The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 216

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< The path abe

The path ahead

(Caius)

No one spoke after Isla finished.

The silence carried more weight than any answer we’d received that morning. Zeron remained where he was without breaking my thoughts. Pryor watched me because he already knew I was deciding what cam

next.

My attention returned to Isla.

The color had begun returning to her face. She looked tired, but not in pain. Whatever her gift had shown her had taken something from her again, and I disliked how quickly those visions seemed to grow

stronger.

“Can you stand?”

She nodded once.

“I’m fine.”

I believed she thought she was.

That wasn’t always the same thing.

I reached for the pitcher and filled a fresh cup with water before placing it in front of her. She accepted it without argument and took a small drink. Only then did I turn my attention to everyone else gathered around the table.

“The Council arrives tomorrow.”

No one needed reminding.

“We don’t know what they’re walking into.”

Pryor folded his hands behind his back.

“After what we’ve heard today, I’d say they know more than they’re willing to put in writing.”

“I agree.”

The fear inside that letter hadn’t belonged to someone exaggerating a problem. Isla’s gift had removed any doubt I still carried. Whoever sent that message had believed lives depended on it reaching me.

I turned to Zeron.

“Return to Ashcrest before nightfall.”

He nodded once.

“I’ll leave immediately.”

“I want the interviews finished before sunrise.”

The path abeat “They will be.”

“No one leaves the pack lands until I say otherwise.”

Understanding crossed his face.

“You believe the person responsible could still be there.”

“I believe the person responsible made mistakes.”

Silence followed my answer.

Every plan left something behind. Every lie created another question. Whoever poisoned Torvin hadn’t expected me to learn he died from more than the restraint.

My attention shifted to Pryor.

“Have copies made of every interview.”

“It’ll be done.”

“I want them waiting in my office before the Council arrives.”

“You’ll have them.”

He didn’t ask why.

He rarely needed to.

Lira glanced between us.

“What about the vision?”

I faced Isla again.

“The voice concerns me more than anything else.”

She met my eyes.

“You believe it was real.”

“I do.”

The room remained quiet.

“You’ve touched objects before.”

She nodded.

“I’ve felt memories.”

“You’ve felt emotions.”

“I have.”

“But you’ve never told me a voice spoke directly to you.”

The path aber-

She thought for a moment.

“No.”

“Then something changed:

She lowered her eyes briefly.

“I think so.”

No one dismissed those words.

Sera had warned us that there was still much she didn’t know about Celestial wolves. Every new ability Isla revealed only proved how little anyone truly understood them.

Beyond the windows, rain clouds gathered over the mountains.

Tomorrow those same roads would carry the Eastern Council through Wraithbone’s gates. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that our lives had already begun changing before they’d traveled a single mile.

I turned back to Pryor.

“Keep the Council’s arrival between the senior officers.”

He nodded once.

“Understood.”

“Until they cross our borders, I don’t want unnecessary speculation spreading through the pack.”

“It’ll be handled.”

An enemy who announced himself was easier to face than one who arrived smiling. Until I understood why that letter carried so much fear, I intended to trust very little.

Zeron rose from his chair.

“If there’s nothing further, I’ll return to Ashcrest.”

“There is one more thing.”

He waited.

“If anyone asks why Torvin died, you tell them the truth.”

His attention remained on me.

“Tell them he was murdered.”

Lira frowned slightly.

“You don’t intend to keep it quiet.”

“No.”

I’d hidden enough over the years to understand the cost of silence.

< The path abead

“A lic would only protect the person responsible.

Neither Zeron nor Lira argued.

Both understood my reasoning.

Pryor closed the notebook he’d been writing in.

“I’ll notify every ranking officer before noon.”

“Good.”

I let my gaze move across everyone gathered around the table.

“We continue exactly as planned.”

Everyone listened.

“The Council will be welcomed with every courtesy owed their position.”

I paused briefly.

“But until I know who we’re dealing with, no one meets them alone.”

Zeron nodded.

“Lira won’t leave my sight.”

“Lira isn’t the one I’m worried about.”

My attention settled on Isla.

The room understood immediately.

If someone had killed Torvin to prevent the truth from reaching me, there was no telling what they might

do if they learned a Celestial wolf could uncover secrets no ordinary investigation ever could.

I reached for Isla’s hand.

She looked at me without speaking.

“From this moment forward, you don’t go anywhere alone.”

A small smile appeared.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

That answer eased something inside me.

Not because the danger had passed.

Because she understood it had only just begun.

The meeting ended a few minutes later.

Zeron and Lira left first, already discussing the fastest route back to Ashcrest. Pryor remained only long

The path abeat

enough to gather his notes before excusing himself to carry out my orders. Within moments, only Isla and Tremained in the room.

Her attention settled on the Council letter.

“They’ll be here soon.”

“I know.”

“Do you think they know someone was killed?”

“I don’t know.”

She rested one hand against the edge of the table.

“I hope they have answers.”

“So do I.”

I picked up the letter once more.

It looked no different than when Pryor had first placed it on my desk. Ordinary paper. Ordinary ink. Nothing about it suggested the fear hidden beneath its surface.

Without Isla, I never would’ve known.

That thought stayed with me.

The Council wasn’t coming because of politics alone. Someone had gone to great lengths to make certain.

I received that warning, and Torvin’s death had only deepened the mystery. Too many events had

happened within the same two days, and every one of them left another question behind.

