Page 65 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CALEB

T he energy in the Crescent Fang council chamber felt heavier than usual.

Competing pheromones hung thick in the air—traces of aggression, subtle dominance markers, anxiety laced with determination.

Caleb’s nostrils flared, cataloging their scents from his position at the head of the table.

Despite his composed face and straight posture, apprehension gnawed at him like physical teeth.

To his left sat Varek, arms crossed, his usual easy demeanor replaced by quiet observation.

Erik, the eldest of Crescent Fang’s council, sat near the center, his weathered face lined with displeasure.

Across from Erik, Garreth sat with his hands folded, his expression unreadable.

At the far end, two of the warriors who had joined Caleb in Bloodstone—Adolphus and Skol—remained silent but alert.

Caleb’s eye twitched as the muscles in his jaw worked around the agitation brewing inside him.

The empty chair beside him grew larger with each passing moment, Asher’s absence creating a void behind his ribs.

Fenrir paced restlessly, the wolf’s concern for their injured beta bleeding into Caleb’s own anxiety.

He’d come to this meeting knowing the council wouldn’t pull their punches.

“You had no right to act on your own!” Erik’s voice detonated the silence as he faced Caleb, spine straight, chin lifted. “No plan. No consultation. You took warriors into unknown territory, into a fight that wasn’t ours!”

“I made the call as your alpha.” Caleb’s voice remained level despite the challenge in the elder’s posture.

Without breaking eye contact, he allowed his aura to expand, filling the chamber—a quiet reminder of his position.

He kept his gaze fixed on Erik until the elder averted his eyes.

“I acted on instinct because there wasn’t time to convene a meeting. Lives were at stake.”

“Lives were also at stake here,” Erik shot back, expression hardening. “What if you hadn’t come back? What if Asher hadn’t survived? Crescent Fang is small, Caleb. Every loss cuts deeper for us than for packs like Bloodstone.”

Fenrir surged forward at the mention of Asher. Caleb’s canines sharpened as a subtle flash of gold brightened his eyes.

Elder Norvik leaned forward. “You’re young, Caleb. That fire in your chest is admirable, but dangerous.” Each word selected deliberately, a reminder of the past costs of Caleb’s impulsivity. “You’re not just a wolf anymore—you’re our alpha. Your decisions affect us all.”

Something cold settled in Caleb’s gut as he felt the leash tighten, pulling him back from the edge of action as it had done for over a decade.

Fenrir’s voice hummed in the back of his mind, steady and encouraging. “Lead, Caleb. Show them the alpha you are.”

Caleb’s hands rested on the table, fingers splaying wide as he leaned forward.

“I hear your concerns.” He spoke through clenched teeth.

“But let me be clear—I am not the same wolf who stood before you at sixteen, shaking in fear after we were attacked again.” He straightened, aura sharpening, touching every wolf in the room.

“ I am the Alpha of Crescent Fang. Selene’s favored.

I carry the reincarnation of the first wolf.

” He paused, eyes flaring gold, Fenrir fully present.

“I respect your wisdom, but the final say will always be mine !”

The room erupted.

Erik’s hand slammed against the table as he leaned forward. “Respect isn’t enough when your choices endanger our pack!”

Caleb’s voice rose. “Endanger? If anything, what happened at Bloodstone saved lives!”

The shouting grew louder, voices overlapping as council members shifted in their seats—some leaning forward aggressively, others subtly angling their bodies toward Caleb in unconscious alignment with their alpha.

A low-frequency growl, too deep for human ears but felt by every wolf in the room, rumbled from Caleb’s chest.

Frustration boiled over.

Claws extended.

Wood splintered beneath his palms.

He was seconds from losing control when Adolphus stood abruptly.

“ Enough !” Adolphus thundered, silencing the room, fist slamming onto the table.

His chair toppled back as he shoved to his feet.

The elite warrior’s chest heaved, voice rising with unrestrained frustration.

“The arguing is pointless!” Adolphus jabbed a finger toward the table.

“We are not talking about what actually matters—what happened on the Bloodstone lands yesterday!”

Adolphus’s gaze swept the room, daring anyone to interrupt. “They are our neighbors ! That could have easily been our lands the rogues targeted. Yes, we’re battered, and Asher was injured, but we came back alive . And we saved the lives of wolves who are part of our community, aligned or not!”

