The packs outcast Luna (Kaia and Theo) novel Chapter 13

Chapter 013

Chapter 013

~~Kaia~~

I sneaked out the dimly lit corridors, a shawl wrapped around my shoulders.

The Packhouse felt colder tonight – too many eyes, too many whispers that stopped when I walked past.

I had gone out to look for Maliya. Or maybe that’s a good cover up.

I wanted to see beyond the four corners of my chambers. So,I did.

I walked softly. Trying to avoid bringing attention to myself.

I moved like someone without feet.

Tiptoeing. Not too loudly

Two guards stood near the stairwell.

Unaware of my presence.

“The Elders are furious,” One muttered.

“You think this outsider is worth risking our Alpha’s throne?”

“She’s already done it. Half the council’s saying Theo’s judgment compromised the Pack’s safety. Maybe it’s time,his brother takes over -Someone the Pack can trust”

I froze. Shocked. My breath caught in my throat.

“His brother?”

“Lucien. He’s already got the Council’s ears. They say the Pack needs a leader who doesn’t let strays into the Packlands”

“Lucien is quite formidable. He would make a good Alpha. Still, Alpha Theo has my support”

“Loyal. Huh?”

“I can’t help myself. Alpha Theo is my leader all after. Haha”

Their laughter echoed after that, sharp as daggers, clutching my

throat.

I slipped away before they could see me, heart pounding.

I didn’t realize I’ve been holding my breath until I reached my chambers.

Because of me.

–

The thought wouldn’t stop repeating. Theo had risked everything – his reputation, his authority and now the whispers had teeth.

I pressed a trembling hand against the window, staring at the moon beyond the misted glass.

It had watched me fall once before. Maybe it was warning me not to stay long enough to drag someone else

down.

Maliya entered quietly, setting down a tray. “You didn’t eat, my lady-”

“Kaia,” I corrected softly. “Just Kaia.”

The girl hesitated, eyes full of worry. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer.

“Alpha Theo won’t let you-”

I turned, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “He won’t have to. I’ll be gone before dawn.”

Later that night, I packed what little I had: herbs, bandages, a dagger.

Every movement felt heavier than the last.

My wound still ached, but the ache in my chest was worse.

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If staying meant Theo losing his throne, I couldn’t be selfish enough to stay.

But I didn’t want to leave either. For some weird reason,my heart is shattered.

At the doorway, I looked back once. The room still smelled faintly of him – cedar and smoke.

“Thank you for saving me once, Alpha Theo” I muttered silently. “Now I’ll save you in return. I won’t drag you down with me”

I slipped into the corridor and disappeared into the cold night.

~Theo’s POV~~

~~

By morning, Beta Zane burst into my study, eyes grim.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Zane said. “You won’t believe what the Council had planned”

“Tell me right now,” I ordered, annoyed.

“The council reconvened. Asking to meet before dawn. They want you to be there” Zane reported.

My chest twisted with annoyance.

“Isn’t it too early? Before dawn? I hadn’t finish my morning patrol yet and they want me at the council meeting again?”

“They’re calling it a loyalty inquiry.“,

My jaw set. “Whose loyalty?”

Beta Zane hesitated. “Yours, Alpha.”

By the time I entered the council chamber, the tension was thick enough to choke on.

Elders Corwin and Daisy sat opposite him, parchment scrolls and sealed orders spread across the table.

“Alpha Ashford,” Corwin began smoothly, “we trust you understand that your recent decision to harbor a stray female has… unsettled the pack.”

I didn’t sit. “Unsettling is not treason.”

“No,” Daisy said, her tone cutting. “But blindness can become treason if left unchecked. The Council has decided it’s time Kaia earns her place here or exposes her deceit.”

My eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

“You will test her loyalty,” Corwin said. “Have her assist in the border infirmary. Under supervision. If she refuses or fails, she leaves Shadowclaw territory immediately.”

I felt the air tighten around me,my wolf, Black inside bristling. “You’d exile a woman who nearly died saving

me?”

“She’s not one of us,” Daisy said flatly. “And if you can’t remember where your duty lies, perhaps your brother will remind you.”

–

The mention of Lucien was deliberate a blade disguised as a warning.

My hands clenched at my sides.

“Fine,” I said finally, voice low and dangerous. “She’ll prove herself. But this test, it’ll be on my terms.”

After I said my piece, I left.

Not waiting around to be reminded again.

Reminded? More like threatened.

Later, I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

I raised my head to the moon. The fading moonlight spilling on my face.

Moon goddess.

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Zane joined me quietly. “You could have refused the order.”

I didn’t look away from the moon. “And give them reason to strip me of my command?”

“Still,” Zane pressed, “testing her loyalty doesn’t that feel wrong?”

My jaw tightened. “It feels necessary. And don’t act like you care. You must be jumping with joy”

A pause.

“She’s hiding something, Zane. Every instinct in me says she’s not just some rogue survivor. Or a stray”

Zane folded his arms. “And your instincts have never been wrong… but your heart might be.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I’m not sure I remember the difference anymore.”

After my morning walk, I go to see Kaia.

When I came to check on Kaia, her room was empty.

The window was cracked open, sunlight spilling over the untouched tray of food Maliya had left.

Zane’s warning echoed in my head: Your heart might be wrong.

My hand brushed the windowsill. The faintest trace of her scent lingered there, fading into the night air.

“Kaia…” I whispered.

“She’s gone.”

My head snapped up, looking at Zane,who looked worried. “What do you mean, gone?”

“The guards at the gate said she left before dawn. Alone.”

Then a guard appeared in the doorway, panting. “Alpha, the eastern gates – someone left before dawn. No clearance papers.”

My chest went cold.

“Find her,” I ordered, voice low and dangerous. “Before the Council does.”

As the guard ran off, Zane caught my arm. “Theo, if the Council realizes she’s gone, they’ll claim she fled out of guilt. They’ll use this as an excuse to question your credibility as Alpha of Shadowclaw Pack”

My eyes glowed faint gold. Anger consuming me.

“Then I’ll find her first. And anyone who dares touch her…” My voice dropped to a growl. “…will answer to me.”

Zane patted my shoulder, comfortingly.

“I will send out a search party too. Be careful”

Outside, a storm broke over Shadowclaw Pack. The first rain of the season.

Inside, my drumming thoughts echoed like thunder.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Outside, the sky cracked with thunder, rain pouring heavily.

A statement of my predicament.

And for the first time in years, I Alpha Theo Ashford of Shadowclaw Pack felt the chill of fear.

A sense of loss washing over me.

Something felt wrong.

Like an important piece of my life had just disappeared.

And I’m nothing without it.