Chapter 3
ELERA POV
"How dare you!"
My voice rang across the silent altar, trembling with rage. For the first time since tonight began, I wasn't crying because of heartbreak. I was furious.
The elders had every right to judge me if they wanted. Aiden had every right to reject me if that was truly what he wished. Even Evelyn could hate me if it made her happy. But they had no right, absolutely no right, to drag my late parents into this.
I turned slowly toward Elder James, my chest rising and falling with every shaky breath. "How dare you mention my parents?" I demanded, my eyes burning into his.
The old man stiffened. Around us, the entire pack fell into complete silence. No one dared interrupt. No one dared breathe too loudly.
"You speak of my parents as though you have the right to." I let out a bitter laugh. "Tell me, Elder James, what gives you that right? My parents gave everything to this pack. They protected every single one of you. They fought until their very last breath to keep this place safe."
I looked slowly around at the familiar faces surrounding the altar, faces I had grown up with, faces I had laughed with, faces I had risked my life to protect.
"And this," I said, spreading my arms toward them, "is how you repay their sacrifice?"
Silence. Nothing but silence. Not a single person stepped forward. Not a single person defended my parents.
A painful smile touched my lips. "You're all ungrateful." The words were quiet, yet they echoed across the altar louder than any scream. Several pack members lowered their heads in shame. Others avoided my gaze completely, not because they disagreed, but because deep down, they knew I was right.
"Enough." Aiden's cold voice shattered the silence. "That is enough, Elera."
I turned to face him. His expression remained unreadable, as though none of this affected him, as though he hadn't just destroyed my entire world.
"I allowed you to say whatever you wanted because I understood you were hurt." His Alpha aura rolled across the altar, pressing against everyone present. "But don't forget one thing. I am still your Alpha." The authority in his voice made several wolves instinctively lower their heads. I didn't.
"You slapped me. I overlooked it. You insulted me in front of the entire pack. I overlooked that too." His voice hardened. "But don't mistake my patience for weakness. You're letting your emotions control you. Stop being stubborn before you lose everything."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips. "Stubborn?" I repeated the word as though it were the greatest joke I had ever heard. "You call this stubborn?"
I stepped toward him until only a few feet separated us. Our eyes met. Neither of us looked away.
"After everything you've done tonight," I said, smiling a cold, disappointed smile, "you still think you deserve to call yourself my Alpha?"
A flicker crossed Aiden's eyes before disappearing just as quickly. The pack watched us in tense silence.
"Aiden." I called his name calmly. "You stood before the Moon Goddess, betrayed your chosen mate, disgraced the memory of our parents, and abandoned every promise you ever made to me." I took another step closer. "Tell me. What exactly makes you worthy of leading this pack?"
The muscles in his jaw tightened. Before he could answer, I spoke again.
"You called me unfit." I nodded slowly. "Then let me return your own words." I held his gaze without fear. "No. You are the one who is unfit. You are unfit to be an Alpha."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd. The entire altar fell deathly silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward Aiden. No one had ever dared speak to their Alpha that way, not in public, not during a sacred mating ceremony, not before the elders.
"How dare you!" one of the elders shouted, taking a furious step forward, his face red with anger. "The Alpha has shown you mercy again and again, yet you continue to insult him?"
I turned my gaze toward him, my expression calm. "No. My Alpha would never betray the woman who stood beside him through everything. My Alpha would never throw away the sacrifices made for this pack. My Alpha would never choose convenience over honor." I looked back at Aiden. "The man standing before me is not worthy of being called Alpha."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Several wolves lowered their heads. Others exchanged uneasy glances. No one dared defend him. No one dared defend me either.
I let out a slow breath. "And all of you." I swept my gaze across the familiar faces before me. “You called me incapable of giving an heir.” A bitter smile touched my lips. “Did you all forget why my body became this way?”
The words struck harder than any scream. Silence answered me once again.
“I was badly injured protecting every one of you. My body has never fully recovered from that attack. I was told pregnancy may be very difficult for me, but don't mistake that for weakness.” I pressed a trembling hand against my chest. "I may be human. I may have been born without a wolf. But don't mistake my humanity for weakness. I have done more for this pack than many wolves ever will. I stood on the battlefield while others ran. I bled while others hid. I nearly died so every family standing here tonight could return home alive."
Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall.
"I may not have a wolf, but I have courage. And courage is something many of you lost long ago."
Several warriors lowered their eyes in shame. Even some elders could no longer meet my gaze. A cold laugh escaped my lips.
"You should all be grateful I was born human. If I had possessed a wolf as well," I said, glancing at Aiden, "I would have outshone every single one of you. Your Alpha included."
"You…" An elder pointed at me with a trembling finger, his entire body shaking with fury. "How dare…"
"And let this be the last time," I interrupted sharply, "any of you use my parents to manipulate me. You are not worthy of speaking their names."