Alpha's Regret: Marked By The Lycan King

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Alpha Authority

Estelle’s POV

Asher’s face twisted with confusion and rage. “What do you mean by that?”

I kept my expression neutral, watching as his composure cracked. “You can’t possibly expect me to manage Moonveil without any real authority.”

“I already agreed to name you Luna,” he snapped. “Why are you talking about Alpha authority? Those are completely different things. The Alpha and Luna have different responsibilities.”

I tilted my head. “What exactly do you want me to do when I come back to Moonveil?”

“Rebuild the pack, obviously,” Asher said, gesturing impatiently. “Pull in allies, manage the various sectors, and handle negotiations. You know, fix what’s broken.”

I nodded. Those were also the things that I previously did for Moonveil. He simply wanted me to resume my role. However, he hadn’t realized one crucial thing.

“Some of those are Alpha tasks,” I pointed out calmly. “Not Luna duties.”

Asher opened his mouth, then closed it. His face went blank as he processed my words.

As a Luna, my duties would be to take care of the pack’s internal affairs, most of which were community matters, things that wouldn’t determine the well-being of the pack on such a large and critical scale. However, things like handling negotiations and managing every individual sector were things that the Alpha had to do.

Asher had simply forgotten what the proper responsibilities of the Alpha and Luna were because I had been doing half of his job for him without asking for anything in return. The pack may have called me their Luna on occasion, but Asher had never even officially named me Luna.

I smiled. “Don’t worry. In the event Moonveil encounters a territory dispute, you can still be the one to lead the warriors into battle. That’s traditionally an Alpha responsibility too.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Ashley was still on the floor, clutching her scattered files. Nigel stood frozen by the window. River crossed his arms, clearly enjoying the show.

Nobody could argue because they all knew I was right.

I walked toward the door, my footsteps echoing in the quiet room. “Think it through carefully before reaching out to me again, Asher. I hope our next meeting won’t be a waste of time like this one was.”

River followed without a word. Neither of us looked back.

***

By the time we returned to Blackmoon, the sun was hanging low in the afternoon sky. I was discussing warrior rotations with River near the training grounds when Caleb jogged over.

“Estelle,” he called out, slightly breathless. “The lycan palace sent word. They’re asking you to come over.”

I frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Caleb shook his head. “The Queen Dowager called for you specifically. From what my father described, it sounds like Josephine just wants some company.”

Caleb then glanced between us. “You’re in the middle of reviewing patrol schedules.”

River nodded.

Caleb said, “If you’re busy, I can send word declining. It seems like just a friendly visit.”

I considered this. Josephine was Zayne’s grandmother, and clearly important to him. She’d also been nothing but gracious during my last visit to the palace. There was no reason to refuse.

“I’ll go,” I decided. “In that case, River, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

River gave me a thumbs up. “You can count on me. I’ll handle the rest of today’s training.”

I headed toward the pack house to prepare for the journey to lycan territory.

***

Third POV

Back in Moonveil, Asher sat slumped in Ashley’s living room. The meeting had been a disaster, and he needed to vent to someone who would take his side.

Ashley was on the couch with Jessie, who looked very expectant. She had clearly been waiting for details about his encounter with Estelle.

“Well?” Jessie prompted. “How did it go?”

Asher ran his hands through his hair. “Terrible. Worse than terrible.”

Jessie shifted forward with curiosity. “What happened? Did she agree to come back?”

“She made demands,” Ashley said bitterly. “Ridiculous demands.”

“What kind of demands?” Jessie asked. “Let me guess. She wants special treatment? A bigger room? New clothes?”

Ashley’s face was already twisting with indignation, but she patiently waited for her brother to explain things to their mother.

“She wants Alpha authority,” Asher said flatly.

Jessie’s jaw dropped while Ashley scoffed. Having been there to witness everything unfold in person, Ashley was still filled with disbelief at the blatant disrespect that Estelle had shown. They had been gracious enough to offer her the title of Luna, and yet, Estelle still made such ridiculous demands.

The position of Alpha should never be passed down to a woman, especially one who wasn’t their own flesh and blood.

“What do you mean Alpha authority?” Jessie asked slowly.

“She said she won’t help rebuild Moonveil unless I give her half the power of an Alpha. Can you believe that?”

Jessie shot to her feet, nearly dropping the baby blanket she’d been folding. “Are you kidding me? She asked for half the authority of an Alpha?”

Her voice was shrill with outrage.

“Please!” Ashley scoffed. “Can’t you tell already? She’s just trying to embarrass you! She doesn’t actually want to help Moonveil at all!”