Page 71 of Half Wolf Mate

“Cole,” one of them greeted.

I noted he didn’t address him as Alpha Cole.

“What’s this?” Cole asked, glancing around at the crowd. “I requested a private meeting with the elder. This looks an awful lot like a trial already.”

One elder stepped forward and descended the steps. “Why delay it, Cole? The entire pack knows of your betrayal.”

“There was no betrayal.” Violet stepped out of the crowd and walked toward us. “How is claiming one’s fated mate a betrayal?”

I gazed at her with appreciation as she joined Damian and Alex, who stood behind Cole and me.

“Violet, you understand if you support the former Alpha—”

“Just a second, Caleb,” Cole said. He glanced at me and nodded. This was it. He was going to step down before the elders disgraced him. I nodded back and let go of his hand. He walked up the steps to stand in front of the elder called Caleb. He towered over the man by several inches. “You don’t get the satisfaction of kicking me out of my position. I’m stepping down as Alpha. Therefore, there doesn’t need to be a trial. I’ll gladly go my way.”

Gasps and murmurs circulated. Hushed conversations erupted.

“Quiet!” Caleb shouted. He glowered at Cole as everyone went silent. “And you don’t get the satisfaction of escaping trial. You betrayed this pack.”

“I did nothing wrong. I had every right to claim my mate.”

“She’s a hunter.”

“She’s not.” Dominic appeared out of the crowd. “Sydney is one of us. Her mother was once a part of this pack. She has a place here.”

“A hunter’s daughter will never have a place here,” Caleb argued.

“She’s not her father.” That was Stephan. He, too stepped out.

Now, Cole and I were surrounded by Damian, Alex, Violet, Stephan, and Dominic—Cole’s faithful few.

Caleb’s face reddened. He sneered, “You’re all traitors for standing with Cole and his half-breed bit—”

“Don’t think I won’t rip your throat out because you’re an elder,” Cole growled.

“You know the punishment for harming an elder,” one of the others said.

“No one disrespects my mate and gets away with it.” Cole fixed Caleb with an icy stare, and the man shrank back.

I held my breath, hoping things didn’t get out of hand. Cole was already in hot water.

Just as Cole was about to speak again, Alex turned to the crowd and said, “Alpha Cole isn’t the traitor here. You all are!” For once, he looked serious. There wasn’t a trace of his signature teasing smirk. “He’s been nothing but loyal to all of you since he took over from his father. He’s never led any of us astray. He’s provided for many of you financially when he didn’t have to. Cole is the only Alpha who has ever achieved this many years of peace between other packs and us.”

Alex turned to the elders, and his expression twisted with disgust. “You lot are supposed to bring wisdom to the pack. It’s been Cole who has acted with wisdom all these years. Leave the pack up to you five, and the Moon Guardians will go to hell in a handbasket.”

Violet snickered but quickly contained herself. She pursed her lips and stared at the ground, but her shoulders shook with restrained laughter. I almost smiled, too, as I watched Alex with gratitude. I’d never forget the way the guys stood up for Cole. For me. My heart constricted because I was a part of a pack, after all. A small one comprising four guys and one girl who would follow my mate to hell and back if he asked them to. And they accepted me as their Luna.

“Alex is right!” A man from the crowd shouted. “Cole has led this pack with no issues for years. He’s a good Alpha. The best we’ve ever had.”

Cole’s gaze snapped in the voice’s direction. He looked stunned.

“I agree!”

Soon, words of agreement surrounded us.

“If Alpha Cole steps down, I no longer want to be a part of this pack.” A girl, who looked to be just a teen, said. An older woman tried to grab her shoulder in warning, but she stepped forward anyway. “Alex is right. If we allow the elders to kick our Alpha out, we’re the traitors. Alpha Cole has been good to us.”

“He even rejected his mate for us,” someone else said. “How much more loyal can an alpha get? Let him claim his half-human mate. It’s his right. If he trusts her, so do I,” the man added.

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