Chapter 224: Chapter 224 Blood and Secrets
Author
Elara was not the only one surprised. Alpha Dominic was too.
The pack council meeting ran long that morning. Way too long.
The elders spent two hours arguing about a rogue pack up north that kept crossing into Wolfe territory.
They killed livestock. They left marks on trees. They were testing boundaries.
Alpha Dominic let them talk in circles until he got tired of hearing the same points for the third time.
"We will send a patrol," he said.
The room went quiet. That was the thing about Alpha Dominic. When he spoke as Alpha King, people listened.
"Silas, you lead it. Take twelve wolves. Show them whose land they are on."
Silas was old enough to have served Alpha Dominic’s grandfather. He just nodded. No questions.
The other elders filed out slowly. Some were still muttering about winter supplies and pack strategy. Their scents stayed behind in the air. Old wolf. Woodsmoke. That sharp alpha smell that never washed out of old fur.
Yardley was about to leave when Alpha Dominic called out.
"Hold up."
Alpha Dominic leaned against the table. He spun a silver pen between his fingers. It had the Wolfe crest on it. A gift from their father.
He waited until the last elder left the room. He waited until the heavy oak door clicked shut. He waited until the only sounds were the fire crackling and the weight of being brothers.
"Marriage certificate. Group chat. Announcement." Alpha Dominic tossed the pen down. "You move fast."
Yardley looked back. "You got a problem with that?"
"Me?" Alpha Dominic shoved his hands in his pockets. His shoulders looked relaxed on purpose. "You are my big brother. Why would I have a problem with that?"
A beat.
The fire popped.
"I am just curious." Alpha Dominic’s voice dropped lower. It was not a threat. It was a reminder. Of who he was. What he was. "You did not pressure her into this, did you? Because if you talked that girl into something she did not want..."
"Do I look like that kind of man?"
Alpha Dominic did not answer. He just raised an eyebrow. His face said everything. Seriously?
Yardley did not flinch. A weaker wolf would have looked away. Standing in front of the Alpha King, taking that look. But Yardley just stood there. Ten seconds. Fifteen.
Alpha Dominic blinked first. Barely.
Yardley turned toward the door. Alpha Dominic followed, his tone lighter now.
"But for real. Nancy is good with Orion. Elara likes her too. That works out nice."
They walked down the corridor. Portraits lined both walls. Six generations of Wolfe Alpha Kings stared down at them, watching their bloodline keep going.
"One thing, though." Alpha Dominic’s voice got sharper. "What happens when Orion’s real mother shows up? You are not single anymore."
Yardley stopped walking.
He did not growl. His eyes did not turn gold. He just went still. The kind of still that predators recognize.
He looked over his shoulder. "Who told you she is not his real mother?"
Alpha Dominic frowned. "What?"
"Exactly what I said." Yardley turned around. His voice was quiet. Quieter than Alpha Dominic’s. But it cut through the air like a blade. "She is Orion’s biological mother. I just brought my wife home."
The words landed hard.
Alpha Dominic’s smirk slipped. His jaw moved as he processed what he just heard.
"She had amnesia," Yardley said. "She just found out Orion is her son. And she does not know that I know why she married me."
The truth hung between them like smoke.
Alpha Dominic opened his mouth. Closed it. He rubbed his thumb against his nose and let it sink in.
When he looked up, the smirk came back. Softer this time. A brother’s smirk, not a king’s.
"Alright." He folded his arms. "So what happens when she remembers everything and decides she wants nothing to do with you?"
Yardley held his gaze. Gray eyes. The color of winter clouds.
Then he smiled. Small. Sharp.
"Does Elara know you have been planning to make her yours from day one?"
Alpha Dominic’s smirk froze on his face.
Yardley kept going. His voice stayed light, like he was making small talk. "The great Alpha King. Playing the long game. If that ever got out..."
"Alright, alright." Alpha Dominic raised his hand. The smirk broke apart into something almost human. "You are my big brother. I surrender. Happy?"
Yardley turned toward the door. "Good. Surrender accepted."
"You are all talk."
Yardley did not look back. "I have a wife and a pup."
A pause. "What do you have?"
The door clicked shut behind him.
Alpha Dominic stood there, staring at the empty space where his brother had been.
He didn’t say a word for a long time.
