NovelEnglish
Troy
The University of Mirage had sustained major damage during the invasion. Scaffolding snaked up the
outer walls of the university’s event center, which was one of the oldest buildings in Valoria. The last
timeli had been to the event center was the night I went to the social and eventually got attacked in a
darkened alley and witnessed Maeve nearly kill a man.
Watching her knock the man’s teeth out was the moment really, truly, fell in love with her.
The center looked different in the light of day, however. No paper lanterns hung along the high ceilings as
I followed Ethan and Rowan up the wide, stone staircase. Daylight flooded through the massive stained
glass window as we reached the top of the stairwell, little shreds of multicolored light dancing around our
feet.
Men were walking past us, funneling into the lecture hall.
“All you have to do is answer their questions. The less you say, the better.” Ethan directed this toward
me, and I nodded, willing myself to have a filter although I knew it was unlikely.
We followed Ethan into the lecture hall. I had expected him to stop and chat with his fellow Alphas, but
he walked down the stairs and motioned to us to sit in a row of seats close to the platform where a group
of six people was seated in a semi
circle, dressed in black robes.
I looked around the room as we sat down, trying to make sense of the number of Alphas in the room.
There must have been some Betas included in the meeting; that was the only explanation.
After roughly ten minutes, the conference began. It was early in the morning, and the smell of coffee was
thick in the air as the High Elder Council began to speak. They called out the name of each Alpha and
his pack. The Alpha of Breles. The Alpha of Emerald Lake, of Tragoria, of Moon Haven, and so on, and
so forth. Packs I had never even heard of had been called into attendance.
The six High Elders represented the territories of the pack lands, three from Finadli, the western
continent, and three from Valoria, the eastern. I hadn’t noticed the seventh elder until she spoke, her
accent strange and unfamiliar as her words rang clear throughout the lecture hall.
“We are gathered to speak on many topics today, such as trade, infrastructure, and the exchange of
titles,” she said calmly before taking a seat at the end of the semi-circle table.
“Who is she?” I asked Rowan. Rowan leaned towards me, whispering.
“She’s the High Priestess of the Church of the Moon Goddess. The Church has its own representative on
the council. That way, there is never a split vote.”
“Ah, I see,” I said, my mouth feeling a little numb.
Rowan seemed out of sorts as well, and we were both sweating with nerves as we listened to matters of
trade being discussed, trying to follow along!
“We now call the Alpha King of Valoria to the podium,” an elder said, looking bored.
I wondered just how much Ethan was going to tell the other Alphas about the situation with Tasia. But to
my surprise, he said nothing about it all.
Instead, he did something more shocking.
“Much has changed in the last twenty-five years. The growth of Valoria is now rivaled by the population
boom in Finaldi. There was a time in which I would have argued against Finaldi needing an Alpha King
reinstated to the throne,” he bellowed, not bothering to use the microphone. “I seek the council’s
guidance on the matter of crowning a King of the West.”
Shocked murmuring echoed through the lecture hall. Rowan shifted in his seat, glancing over at me.
“What is he doing?” Rowan whispered.
“Playing… chess,” I breathed, leaning back in my own chair and crossing my legs, my ankle balanced on
my opposite knee.
“There is no need for an Alpha king in the Finaldi. Their territories are too rural outside of Breles for that
to make much of a difference,” said one of the elders, rolling a pen over his fingers.
“I believe the Alphas of the new territories north of Breles
would disagree with that sentiment.” Ethan had his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke, his brow
arched as he looked out into the crowd. He locked his gaze, and I followed it, finding myself looking right
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtat Aaron of Red Lakes, who was sitting next to a small man who must have been his father.
“Oh, shit…” I whispered as I sunk into my seat.
Aaron was staring right at me, his eyes narrowed.
“What?” Rowan whispered.
I tilted my head in Aaron’s direction.
“Oh, Aaron’s here? I thought this meeting was only for Alphas and their Betas,”
“Keaton and I straight up kidnapped that guy, Rowan,” hissed, trying to keep my voice as low as possible
as Ethan continued to plead his case.
Rowan stole another glance at Aaron, but shrugged, turning back to whisper in my ear again in a joking
manner. “He’s not a threat. We could beat him up after the meeting, if you want, just to show him who’s
in control. Dad would probably allow it
We both turned, feeling Ethan’s steely glare on us. Rowan colored and slouched into his seat, the two of
us resigned to silent attention.
“That’s why the Alpha of Breles and myself believe a new Alpha King of the West should be chosen,”
Ethan continued, bringing his gaze back to the elders. “Alpha Tritan of Breles
has no heirs to carry on his line and doesn’t want the title. He believes it should go to a northern Alpha in
the new western territories. I am in agreement. We are casting our support behind Alpha Eugene, of Red
Lakes.”
