The Alpha's Call Book 4

LYLA

“Lyla Green! Approach the council,” Cardinal Mercer commanded as he looked down on me from the lectern.

I walked slowly across the sprawling basilica courtroom, where Mercer, the Moon Goddess, and the entire Holy Council sat elevated above me in a single row.

I stood before them; ready to face my punishment.

I’d caused quite a stir within the Church with my display at the festival, and no one was happy about it.

“You stand accused of blasphemy, insubordination, and disruptive behavior,” Mercer said, the corners of his mouth twitching as he held back a smirk.

So…maybe stir was putting it lightly.

I doubted even one member of the clergy would be sympathetic toward me, given all the glares pointed in my direction.

The Moon Goddess wore a stoic, unreadable expression.

“You have embarrassed the Church and the Goddess with your outburst at the festival, interrupting a sacred tradition,” Mercer sneered at me from his perch. “As a member of the Holy Moon Guard, this behavior is unacceptable. What do you have to say about your actions?”

What did I have to say for myself?

I’d better choose my words carefully…

Because whatever I said would decide my fate.

As Sebastian impatiently tapped his claws on the kitchen table in his quarters, I could feel an argument brewing.

After the eclipse, I was placed on temporary leave from my Moon Guardian position until my scheduled court martial with the Moon Goddess had decided on a verdict.

I’d made a huge mess of things and pretty much ruined any good favor that I’d gained with the Goddess.

Something Sebastian had no issue reminding me of…

“I’m just saying that if you wanted to put a stop to the tradition, there might’ve been a more tactful way to do it,” he said for the tenth time.

“Stop calling it a tradition,” I responded, annoyed. “It was vile and barbaric. It was public ~torture!~”

I understood his frustration with me. We’d finally secured the safety of our pack, only to have it ripped away almost immediately.

But I couldn’t stand idly by while Adele was viciously humiliated for sport.

“The Moon Goddess seemed like a reasonable person when I spoke with her before,” I said, massaging Sebastian’s shoulders, trying to ease the tension. “Maybe I can get through to her. We don’t know for sure that she’ll go back on her word.”

“Lyla, we’ll be lucky if they don’t run us out of this city with tar and feathers,” he said in a low growl.

“Well, I’m not done fighting,” I said resolutely. “I’ll find a way through this.”

Sebastian sighed, knowing I wouldn’t back down. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

“We’ll find a way through this,” he said, admiration in his voice. “You might be impulsive and headstrong, but I know you made your decision out of the goodness of your heart, and I would never hold that against you.”

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. “I’m so lucky to have you as my mate.”

“We’re in this together,” he said, lightly rubbing my back. “Forever and always.”

Just like Sebastian said, my decision to protect Adele was from my heart. And I knew it was the right thing to have done.

If I had the chance to go back and do it differently... I wouldn’t.

Adele deserved the same rights as everyone else.

All the half-breeds did.

I had voiced my opinion very publicly.

And I stood by it.

SEBASTIAN

I’d love Lyla no matter what she did. And as much as her decision put our pack in a bad way, she had done it for the right reasons.

That integrity was part of the reason I loved her so much.

But if the Holy City withdrew the support it had only just returned to us...

I was running out of viable options.

There were no more contests for Lyla to prove herself...

There were no more favors left with the Moon Goddess...

So, what the hell were we going to do?

I’d had a backup plan for a while, but it was the nuclear option, meaning I really, really didn’t want to use it.

The very bottom of the well.

The absolute last resort.

My Uncle Arthur.

There was bad blood between us... For as long as I could remember.

My parents and Arthur had cut ties long ago, and because of them, so had I.

Uncle Arthur was a liar...

A cheat...

A dirty, rotten scoundrel.

The family scandal-maker.

And a huge fucking prick.

But he was also filthy rich.

And it just so happened that one of his estates wasn’t far from here, in Monaco. Home of the richest of the rich.

Monaco was on the French Riviera, so having a face-to-face meeting wouldn’t be impossible, but the problem would be getting him to agree to it in the first place.

Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did...

It wouldn’t be easy.

CASPIAN

The past few days had been especially rough on Adele. Her public abuse at the hands of Cardinal Mercer had shaken her to her very core.

Despite how fucked up it was, she was still expected to show up to work, or she’d be fired.

It only proved how resilient and amazing she was that she could walk back into the basilica with her head held high and do her job.

But that didn’t mean I was happy about it…

After what had happened at the festival, I didn’t want to let her out of my sight for even a moment.

So, I spent my days watching Adele in secret while she worked.

Every time a noble talked down to her, or a member of the clergy treated her like shit, it took every ounce of my willpower not to jump out and fight them.

But I knew Adele hated violence.

And I also knew she wouldn’t want me to intervene.

I couldn’t anyway—doing so would put our relationship at risk.

For now, all I could do was watch.

And speaking of watches…

I glanced down at my wristwatch and my eyes bulged out of my head when I saw the time.

Fuck! If I don’t leave now, Adele will get home before me, and I’ll have to explain myself!

She usually came over to my quarters when she got off of work, so I needed to get there first.

Luckily, my injuries from the Ring of Combat had finally healed; I didn’t need the crutches anymore, but I still wasn’t at one hundred percent.

