Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1282 - 37 : Verdict from the Elders

*Noah*

The next day, I sat with Zara as she lay there, feeling quite ill in bed. She’d had time to think things over and remained unhappy.

“Noah,” she sighed. “I know you’re doing your best to help, and I appreciate it. But what if this charade goes too far?” she asked. “Everything is happening so fast.”

“I know,” I said, trying to get a handle on things, but failing. The stress was weighing on me too, but I knew I would sure as hell stay strong for Zara. “I am sorry this happened, Zara. We will figure it out.”

“Why would Merida do that?” she asked. “It looked intentional. We spoke, and actually bonded, and I thought—”

“I don’t know why she would. She’s been acting differently in subtle ways, but to do that... it was completely irresponsible, and malicious if intentional.”

“At least you are aware and won’t make a mistake like you almost did with Serena,” Zara said softly. She bit her lip. “We should both get a chance to find our real mates.”

I remained silent for a moment, then asked, “Zara, do you think....”

I trailed off.

“Do I think what?”

“I just–”

We both looked up as a knock came on the door. I wasn’t able to ask her what had been on my mind, which was probably a blessing, for now.

Rather, I got up to answer the door, tensing as my eyes met my father’s. He looked the opposite of amused. “We’ve been summoned by the elders and pack council. I need you and Zara to explain the situation to them clearly.”

I looked over my shoulder at Zara, who was now sitting up but avoiding our gaze. “I am capable of talking about matters in front of them,” she said quietly. She sounded defeated.

I frowned. “Zara isn’t well due to her pregnancy, Father. I strongly recommend against forcing this.”

“If we decide during the meeting that she isn’t capable of speaking for herself, we will send her back to her room,” my father said. “For now, she said she can.”

That was that. Given that Zara was willing to try to clear things up, probably for my benefit, there was no room to debate. I sighed, and off we went to the grand hall for a meeting.

The council sat around a table, arguments sparking already at what had happened at the celebration. I caught wind of a few snippets of conversation.

“The Alpha Heir got an outsider pregnant. This is irresponsible!”

“Will he be capable of leading the pack like this?”

“There has to be more to this. There has to be!”

My father cleared his throat. “Silence,” he commanded before taking his seat and leaning back in his chair. “Noah will explain the situation from his point of view, and we will discuss matters from there.”

I’d been sitting next to Zara, and I dipped my head. My gaze swept over all the deep frowns and scowls of my elder pack members.

I wasn’t afraid to face the council. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t something I’d shrink back from. Rather, it was time for me to explain our story in a very calm tone.

“Zara and I felt a strong chemistry between one another, and one thing led to another. She and I have been working closely together. This bond will be beneficial to our pack.”

One of the elders scoffed. She was an old woman with graying hair and wise eyes. Marriott Swan was her name, one of the oldest shifters in the pack.

She eyed Zara with suspicion for a moment as all eyes fell upon her, including mine. Her expression was incredibly unfriendly, but it didn’t intimidate me or my wolf.

“Your decisions do not seem wise,” she said flatly. “How do we know you are fit to be an Alpha with such flippant actions?”

Another elder spoke up then, one nearly as old as Marriott. He shook his head, clearing his throat to get people’s attention. “Not to mention her obscure origins... from the stars?”

Marriott nodded. “It’s a myth, but one that is very suspicious. Her magic was useful, but the more involved she is with the pack, the more dangerous it seems. Can she be trusted with these witch-like talents?”

The elders could be distrustful of the new and mystical at times. Such a thing was rearing its ugly head right now, and that wasn’t promising.

I had an idea, but I knew Zara would be taken aback by it. Still, it was the only thing that I could think of to preserve Zara’s reputation... and mine, too.

I needed to face this head on, and go all in, for the elders to be convinced that I wasn’t going to back down from my decision.

So, I held my chin high and nodded.

“She can be,” I said. In a bold tone, I announced, “I intend to take Zara as my bride due to the pregnancy.”

A gasp rang out through the council, and I noticed Zara widen her eyes. A pang of guilt rushed through me as I complicated this situation for her even further.

Everyone was shocked and silent for just a moment. One could hear a pin drop. Tension intensified in the room as, following that, whispers erupted between the elders.

I just kept digging a hole deeper and deeper, and I wondered if I could claw us both out. I had no choice. The elders would not accept Zara’s continued work with the pack, or me as an Alpha, if I didn’t stand my ground.

