CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: FROSTVEIL PACK IN TURMOIL

I did what I did to save lives due to Alpha Torrin’s selfishness. Making Harleigh give up on him is just one of its consequences.

...At least, that’s what I keep telling myself to ease the guilt gnawing at my chest, hoping it will fade with time.

"He’s forgotten me again. And this time, he still hasn’t remembered me, no matter what the doctor and nurses do."

Harleigh buries her face against my chest.

I hug her tight, patting her back gently while kissing the top of her head.

It isn’t a good feeling to offer her comfort when I’m also the one who caused her this much distress. Still, I hope that in the next few days, she’ll realize that Alpha Torrin is now a lost cause and isn’t the right one for her, that I am.

I lift her chin with my fingers and wipe away her tears.

"He may not remember me, but I can still feel that our fated mate bond is just as strong and as intact as it was," she murmurs.

That stings, but I force a small smile. "I’m sure it still is."

When Dr. Lei finally allows visitors into Alpha Torrin’s room, dad and the council members have come before us.

"I don’t know. I don’t remember," Alpha Torrin repeats to every question they ask.

The more they press, the more he groans, clutching his head in pain until Dr. Lei steps back in to calm him down.

"This is no use. We need to go back some other day when he’s better," one of the council members sighs.

As they leave, dad leans close to me and mutters, "After here, meet us in the conference room."

I nod but keep my gaze fixed on Harleigh as she rushes to Alpha Torrin’s side, cupping his face tenderly so their eyes meet.

"Your heart should remember who I am. You once told me you’d always sense our bond, even if you forgot my name and face," she begs.

For a moment, Alpha Torrin just stares at her, as if doing his best to recall her.

Then,...

He shakes his head slowly. "I don’t. I’m sorry."

A sharp gasp escapes Harleigh, while my own eyes widen in surprise.

The elixir is that strong that he couldn’t feel their mate bond?!

Instead of feeling triumphant, dread seeps into my bones.

Why did the multi-eyed seer give it to me for free and so easily? What if she expects something in return: a huge price I may have to pay in the future?

Suddenly,...

Harleigh sways and collapses.

I lunge forward, catching her just before she hits the floor.

"Harleigh!" I shout, panic clawing at my throat.

Nurses rush in and carry her to the next room.

"She’s suffering from exhaustion and severe lack of sleep and food," Dr. Lei explains.

I stroke her face gently as she lies unconscious on the bed. My guilt surges more and more, since there’s no one to blame here but me.

Meanwhile, dad keeps buzzing my phone, but I ignore him, unwilling to leave Harleigh’s side. It isn’t until he sends a Gamma to fetch me that I finally stand.

"I’ll be back, Harleigh," I whisper, pressing a kiss to her forehead before following the Gamma to the conference room.

But even as I walk away, Harleigh’s face stays fixed in my mind.

The conference room is tense when I walk in. Faces are hard, some angry, some uncertain.

Dad stands at the head of the table, his voice tight with urgency and desperation. "Think about it. If the news about Alpha Torrin’s amnesia spreads beyond our borders, our enemies will take that chance to strike. It’s not just that he lost his memories, he lost his will to lead and protect us too. If you make me Alpha, I can and will handle our s.hit together the way he can’t and won’t."

No one answers at once, since most of the council remain loyal to Alpha Torrin.

I clear my throat. "Dad has a point. Alpha Conrad and Alpha Cassandra have already expressed interest in joining the Dunebourne Pack against us. If dad becomes our new Alpha and marries Cassandra, the Crimsonbane Pack’s loyalty would stay with us."

Beta Ellise leans forward. "Another reason more packs are distancing themselves from us is because of those Shadowfang werewolves. If you agree to kill them, then the other packs might stop seeing us as a threat. But if you keep protecting them, changing our Alpha won’t give us peace."

The multi-eyed seer’s warning flashes through my head again: For as long as the wolf with the Shadowfang bloodline lives, the prophecy stands, fight the Shadowfang wolf and the world will perish; bow to it and live in fear.

The council continues to argue for the next two hours. Voices rise and fall. Tempers flare. Points are repeated and parried.

