Chapter 171: THE COUNCIL’S CONCERN
CALLUM’S POV
I was halfway through a stack of reports when Dane entered my study without bothering to knock. I looked up from the document in front of me, expecting another update about the estate, but the expression on his face immediately told me that whatever he had come to say wasn’t routine.
He closed the door behind him and remained standing for a moment before telling me that the elders had called a council meeting.
I put the report down and leaned back in my chair, already irritated. "They called a meeting without speaking to me first?"
Dane nodded. "They’ve already gathered. From what I was told, they insisted it couldn’t wait."
The scowl on my face was deep. "Then they can wait until I decide whether it deserves my time."
Dane didn’t move. "Callum, they’re talking about Keisha."
That was enough to make me sit up.
I had expected something like this after the incident at Nadia’s birthday. The elders had already been uncomfortable with Keisha before the strange shift, and now they’d witnessed something they couldn’t explain. Giving them a night to discuss it among themselves had probably been enough for them to turn uncertainty into suspicion.
"I don’t want her anywhere near that meeting," I said, pushing my chair back. "I’ll go and hear what they have to say, but you stay outside. If Keisha hears about the meeting and comes looking for me, keep her away from the hall."
Dane gave me a knowing look.. "You think she’ll listen?"
"No. That’s why I’m telling you to be there. At least it’ll buy some time."
He almost smiled, but the expression disappeared quickly. "I’ll handle it."
I left the study with him, making my way toward the council hall while my thoughts remained fixed on what could possibly have given the elders enough confidence to summon everyone without consulting me.
They had never been shy about challenging my decisions, but there was usually some attempt at procedure. This one felt like they had already reached a conclusion.
Whatever they intended to discuss had clearly become important enough in their minds that they believed I would have no choice but to attend.
When I entered the meeting hall, most of the elders were already seated around the long table. I took my usual place at the head, and Dane remained outside as instructed. I barely had time to look around before the doors opened again and Osric walked in.
I hadn’t seen him since his house arrest ended. He looked as composed as ever, dressed neatly and carrying himself with the same arrogance that had made him so difficult to deal with before his punishment.
He took his seat without acknowledging me beyond the briefest glance, and I immediately understood why the elders had been so eager to hold this meeting.
They had brought him back into the room.
One of the elders began by offering Nadia birthday wishes, and for a moment I wondered where the conversation was going. They spoke about how quickly she had grown and how she was becoming old enough to start considering marriage.
Before anyone could turn that into a serious discussion, I stopped them. "My daughter’s marriage isn’t a council matter."
The elder looked toward me. "We only thought—"
"You thought incorrectly." I kept my voice calm, but there was no room for negotiation in it. "Nadia will marry when she decides she’s ready, and she’ll choose the person she wants. Nobody in this room is going to select a husband for her because you think her age makes her suitable for one of your sons."
Nobody argued and that surprised me slightly, but I wasn’t going to complain about an easy victory. The elder simply nodded and allowed the subject to die, after which Osric finally leaned forward. "I believe we should discuss what happened at the party."
I knew immediately what he meant.
"The wolf." He said it as though the word itself were evidence of something.
Osric continued before I could respond, explaining that there were traditions surrounding transformation among werewolves that had existed long before any of us had been born. According to him, shifting outside the usual conditions wasn’t something ordinary wolves could simply do.
He reminded the council that powerful Alphas had historically been among the few capable of controlling their transformations regardless of the moon, and that such abilities had always been associated with strength, status and, in some cases, unusual bloodlines.
I listened without interrupting, although I already knew where he was taking the argument. "Are you suggesting Keisha is an Alpha?"
Osric folded his hands over the table. "I’m saying we don’t know what she is."
That answer irritated me more than if he’d accused her outright. "She has never claimed to be an Alpha."
He clicked his fingers. "That doesn’t mean she isn’t one."
"She isn’t."
Osric’s eyes remained fixed on me. "Then what explains what everyone witnessed?"
"Fear. Instinct. An unusual reaction under extreme circumstances. There are plenty of possibilities." I listed them off.
"Possibilities aren’t answers." He raised a brow.
I leaned back. "Neither is suspicion."
The room grew tense, but Osric didn’t retreat. He began talking about the stories surrounding wolves with unusual abilities, the way packs throughout history had reacted whenever someone appeared to possess something outside the accepted norm. Some had welcomed them, others had feared them, and others had destroyed them before they became powerful enough to threaten the people in charge.
I understood what he was doing.
He wasn’t just discussing Keisha’s wolf, he was planting an idea. Sneaky bastard.
By the time he finished, another elder was already questioning whether allowing someone with an unknown ability to remain inside the pack was wise. Another wondered whether the strange transformation could be connected to the recent attacks and disturbances.
I finally placed both hands on the table. "You’re talking about destroying someone’s reputation because you don’t understand what happened."
"No one said destroy," one of them replied.
"You don’t have to use the word for that to be what you’re suggesting." I turned to him sharply.
Osric’s expression remained cold. "We’re discussing the safety of the pack."
I pointed a finger at him. "And Keisha is part of this pack."
"For now. Until we know what she is." Osric corrected me.
I stared at him. "She is a member of this pack. She has done nothing to make you question her loyalty."
Osric’s voice hardened. "Neither had some of the people who later became threats."
"Keisha isn’t one of them." I snapped.
"You sound very certain." He crawled.
"I am."
That silenced him for a moment.
I knew exactly what they were trying to do. They wanted uncertainty. They wanted fear. Once enough people believed Keisha might be dangerous, they could justify watching her, restricting her, isolating her or eventually removing her entirely. They didn’t need proof if they could convince the pack that waiting for proof was itself dangerous.
One of the elders finally voiced the thought they had all been circling around. "If something begins happening to the pack, people will look for a reason. If there is a possibility that her presence is connected to it, we cannot simply ignore that possibility."
I slowly stood. "If something happens, you investigate what actually caused it. You don’t choose a person first and then force every incident to fit your theory."
Nobody answered and I walked around the table, stopping behind the chairs as I looked at each of them. I knew these men well enough to recognize the expressions on their faces.
They had already begun making decisions in their heads. They were waiting to see how far I would allow them to go.
They were about to find out.
"Keisha is not going to be punished because she survived an attack. She isn’t going to be branded a threat because her wolf did something you haven’t seen before, and nobody in this council is going to turn her into a scapegoat for every problem that happens inside this pack. If you have evidence that she has betrayed us, bring it forward. If you have proof that she intends to harm this pack, bring it forward. Until then, you will leave her alone." I stopped behind Osric’s chair.. "And if anyone decides that these warnings are optional and chooses to go after her anyway, I will treat that person as an enemy of the pack, regardless of their position."
The elders exchanged uneasy looks but I knew from their faces that the meeting wasn’t resolved yet.
They simply hadn’t decided yet how far they were willing to push me.