Page 63 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

“All you had to do was marry the Silver Fang girl and secure our alliance,” Elder Vance spat, his glare dripping with disdain. “And you couldn’t even do that. Now you want to reason with a psychopath?”

I met his glare with cold resolve. Murmurs of discontent spread through the chamber, but I ignored them. They were thinking of the immediate consequences and how vulnerable the pack was now. But I was looking beyond that.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Elder Maren scoffed.

He went ahead to answer his own question. “You’ve put us in a dangerous position. We lost too many protectors last night, which means we’re low on fighters. Without the Silver Fang alliance, we stand alone. And now that you’ve imprisoned the rogue leader, his people will come for him, and we don’t have the numbers to fight them off.”

“We have the Omegas,” I said.

Maren let out a dry laugh. “You mean untrained fighters who may not even fight for us?”

“They’re not fighting for us,” I corrected. “They’re fighting with us.”

“No, you put us in this mess,” he snapped. “Since taking the mantle of Alpha, all you’ve done is make reckless decisions. You don’t listen to the council—”

“Because this is the same council that stood by while fathers slaughtered innocents in the Beta-Omega war!” I snarled.

The room fell into a heavy silence. The elders flinched at the sharp edge in my voice, but not one of them spoke. No denials. No justifications. Just uneasy glances and tense shoulders as they shrank into their seats, hiding behind their silence.

I let out a cold scoff. “That’s what I thought. I didn’t come here seeking your approval. I came to inform you of my decision. If any of you have a problem with it, you’re welcome to step down from the council.”

I scanned the room, waiting for someone to challenge me. But no one did.

“Then it’s settled,” I pushed back my chair and rose to my feet. “I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

After the council meeting, I visited a few families who had lost loved ones in the attack, offering my condolences. It was a small gesture, but one I hoped would bring them even the slightest comfort.

By the time evening fell, I returned to the pack house, ready for my meeting with the rogue leader.

Grayson was waiting inside when I arrived. “I’ve stationed guards outside your chambers,” he said. “Just in case…you know, he tries anything.”

I gave him a pointed look. “We’re trying to broker peace, Grayson. The last thing we need is to make him feel like a prisoner.”

Grayson sighed. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“The cells. We were waiting for you before bringing him up.”

“Okay,” I said, shrugging off my coat. “Have the servants send for Tala and bring some food and wine to my chambers. Then bring him up.”

Grayson gave a nod and left to carry out the orders.

I made my way to my chambers to settle in. A few moments later, the door creaked open, and Grayson stepped inside with the rogue leader at his side.

Grayson gave me a brief nod before turning and exiting the room.

I gestured toward the table where food and wine had been laid out. “Please, sit.”

His eyes skimmed across the table and then back at me. He didn’t move. Instead, he leveled me with a hard stare. “I don’t eat with enemies.”

I exhaled slowly, keeping my composure. I didn’t expect this to be easy. “We don’t have to be enemies.”

A humorless laugh escaped him. “That’s rich, coming from someone like you.”

“I assure you,” I met his stare evenly. “You do not know someone like me.”

He sneered and stalked toward me, his movements controlled but brimming with barely restrained aggression. He stopped just short of where I sat, lowering himself to my eye level. “You Alphas are all the same, power-hungry tyrants who thrive on oppression and bloodshed. You rule through fear, pretending it’s order. You are no different from your father, Damian. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

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