A much louder murmur erupted behind us, and I turned to set my gaze on Alpha Eugene, Aaron’s father.
He was a small man, an elder, but the obvious fire behind his eyes betrayed his age. He was looking
around, accepting claps on the shoulder in congratulations and support. Aaron was shell shocked, his
eyes staring blankly ahead as he internally grappled with what his father’s new title would mean for him
in the future.
Alpha Eugene caught my eye, his green eyes lingering on mine for a moment before he gave me a tight
smile, nodding his head in my direction before glancing at his son with a shrug.
Odd, I thought. Surely Aaron told him what happened. And Ethan would have explained the current
situation, I was sure. Alpha Eugene seemed to not even care that he was sitting in the same room with
the man who had kidnapped his son and taken his place as breeder. The same man who was about to
become an Alpha.
“Alpha Eugene of Red Lakes?” someone in the crowd said with uncertainty.
“The new western territories are traitors to Findali!” another said.
Eugene bristled at this comment and rose from his seat. “The northern territories have paved the way for
new trade routes and infrastructure for Finadli. Alpha Tallum, would you deny
that Breles and the port of Findali have seen major improvements over the past ten years? Our lumber
itself is the cause of many riches for your pack in particular-” Eugene pointed a finger at the Alpha who
had called him, and his neighboring Alphas, traitors. “You know we have the power to cut you off entirely
from much-needed resources if we so choose–”
“That’s enough,” said the High Priestess, pounding a gavel on the table. I watched in awe as the elders
began to whisper to each other, nodding to each other in shared sentiment. “Do you accept the
nomination?”
“I accept.”
A round of spirited applause rang out, sending a rumble of vibration through the room.
“A vote will be held at the meeting’s end for the packs of the west, only. Majority will rule. We accept
Eugene’s nomination.”
The gavel was smashed again, and the conference continued. Several men were asked to rise, one of
which was Rowan. One by one they were announced as new Alphas… all of which had been titles
passed down by their fathers, uncles, or grandfathers. It was obvious that a new generation of wolves
were coming into power.
But my name hadn’t been called with the group.
I leaned over, patting Rowan on the back as he sat down, slightly red in the face at the attention.
“Is that it? You’re an Alpha now? I whispered.
He shook his head, leaning into me. “No, there’s a formal ceremony tomorrow. It’ll be held at the castle.”
I nodded and then began to lean back in my chair.
But suddenly my name was called.
“Troy Black, son of Behar, please come to the podium.”
A rush of voices swept over the crowd. I felt myself sink further into my seat as people exclaimed in
surprise.
“Behar? Wasn’t he the son of King Kal?” someone behind me said in a harsh whisper.
I flushed, unable to move.
Rowan nudged me hard with his elbow. “Get up!”
“Okay-” | stood, and the shocked murmuring abruptly ceased. Everyone was looking at me.
| swallowed hard as I moved between the seats, murmuring apologies as I squeezed past several other
men sitting in our aisle. Ethan was seated in a row closest to the podium, and he was watching me with
interest. He gave me a nod in support as I reached the podium and faced the elders.
No one in the entire lecture hall spoke for what felt like an eternity. I felt sweat prickle on my brow but
resisted the urge to reach up to wipe it away. It was hot under the lights of the platform, and I felt utterly
exposed to the stares of everyone in the crowd.
“The kingdom of the Isles is yours by birthright,” said one of the elders, looking down at a piece of paper
as he spoke. “As
the grandson of Romero on your mother’s side.”
Another rush of conversation swept through the lecture hall. The Priestess pounded the gavel on the
table, demanding order.
“Is that true, Troy Black?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And you wish to lay claim to your rightful title?” She was looking at me with a blank, business-like
expression.
I nodded. “Yes. I mean to claim my title. I believe it’s in the best interest of the Isles that they have a true
Alpha.”
“A child of enemies of the pack lands can have no claim to any throne!” someone shouted behind me,
which was met with murmurs of agreement.
I chewed the inside of my lip. ‘Have a filter, for the love of the Goddess,’ I thought. ‘Don’t let them push
you to speak out of turn.
“Alpha King Ethan has explained your situation,” said an elder toward the center of the table. He was a
lean man, the youngest of the elders by far it seemed. He had blue eyes and a full head of rich, gray hair.
I locked eyes with him, a certain sense of understanding passed between us. I wondered if he was the
elder from Avondale.
“The Alpha King was the one who suggested I take the title–
“Because he is now your father-in-law?” the Priestess asked.
Another harsh murmur went through the crowd, followed by
a few laughs. I could sense Ethan turning in his seat to glare back at the people snickering.
