The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

AMORAH

“You can’t return to Silvercrest tonight,” Conrad said.

I turned to look at him fully.

“I wasn’t planning to.” I replied.

He studied me for a moment, as if weighing the truth behind my words. Then he gave a slight nod..

“Good,” he said.

The simplicity of it made my chest tighten slightly. He did not ask what my plan was. He did not question my decision. He accepted it and moved forward.

“That chamber was not a mistake,” he continued.

“I know.” I said.

Holmes had planned it. The empty basin, the timing, the disruption. He had expected the rite to expose him, and he had moved before it could.

“He’ll try again,” I added.

“Yes,” Conrad said. “But next time, it won’t be just the rite.”

I held his gaze.

“He’ll come for me.” I said.

“He already has,” he replied.

I exhaled slowly and looked toward the exit of the chamber. The night outside had deepened, and the council grounds were quieter now. But the calm felt false.

Everything had only just begun.

“What do you want?” I asked.

The question left my mouth before I could stop it, but Conrad did not react immediately.

Instead, he shifted slightly, turning his body more toward me. The movement was subtle, but it closed the distance between us just enough to make me aware of it.

“I want something that aligns with what you want,” he said.

“That’s not an answer,” I replied.

“It is,” he said calmly. “You just haven’t decided how to hear it yet.”

My jaw tightened slightly.

“I don’t have time for riddles.” I said.

“Neither do I,” he replied.

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Chapter 17

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he took a step closer.

“You need power,” he said.

I held his gaze.

“Yes,” I answered.

“You want to bring Holmes down,” he continued.

“Yes.”

“You want the council to turn on him, not just question him.”

I did not hesitate.

“Yes.”

He nodded once.

“I can give you that.”

The words settled heavily between us.

I did not respond immediately.

Instead, I studied him carefully, searching for anything that suggested exaggeration or empty confidence. I found neither.

“What do you get in return?” I asked.

“You,” he said.

My breath stilled slightly, but I did not step back.

“In what way?” I asked.

His gaze did not shift.

“In a way that is recognized,” he said. “A contract.”

“For how long?” I asked.

“Five years,” he replied.

The number came without hesitation. I processed it quickly.

Five years was not short. It was long enough to shift power, to rebuild standing, to change the balance between packs.

“And what exactly does that contract require?” I asked.

His expression did not change.

“You stand beside me as my mate,” he said.

“Publicly,” he continued. “Before the council. Before the packs.”

That kind of alignment would not go unnoticed. It would not be taken lightly. It would send a message that could not be

That kind of a

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undone.

“And?” I asked.

He did not soften the next part.

“You give me an heir within one year.”

My wolf stirred sharply beneath my ribs, reacting to the statement before my mind fully caught up to it.

I did not speak.

“One year,” I repeated finally.

“Yes,” he said.

“And if I do that?” I asked.

He held my gaze.

“I give you my full backing,” he said.

“Not just in the council. Not just in Silvercrest matters. Everything.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“Influence. Protection. Authority.”

I felt the shift in those words. They were not exaggerated. Which made them more dangerous.

“You’ll have what you need to take him down,” he finished.

“And after five years?” I asked.

“You walk away if you wish to,” he said.

“No obligation,” he continued. “No claim beyond what we agree to now.”

I studied him carefully.

“You’re asking for a mate bond without permanence,” I said.

“I’m offering terms,” he corrected.

I turned slightly, needing a moment to think.

The chamber felt smaller now. This was not something I could take lightly.

A contract like this would define everything that came next.

“You don’t know me,” I said.

“I know enough,” he replied.

I looked back at him.

“And what is that?” I asked.

“That you won’t survive this without support,” he said.

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#

The words were not cruel. They were factual.

“And that you won’t accept support that weakens you,” he added.

My jaw tightened slightly.

He was right.

“And you think this doesn’t?” I asked.

“I think this gives you control,” he answered.

“And the heir?” I asked.

His gaze did not shift.

“That secures my side of the contract,” he said.

“Blood matters,” he continued. “Power follows it.”

“You’re asking me to trade five years of my life,” I said.

“I’m asking you to decide how you use them,” he replied.

I turned fully toward Conrad again.

“And if I refuse?” I asked.

His expression did not change.

“Then

you

I walk out of here alone,” he said.

“And Holmes wins,” he added.

That landed harder than anything else he had said. Because it was true. I held his gaze for a long moment. Then I stepped closer. Not enough to close the space completely. But enough to make my decision clear.

“You don’t get obedience,” I said.

“I don’t need it,” he replied.

“You don’t control my choices,” I continued.

“I wouldn’t agree to this if I thought I could,” he said.

“Five years.” I said.

“Yes.

“One year for an heir.”

“Yes.”

“Full backing.”

“Yes.”

I’ll consider it.”

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His gaze held mine steadily.

“Not for long,” he said.

My chest tightened slightly.

“I won’t rush into something like this,” I replied.

“You don’t have time not to,” he said.

I turned slightly, my mind already moving ahead, already calculating the next step, the next move, the next decision.

But before I could take a step, his voice stopped me.

“Amorah.”

I paused, then looked back at him. When he spoke again, his tone had shifted slightly.

“If you agree,” he said, “everything changes.

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