Chapter 93: The Straw That Broke The Wolf

Tavian’s head dipped. Involuntary. The Beta of Thunderfang, the man who screamed battle cries during chicken fights, bowed his head at his own dinner table because the thing speaking through Derek was pulling rank his body recognized before his brain could override it.

He wasn’t the only one. Most heads at the table were bowing.

Nova had felt Alpha Starborne’s aura before and knew what it looked like. But right now, she didn’t feel Derek’s. She looked at him, lips parting, in surprise.

"Landon!" Celeste yelled. "DO SOMETHING!"

Alpha Thunderfang rose from his seat slowly. His eyes were wolf-gold and locked on his brother.

"Derek."

Derek didn’t look at him or acknowledge that he even heard him.

Nova spoke in a calm voice that felt borrowed. "Derek, your eyes are still wolf gold."

Derek blinked a few times, his wolf receding by an inch.

"You’re also glowing because you’re touching me. They are asking you to let go because we don’t know how or if it is harmful," Nova explained, which was definitely a watered-down version of what was happening.

Derek looked down at where his arm was locked around her. Then at his other hand that was glowing.

"Their concern is noted. Unnecessary," he replied, his voice woven with his wolf’s. His eyes then moved to Celeste. "You have disrespected my mate too many times today for it to be ignored. Apologize to her now."

Celeste’s face went scarlet. "Apologize? FOR WHAT?"

"For calling her a whore. Twice. In a procession. In front of my pack," Derek said, lifting one finger. "For threatening her with lashes after she saved a child." Second finger. "For telling her she did not belong and ordering her to the back of the procession." Third finger. "For calling her 7709 on purpose. Her name has been mentioned in front of you multiple times. She is your future sister-in-law. You are trying to be Luna of a pack with no slaves. Yet you have made zero effort to try to learn our ways. And you have made it a point to call her by that number publicly. Whether it’s to statement about her personally, or your stance on slavery, or if it’s because pushing other people down makes you feel better about yourself, or all the above, I frankly don’t care the reason. You continually use it in a demeaning way and it needs to stop. Consider this your orientation. In Thunderfang, we use first names. We treat our servants and omegas like people. And it starts at the top. Every person at this table leads by example." Fourth finger. "For grabbing her arm in formation and yanking her." Fifth finger. "For demanding she apologize and trying to have her arrested at the dinner table. She was trying to leave because she was starting to glow. She did not want to take away from your moment. It was for you. And you spoke to her in a way that screamed more about you as a person than her."

By the end of the list, his voice was back to just his own, his wolf receding.

"Half of those things are false. She’s exaggerating and spewing lies," Celeste said, without flinching. "And I am not apologizing for calling her by her identification number. That’s standard protocol."

"They are not lies. I was there for those things. A simple apology is what I’m asking for. In front of the table and your future High Luna."

"I am not apologizing," Celeste stated. "She is a slave. Everything I said was accurate. Everything I did was within my rights as her owner. How I speak to my property is not your concern."

"Wrong answer," Derek said.

"That’s the only answer you’re getting."

"Then we have a problem."

"WE have a problem? YOU have a problem. You are in love with my slave and it is clouding your judgment and everyone in this room can see it."

"Everyone in this room can also see you calling a woman a whore in public and threatening to whip her for saving a toddler. But sure. My judgment is the issue."

"LANDON." Celeste turned to Alpha Thunderfang. "Are you going to intervene or are you going to sit there?"

Alpha Thunderfang was still standing. Eyes wolf-gold. Jaw locked.

He said nothing.

"LANDON."

The nothing continued.

"He is THREATENING your future Luna and you are STANDING THERE."

Alpha Thunderfang picked up his glass. Drank from it. Set it down. The glass hit the table and that was the only sound he contributed to the conversation.

Celeste stared at him.

"Fine," she said, her voice dropping to something quiet and dangerous. "If nobody in this pack is going to protect their future Luna, then their future Luna will protect herself."

"From what?" Derek asked. "Apologizing?"

Celeste’s mouth opened. Closed. The rebuttal she was building collapsed mid-construction because the framing was wrong and she knew it and Derek had just held it up to the light.

"This isn’t over," she said.

"It could be. Her name. An apology. We all move on and eat dessert like adults."

"I will not apologize to property."

"You continue to use that word. We don’t have slaves in Thunderfang. Write that down. If you want to be our Luna, then act like it."

"7709, tell your mate to stand down." Celeste’s voice shifted from fury to command. "This falls on your shoulders and will not be tolerated."

Nova opened her mouth.

Derek cut in before Nova could say anything. "Stand down for what? Asking you to apologize?"

He looked at the High Luna.

"Gran, I love you. I apologize for the disruption tonight. But I am not going to sit at this table and listen to this woman. She is no Luna. Everyone at this table knows it."

The room didn’t breathe.

He pulled Nova from the table and led her to the door. Her legs moved on their own but her brain was still stunned.

They had almost made it when Celeste found her voice. "You walk out of this dinner and you are choosing a slave over your family."

Derek stopped. He didn’t turn around.

"I’m not choosing against my family. I’m choosing against you. Those are different things."

The door closed behind them.