Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 322

Abby

Karl unfolds his speech, smoothing the papers out on the podium. He clears his throat, and his voice is steady and strong as he begins. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We stand at a crossroads for our pack…”

As he speaks, his brown eyes sweep over the crowd. His gaze is harder than ever, as if his wolf is bubbling just beneath the surface.

“A crossroads which,” he continues, “is one that will set a new future in motion. Something which has never been done before: two brothers competing for the role of Alpha. But I am here to remind you that I have been your dedicated Alpha for years. And I do not plan for that to change.”

The crowd murmurs as Karl speaks. It’s clear that the strength in his words is affecting them, just as it’s affecting me. I feel my wolf bristling in the back of my mind, an undeniable pull between us.

He looks so handsome as he’s standing there, addressing the crowd. Maybe even more handsome than ever.

But as the crowd settles into an expectant hush, Karl seems to hesitate.

His eyes scan the sea of faces—friends, neighbors, packmates, journalists. They’re all waiting for him to convince them why he should lead. They’re waiting for a speech that will outdo Ethan’s.

But as Karl’s gaze settles on his brother, something seems to shift in his eyes. Ethan stares back at him, his jaw tight, his eyes shadowed. It’s so unlike Ethan, so unlike the jovial young man who has always smiled and laughed and done nothing but love his brother as long as I have known him.

And in that moment, the speech in Karl’s hands begins to tremble.

I furrow my brow as I look at him, and as the silence stretches on, I lean over and give his arm a squeeze.

“Karl?” I whisper, my gaze meeting his.

He looks at me, his eyes softening. I can see it in his gaze; he doesn’t want this. He never has.

He never will.

Karl glances down at the words that are written on the page, and then back up at the crowd. With a decisive movement, he crumples the papers in his fist. A murmur ripples through the crowd.

“Karl—” I murmur, but he just meets my gaze, slowly shaking his head. I fall silent, taking a step back. I’m not sure what’s happening here, but it’s clear that whatever it is, he’s made up his mind.

“My fellow people,” Karl begins, his voice ringing out clear and true above the crowd. “I stand before you today not as a politician, but as a… as a brother.”

He turns to Ethan, holding his shocked gaze. “Ethan, I know you question my readiness to lead this pack,” he says. “And I question your…” He pauses, glancing at Gianna. “...Choices.”

As he speaks, he steps out from behind the podium, beginning to close the distance between himself and his brother. He’s speaking from the heart now, I can tell. All I can do is stand there, watching in awe along with everyone else.

“But you must remember, brother,” he continues, “that your family took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I would have died out there on my own, but you made me a part of the family. You raised me as one of your own, taught me what it means to be a wolf, what it means to be a man.”

Ethan’s stoic expression cracks, a look of pain flashing across his face. Gianna touches his arm, muttering something under her breath, but he shakes her off.

“Yes, you’re right; bloodlines and birthrights are important,” Karl continues, moving closer. “But though we may not share blood, Ethan, we are still brothers. And I don’t wish to fight against you. I never have, and I never will.”

A stir goes through the crowd. Even Sarah looks concerned, exchanging a worried glance with me as she stands off to the side. She mouths the words, “Stop him,” but I don’t. I can’t.

“This election threatens to divide our pack,” Karl continues. “And for what? Glory? Power? None of that matters to me.”

He comes to stand in front of Ethan now. In this moment, it feels as though the podiums and crowd, even me and Gianna, are fading away until it’s just the two of them standing there.

“What matters is family,” Karl mutters, his voice low and thick. “And Ethan, whether you like it or not, you’re my family. My brother.”

Ethan’s lips part, his eyes glistening. Karl puts a hand on his shoulder, and this time, Ethan doesn’t recoil.

“Whatever happens today, whether I lead or you do, know that I will always love you, brother.”

Karl finishes his speech to a stunned silence. For what feels like an eternity, no one moves, no one even breathes. I feel frozen to my place, my eyes wide as I stare at Karl. Slowly, his gaze sweeps over to me; the audience can’t see him as he offers me the smallest of smiles, and a nod that speaks volumes.

Karl has followed his heart tonight.

And maybe, so should I.

Then chaotic applause erupts, mixed with confused murmuring. Cameras flash wildly, pulling me out of my reverie.

Karl searches Ethan’s face one last time, but his brother just stares back numbly at him before he suddenly turns and strides off stage. Gianna rushes after him, frantically saying something to him that I can’t hear over the crowd.

She’s forgotten her coat, though, leaving it as nothing more than a pile of white fur on the floor.

The reality of what Karl has just done sinks in as he strides across the stage and meets me there. I don’t know what to think; he just sacrificed his speech for his heart. And I can’t help but wonder, will it cost him the election?

He walks up to me, saying something, but I can’t hear the words. I can barely even hear the crowd; all I can make sense of is the feeling of his hand wrapping around mine, warm and safe. Then, Sarah is at his side, clutching his arm.

“What the hell was that, Karl?” she hisses under her breath.

Karl meets her anger without batting an eye. “It was what I had to do,” he says calmly.

Sarah throws up her hands and shoots a glare at both of us. “We planned this event carefully, Karl. Those speeches, our strategy—”

“It all means nothing if my brother stands against me,” Karl interrupts. “I’m sorry, Sarah, but I needed to speak from my heart.”

As he speaks, his brown eyes settle on me again. There’s a glimmer in them that makes my knees weaken.

Sarah shakes her head bitterly. “I never should have agreed to hold this press conference so close to the full moon,” she growls. “You’re clearly not thinking straight.”

She turns on her heel, storming off and calling back to him. “Good luck with the rest of your election, Karl. I quit.”

Then she disappears into the chaotic crowd, leaving Karl and me alone on stage. He turns to me, flashing me a cheeky smile. “You okay?” he asks.

I nod quickly, although frankly, I’m not entirely sure whether I’m okay or not. “I’m fine,” I manage. Karl nods and takes me by the elbow, leading me off the stage as the cameras continue to flash, trying to document this tense moment.

“Come on,” Karl says softly, his breath tickling my ear. “We should probably get out of here before matters get any worse.”

I swallow and nod again, still too stunned to say much. Karl drapes his jacket over my shoulders and begins guiding me toward the door with his hand on my lower back, but then he stops when there’s a tap on his shoulder.

We both turn, and that’s when we see him standing there.

Ethan.