7 | Summoned by the Council

CEDAR BLAKE

“The council demands your presence, Cedar. You're now allowed into our pack. There’s a new development concerning your parents' execution. You must come with me now, they’re waiting.” Icarus’s voice was thick with urgency.

“Why do they suddenly want to see me? Am I no longer the filthy servant they claimed would poison the land unless banished or buried alive?” I flung his past words back in his face.

He’d been the one who hated me the most. He would say anything to the twin alphas just to get me punished.

“I’m not here to argue,” he snapped. “The council elders sent me. If you refuse to come, I’ll report that you turned down their summons.”

His eyes drifted to the man now standing behind me.

Dominus. He hadn’t said a word through all of this. Maybe he was still processing Icarus’s unexpected arrival, or still stunned from my transformation. Either way, he was silent.

I stared at Icarus, thinking hard. I could ignore him, pretend today never happened, and go back to being clueless. Or I could face the truth and ignore the council’s demand. What did the elders want from me now? Or was this a trap? Maybe Icarus planned to lure me somewhere and kill me.

“She’s not going anywhere. She belongs to me.”

Dominus finally spoke. His voice cut through the night like thunder, sending chills down my spine. He stepped closer, laying his coat over my shoulders to cover my naked body.

“I know who you are, Alpha Dominus,” Icarus said with forced calm, “and I respect your position. But I don’t think you understand what it means to go against the council.”

“I don’t belong to you,” I growled, stepping forward. “You don’t control me anymore. You broke the contract—”

“Do you really want to go there, Cedar?” he interrupted, voice cold. “Yes, you signed the contract. You didn’t read a single word of it before you did. So think twice before you start talking big.”

I bit my tongue. Hard.

How could I have made such a huge mistake?

“You don’t trust me, but I hate to break it to you, you don’t have a choice, Sweet. Not until the next ninety-one days are over.”

His voice was close. I could feel his breath against my skin, his lips brushing my temple. He was mocking me, reading my thoughts again.

“Stop calling me that and acting like a gentleman, it scares me even more.” I took a step away from him.

Why had it taken me so long to realize he could do that? That was how he tricked me into accepting his offer. That’s how he got into my head.

“Well then,” Icarus said, turning away, “I’ll tell the council what you’ve decided.”

Just like that, he vanished into the night. A whisper in the wind. Leaving me to deal with the mess I’d created.

I stood frozen, angry at myself, for being careless, for not reading between the lines. How could I have signed away my life like that? And to a man who didn’t fear the council. A man without guilt. Another Alpha who despised me.

Burning with frustration, I turned to Dominus. His coat covered me, but the moonlight still outlined my body, tracing my shape like a shadowy sculpture for all to see.

“Ninety-one days?” I said, lifting my chin with quiet defiance. “Fine. Let’s do this, Alpha Dominus Maruto.”

I cleared my mind, blocking him out. If he could read my thoughts, then I’d give him nothing. From now on, that would be my advantage.

I started down the hill, the night air cool against my skin. Cena stood by the car, pacing. He spotted me and froze, his eyes widening. He scanned my face, looking for something, maybe damage. Maybe fear.

“You okay?” he asked, concern creasing his forehead.

Wolves howled in the distance. The sound made my stomach twist. My freedom had been snatched away as easily as it had been given. But I wasn't broken. No, this has made me stronger. It had awakened something inside me. My wolf. The part of me that had been asleep since I was born. I wouldn't waste that.

“Oh, damn, sorry!” Cena hurried to open the car and grabbed a spare black top. “Here. You’ll need this.”

“Thanks,” I said quietly, taking it from him.

He respectfully turned away as I slipped it on and pulled Dominus’s coat back over it. I climbed into the back seat.

***

It’s been four days since the full moon.

Dominus has been hovering over me like a guard dog, not letting me out of his sight. Today, he finally allowed me to take one of my walks, though he sent three guards to follow me, always six steps behind.

On one of my previous walks, I found a place that made me feel calm, a river with a waterfall. It was quiet, peaceful, and only a few kilometers from Dominus’s house. I’d made it my escape.

Even now, as I sat by the water, my mind still circled back to the council. Icarus’s words haunted me: something about my parents. About the past.

Dominus won’t let anyone visit me, not even the private investigator. That alone made my skin itch. What didn’t they want me to know?

I tried to focus on the sound of the waterfall instead. The cold water numbed my feet as I dipped them in. It helped dull the storm inside.

Then I heard them.

“Disobeying the council now, Cedar?” one voice growled.

“She’s got some guts, brother,” another one snarled.

I didn’t even need to look.

The twins.

I slowly lifted my head, already bracing myself.

“What do you want?” I asked flatly. “What does the council want from me now?”