Chapter 90
And I knew what they were thinking. The last time most of
them saw Asher, the woman by his side wasn’t me–it was Kylie.
And, of course, wherever we went, someone always had to
bring her up, as if she were a permanent shadow in Asher’s life.
There were different versions of this story too. The most
ridiculous one I’d ever heard was that I was the homewrecking
bitch, stealing my sister’s husband and slut my way up to
become the Queen.
One of the Alphas didn’t bother keeping his thoughts to
himself. He leaned back in his chair, smirking slightly.
“So, King Asher,” he drawled, “this one’s new. Did something
happen to Luna Kylie?”
The room went quiet, and I clenched my fists, trying to keep my
expression neutral. I didn’t want them to know how much their
words irritated me. Kylie again, I thought icily. They don’t
know the truth at all. Will they ever stop bringing her up?
Asher’s face turned cold as he turned to meet the Alpha’s gaze.
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“If you want to talk about my personal life, go to a fucking
tabloid instead of here. This place is for business and business
only.”
The Alpha quivered and lapsed into the silence. And the others
fell in line too. Good, they needed to know who’s in charge here.
Despite the awkward start, the meeting moved forward. The
Alphas seemed willing to accept Asher’s position as King. There
were no objections, no challenges to his authority. I could see
the respect they held for him, even if some of it was
begrudging.
After the initial discussions, Asher brought up the most
important topic: the Royal Council.
“I’ve decided to dissolve the Royal Council,” Asher announced,
his voice steady and firm. “It’s time for a new era–one free from
their manipulation and corruption.”
There were murmurs around the room. Most Alphas seemed to
like this idea. But Alpha Hamilton raised his hand.
“Dissolving the council is one thing, King Asher,” he said, “but
you’ll need to replace it with something else. You can’t attend to
every detail personally. A committee is necessary to help you
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with decisions and governance.”
Asher nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. But this new
committee has to be transparent and honest. I can’t have
another bunch of scumbags poison this kingdom again.”
Many nodded in agreement. Looked like these Alphas were also
sick of the elders from the Royal Council.
“We can talk about candidates for the new committee later. My
focus for today is on something far more urgent.”
Asher leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping across the
room.
“Isaac needs to be stopped. That’s why I’ve called you here.”
The room grew quiet as the Alphas listened intently. Asher
explained everything–Isaac’s use of magic, the Celestine Bloom,
and the danger it posed to everyone.
“Isaac has his hand on the Celestine Bloom now. None of us like
this but it is the situation we are in. His magic allows him to
come and go as he pleases. And we’d lost children because of it.
Things are getting out of control.”
I heard hisses from the crowd. And then one Alpha spoke up
Chapter 90
bluntly, “This never would’ve happened if Nightshade Pack had
done their job. They were the ones guarding the Celestine
Bloom right? How the hell did they let Isaac to get one?”
Another chimed in, “Alpha Charlotte needs to answer for this.
A lot of people are in danger because of her neglection. She
should be punished!”
I stiffened at their words. I wasn’t particularly fond of my
biological mother Charlotte, but the way they spoke about her
made my blood turn cold.
It was one thing to hold her accountable; it was another to tear
her down like she was some careless fool.
Before I could say anything, Asher stepped in.
“This isn’t the time to point fingers,” he said sharply. “Isaac is
still out there, along with whoever’s backing him. We can deal
with accountability later. Right now, our priority is stopping
Isaac and finding Michael.”
His words silenced the room. I peeked at him, giving him a
small, grateful smile. He squeezed back at my hand.
“OK we can assign blames later. But this Celestine Bloom thing
will always be a potential threat as long as it exists. I say should
destroy all the Celestine Bloom on this planet. And wipe out the
entire Nightshade Pack with it.”
.What?!
My heart stopped for a moment.
I stared at that speaking Alpha, disbelief flooding my mind.
Was his out of his mind? He was talking about destroying a
pack! That’s thousands of lives! How could he make it sound so
easy?
He must be joking. But as I looked at him, the determined look
on his face told me that he meant every word of it.