The room fell silent. Adolphus’s words hung between them, undeniable. Norvik, who had been leaning forward in challenge only moments before, nodded his grizzled head.

Caleb’s shoulders lowered incrementally, claws retracting from the gouges they’d carved in the wooden table. His breath came easier as the council’s attention pivoted to the greater threat.

“What happened out there?” Erik asked finally, tone less accusatory.

Caleb gestured for Adolphus and Skol to take over, and they walked the group through the attack—the organized formations, the silver weapons, the calculated retreat that signaled outside coordination.

Garreth frowned. “That doesn’t sound like rogues at all.”

“They had the scent,” Caleb confirmed. “That sour tang you can’t mistake for anything else. But their behavior? It’s unprecedented.”

The council exchanged uneasy glances. Erik rubbed his temples. “Then this threat extends beyond Bloodstone. Their escalation demands our preparation.”

The conversation shifted into strategy. Garreth suggested focusing on Crescent Fang’s connections, trying to build more interest to rally the Collective. Erik emphasized the need for more information, urging Caleb to establish communication lines with other pack leaders.

“We need to notify as many packs as possible,” Erik said, hands steepled as he spoke. “But we can’t stretch ourselves too thin.”

“I agree,” Caleb replied. “We’ll start with our closest connection, Moonshadow. Bloodstone, Redridge—they’ve already been hit. They may know how best to spread the word. We can take our lead from them.”

As the discussion continued, Caleb shared details about Bloodstone’s casualties—over twenty dead, with more injured. “The silver poisoning means the death toll may rise in the coming days,” he said grimly. “I expect the funeral rites will be held within the week. I intend to go.”

Erik’s brow arched. “And what do you expect from this? A formal alliance?”

Caleb straightened in his chair, hands resting on the table as he met Erik’s gaze. He hesitated momentarily, lips pressing into a thin line as he gathered his thoughts. When he spoke, his voice carried a quiet intensity that commanded the room.

“I saw wolves fall, Erik. Wolves whose lives we couldn’t save.

” His hands fisted against the wood, knuckles paling as battle memories replayed in his mind.

The chaos, blood, and scent of death lingered like a shadow.

“We were fortunate. We came back with our lives intact, but they weren’t so lucky.

Attending their funeral rites isn’t about alliances or politics. ”

Caleb’s hazel eyes swept across the table, meeting the elders’ wary stares.

“It’s about honoring the souls that fought, the lives that Selene has welcomed back into her embrace.

” He paused, lungs burning as he forced each breath to remain controlled.

“It’s what you do for neighbors, for the wolves who share our community. It’s what’s right.”

As the meeting adjourned, Erik lingered, studying Caleb for a long moment, something shifting in his weathered features. The hard lines around the elder’s mouth smoothed away, eyes no longer narrowed in judgment as he approached.

“I owe you an apology,” he began, voice carrying a note of humility. “You’re not that scared pup anymore. You’ve grown into a strong, capable alpha. What happened then wasn’t your fault, and Asher’s injury isn’t either.”

Caleb swallowed hard, Erik’s apology and absolution landing harder than he’d expected.

For twelve years, he’d carried guilt, adhered to the council’s careful guidance, their protective boundaries, the unspoken question of whether he was truly ready to lead without catastrophe following in his wake.

He’d told himself their caution was just politics, just tradition, but Erik’s words peeled away that pretense, revealing a truth he hadn’t dared hope to ever hear.

Erik exhaled, shoulders sagging. “I’ve watched you grow, Caleb.

From a young wolf who needed guidance to an alpha who leads with conviction.

I still see that pup who came to us after losing everything, but it’s time for us to let go.

” He paused, studying Caleb’s face intently.

“You’ve learned all we can teach you. Now it’s time for us to trust you. ”

Erik’s words settled over Caleb like a benediction, a quiet moment of passing the torch. Before he could speak, the elder continued.

“Maybe I was wrong.” Erik chuckled, the tension breaking. “Perhaps you really are the light.”

Caleb allowed himself a small smile as Erik’s faith bolstered him. His shoulders set into a new certainty, spine straightened by true acceptance. Fenrir uncoiled within him, stretching through his limbs with languid satisfaction.

“You are ready, Caleb.” The wolf’s approval manifested as a pleasant shiver down his spine, his skin warming with shared pride. “You have always been.”