Chapter 307
Chapter 307 Council Meeting CASSANDRA One thing was absolutely certain amongst Asher, the councilors he trusted, and I.
Whatever Oliver Moses wanted to do at the council meeting, we needed to stop him. We were in complete agreement but knew we needed others to agree to our cause. We needed the support of other Packs in order to bring him down, and knew we wouldn’t get far without it.
“Oliver Moses has quite a number of soldiers stationed in Anemond, especially around Merlisicre,” Karsh revealed solemnly. “If we want to confront the Moseses, we will need a troop of good soldiers of our own.”
Though I didn’t want to admit it, the councilor was correct in his assessment. Despite having support from Alpha Gareth, Wild Crawler on its own couldn’t provide enough soldiers.
If we wanted to gather real numbers to stand against the Moses soldiers, we needed to contact other Packs and ask for their support.
“Your Majesty, it would be best for you to remain in the darkness before the meeting,” Jacoby advised after a moment of silence. “We don’t know which Packs are complicit with Moses and don’t want to show our hand before we even get to the meeting.
Karsh and I should make the calls ourselves. We can do so here while we’re gathered, given that your phones are capable?” After I nodded, the councilors gathered
alist of Packs and began to make their calls while Asher and I waited and listened quietly. I took notes after every call, writing down every Paack who supported the Alpha King and those who seemed to support Oliver Moses.
Unfortunately for us, the calls did not go well.
Most of the Alphas of Wegalla had an ambiguous attitude toward the running of the country, which frustrated Asher to no end.
Many of them in favor of Asher’s rule noted they wouldn't want to go against Moses, the regent of Wegalla, and didn’t have extra soldiers to send to the capital. They needed to protect their own lands in case war broke out, so they couldn’t spare their men even
if it was in support of the Alpha King.
Some were more straightforward than that. They said in a variety of ways that the Alpha King was missing and probably dead, so they had better listen to Oliver Moses, the former Beta who might be the next king.
It was infuriating to say the least.
I wasn’t prone to anger, not like I used to be, but I was still hurt and annoyed that so many didn’t seem to care about their Alpha King at all. Asher had stressed for years and worked hard to be a good king and they didn’t care to help him in his time of need.
Once the calls were through, Karsh and Jacoby left the clinic, warning us again before they left that Asher needed to lie low before the meeting.
“We will contact you if something changes,” Karsh swore to him. “Stay strong, Your Majesty. We will get you through this if it’s the last thing we do.
Oliver Moses won't be the next Alpha King of Wegalla, not if we have anything to say about it. We'll stop him. I swear it.” kok ok The next two days passed quickly but there was almost no progress made in any direction.
There was much to do and a lot of things to worry about, things that consumed my mind so completely that sleep was impossible.
First, Becky and Dickson still hadn’t returned. A guard had been sent to the | House of Moses on our behalf to look for news, but when he returned, he was
empty-handed. He told us that Oliver Moses had caught two people, who were possibly Becky and Dickson and locked them up, but he couldn’t get access to them no matter how hard he tried. The good news was that Oliver hadn’t given any orders on how to deal with them, so if they were our friends, they were at least safe for now.
Second, Asher couldn’t get in touch with Kane, who was supposed to be in Sky Pride. He placed dozens of calls to the remote Pack but none of them were picked up. My mate was worried to death about his stepbrother and no amount of convincing was helping him relax.
Third, and this was a strange one, no one had apparently seen Oliver Moses in two days. The guard had told us Oliver hadn’t appeared after he
allegedly interrogated Becky and Dickson and ordered them to be locked up. - Karsh and Jacoby were worried that he was out of Anemond and seeking more military support, but it was hard to say for certain. All we could do was focus on the tasks at hand and mentally prepare for the council meeting.
Asher would get his crown and country back from those villains.
I would do all in my power to see to it.
My sorcery had a great deal of work to go before it would be mastered but I would stand by my mate’s side no matter what danger came our way.
* kk The day of the council meeting came swiftly.
Asher and I disguised ourselves as Karsh and Jacoby’s attendants and went to the meeting with them. It was held in the royal palace, and according to the pair on our side, every councilor and important noble in Anemond had been invited to attend.
Sure enough, when we entered the large room, I spotted many familiar faces. The seats were arranged beforehand with ornate name cards on the table.
Karsh and Jacoby’s seats were arranged on the far end of the table, opposite where Oliver Moses was meant to be seated.
Where Asher should have been seated.
Adalyn and Margaret were sitting on either side of the main seat. I noticed
Asher’s lips curling downward into a frown when he saw them. It was strange. The women should not have been at the council meeting because they had no concrete power. Adalyn had brought Prince Marco, who was sitting on her lap with an anxious expression.
But strangest of all, Oliver Moses wasn’t anywhere in sight. All of the attendees soon filled their seats, but Oliver’s was still empty. People began to chatter, wondering where he could be. It was unlike him to be late and absent from something so important.
As everyone grew more baffled, Adalyn stood and walked toward the main seat. Her golden eyes glowed and she flashed everyone a smile as all fell silent.
“My apologies everyone,” she remarked to the room. “My father is very ill, so I will be speaking on-his. — behalf.” The councilors started to whisper in confusion. Apparently, none had heard he was sick.
Asher and I exchanged a glance.
Something was strange here.
“His illness stems from his great sorrow,” she continued to say. “My dear brother Silas is still in a coma, and my father is extremely worried.” “Why would he suddenly be ill when he was the one who announced this meeting?” a councilor blurted out. “If he is indeed that sick, shouldn't the meeting be postponed?” “This meeting was too important for
him to call off,” Adalyn explained with a wave of her hand. “He believes the matters to be discussed are for the best of this country so he doesn’t want to put this meeting off.” The councilor seemed like he wanted to speak, but just as he opened his mouth, Adalyn snapped at him.
“Do you want to challenge the authority of Moses and the royal family?” she demanded.
The councilor fell silent, as did the rest of the room.
My heart pounded in my chest as Adalyn cleared her throat.
“As everyone is well aware, the Alpha King is missing,” she said in a formal, sorrowful sort of voice. “And has been for a long time. The Moses family has
done everything they could to search for him, especially my father.
Unfortunately, days ago... we discovered the king's corpse-" The room suddenly erupted in gasps, whispers, and exclamations of shock.
Asher and I exchanged a look of shock.
His corpse? I couldn’t believe my ears.
What was she doing? “1t’s awful news to the whole country,” Adalyn lamented with a frown. “I couldn’t believe it until I read the forensic report myself.” She wiped a tear from her eyes and then raised her chin and changed her tone.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
“Despite the terrible news, I believe
the people of Wegalla need to stick together and move forward,” she continued. “We need to get the country back to normal.” She gently pushed Prince Marco’s shoulder, nudging him forward.
“My father believed a new king would cheer up the morale of the whole country,” Adalyn announced. “And who better than the son of the late Alpha King?”