Chapter 443:

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Sorian gave me a look. “No.”

The answer was blunt.

“They were supposed to be training,” she continued. “They were supposed to be preparing for whatever Nero finds when he returns. Instead, they’re guarding refugees, escorting supply wagons, and breaking up arguments between two packs.”

Abel looked at me. “And Nero could return at any time.”

𝗪e𝗲𝘬l𝘺 r𝘦𝘭eаs𝗲ѕ 𝗈𝗻 𝗴a𝗹𝗻𝗼v𝗲𝗅s.𝘤о𝗆

I closed my eyes. That was the part that hurt. Nero had left believing Moonstone would be standing when he returned. Instead, every hour he remained gone made the kingdom more unstable.

Kade POV

“We’ll manage,” I said.

Sorian’s expression softened. “I know you will. But you need to know what you’re managing.”

A knock sounded, and everyone turned. The door opened, and my mother walked in. Anatoria wasn’t alone. Three council members followed behind her, and my shoulders stiffened. I already knew what they wanted.

One of the councilmen bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“I’m not the king.”

“My apologies. Acting Alpha King.”

“What do you want?”

The councilman glanced at the others before speaking. “We need to discuss the Rashford pack.”

Abel stood immediately. “They’re refugees.”

The councilman looked at him. “And Moonstone is carrying the cost of their survival.”

Sorian stepped forward. “They lost their homes.”

“And Moonstone could lose hers.”

The room went quiet. I looked at the councilman. “Explain.”

“What happens when the Chimera follows them here?”

Nobody answered. That was the question everyone had been avoiding.

The councilman continued, “Your Majesty, we cannot simply pretend this threat does not exist.”

Abel’s voice hardened. “So your solution is to throw them back outside?”

“We need to consider every option.” The councilman frowned.

I raised a hand. “Enough.”

The room fell silent. I was tired. Gods, I was tired. I looked toward the window again. A little girl was sitting beside a fire, wrapped in a blanket that belonged to Moonstone while her mother braided her hair. I couldn’t send them away, not after seeing what they had already lost. But I couldn’t ignore the danger either.

Then my mother spoke. “There is another option.”

I turned toward her. She had been silent the entire time. “What option?”

She looked at me. “Surrender.”

The word seemed to freeze the room. Abel stared at her. Sorian’s expression turned hard. I thought I had misunderstood.

“Surrender to whom?”

My mother’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “The Chimera.”

Silence.

I slowly straightened. “What did you say?”

“The Chimera doesn’t want everything we have. They want Remi.” She nodded. “They want one wolf.”

My chest tightened. Abel took a step forward. “You’re suggesting we give Remi to them?”

“I am suggesting that we consider the cost of refusing.”

“She isn’t a bargaining chip,” Abel said.

Anatoria’s expression hardened. “And neither are the children currently sleeping in tents outside these walls. Neither are the soldiers who are being forced to stand guard through the night because Rashford brought their problems to our doorstep. Neither are the families who will starve if our supplies continue being divided between Moonstone and another pack.”

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