“I believe he would have wanted me to accept the title regardless of my relationship with his daughter.” I
wondered what Aaron of Red Lakes was thinking right now.
“Poldesse has been without a true Alpha since the end of the war. The people of the Isles have been
operating without a pack for decades. Why take the title now, and not when you turned eighteen?” the
Priestess said.
| swallowed, then turned to look out over the crowd. “I didn’t know my connections to the title until
recently. I had no idea… I was an orphan. I never knew my parents, and I didn’t know | was related to
Romero until Damian-”
“You’re really going to allow a man who worked with Damian to have the Isles?” someone shouted.
| winced, gripping the podium for support as an onslaught of nasty exclamations rang out through the
crowd.
“Tell me, Troy, why should we back you as an Alpha? Despite the obvious objections of the Alphas of the
two continents, this is your birthright. It is not up to us to say you cannot have your throne. We can,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhowever, refuse to support your reign, which would make you an enemy. The support of the Alpha King
of Valoria is not enough,” sald one of the elders.
I looked up at him, taking a deep breath. “I grew up without a pack. I joined a group of orphans when I
was four or five years old, I can’t remember the exact age. We were unattended, left to fend for
ourselves. I stole to survive. I grew up to be a smuggler, a pirate. I was fortunate to even have that, if I’m
being honest. The future prospects of those born on the Isles are dim if not nonexistent… because of a
war none of us were old enough to witness.” | squared my shoulders, straightening up to my full height.
“I am a father now. I cannot allow another generation of innocents to grow up packless to a dim future. I
cannot sit back knowing the people of the Isles are living without support. I did not want to be Alpha. I
was not raised as royalty. I don’t have the connections of those my age who have been born and bred to
rule! But I am all you have.”
A hush fell over the room. The elder with the blue eyes looked me up and down as his companion to his
left leaned to whisper in his ear.
I cleared my throat, continuing. I am not like my parents… or grandparents. I did not know them. I will
never know them as you do. I will not deny my involvement in the invasion of Mirage,” I said, pausing to
look out over the crowd, “but I will say I was heavily deceived, and once the truth was out, I did
everything in my power to protect the daughter of the Alpha King, who is now my wife and mother of my
sons.”
“Elder Lynus, can you vouch for the situation in the Isles?” asked the Priestess.
Lynus, the blue-eyed elder, nodded grimly, pursing his lips. I had been right about his being from
Avondale and the Isles. “He is correct in the failures of the Isles under Damian’s rule,” was all that he
said, but he turned to look at me with a hint of a smile touching his lips.
“The elders will deliberate. You may be seated, Troy Black.” The priestess slammed her gavel down once
again, and the
meeting continued as I made my way back to my seat.
An hour passed and the conference broke for lunch. A huge spread had been laid out in the event hall,
which I recognized as the place where the social had taken place many months ago.
I clung to Rowan’s side. We had lost Ethan in the crowd before we had even made it out of the lecture
hall, but occasionally I caught glimpses of him in heavy conversation with groups of men as they
balanced plates of food in their hands.
“So you are the infamous Troy,” came a hearty voice behind me. I turned around, face to face with Alpha
Eugene of Red Lakes. “Don’t worry, boy. Aaron is off sulking for one reason or another. I came to
congratulate you on your new title, and to let you know you have the support of Red Lakes.”
“Oh, 1-” I wasn’t sure what to say. Eugene looked entirely friendly. “But I… uh, the whole Aaron thing?”
Eugene laughed so loudly several people in the near vicinity turned to look at us. I glanced at Rowan,
who shrugged helplessly.
“Oh, Aaron thoroughly enjoyed himself on his little adventure. It turned him into a man, I dare say. He
won’t stop talking about it, and you, if I’m being direct. Has a bit of a crush on
you-”
Rowan choked on the coffee he had just swallowed, and I reached out to vigorously clap him on the back
while maintaining eye contact with Eugene.
“You’ll make a fine Alpha, and your sons will grow to be strong rulers. Good breeding stock, I’d say. I
hope you know that whatever outcome my nomination to Alpha King of Findali may be, it won’t have an
adverse effect on our relationship, seeing as the title could, in theory, be considered your birthright as
well-Ah, Rowan! My dear boy. Am I to be your father-in-law soon? Or is Hanna going to keep us both
waiting?”
Rowan had regained his composure and walked to Eugene’s side, putting his arm over his shoulder as
he began to lead him away.
“We have a lot to discuss-” Rowan said, his voice drifting away into the crowd.
I stood with my plate in my hands, speechless and in shock. I looked around, unsure of what to do next,
when I caught the eye of Lynus, who was standing in a small group near the table of food. He smiled at
me, nodding, a gleam of hope in his eyes.
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