Chapter 321 At The Council

Kael’s POV

We entered the council hall. Asher and his people were already there. But this time, there were more people present in the meeting. Bystanders from other packs had gathered, mostly to see what would happen between the two top-tier Alphas and who would come out on top.

Among them, only a few faces could be considered on my side. As always, most chose to follow evil and bow before the strongest out of fear.

I had always known they couldn’t stand how fast a young Alpha like me had risen to power, even after my pack was almost destroyed six years ago. They couldn’t stand that my pack now stood as one of the strongest and was not easy to defeat, and that most of them had to bow before my power, just as they once had to before my father.

Among the familiar faces I trusted, Alpha Gerald was one. I also trusted my father’s judgment in befriending him and placing faith in him.

When our gazes met, we exchanged a customary nod before he resumed talking to the Alpha beside him.

Asher and I looked at each other. He was seated on the right side of the council arrangement, while I moved to the left with my brothers.

His gaze lingered on me briefly before shifting to Raven in Jason’s arms. I could feel the fear surge through Raven the moment he saw Asher, though he maintained the composure he had practiced.

“Raven, my dear. Come to daddy?” Asher said to him, ready to come towards us.

I moved and stood before Jason to block Asher from even reaching Raven, my gaze warning him to take a step ahead.

Jason glared at Asher silently while gently caressing Raven’s back. “You don’t have to be scared of him. Daddies are with you.”

Raven stayed quiet, as if our reassurance meant little compared to the fear—or the compulsion to fear—that bastard Asher had instilled in him.

I clenched my fists. Seeing Asher reminded me of the cruelty he had inflicted on my son, and I had to make him pay for it. And more importantly, I had to make Raven understand that his daddy was the strongest of all, and that he didn’t need to fear anyone. I had to prove to him that I could protect him.

And today was the day.

“Alpha Kael, not only did you abduct my son, but now you are blatantly stopping me from even seeing him,” Asher said, a smirk playing on his lips. “You don’t know how much I have missed him since the day he was gone. Every night has been sleepless for me while remembering him.”

“I assure you, it will be the same going forward,” I countered, my voice firm and cold. “Not your son anymore.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you with eye bags from lack of sleep,” Roman stepped beside me. “That would be a sight to see.”

“We will see,” Asher said, his gaze trying to get past me to look at Raven.

He clearly had something up his sleeve that made him this confident. And he was already trying to scare Raven.

The five council members arrived. Everyone who was seated stood up to greet them.

That bastard Jeffery looked at Asher, offering him a knowing glance, then turned his gaze to us before sweeping his eyes over everyone present.

“You may all take your seats,” he said once he sat down, followed by the other four council members taking their places.

Jason made Raven sit in the chair between him and Roman, while I remained standing, waiting for the council to begin. Asher did the same. Both of us stood on either side of the council, waiting for that bastard Jeffery to start.

Jeffery opened the file in his hand and read from the document inside as he looked at Asher. “Alpha Asher, you have filed a complaint against Alpha Kael and his four brothers for abducting your son. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Asher answered.

Jeffery looked at Raven and asked, “That little boy, is he the one you are referring to?”

“Yes,” Asher replied. “The detailed proof of his identity and my relationship with him has already been provided to the council.”

Jeffery hummed as he flipped through more pages. The other council members did the same.

The bastard glanced at me from his seat, as if he finally had something in his hands to take revenge on me for the last council meeting, when I had clearly insulted him.

Today wouldn’t be any different for him.

“Alpha Kael, what do you want to say about this accusation?” Jeffery asked. “We have all the proofs that this child belongs to Alpha Asher, an heir of the RavenClaw pack. It’s a great offence. You, along with your brothers and your pack, will be punished gravely. You can’t simply steal and abduct the heir of another pack.”

“Neither is he Asher’s son,” I dropped the honorific for the bastard who hurt my son. My firm voice echoed inside the council hall. “Nor is he an heir of the RavenClaw pack.”

“Do you have proof to support your claim?” Jeffery asked. “If not, you should hand over the child to his father and spare us the trouble of going through something that will only lead to grave punishment for you and your brothers.”

“Council member Jeffery,” I looked straight into his eyes, “why are you making your own final judgement even before letting me present my side? Is this how the council works now? Listening to only one side blindly and passing judgement?”

“Things seem clear as day to me,” he said, showing me the file with documents to make his point, then looking at the other four council members. “What do you think?”

Two of them agreed with him, while the other two stayed quiet, their expressions conflicted.

“If things were as clear as day to you, there was no need for this meeting,” I countered. “You could have just passed your final judgement to my home and saved everyone from coming here.”

“Well, we can’t just do that, as I am sure you wouldn’t hand over the child, since you abducted him with great effort,” Jeffery said. “So I had to bring you here in front of all the Alphas so they can see the truth and accept the judgement of the council. It makes sending the child back to his rightful place easier and lawful. Also, we need to set an example this time so no one ever dares to commit the atrocity of abducting an heir of another pack. And we are glad you will be the one helping us set that example and create stronger rules against it.”

I raised a brow. “I feel like you aren’t here to judge, but to act as a councillor-lawyer working for Asher.” I scoffed and looked at Asher. “How convenient, when the judge is your lawyer.”

Asher smirked, his expression serious. “Because he can see the truth with the proofs I have provided.”

The smirk on my lips vanished as I looked back at Jeffery. “Stay in your place and do the job you are meant to do. Or I will make sure to remind you of your duties in a way you will never forget.”

Jeffery’s expression soured.