I made it back to my place just moments before Adele knocked on the door. I hurriedly opened it, panting and out of breath.

“Hey, baby,” I said, clutching my side and breathing heavily.

She gave me a knowing smirk and came inside. “Are you okay? You seem a little winded,” she said in a teasing tone.

“Oh, I uh… I was just working out,” I grunted.

“Caspian…I know you’ve been following me around while I’m at work,” she said, sitting down on the bed and smiling.

“You…you knew?” I asked, slack-jawed.

“I love you, but you’re not as stealthy as you think,” she said with a laugh. “Subtlety is not one of your strong suits.”

“Are you mad?” I asked, sitting next to her.

“No, I appreciate it,” she replied, putting her head on my shoulder. “It makes me feel safe, knowing that you’re watching over me. I just want you to be careful. If the wrong person found out about us…”

“That won’t happen,” I said, holding her tightly. “I won’t let anyone tear us apart.”

I kissed my mate passionately, feeling a feverish love for her. She was the most important person in the world to me, and I’d never let any harm come to her.

Adele fell back on the bed and my body followed along with her. She wrapped her legs around my waist.

My hand reached underneath her skirt, and she let out a little moan as I pulled down her panties and my fingers slid inside her.

My mate may not have been impressed with my stealth skills, but I knew I had other skills that would mesmerize her.

I ducked underneath her skirt and spread her legs apart, dipping my tongue into her wet, warm sex.

She tasted like honey and lavender.

So sumptuous and sweet.

I savored her with every flick of my tongue. Her moaning was uncontrollable now.

She couldn’t get enough.

I shimmied out of my pants and pressed my cock into her pussy as her claws dug into my back.

She was tight at first, but after she relaxed, I filled her with my girth completely.

I eased in and out, slowly.

“So…big,” she moaned.

I could feel her cumming as I thrust in and out with increasing intensity.

“Caspian… Oh my Goddess! YES!”

Hearing her scream my name made me feel like a king.

And I was going to make sure she felt my scepter as long as I could hold out…

Eventually my mate’s moans, and the expression of ecstasy on her face, put me over the edge.

I pulled out, but as I was about to cum in the sheets, Adele grabbed my cock and pointed it at her breasts.

“I want you all over me,” she urged.

Anything for you, my queen.

She watched lovingly as I came, my seed cascading down her supple bosom.

I collapsed next to her in an exhausted heap.

“You have the stamina of ten wolves,” she said, looking equally worn out.

I kissed her forehead and she nestled into my body. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you too,” she replied. “I just wish that we didn’t have to hide it.”

As I stared into her eyes, I imagined what our future might be like.

One where we didn’t have to hide our love.

“Maybe I can take you away from here. Back to my pack. Where the laws don’t matter. In the Blue Moon Pack, we make our own laws,” I said, getting excited by the prospect of bringing my new mate home.

Adele sighed and clasped my hand. “That sounds nice.”

But there was no excitement in her voice…

Instead, there was a hint of sadness.

LYLA

Sebastian walked me to the council chamber, but it was as far as he could go.

“I wish I could support you in there,” he said, giving me a tight hug.

It didn’t surprise me that Mercer wanted me to feel alone during my court martial, but I was honestly glad I was going in by myself.

I didn’t want to see the disappointment on Sebastian’s face if things went south.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, pulling away from his embrace. “Just have a bottle of wine ready for me at home.”

“I believe in you,” he said as two Moon Guardians opened the chamber doors.

I was comforted that my mate believed in me…

But would the Moon Goddess?

***

What do you have to say about your actions?

Mercer’s question echoed in my mind.

And I knew my answer.

“I apologize to the Moon Goddess for my brazenness, but I do not regret my actions,” I said firmly. “I stand by my statement that the so-called tradition was barbaric and cruel.”

The council mumbled to one another as Mercer’s lips curled into an evil smile. He’d expected me to say this.

“You’ve shown contempt for the Church, and I no longer find you fit to serve as a Moon Guardian. You will be stripped of your title and rank at once,” he sneered. Two Moon Guardians approached to take my armor.

Stripped not just of my rank, but of my dignity.

This is how I’ll be remembered…

Not hallowed in the Hall of Heroes.

Or celebrated on the wall of champions in the arena.

No, I’ll be considered a stain on the Holy Moon Guard, just like my father.

“Your time here is over,” Mercer said, almost gleefully. “You’ll receive a dishonorable dis—”

“DIE YOU FUCKING IMPOSTER! YOU’RE NOT A GODDESS! YOU’RE A FUCKING LIE!”

A raggedy, bearded man suddenly appeared out of the shadows, climbing down from the rafters.

He jumped to the bannister of the Holy Sigil hanging above the council, and slid down it, landing on the platform.

His eyes were filled with madness, and his voice with pain.

I drew my claws and climbed the towering lectern as the council began to scream and scatter.

The Moon Goddess tried to run, but she tripped over her elaborate robes. She froze as the assassin lunged at her, brandishing a silver dagger.

Without even thinking, I lunged forward too.

It felt like time slowed down as we careened toward the Goddess, but the fatal question was…

Who will reach her first?