Despite the chaos, they reach a compromise: Dad will be acting Alpha while Alpha Torrin heals. He’ll have Alpha authority, but with certain limits. It gives the pack a single leader and a legal face to negotiate with allies. It’s a fragile balance, but it’s enough to buy time.

When the room finally empties, dad whispers to me through clenched teeth, "You should’ve killed Torrin. Before he remembers everything, I’ll make sure of it myself. You won’t dare stop me."

My fists tighten at my sides as rage and cold dread churn inside me.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want Alpha Torrin gone so I could have Harleigh. But there’s a line I won’t cross: become the kind of monster who kills a man to claim his mate.

Moreover, the pack needs decisive action and loyalty, not bloodshed driven by ambition.

For now, I hold to the one certainty that I’ll protect Harleigh, and won’t let dad’s hunger for power destroy what little stability remains.

When I return to Harleigh’s hospital room, she’s already awake.

"No one is allowed to visit Alpha Torrin again," she says weakly. "Can you tell me what’s really happening to him?"

"I can’t. Not for his privacy, and for the pack’s security," I reply.

Disappointment shadows her sad face.

So I try to lift her mood. "How about we go out to dinner? Maybe when we get back, Alpha Torrin will be allowed visitors again."

When she doesn’t answer, I quickly add, "Dr. Lei said you passed out because you’ve been starving yourself."

Finally, yet reluctantly, she agrees.

I take her to the lively Frostveil business district, a sharp contrast to the serene residential areas.

We sit in one of my favorite restaurants, but I end up ordering for both of us, since she still isn’t in the mood to enjoy my company or the luxurious ambiance.

"If Alpha Torrin never regains his memories, will your dad become the new Alpha?" she asks, then follows it up with, "The nurses were talking about it earlier."

"Probably," I say, trying to sound indifferent.

Surprisingly,...

Her blue eyes brighten a little. "If he’s no longer Alpha, then there’ll be less pressure for him to be with me."

My jaw tightens, and so are my shoulders as jealousy eats me up.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive," she adds, dropping her gaze to her lap.

"Even if he doesn’t remember you and can’t feel your mate bond, you’d still want him over me?" I ask.

Her silence makes my heart ache.

"My wolf can sense you still love me. So why do this to me? What do you see in him that you can’t find in me? He isn’t the only one who’s sacrificed for you, I have too."

I lift her chin when she still refuses to meet my eyes.

"Let’s make a deal," I continue. "While Alpha Torrin heals, we spend more time together. Go on dates like this. Talk about what we like and don’t like. If, after that, you still don’t love me the way you love him, I’ll step away."

But,...

Before she can answer, two Gammas burst in and draw everyone’s attention.

"Come with us, Ms. Hale," one of them demands.

I stand immediately and step between him and Harleigh. "What is this about?"

"Beta Atticus orders her and her sister’s arrest," the Gamma replies. "Please don’t interfere. This is for the pack’s peace and safety."

I wolf out the moment one of the Gammas lays a hand on Harleigh. Before Harleigh can wolf out too, someone injects a tranquilizer into the back of her neck. The same needle hits me to calm me down.

My vision blurs as numbness spreads, and consciousness slips away.

.

.

.

When I wake, I’m in my bedroom, in my human form, shackled to the bed, while dad stands at the foot-end like a judge.

"Where’s Harleigh?" I demand.

He answers coldly, "Instead of getting paranoid against our enemies, I’ll just prepare for them. I’ll convince the council not to kill her, but to take advantage of her ShadowBind."

"I plan to experiment on her to learn more about her Shadowbind. If she dies during the experiment, so be it, at least she’s gone and won’t be a threat to other packs. If she lives and the trial fails, she’ll bear heirs... not with you, but with other Frostveil male-wolves."

Rage explodes through me. My canines and claws protrude at the same time as I roar, "No! If you dare, I will kill you myself!"

This isn’t what I signed up for! I helped him become the acting Alpha to save our pack and protect Harleigh, not to draw more enemies by turning us into the next Shadowfang Pack!