Chapter 10 Stakes

Kylie paced her room, her bare feet silent against the polished wood. Moonlight spilled through the balcony doors, casting long shadows across the floor.

"You're quiet," Brandon said from the doorway. He leaned against the frame, arms crossed, watching her with tired eyes. "You've been quiet all night."

Kylie didn't look at him. "I'm thinking."

"About what?"

She turned, lips curving into a half-smile. "About what it takes to be Luna."

Brandon stepped closer. "You already won, Kylie. The council gave you a clear path."

She laughed, but the sound was brittle. "Clear? You call this clear?" Her gaze darkened. "They handed me a throne with a chain."

Brandon frowned. "You're hesitating."

She lifted a brow. "Am I?"

"You are." He stepped closer, voice low. "Why?"

For a flicker of a second, something raw passed through her eyes-a flash of fear? Regret? But it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Don't push me, Brandon," she said softly, her smile returning. "Not tonight."

He stared at her, searching. "You don't want the heir, do you?"

Kylie turned away, walking to the balcony. She gripped the railing, staring into the endless dark. "I want the title," she murmured. "I want the power."

"But not the child."

A pause. Then, quietly: "Not like this."

Brandon's brow furrowed. "What are you hiding?"

She didn't answer. The night wind lifted her hair, tangling it around her face like a veil.

Behind them, thunder growled over the mountains.

"I'll find a way," Kylie said at last, her voice calm and chilling. "With or without their conditions."

Brandon stepped forward. "Kylie-"

She held up a hand. "Go. Sleep. You've done enough tonight."

He hesitated, then retreated, leaving her alone with the whispering wind.

As the door closed, Kylie pressed her forehead against the cool iron railing, her breath shaky.

"They'll never know," she whispered to the night. "No one can ever know."

The pack house was buzzing by dawn. Whispers carried like wildfire through the halls. Something had shifted-something Kylie hadn't foreseen.

"Did you hear?" Mara stormed into the council chamber, her eyes blazing as she threw a file onto the table. "The elders aren't backing her anymore."

Brandon frowned, picking up the file. "What's this?"

"Proof." Mara's lips curled. "Kylie bribed three council members to vote in her favor. The others found out."

A heavy silence filled the room. Brandon closed the file, jaw tightening. "How?"

Mara smirked. "Let's just say not everyone's loyalty comes with a price tag."

Across the estate, Kylie stood on the balcony, watching wolves gather below. Her lips pressed into a thin line as murmurs rose from the crowd.

"She's not fit to lead."

"Where's the heir?"

"She won't even carry the Alpha's blood."

Their words sliced through the air, sharper than claws.

Kylie spun on her heel as her Beta rushed in. "They're questioning you," he said breathlessly. "The council's called an emergency assembly."

"I'm aware," she snapped, throwing her cloak over her shoulders. "Let them talk."

The Beta hesitated. "What's the plan, Kylie?"

She paused at the door, her gaze dark and unreadable. "We remind them why they feared me in the first place."

When she entered the great hall, the voices fell into a tense hush. Elders sat in a half-circle, their faces stony. Brandon stood at the center, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.

"Kylie," Elder Thorne spoke first, his voice grave. "We demand an explanation. Why delay the heir? Why deceive us?"

Kylie smiled, slow and deliberate. "I delayed nothing. And as for deception-" she spread her hands-"show me proof."

Thorne slammed a folder onto the table. "We have it."

Her eyes flicked to it, then back up, cold and calculating. "Proof built on whispers and paranoia."

Brandon stepped forward. "Kylie, they're right. This won't end well."

She tilted her head, mock sweetness dripping from her voice. "Won't it? Or are you just afraid they're turning on you too?"

Gasps rippled through the chamber. Brandon's jaw clenched.

"We gave you a condition, Kylie," Thorne pressed. "Without an heir, your claim weakens. The pack is restless."

"Then let them be restless," Kylie snapped, her control finally cracking. "An heir will come-on my terms, not theirs!"

The elders exchanged grim glances.

"We'll reconvene at moonrise," Thorne declared. "You have until then."

As the room emptied, Brandon lingered. "You're losing them."

"I don't need their loyalty," Kylie hissed. "Just their obedience."

Brandon's gaze hardened. "You're playing a dangerous game."

Kylie stepped closer, her breath warm against his ear. "Danger," she whispered, "is where I thrive."

But as she turned away, her smile faltered. Behind her mask, cracks were forming. And outside, under the rising sun, the wolves began to howl-not in celebration, but in warning.

The council chamber was filled once more, but this time the air felt heavier-like a storm waiting to break. Kylie sat at the head of the table, regal and unmoved, though her fingers tapped an uneven rhythm on the polished wood.

Elder Thorne's voice cut through the quiet. "We've deliberated, Kylie. The decision is final."

Kylie arched an eyebrow. "Final?" she repeated, her tone dangerously light.

"You've had months," another elder added. "You swore loyalty to the pack. You claimed you'd secure the bloodline."

"She hasn't even tried," someone muttered from the sidelines.

Kylie's gaze snapped to the speaker, sharp as a blade. "Careful," she warned silkily.

Thorne raised a hand, silencing the murmurs. "Kylie, listen carefully. If you don't conceive an heir by the next full moon, your claim to Luna is void. You'll never be accepted-no ceremony, no title, no seat beside Brandon."

A hush fell. Even Brandon, standing behind her, shifted uneasily.

Kylie's lips curled into a slow, deliberate smile. "Is that a threat, Elder?"

"It's a law," Thorne corrected. "Without an heir, the pack will never truly belong to you."

Brandon spoke up, his voice calm but tired. "Kylie, they're right. The council won't wait forever. You've fought so hard for this, don't throw it away."

She turned her head slightly, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "Oh, Brandon," she purred, "you think I haven't fought harder battles?"

Brandon's expression darkened. "This isn't a game."

"No," Kylie whispered, her smile fading. "It's war."

Across the room, Mara stepped forward, eyes blazing. "You wanted power, Kylie. Now prove you deserve it. Or step down and save us the shame."

Kylie rose slowly, letting the chair scrape against the stone floor. Her gaze swept over them all, fierce and defiant. "You want an heir so badly?" she hissed. "Fine. I'll give you one."

Brandon's brows drew together. "Kylie-"

"But when I do," she cut him off, her voice low and chilling, "don't forget who forced my hand."

Without waiting for a response, she strode out of the chamber, her heels clicking like war drums against the floor.

Outside, the wind howled, carrying with it whispers of doubt and distrust.

Inside, the elders exchanged wary glances.