Chapter 165

The call dropped, and a few seconds later, the doors opened. Vince was fuming as he stood there, hand clenched around the door handle. “Get inside now.” His voice was low, but no one moved.

I pushed through the crowd and smiled as I touched everyone’s shoulders. I made it to the door and met Vince’s eyes. I could tell he was livid, but I just smiled. I turned to the crowd, giving Vince my back, and I raised my voice. “File inside and find a seat. Like I said before, no one is getting expelled.” Everyone moved at that. One by one, they passed me, bowing before moving into the auditorium.

“You will regret this.” Vince’s voice was low, but I heard the words he didn’t want me to hear.

I turned and faced him. I tilted my head as I let Nix come to the surface. “For a weaker alpha to threaten me and my wolf, it takes a lot of courage.”

His eyes widened as I stared him down. “Did you just say I was a weaker alpha?” His voice barely contained his rage.

I leaned in so that he was the only one that would hear me. “Vince, we both know you are the weaker alpha.” I pulled back and smiled. “And if you pull something like this again, then I’ll do to you what I did to another wolf that was abusing her power.” I smirked as I saw his face pale. He knew what I was talking about, an interesting fact I would tuck away for now.

His voice trembled before he cleared it. “What did you do?”

I leaned in again. “The she-wolf was abusing the tiny bit of aura she had by commanding wolves. She had no right to command. If you want to abuse your power like she was, then the punishment will be the same.”

“What was her punishment?” His question was low, but I could tell by his eyes he already knew.

“That she could never command another wolf again.” I pulled back as he trembled.

“I’m an alpha in charge of a pack. You can’t do that to me.” His voice steadied, like his words would affect my decision.

“If you abuse your power, if you try to ruin other wolves' lives all because you are prejudiced, then why can’t I?” I put my hands behind my back and smiled. “You already did half the work for me.”

“What do you mean?” He is like a broken record, asking the same questions over and over.

“If I remove an alpha, I would need a replacement, but you already have Brandon. He can step in to take over the pack from you if you become worthless.” I turned and headed inside.

“Why do you hate me?” His question had my foot stalling, and I turned to look at him over my shoulder.

“I don’t hate you, Vince, not at all.” That was a lie, but I couldn’t push him away. I needed him close. “I just think, as alphas, we need to set an example for the lower-ranked or unranked wolves we care for. We need to be above petty squabbles and do our best to care for every wolf under us, regardless of rank. What happened here today was disgusting. If the council urged you to do this, then you should have gone to the king and allowed him to take care of it.”

His eyes widened, and he leaped at the out I was giving him. “They said I shouldn’t tell him.” He stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand. I wanted to pull away and go wash, but I held it in. “They threatened our pack.”

“Well, next time, if they forbid you from going to the king, you can do what I did.” I faced him. I wasn’t going to tell him I went to Rowan. “I called my dad, and he called the council and the King.”

“You didn’t call the king yourself?”

I let my mouth drop open. “I’m just a student here. He was only in my class a few times before he disappeared. We don’t have the relationship that I can call him directly.” I laughed. “I wish.” I allowed my eyes to go misty. “But he is the king, and I am nowhere near his level.”

Vince’s eyes tightened. “Nina told me you called the king.”

I threw back my head and laughed. “My father’s idea. He knows that the other alpha females around here are all trying to compete for his hand.” I leaned in to Vince, like he was my ally. “So, I call my father, and I pretend it is the King. That way, they leave me alone.”

“That is almost treason.” A deep voice came from behind me, and Vince and I froze as we turned to face Rowan.