His Abandoned Luna Chapter 183

|| Lilac’s POV ||

The council chamber smelled of polished oak and tension. My fingers tightened around the delicate teacup as I watched the amber liquid swirl, catching flickering candlelight. The air hummed with quiet conversations and the clink of fine china, a civilized prelude to what I knew would be anything but civilized.

One week until the elections. Unless the alpha king does something.

I glanced at Alaric who was standing in a corner. His jaw was set in that familiar stubborn line, the one that meant he was holding back words better left unsaid. These days, it seemed permanently etched into his features.

Alexander rose, his chair scraping against marble floors. The room quieted instantly.

“Before we begin,” he said, raising his glass, “let us honor those who will lead us into our future.” His eyes swept the room, lingering on each contender in turn. “May the Moon Goddess grant wisdom to whoever takes the throne. Cheers to all the contenders.”

Glasses lifted in union. The tea burned my tongue, a little bitter with an unfamiliar herbal undertone. I forced myself to swallow, watching as others did the same.

Alpha King Darius cleared his throat. “Now, if we might begin the—”

A wet, choking cough cut through the chamber.

Councilman Harlow clutched at his throat, his face turning an alarming shade of purple. His teacup shattered on the floor.

This isn’t right.

Then the screaming started.

Harlow’s face… it wasn’t just contorted in pain. It was melting. Skin slid from bone like wax from a candle, pooling in grotesque puddles on the polished table. Beneath the dripping flesh, another face. Sharper. Younger. And not his.

Three more council members collapsed, their bodies convulsing as their features dissolved into something… else.

The chamber erupted into chaos.

Chairs toppled as Alphas vaulted backward. Someone shifted mid fall, claws tearing through expensive fabric. Glass shattered. A woman screamed.

Witches. The realization hit me like a physical blow. They’ve been among us all along.

Through the pandemonium, I saw Alaric move. Not toward the writhing figures, but to the doors. His presence seemed to expand, filling the room even before he spoke.

“ENOUGH.”

The word wasn’t just heard, it was felt, vibrating in my bones, pressing against my skin like a physical weight. He had unleashed his untamed Nightshades aura. The room froze. Even my breath caught in my throat. His aura was way stronger than I had ever felt, which made everyone submit.

The warriors were already on move. They captured Harlow and anyone who was suspicious and dragged them out of the hall in chains. Alexander stepped forward, his voice eerily calm amidst the carnage.

“The tea contained rosemary and some herbs.” A murmur rippled through the crowd. “Harmless to wolves. Deadly to witches wearing stolen skins.”

My stomach twisted. So this was a trick! I stared at my half empty cup, then at Alaric. His eyes burned with a cold fury that made my skin prickle. Hopefully this wouldn’t harm my pup.

“The south border is overrun,” Alaric said abruptly, his voice cutting through the whispers. “Rogues are pouring through like water through a broken dam.”

Alpha Vance slammed his fist on the table. “He is right. We’ve doubled patrols! It’s like trying to stop the tide!”

“Yes, multiple attacks back to back. We don’t even know where they are coming from,” another alpha said.

“Because we’re playing defense,” Alaric snapped. “We need to find their nest and burn it out.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” challenged an older Alpha from the western territories. “We can’t even keep them off our lands!”

“The classified warriors went through multiple hideouts but only a few returned,” another voice rose.

“That is because there are rogues and witches hiding inside us,” Alaric replied.

“So they had information beforehand,” Dad said. “This changes everything.”

“What do we do about the attacks? My pack is vulnerable,” one alpha said.

Alaric’s smile was all teeth. “We let them think they’ve won. Let them take over.”

The room erupted again, but this time with arguments rather than panic.

“This is madness!”

“It could work...”

“You would sacrifice territory?”

Alaric waited until the noise died down.

“We pull back patrols from the southern quadrant. Let them flood in. Then—” he slammed a dagger into the table, “—we hit them from the north and east while they spread thin.”

Alpha Vance shook his head. “Too risky. If they realize it’s a trap—”

“They won’t.” Alaric’s voice dropped, the certainty in it sending a shiver down my spine. “Because we’ll give them something real to chase. We will show them that they have won.”

The debate raged, but I could see the tide turning. Alaric’s plan was reckless, bold and exactly what desperate wolves needed to hear.

Then the Alpha King stood.

The room stilled as if someone had stolen all the air.

“This is settled then. We will make a plan and move with Alaric’s strategies. And this discussion doesn’t go out of this room. Are we clear?” The alpha king demanded.

Silence followed.

“Now about the contenders. Kael Reventhorn,” the King said, each syllable dripping with disdain, “is withdrawing his candidacy.”

The uproar was instantaneous.

“His mate, Coco, is under investigation for witchcraft,” the King continued, silencing the room with a look. “Given today’s... revelations, the election will be postponed for one month. No more.”

His gaze flicked to me for the briefest moment. A silent acknowledgement.

I’d gotten what I wanted.

But as I looked at the twisted, moaning figures still shedding their stolen skins, at the blood now drying under Alaric’s fingernails, a cold realization settled in my gut:

This wasn’t a victory.

This was the calm before the storm.