I folded the letter carefully.

“Come.”

Isla looked at me.

“Where are we going?”

“Outside.”

She smiled.

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow belongs to the Council.”

I offered her my hand.

“I’d rather spend today with my mate.”

She slipped her hand into mine without hesitation.

Together, we left the dining room behind.

Before tomonos

Before tomorrow

(Caius)

We walked side by side through the pack house without speaking. The silence between us felt easy after everything that had happened that morning. Warriors greeted us as we passed, and each one stepped aside with quiet respect. Isla’s hand remained in mine the entire time.

The courtyard came into view as we stepped outside, A cool breeze carried the scent of rain across the training grounds where several young warriors were practicing. I watched them for a moment before lifti my eyes to the mountains in the distance. The Eastern Council would soon travel those same paths to reach Wraithbone.

Isla followed my gaze toward the mountains. She didn’t ask what I was thinking because she already knew. The day ahead would change everything, whether we were feady or not. Today was the last peacef day we were likely to have for some time.

“Do you ever wish things were simpler?”

I looked at her before answering. There had been a time when I believed ruling would become easier with experience. Instead, every year brought new responsibilities and harder choices. “Sometimes, but I wouldn’t change where they brought me.”

A small smile appeared on her face before she looked ahead again, giving my words time to settle. I understood why she asked because she’d never imagined her life becoming this complicated. Neither of us had chosen the path we’d begun on. Somehow, it had still brought us here.

“And where did they bring you?”

I held her gaze for a moment before answering. Every decision I’d made since finding her had led us to this point. Standing beside her felt more certain than anything else in my life. “To you.”

She lowered her eyes, and a faint warmth reached her cheeks. The small reaction reminded me how much she’d changed since the day I found her at Ashcrest. She carried herself with quiet confidence now, even i she didn’t always see it. Watching her become this woman had been one of the greatest privileges of my

life.

“I changed your life.”

“You saved it.”

I didn’t answer right away. In my mind, those two things had always been the same. I’d never regretted following the scent that led me to her.

We continued along the path without hurrying. The gardens came into view ahead, carrying the scent of fresh rain and blooming flowers. For a little while, the questions waiting inside the pack house felt farther away. I meant to hold on to that feeling while I could.

“You gave me a home.”

I looked at her as she spoke. Home had never been measured by walls or land. “You became mine the moment I found you.”

Before tomorrow

We reached the gardenis and slowed our pace. Flowers were beginning to bloom again after the last

Tainfall, bringing color to every path. Isla looked around with quiet appreciation. It pleased me that she still

noticed the simple things.

“It’s beautiful here.”

I watched her instead of the gardens. Wraithbone had always been home, but seeing it through her eyes had changed the way I looked at it. “It became more beautiful after you arrived.”

She lowered her head for a moment before looking back at me. Whether she believed my words or not, they remained true. Wraithbone had always been strong, but she’d brought warmth to a place that had spent years carrying only responsibility. Even the pack had changed since she became part of it.

“I think they love me more than they love their king.”

“They should.”

She blinked at me, clearly caught off guard by my answer. I didn’t envy the place she’d earned among the pack because she’d worked for every bit of it. Watching them welcome her had only made me prouder of the wolves I led.

“Why are you being so romantic today?”

The Council would bring enough uncertainty without wasting the peace we’d been given today. “Because I don’t want you remembering today for the Council.”

She studied me for a moment, and I could almost see the question forming before she spoke again. She knew me well enough to recognize what I was trying to do. There was no reason to deny it.

“So this is your way of distracting me?”

“It is.”

She considered my answer before turning her attention back to the gardens. The worry hadn’t disappeared, but it no longer stood at the front of her thoughts. For now, that was enough.

“A little.”

“I’ll take a little.”

Γ

The breeze carried the scent of fresh rain through the gardens. Isla drew in a slow breath before looking toward the flower beds again. The strain she’d carried since breakfast had eased, even if it hadn’t disappeared completely. I considered that a good beginning.

“You always know what I need.”

“I pay attention.”

She held my gaze for a moment before her attention drifted back to the path ahead. We didn’t always need long conversations to understand one another. The bond between us had grown stronger with every day we spent together.

The path curved toward the small pond at the center of the gardens. The water barely moved beneath the cloudy sky while a few ducks drifted across the surface. Everything felt peaceful in a way that had

< Before tortuHTTY

become increasingly rare. I wanted to remember this as much as she did.

“I don’t want today to end.”

I understood exactly what she meant. Once the Council arrived, our attention would belong to them and everything that followed. “Neither do I.”

We stopped beside the pond in comfortable silence. The breeze stirred the trees while the ducks continued across the water without a care in the world. Duty would call us back soon enough. Until then, intended to stay exactly where I was.

“What happens after tomorrow?”

I looked at her before answering. “The Council is only one problem. We still have a murder to solve, a journal full of unanswered questions, and a gift we’re only beginning to understand. I don’t know how long it will take, but I know we’re not finished yet.”

She nodded, her eyes still resting on the pond. I appreciated that she never asked me to promise things I couldn’t control. We’d always been honest with each other, and I wanted that to remain true. Nothing we faced would ever change that.

“I know.”

She slipped her hand into mine again, and we stood there for another minute before turning back toward the pack house. The peace we’d found in the gardens would have to wait for another day. There was still work waiting for both of us.

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