The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 150

Tomorrow’s journey

(Isla)

I looked at the closed door for a moment after Cedric left.

Then I looked back at Caius.

“Can I ask something?”

“You usually do.”

I ignored that.

“If the High Council of the Eastern Territories only governs the eastern territories, why does everyone care so much what they think?”

Caius looked at me for a moment.

“Because influence doesn’t stop at borders.”

I waited.

“The Eastern Council isn’t the oldest council.”

That caught my attention.

“It isn’t?”

“No.”

He leaned back slightly.

“The northern territories established their council first. The eastern territories followed decades later. Over time the eastern council became the most politically stable.”

I thought about that.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning their decisions are respected even outside their jurisdiction.”

I frowned.

“So if the Eastern Council supports something, other councils pay attention.”

“Yes.”

“And if they oppose something?”

“The same.”

I looked toward the window.

“That sounds like a lot of power for seven wolves.”

୮

< Tomorrow’s joumey

“It is.”

The answer came without hesitation.

“Then why hasn’t anyone challenged it?”

“Because most wolves benefit from stability more than they benefit from conflict.”

I considered that for a moment.

Unfortunately, it made sense.

“So Sorin isn’t dangerous because he’s on the council.”

Caius looked at me.

“Correct.”

“He’s dangerous because people listen when he speaks.”

A faint look appeared in his eyes.

“Exactly.”

I sat back in my chair.

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then another thought occurred to me.

“If the Eastern Council agrees that I’m Celestial, will the other councils follow their decision?”

Caius was quiet for a moment.

“Most of them.”

“Most?”

“There will always be wolves who disagree with whatever decision is made.”

That sounded familiar.

“But the argument becomes much harder after that.”

I nodded slowly.

Now I understood why everyone cared so much about the Council’s arrival.

This wasn’t just seven wolves coming to Wraithbone.

This was seven wolves whose opinion would spread far beyond the eastern territories once they left.

I was still thinking about Sorin when a knock sounded at the door.

Caius looked toward the entrance.

< Tomorrow’s journey

“Gome in.”

The door opened and Serà stepped inside.

A smile appeared on my face–immediately.

Sera noticed.

“So that’s the welcome I get.”

“It is.”

She smiled.

Caius looked between us before returning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

Sera stepped further into the office.

“I was looking for Isla.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“That sounds suspicious.”

“It might be.”

I laughed softly.

That only seemed to encourage her.

Sera stopped beside the desk.

“Tomorrow morning a few healers are heading to the human settlement.”

My attention sharpened immediately.

The human settlement.

I knew it existed. Wraithbone traded with it regularly and the healers traveled there often enough that nobody considered it unusual.

I’d just never been there myself.

Sera seemed to notice my interest.

“We need supplies.”

She shrugged.

“And there are a few people we’d like to check on while we’re there.”

I nodded slowly.

That sounded simple enough.

Then she looked directly at me.

୮

< Tomorrow’s journey

was wondering if you’d like to come.”

Before I could answer, Caius spoke.

“No.”

The answer arrived so quickly that Sera smiled.

I looked at him.

“You didn’t even think about it.”

“I did.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“You answered immediately.”

His expression didn’t change.

That only made it worse.

Sera looked entirely unsurprised.

Apparently she had expected that response.

“The settlement is crowded.” Caius said.

I looked at him.

“So?”

25 Pets

“So you’ll be surrounded by people you don’t know and I won’t be able to go with you, I’m going to be busy.”

I stared at him.

“That’s your argument?”

“It’s two of them.”

Sera shook her head.

“You realize she arrived in Wraithbone surrounded by strangers and survived just fine.”

Caius ignored her.

That didn’t stop her,

“Most of the wolves she trusts now were complete strangers when she first got here.”

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from smiling.

Unfortunately, Caius noticed.

Γ

< Tomorrow’s journey

His cyes narrowed slightly.

“You are not helping.”

Sera’s smile widened

“I think I’m helping quite a bit.”

“No.”

“I disagree.”

I looked between them.

Watching the two of them argue was becoming increasingly entertaining.

Neither seemed willing to give the other any ground.

Sera folded her hands in front of her.

“She should be allowed to see more of the world than the pack house and training grounds.”

“No one said otherwise.”

“Good.”

She nodded once.

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Caius looked at her.

Sera held his gaze without backing down.

I had a feeling neither of them intended to end the conversation anytime soon.

“Yes.”

Both of them looked at me.

I’d almost forgotten they were arguing about me.

“I want to go.”

Sera smiled immediately.

Caius remained unconvinced.

I met his gaze.

“I’ve never seen the settlement.”

His expression softened slightly.

Not enough for most wolves to notice.

25 Ports

<Tomorrow’s journey

Enough for me.

The human settlement wasn’t dangerous.

That wasn’t what concerned him.

Ashcrest had taught him exactly how vulnerable my life had been before Wraithbone. Part of him still expected something to go wrong whenever I stepped beyond territory walls.

I understood that.

It didn’t change my answer.

Sera waited quietly.

For once she seemed content to let me handle it.

Eventually Caius exhaled.

“I’ll send guards.”

I smiled.

That sounded a lot closer to agreement than refusal.

Sera looked relieved.

“I think we’ll manage.”

His eyes shifted toward her.

“You’ll manage better with guards.”

That earned a small smile from Sera.

Unlike before, she didn’t argue.

“Fair enough.”

The answer seemed to satisfy him.

At least enough to stop objecting.

Then his attention returned to me.

“If you see something you want, buy it.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“The settlement has markets.”

His expression remained completely serious.

“If you need something, buy it.”

14

< Tomorrow’s joumey

A smile tugged at the corner of my trouth.

“I wasn’t planning to go shopping.”

“You weren’t planning to visit the settlement yesterday either.”

That was annoyingly reasonable.

I looked at him.

“And what exactly am I supposed to buy it with?”

Caius looked entirely unimpressed by the question.

“I’ll have Pryor give you money before you leave.”

Sera immediately smiled.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

I laughed softly.

Caius shook his head once.

The look on his face suggested he was already regretting this conversation.

Sera looked back at me.

“We leave shortly after sunrise.”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

Something inside me felt unexpectedly light.

Not because of the trip itself.

Because nobody was deciding for me.

-25 Painte

No punishment waited on the other side of the decision. No one was going to tell me where I could go and where I couldn’t. The choice belonged to me.

For a moment I simply sat with that feeling.

Sera seemed to notice.

Because her expression softened slightly.

“You’ll enjoy it.”

I looked at her.

“You’ve been there often?”

“Hundreds of times.”

Tomorrow’s youmey

That caught my attention immediately

“Hundreds?”

“Healers spend a lot of time there.”

I thought about that.

Then another question occurred to me.

“Do they know what we are?”

Sera laughed.

“Some do.”

“Some?”

“The rest think we’re unusually stubborn people who heal far too quickly.”

A laugh escaped me.

That sounded surprisingly believable.

Caius shook his head.

The look on his face suggested he was already questioning whether agreeing to this had been a mistake.

Unfortunately for him, I was already looking forward to tomorrow.

And judging by Sera’s smile, she knew it.

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