Chapter 444:

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Commander Sorian stepped forward before I could answer. “Enough.”

“No,” Mother replied calmly. “She’s a wolf. One wolf. And hundreds of others are depending on you to keep them alive.”

I stared at her. “How can you stand there and say this?”

“Because someone has to say what everyone else is too afraid to say.”

Sorian’s voice was cold. “And what happens when they ask for another wolf?”

Mother turned toward her. “Then we deal with that when it happens.”

𝖳𝗵𝖾 𝘮𝗼ѕ𝘁 p𝗼p𝘶𝗅ar ո𝘰vе𝘭𝗌 𝗼n 𝗀а𝘭nov𝖾l𝘀.соm

“That isn’t a strategy.”

“It is survival.” She looked back at me. “One life,” she said quietly. “Against hundreds. Perhaps thousands, if the Chimera attacks.”

I looked around the chamber. Some of the council members wouldn’t meet my eyes. Others looked frightened. A few looked almost relieved that someone had finally said aloud what they had been thinking. That scared me more than my mother’s suggestion.

My stomach twisted. She was making it sound simple: one life against hundreds. But Remi wasn’t a number. She was Nero’s mate. She was family. And yet the longer I stared at the refugees outside, the harder it became to dismiss the argument completely.

Mother saw my hesitation and moved closer. “That is why you need to stop thinking like Kade.”

I frowned.

“You need to think like a king.” Her voice softened. “Your father understood that. He knew that a throne was not meant to protect the person sitting on it. It was meant to protect everyone beneath it.”

I looked at Nero’s chair. My brother’s chair. The weight of it suddenly felt unbearable.

“You are trying to save everyone, Kade,” Mother continued, stepping closer. “That is why you are failing.”

I turned toward the nearest councilman. “Do you agree with her?”

The man swallowed. “Your Majesty, I only think we should consider every option.”

“Even handing over an innocent woman?”

His eyes dropped. That was answer enough.

Anatoria stepped closer. “Kade, listen to me. The Chimera wants Remi. We all know this. They have hunted her before. They attacked because of her. They will continue coming because of her. Why keep sacrificing wolves when there is a way to stop the bloodshed?”

“No.” I shook my head. “You didn’t walk into this room and suddenly think of this. You already had the answer prepared.”

The council fell silent again. Anatoria’s eyes narrowed. “I am trying to help you.”

“Are you? Then why does your solution sound exactly like what the Chimera would want?”

Her lips parted slightly. “You’re letting sentiment cloud your judgment. If Nero were here, he would understand.”

My jaw tightened. “Don’t tell me what Nero would do.”

“You think he would choose Remi over his kingdom?”

“I think Nero would find another way.”

“And if there isn’t another way?”

“Then we fight.”

Sorian moved beside me, her presence steadying the room. “We need time,” she said. “Before any decision is made, we need more information about the Chimera’s movements, Rashford’s attack, and the evidence against Victoria.”

I looked around the chamber. “This meeting is over.”

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