial 2

Chapter 23: Trial 2

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Chapter 23

~Rhiannon’s POV~

"She lies!" Seraphina shot to her feet as her voice sliced through the tension, fingers clenched into the folds of her dress. "She must have come here with a purpose—manipulating the Alphas, claiming to be their mate, to manipulate all of us!"

She scoffed. "No one captured her. It was all just probably a ploy or something from her."

Elder Mauris remained seated, but his interest had clearly shifted.

"She bonded with five Alphas," Seraphina snapped. "That’s not fate — it’s a curse. Or a trick. A bond like that shouldn’t exist. And we’re supposed to just let her parade around this pack like she owns it?"

I said nothing because it was clear just how bitter Seraphina was, and she was trying so hard to manipulate.

But right now, I didn’t know her well much to guess but I knew the more she spoke, I’d find where she’d fucked up.

"She’s dangerous," Seraphina pressed, sweeping her hand toward me like I was a loaded weapon. "We should be testing her. Right now. For all we know, she’s already corrupted the bond."

Kael stepped forward, his aura pressing into the room like thunder without uttering a word. It was just plain energy.

Power radiated off him in waves, subtly but suffocating.

"There will be no test."

Lucien’s voice followed like smoke. "Are you saying you doubt your Alphas?"

Riven’s growl was low and lethal. "We are the ones bound to her and not you. We would know if the bond was false."

"She belongs to us," Talon added simply. "Not to your speculation."

"She is our mate," Darian said last, voice colder than I’d ever heard it. "And we’ll burn this whole room to the ground before we let you brand her like some cursed witch."

Their auras dropped heavily like a wave, and power pulsed out in all directions, making the elders gasp. A few visibly trembled.

"Rhiannon will not be tested. I will not lose my mate over this," Kael said more coolly. "If you question our bond, you question us."

Lucien’s lips twitched. "And that’s a dangerous game to play."

Riven was deadpan serious. "Unless you’d like to test your own strength next. I suggest you refrain from speaking ill of her.

"But, Alpha Riven she..."

"Enough," Talon growled. "She is our mate. You wanted to hear it? There it is."

"I won’t allow her to be interrogated alone," Darian added. "Not again."

The council seemed to shrink back under their united front.

Still, I couldn’t stop the bitter taste that built in my mouth.

"I appreciate the defence," I said, stepping forward, "but I don’t need anyone speaking for me."

Kael turned to me then, but I held his gaze and didn’t waver.

"I won’t be tested like I’m some experiment," I stated firmly. "And I won’t be judged for bonds I didn’t ask for. But don’t mistake my tolerance for obedience. If this is how you treat people trying to survive, maybe I should’ve taken Alpha Solaris’ offer when I had the chance."

Gasps erupted, followed by low, deep growls.

Lucien stiffened. Riven’s hand twitched. Kael’s jaw locked, but his eyes never left mine.

The brothers turned to me, all of them. Their faces unreadable, but their bond stirred a pain, a confusion I didn’t want to look too closely at.

"Don’t say things you don’t mean," Kael said lowly, stepping toward me. "Rhiannon..."

"I do mean it," I shot back. "Because I’m still alive, still me. You don’t get to make decisions about me without me. I am not a prize or a token. Not a fucking treaty. And I will not have my future dictated by a room of strangers deciding how useful I am to their politics."

Seraphina was smirking—I didn’t need to see it to know—while the council looked triumphant because I defied their Alpha, which meant I was an unsuitable candidate, but they were wrong.

I inhaled slowly and dropped my voice. "But... I will cooperate."

That got their attention.

"If I’m to be your mate—if I’m truly to prepare for this... union," I said the word like it burned, "then I ask only one thing."

"Name it," Kael said immediately.

"I want to see my father."

That shifted everything. Gasps. Murmurs.

The air grew heavier. Some of the elders glanced at each other, and others frowned. Seraphina scoffed, but Elder Mauris remained silent, watching me like he was starting to figure something out.

"That’s not unreasonable," Darian said, breaking the tension. "It’s a fair ask. She asks for compassion," Darian added firmly. "And she’s earned it."

"She asks for too much," one elder grumbled.

"She wants something, we want something," Lucien added. "The way I see it, I’ll say we were heading to balance."

Elder Renhart nodded slowly. "We’ll allow it."

I exhaled, some tight coil inside me loosening. Then Elder Mauris stood and added, "On one condition."

My stomach twisted once more. This wasn’t some game. It was my real life. I did not say anything, but the way I straightened my spine, chest out, chin up, told him I was ready.

"In return, you will prepare."

I frowned. "Prepare for what?"

"You will begin preparing for your role," he said clearly. "Since they vouch for you, we cannot let you go as their mate. You shall be their Luna, and you will marry your mates."

Seraphina’s eyes opened wide like saucers the moment he uttered those words.

That definitely wasn’t part of Seraphina’s plan.

"And you will be marked by them officially. The mating ceremony will take place in three days’ time."

The air left my lungs all at once as the thundering beat of my heart filled my ears. There it was, the price of my freedom—more bondage for a future I never asked for.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kael exhale like he’d just won something.

"You are to be wedded," he said, more to himself than anyone. "And marked. As ours."

And still—somehow—I wasn’t sure which one frightened me more.

I nodded.

But inside, my mind was already turning and already calculating, and if they think this is the part that breaks me... They’re not paying attention.