Some moments later I was called to the council.....
The council chamber was filled with tension.
Joel stood at the head of the long table, his fists planted firmly on the polished wood, his entire body vibrating with rage.
I stood across from him—arms crossed, face impassive—weathering the storm.
"You did what?" Joel demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "You fought him?"
I nodded once, unbothered. "I did."
Murmurs rippled through the gathered Silvermoon council.
Joel’s eyes narrowed. "Without informing me?"
I arched my brow. "I didn’t realize I needed permission to accept a challenge."
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
"You know who Cassius is, Athena," Joel growled. "You know what he’s capable of. You should have reported his offer immediately."
I responded lazily, unsure of why it was such a big deal. "I handled it."
Joel slammed his palm down on the table, making the council members flinch.
"You shouldn’t have had to!"
Silence fell heavy and sharp.
Joel took a breath, visibly struggling to rein in his temper.
"You belong here. In Silvermoon. Not parading yourself before tyrants."
The word stung more than I wanted to admit.
Parading.
As if I had gone to Cassius begging.
I straightened slowly, I refused to be in a situation where I was looked down on again. So I said.
"I don’t belong to anyone, Joel," I said quietly.
Shock flickered across the room.
Even Joel recoiled slightly, as if he had been struck.
Joel exhaled harshly. "You’re part of this pack, Athena. You owe—"
"I owe nothing," I interrupted, my voice sharp and clear. "I earned my place here. Every scar. Every battle. Every life I protected."
I stepped forward, my boots echoing sharply in the heavy silence.
"You should understand me better than anyone else. The type of woman I have fought to become."
I stopped just short of Joel, meeting his furious gaze head-on.
"I don’t bend for anyone."
It felt as though the room held its breath.
Joel’s fists unclenched slowly, his face hard as stone.
Finally, he gave a short, stiff nod.
"Then stay, remain in Silvermoon. You said you don’t bend for anyone, so don’t agree to Cassius’ proposal."
I didn’t answer.
Because the truth was...I wasn’t sure anymore.
Joel dismissed the council with a wave of his hand, and the room emptied quickly, relief in every step.
I turned to leave.
But he summoned me again at dawn.
A knock at my door, a Silvermoon warrior bowing stiffly, avoiding my gaze.
"Alpha Joel requests your presence," he said.
I almost refused.
Almost slammed the door and went back to sharpening my blades.
But curiosity was a dangerous thing.
The council chamber was empty when I arrived.
Just Joel, standing with, his arms crossed, his face unusually unreadable.
For a long moment, he didn’t speak.
Just watched me.
I waited.
Unmoving.
Unflinching.
Finally, he exhaled slowly and stepped forward.
"Athena," he said, and something in his voice sounded...different.
"You’ve served Silvermoon with loyalty, strength, and honor," Joel said. "You’ve rebuilt yourself stronger than anyone I’ve ever known."
I said nothing.
Compliments from Joel didn’t feel like it wasn’t without purpose now.
He took another step closer, his gaze hardening.
"But your power...it draws attention.
From outsiders.
From enemies."
He didn’t need to say Cassius’s name.
I understood it anyway.
Joel’s jaw tightened.
"I can’t afford to lose you, Athena."
I tilted my head slightly, heart pounding with unease.
"I didn’t realize I was property to be kept."
His mouth pressed into a thin line.
"That’s not what I meant."
But it was.
And we both knew it.
Joel stepped even closer now, close enough that I caught the faint scent of pine and iron that always clung to him.
"I’m offering a solution," he said quietly.
My stomach twisted.
"I will take you as my mate," Joel continued, voice low, almost coaxing.
"We’ll rule Silvermoon together. Solidify your place. End any talk of you leaving."
He thought I would say yes.
That I would grasp at it—grateful, desperate, shackled by duty.
He thought mating me would secure my loyalty permanently.
He thought binding me would make me stay.
For a long moment, I just stared at him.
At the man who had once given me a second chance when I was broken and bleeding.
At the Alpha who now saw me as a pawn to be claimed.
Slowly, deliberately, I took a step back.
"No," I said.
Joel’s expression flickered—shock, confusion, anger—all crashing together before settling into a cold mask.
"You would throw away everything we’ve built?" he said quietly.
"For what? More power?"
I smiled then.
But it wasn’t a kind smile.
It was a wolf’s smile.
"I didn’t build myself just to be owned by another man’s ambition," I said softly.
Joel’s eyes hardened into steel.
"You’re making a mistake, Athena," he said, voice cold and controlled.
"There won’t be another offer. Refuse me, and you’ll be nothing here. No rank. No protection."
The threat hung between us, sour and heavy.
I clenched my fists, my smile widening slightly.
"You think you’re offering me salvation," I said quietly. "But you’re just offering me another fancier cage."
His jaw flexed, but he said nothing.
I took another step back, putting distance between us.
I wasn’t his Beta anymore.
Not his soldier.
Not his possession.
"You think you built me, Joel?" I asked softly, almost kindly.
"You didn’t. Pain did. Betrayal did. Survival did."
The fire crackled behind him, casting sharp shadows across his face.
He looked so damn different suddenly.
Not the powerful Alpha I had once respected.
Just another man desperate to hold onto something slipping through his fingers.
"You walk away now," Joel said, voice low and deadly, "don’t expect this pack to welcome you back."
I shrugged.
"I don’t plan to come back."
His mouth tightened into a bitter line, but he didn’t speak again.
There was nothing left to say.
I turned my back on him without hesitation, without regret.