I didn’t want either of our aspirations completely destroyed.

***

*Zara*

What a complete disaster....

I felt myself growing more stressed and sicker at every word that left Noah’s mouth. I couldn’t marry him.

I needed to find my mate.

This was a huge mistake, but what could I do? His future was on the line, too, and my reputation and future would be over if I didn’t go along with it.

The female elder who’d spoken up before raised her hand, letting out a huff and saying, “Silence! We will need to proceed with this meeting. Discussion can occur later.”

Her eyes fell upon me, and she stared at me with a perplexed look. “Are you willing to be our Luna?” she asked.

Everyone seemed to practically hold their breath, waiting for my answer.

I swallowed and slowly nodded. “Yes,” I said weakly. “I am.”

Several eyes widened, and shocked looks were exchanged between the council members. It was clear that everyone expected Noah to take someone of a higher rank as a bride, not me.

The elder who’d asked frowned deeply at me, then refocused on Noah.

“Noah Black, Alpha Heir. We had been going through the process of finding your true mate for a reason. First it was Serena, then we assumed it would be Merida. Now, it’s this outsider? Why not the other two?”

“Neither were a good fit for Luna of the pack,” he said firmly. “They did not have the traits that would have allowed them to be successful leaders alongside me.”

“And this outsider does have those traits?!” the elder exclaimed skeptically. At his nod, she said, “You will need to elaborate, Noah Black.”

“Zara is dedicated to her craft, which will allow her to be a loyal Luna to Drogomor. She is highly intelligent, but beyond that, deeply caring. She wants the happiness of others and prioritizes that over convenience.”

“Can you give an example?”

“Yes,” he said. “I almost took Serena as my bride to get it all over with, but we were not fit for one another, and she would not have made a viable Luna for our pack.”

He glanced over at me and gave a smile.

I felt my heart warm a bit at how he was describing me. He was being genuine in this mess, which made matters all the worse. I really wished it could be real.

Noah continued, “I would not have been happy, nor would she. Zara persisted with what was right, and she rejected money that could have furthered her career had she just encouraged us to remain together.”

The elders exchanged very surprised glances, but the woman who’d spoken up before stubbornly shook her head. “That is not good enough. Zara Star has brought so much drama to our pack! We do not appreciate the sheer scale of it.”

The other elders nodded in agreement, and I had to resist the urge to sink in my chair. My stomach lurched, but I refrained from asking to be dismissed to the bathroom just then.

“Drama, or progress?” he asked. “True, there have been problems, but problems sometimes lead to prosperity. This is one of those situations. An alliance with Zara and her pack gives us access to her talents.”

“Yes, the witchy magic we are wary of,” growled one of the elders.

Noah nodded. “Yes, that and the Luna Lilies, which means some of the proceeds from the Luna Lilies. You have heard of the issues with the rogues from the Dark Realm by now, right?”

The elders nodded, and I wasn’t surprised with how quickly information spread in this pack. At least we didn’t have to explain something else out of nowhere to them.

“We have. It’s been a hassle, and causing worry through the pack,” they said.

“It is a very good thing I prepared a report, then, for you to look over,” Noah said.

He turned to a table and grabbed a folder of papers, sliding them over to the first of the Drogomor elders.

Silence settled as copies were passed out between the elders, and they began to read it. The lady who’d spoken up before widened her eyes.

“The incident at the Moon Ball caused that much of a demand for the lilies? These numbers are very impressive!” she gasped.

A murmur of agreement went through the council, and everyone exchanged glances before looking at Noah. I felt a pang of guilt given what the rogue priestess had said before.

Would using the lilies for our personal gain like that really lead to more trouble than just angry rogues, I wondered? Would we be inadvertently shattering lives?

I couldn’t ponder that for long because the elders spoke up again.

“Well, this alliance with Zara will certainly be prosperous,” one of them said. “I suppose we can consider giving her a chance.”

That meant we were going through with this charade even further, though, and I stared down at my hands. The elders would need to consider things further, but by their change in tone, it was as good as done.

Worry and disappointment swirled within me. My parents didn’t even know I was pregnant, and now I’d need to marry Noah, and we weren’t true mates.

I resisted the urge to cry even as Noah looked at me with concern.