Alison’s POV
The cool morning air was deceivingly calm, like the deceptive silence before a storm. I stood outside by the car, my fingers tracing the faint edges of the Alpha crest on the vehicle’s door as I waited for my father. My heart was a riot of conflicting emotions, dread, anger, and, strangely enough, a flicker of hope that today would bring closure. The air carried muted whispers of thoughts, scattered like faint echoes in a vast canyon, and I couldn’t help but tune in to the mental noise around me. It was second nature now.
The guard beside me shuffled uncomfortably. His thoughts were embarrassingly vivid… practically undressing one of the staff members who had just passed by. His internal monologue was a colorful cocktail of infatuation and lust. I couldn’t suppress the smirk that spread across my face.
“You know,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade, “it’d be less creepy if you just told her how you feel instead of stripping her down in your mind.”
The guard stiffened, his face a blend of horror and embarrassment as he stammered out an apology. “I… I didn’t mean-”
“Relax,” I interjected with a chuckle. “Just saying, wooing her would go over better than, well, that.”
Before he could dig himself into a deeper hole, the door to the house opened, and my father emerged. His presence, as always, commanded attention. Alpha Gaius, even in his weakened state, had an aura of authority that made the air feel heavier around him.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, sparing only a brief glance at the flustered guard before gesturing for me to get into the car.
The ride to the Alpha council headquarters was unusually quiet, save for the hum of the engine. I kept my gaze fixed on the scenery outside, the blur of trees and rolling hills doing little to calm my nerves. My father broke the silence first.
“You need to know how the council operates,” he began, his tone sharp and no-nonsense. “They’ll deliberate on other matters today too. You’ll need to stay composed, Alison. No outbursts, no impulsive moves. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Father,” I replied, though my stomach twisted into tighter knots with each word.
“They respect strength but despise insolence,” he continued. “When the case is called, you let the evidence and their judgment speak. If you’re asked to speak, you do so with purpose. No theatrics.”
I nodded again, though my mind was already racing ahead to the moment I’d face Priya. The woman who had tried to end my life. The person who, even now, filled me with an unshakable mix of fury and curiosity.
When we arrived, the sight of Xander standing near the council entrance caught me off guard. He looked as imposing as ever, his shoulders squared, his expression a blend of surprise and apprehension when he spotted me.
“Alison?” he called out as he approached. His gaze darted to my father, and he dipped his head respectfully.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” my father said, his voice neutral as he walked past Xander and toward the council chambers.
Xander turned back to me, his brows furrowed. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“That’s because I knew you wouldn’t support me,” I replied, crossing my arms.
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “You’re not wrong, but this… this isn’t a good idea, Alison. Sometimes it gets pretty brutal here. You don’t need to put yourself through this.”
I lifted my chin defiantly. “I’m not here to watch from the sidelines, Xander. I need to see her, to hear her admit what she did to me. And if she doesn’t, I want her to see that I survived, that she didn’t win.”
His jaw tightened. “And what if it doesn’t go the way you want? What if it just brings back all the pain you’ve worked so hard to overcome?”
“Then I’ll deal with it again,” I said firmly. “But I have to do this. For myself.”
He studied me for a long moment, his expression softening. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”
“I’ve heard it a time or two,” I said, managing a small smile.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “If anything happens…”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I cut him off, though the tremor in my voice betrayed my own uncertainty.
Inside the chambers, the air was thick with authority. The grand room was lined with high-backed chairs for the council members, their presence almost as intimidating as the stone-faced guards stationed at every corner. I sat between my father and Xander, my hands clenched tightly in my lap as the proceedings began.
The hours dragged as the council deliberated on mundane disputes, territorial disagreements, rogue sightings, and trade negotiations. My nerves were fraying by the time they finally called Kendrick and Priya’s case.
The two were led in by guards, their hands bound. Kendrick’s expression was one of indignant rage, while Priya’s was carefully composed, though her eyes darted nervously around the room.
The head Alpha, a stern man with a voice that commanded absolute silence, addressed Kendrick first. “Were you involved in the poisoning of Alison?”
“No,” Kendrick said, his voice steady, almost defiant.
The Alpha turned to Priya. “And you?”
“No,” she replied, her voice softer, trembling just enough to seem convincing.
The audacity of her denial sent a surge of anger coursing through me. Before I could stop myself, I shot to my feet.
“You lying bitch!” I spat, my voice echoing through the chamber.
All eyes turned to me, but it was Priya’s reaction that mattered most. Her head snapped in my direction, her face draining of color as her wide eyes locked on mine. For a moment, I saw raw fear in her expression.
Then, as if flipping a switch, she dissolved into tears. “I’m so sorry Alison!” she cried, her voice cracking with desperation. “I didn’t want to do this, but Kendrick made me do it! He told me.. he told me if I wanted him to love me more, I’d do it!. He couldn’t stand seeing you happy with Xander”
“What?!” Kendrick roared, his face a mask of shock and betrayal. “She’s lying! I had nothing to do with this, please believe me!”
The chamber erupted into chaos, council members shouting for order as the clerk pounded his gavel. The head Alpha silenced the room with a single, booming command.
“You,” he said, pointing to me. “Walk towards me and Identify yourself.”
Taking a deep breath, I straightened my posture. “My name is Alison,” I said clearly. “I’m the one Priya here had tried to poison. And I’m also the long-lost daughter of Alpha Gaius of the Crimson Pack.”
A ripple of murmurs spread through the room. Priya’s thoughts suddenly spiraled, loud and chaotic in my mind.
“So that’s why the bitch didn’t die. She has Alpha blood.”
“Yes,” I said aloud, my gaze locking on hers. “That’s why I didn’t die.”
Her face twisted in shock and confusion as the head Alpha demanded, “What did she say?”
I explained my gift, demonstrating by revealing three private thoughts from the head Alpha’s own mind. The room fell silent as he leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.
After hours of deliberation, Kendrick was acquitted but asked to step down from Alpha position, handing over to another family, the council finding no evidence linking him to the crime. Priya, however, was sentenced to become an outcast, a fate worse than death for most wolves.
“No! Please!” Priya screamed as the guards approached her. “I’m sorry! Forgive me!”
Her pleas might have moved me, but her thoughts betrayed her. She wasn’t sorry… she was furious. Furious that she’d been caught, furious that she’d lost.
I stepped closer to her, my voice low but firm. “If your apology had been genuine, I might have pitied you. But it’s clear you haven’t learned a thing.”
Before I could step away, Priya shifted into her wolf form, her movements a blur of fury and desperation. She lunged at me, her jaws snapping inches from my face.
In a heartbeat, Xander must have shifted too, as I saw out of the corner of my eyes as I panicked under Priya’s weight his massive wolf slamming into hers and dragging her off me. The room erupted into chaos as he tore into her with a ferocity that left me frozen in place. Blood sprayed across the stone floor, Priya’s screams turning into pitiful whimpers as Xander’s claws raked her flesh.
“Xander!” I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat.
He stopped instantly, his wolf turning to look at me with wide, golden eyes.
The room spun around me, the metallic scent of blood overwhelming. My stomach churned violently, and before I could stop it, I doubled over and vomited.