When Kira woke the next morning, Derek wasn’t beside her. She reached for him through the mind-link, but it wouldn’t connect. She knew straight away he wasn’t anywhere near the palace, and she wondered where on earth he’d got to.
She sat up, stretched, yawned, and was about to swing her legs out of bed when her eyes landed on the nightstand. A note sat tucked under the lamp. She picked it up and unfolded it.
It was Derek’s handwriting. She smiled as she read it.
You looked so beautiful and peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. Don’t miss me too much. I’ve gone to tie up loose ends. See you at the council later.
A small frown creased her brow. What loose ends? She sighed, folded the note back up, slipped it into the nightstand drawer, and got up to start her day.
Once she was dressed and about to sit down to do her hair and makeup, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," she called, not bothering to look up.
The door creaked open and Braxton stepped inside, hands clasped behind his back. Kira let out a resigned sigh, not ready for whatever lecture her twin brother had brought with him today.
"Look, Braxton—" she started.
"Today is the D-day," he said, before she could get any further.
She turned properly to face him then, and whatever fight she’d been gathering in her shoulders eased out of her at the sight of him. There was no edge in his voice, no lecture waiting behind his eyes. Just his usual steadiness.
"Yes," she said, turning back to the mirror and fidgeting with a hairpin to give her hands something to do. "What brings you here?"
"You’ve been avoiding me." His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of hurt underneath it that he didn’t quite manage to hide.
She met his eyes in the mirror. "Because I’m tired of your nagging."
"Nagging?" One eyebrow lifted, and something like disappointment crossed his face. "I was only ever trying to look out for you, Kira. My intentions were never bad where you’re concerned. I suppose I go the extra mile because you never had anyone doing that for you for years."
She closed her eyes, guilt pressing gently against her chest. "I know, Braxton. I know. But I need you to trust that I can make good decisions too."
She turned to face him fully this time, softening. "I really do appreciate everything you and Mum have done for me since we found each other again."
"You don’t need to thank us for that." He crossed the room and stopped in front of her, his voice steady and warm. "We’re family. Looking out for each other isn’t a favour, it’s just what we do."
Kira felt something loosen in her chest, and she gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Braxton."
He nodded, then drew his hidden hand out from behind his back and held out a small box along with a folded note. "This isn’t actually why I came, though. Viktor sent this over for you. He told me what happened between you two."
Kira took the box carefully and lifted the lid. Nestled inside was a gold bracelet. Her breath caught, just slightly, and a smile spread slowly across her face as she lifted it out and turned it between her fingers.
"This is gorgeous," she whispered, almost to herself.
"He said you told him to stop coming round," Braxton said, watching her expression carefully.
"Yeah. I did." She slid the bracelet onto her wrist and fastened the clasp, her thumb brushing over the cool metal for a moment before she let her hand drop. "It’s high time I went back to school."
Braxton shrugged, turned towards the door, then paused with his hand on the frame and looked back at her. "For what it’s worth, you have my blessing with the King. Anyone with eyes can see how much he loves you."
Something warm rose in Kira’s chest at that, and she looked at her brother with surprise. "Thank you, Braxton."
He gave her a small smile in return and slipped out, the door clicking softly shut behind him.
Alone again, she unfolded Viktor’s note, her fingers smoothing over the crease as she read:
Hey, I just want to say sorry again for how everything turned out. I hope you’ll take this little gift from me. Think of it as a good luck charm. I hope you win your mother’s pack back today. I’ll be there cheering you on the whole way.
She held the note a moment longer than she needed to, then folded it back up, tucked it into the box beside the bracelet’s little velvet lining, and left the room with her chin a touch higher.
***
"Serene Ironfang, step forward and present your case," the presiding elder said.
Kira drew in a slow breath, willing her hands to stop trembling at her sides, and glanced over at Derek. He gave her the smallest of smiles, barely there, but enough. She returned it, even as her heart hammered hard enough that she was certain the whole room could hear it.
Rolf had already laid out every forged document, and half the alphas in the hall stood solidly behind him.
Kira had only a scattering of Lunas from the Northern and Western regions standing with her, and she had no idea whether that thin line of support would hold against what Rolf had built.
She’d chased every lead she could find, turned over every stone looking for something solid enough to prove Moonfang had always belonged to her mother, and every single one had crumbled to nothing in her hands. All she had left were a handful of old photographs and Claire standing quietly beside her. It didn’t feel like nearly enough.
I’m scared, she admitted to Derek through the mind-link. I don’t know if this is ever going to go my way.
He looked unbothered, calm in a way that steadied her just by watching him. His thumb brushed once over her knuckles, warm and grounding. I’m certain you’ll win this.
She managed a small smile and rose to her feet, smoothing down her dress before she and Claire made their way towards the centre of the hall.
Halfway there, her eyes caught on a familiar face in the crowd. Viktor. She faltered for half a step, surprised to see him there at all, and the corner of his mouth curved into a small, knowing smirk.
She gave him a subtle nod, just enough to acknowledge him, before turning her attention back to her mother and following her the rest of the way to where Rolf stood waiting.
Kira held his stare without blinking. Rolf stared right back, that same dangerous smirk stretched across his face, the kind that made the hair on her arms rise. Whatever he had planned for today, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it.
Across the hall, in Rolf’s camp, Scott sat with his phone pressed to his ear, dialling his father’s number again and again with growing frustration.
It had been well over an hour since they’d arrived for the hearing, and his father was still nowhere in sight. He glanced sideways at Chloe, who sat rigid beside him, arms folded tightly across her chest, her gaze fixed straight ahead and refusing to meet his. He sighed, lowered the phone, and tried the number once more.
"Ms Ironfang, do you have any evidence to support your claim to Moonfang?" the elder asked.
That was the exact moment Jake walked in. He crossed the hall without a word and took the empty seat beside Scott, who turned to stare at him, baffled.
"Where have you been, Dad? It’s been over an hour," Scott hissed.
"I was busy," Jake said simply, already reaching into his briefcase and pulling out a thick folder.
Scott’s eyes dropped to the papers. "What are those for?"
Jake glanced at him, something unreadable flickering across his face. "These will reveal everything."
Scott let out a huff of frustration and turned his attention back to the council, unease creeping up his spine.
Kira drew a breath, steadying herself. "Well, I don’t have any—"
Rolf burst into laughter again and looked at the council of elders.
"Are we really doing this again? It’s obvious this little brat has come here just to waste our time. Why do we keep getting summoned every single day only to end up right back where we started?"
"You burned all the evidence!" Claire shot back, her voice sharp with anger.
Rolf sneered at her. "All you can do is rant. Do you actually have any proof?"
"Yes!" Jake rose to his feet, his voice cutting cleanly through the noise. "I have solid evidence to prove exactly who the rightful owner of this territory is."
Rolf spun round to face his beta, his brows snapping into a hard frown.
Jake walked calmly to the centre of the hall, meeting Rolf’s glare without flinching.
"What are you doing?" Rolf demanded, his voice low and tight.
"Putting an end to all of this," Jake replied.