BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 171: CALLING FOR PEACE

Chapter 171: CALLING FOR PEACE

{"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."}

The murmurs settled like dust in a quiet hall. The final vote was cast, and just like that, it was done. The coven council had spoken, unanimous and resounding.

"Nessa Leora will serve as interim Coven Lord," declared High Seer Adric, his voice laced with finality and a touch of reverence.

Around the circular chamber, the tension lifted, and I felt the shift ripple through the ancient stone walls. Nessa smiled bright and full of grace, as though the weight of power had simply found its rightful place upon her shoulders. She turned slowly, offering that smile to each council member, her gaze warm, unthreatening, and Regal.

I stood, the ceremonial robes brushing against my boots. "Lady Leora," I said, voice carrying, "if you would, please join us."

Our eyes met briefly. She didn’t need the invitation, but I gave it anyway. She walked across the floor with that strange mix of humility and command that only she possessed. Every step was measured, her dark robes flowing like shadowed silk behind her. As she neared, I stepped aside, offering her the head seat—the seat of the Coven Lord.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t falter. She sat, spine straight, chin high. The chair accepted her like it had been waiting, and even the royal guards, usually stoic as statues, allowed small, subtle smiles to pull at the corners of their mouths.

But not all eyes sparkled. I didn’t need to look to feel the storm behind me, Desmond’s clenched jaw, Byron’s stiff posture, Tio’s narrowed gaze, and Idris, silent as ever but burning with silent protest. Their dismay curled in the air like smoke from an extinguished flame.

I stood for a moment longer, hands folded behind my back, observing them all. This was no accident. This was no mistake. Nessa Leora was now at the head of the Coven Council, and the coven would never be the same again.

"I will be leaving for Blood Stone Mountain," I announced, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

Gasps and murmurs sparked around the chamber. I let them speak, let the sound swell for a moment before I lifted a than,d and the room fell obediently quiet. I paced slowly in front of the crescent arc of council members, letting each word land like iron on the floor. "This is not a choice. It is a duty. And I go not to seek glory, but to shield us all from what lies in shadow."

I turned, facing Nessa directly now. Her eyes held steady with mine, unwavering.

"While I am gone, Nessa Leora will lead Paradise Bay in my stead. Her wisdom and strength are unmatched. And she has Aurora, her lifetime mate, our female general—who has never once failed to defend our borders." There was no protest. Just a ripple of acknowledgment. The truth did not need persuasion. "But that is not all," I continued, voice lowering, sharpening. "The vampire army musters in the east. Their plan is no longer rumoured—they move toward Bay Shifter territory, and they move fast."

I let the words sink in. Idris leaned forward slightly but said nothing. "I’m sending Dante," I said. "He’ll intercept them, scatter their forces before they reach the Shifter lands. And if any of you"—I swept my eyes across the chamber, slow and deliberate— "are found to be aiding them in secret or offering them safe passage..."

My eyes blazed red. "You will die by my hands. No trial. No mercy."

The silence that followed wasn’t fear; it was resolve. Even Desmond lowered his eyes. "When I return, it will be with the knowledge that the realm is still ours. Until then, Nessa is your voice. Aurora is your sword. And I am your shield, even from afar."

Ten minutes later, Nessa had dismissed the meeting with the same calm authority she’d worn like a mantle all day. She remained seated at the head of the chamber, speaking quietly with Aurora, who was now already strategizing, already ruling. I stayed behind for just a breath longer, watching the slow exodus, until only a few remained, Desmond, gone; Byron, trailing in thought. But Idris and Tio lingered, hovering near the carved pillars as though indecision anchored their feet. I walked toward them, measured, deliberate. My boots echoed against the black marble like distant war drums. They turned at the sound, but when their eyes met mine, they dropped their gazes almost instinctively. I stopped only a few feet from them, close enough for truth to hit like cold steel.

"You should both be grateful that Nessa was the one who ended this meeting," I said, my voice low but with no softness in it. "Because if I had, your names would’ve already been called into question."

They didn’t respond. Of course, they didn’t. Words were dangerous now, and I took a step closer.

"We know what Lord Marcel’s been doing. The disappearances of our young vampires, the bloodstone bugs, the wolf hidden in the mountain, and I know for a fact he did not do it alone. Tio stiffened. Idris flinched, barely, but I caught it. "For years, you played with loyalty," I continued, voice like frost. "But now you’re standing at the edge of a blade. I won’t spare him. I won’t show mercy to a man who used our people for greed and power. And if you think for a second that I will flinch when it comes to his allies, you’re dead wrong."

I let the threat breathe between us, thick and bitter. "Choose wisely," I said, softer now, but somehow more dangerous. "If you value your heads, stop kneeling to a darkness that will never win."

Their silence was the only answer I needed, and I turned from them without another word, walking back through the flickering light of the main council hall amidst the stares of the royal guard.

An hour later, we were all gathered in the heart of the Kayne home. Ma stood tall in the centre of the room, eyes sweeping across the group with a kind of quiet power that only a woman like her could command. Nessa and Aurora stood close, heads tilted in silent assessment. Qadira leaned against the mantle, arms crossed, calculating. Aggrey and Armon stood shoulder to shoulder, tense. Dante kept near the window, eyes sharp. And then there was Rolan, quiet, alert, unknowingly holding the room in his presence.

Ma placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "This is Rolan," she said simply. "Freyr and Dante rescued him from Bloodstone Mountain, and he came back with us. He is a rigour shifter."

And just like that, the air shifted, and every eye snapped to him, and I could see the reactions ripple through them, subtle and stunned. Their eyes moved from him to me and then back to him again.

"He looks just like Rou," Aggrey breathed out, and I nodded. Rolan was the spitting image of Rou, the Alpha of the Rogourau. Same fierce eyes, same jaw carved from granite, same posture like he’d been born in a war and never left. No one said it, but I could feel the questions burning behind their silence. I didn’t answer them, and the truth had already stepped into the room and made itself comfortable.

"We don’t have time to linger," I said, stepping forward, hands clasped behind my back. "At first light, I leave for Hanka Island and wait for Tor so that we can plan how we shall get to Bloodstone Mountain and deal with the evil creature and Lord Marcel."

Dante nodded once. "Rolan and I will take the eastern path. We’ll cut off the vampire army before they hit Bay Shifter territory. We’ll keep them from spilling past the marshlands and getting to the Bay Shifter pack." Rolan, to his credit, didn’t flinch. He just gave a solid nod, steady, strong. He was young, but something about him already felt older than his years.

Qadira’s voice sliced through the room next. "Before anything, we need to clean our own house. The royal guard- too many are still loyal to Marcel. Or worse, they’re waiting to see which way the wind blows. We need to find them. Weed them out before they cost us more than we can afford."

"Do it," I told her. "Start tonight. I want names. I want proof. And if they’ve sold their souls to Marcel, I’ll deal with them myself when I get back."

Ma’s voice followed, calm but firm. "And at the next council meeting, we make it clear to all, Paradise Coven is not the enemy of the Bay Shifter pack. We’ve fought beside them before, and we’ll do it again. No more uncertainty. No more games."

I looked at the faces around me, family, blood, bond. Every one of them had a part to play now, and every path led to fire.

"I never wanted to be Lord of the Coven," I said, my voice quiet, raw around the edges. "I want a life with Tor," I continued. "That’s all I ever really wanted. A quiet place where we don’t have to fight for what is already ours. No politics, no blood-soaked alliances. Just... him and me. I shook my head and looked out again, toward the horizon where the skies were clear and the Kayne land rose.

"But with everything Marcel’s done, everything he’s twisted into this coven, into our people, I couldn’t stand back anymore. His power isn’t just dangerous. It’s a poison. And it’s run deep for too long." I exhaled slowly, letting the weight settle where it needed to. "So, I made my move today at the Coven council. I am sorry I never discussed it with all of you. I’m dismantling his network, piece by piece, lie by lie. Not for the title. Not for the power. But because someone has to cut the rot from the roots."

Nessa finally spoke, her voice soft and steady. "And when it’s done?"

"When it’s done," I said, "I’m going to him. I don’t care if the whole realm burns behind me; I’ll walk into his arms and let the world crumble if it must. I don’t want the throne. I want peace. I want him."

Nessa nodded once, her gaze sharp with pride. "Then we’ll get you there."