*Elder Rowan's POV*
The scent of unrest was stronger than blood. Damon had ruled fiercely but fairly—yet the recent chaos stirred old whispers from the graves of the past. Whispers that the Alpha we trusted once came from a darker lineage than he ever admitted.
And now, with Miracle's betrayal and Nyla's accusation, the council began to question: What else had Damon hidden?
*Pack Meeting – Public Hall*
The room was packed, tension thick in the air. Pack members murmured as Elder Rowan stood at the center.
"We followed you, Alpha Damon," he began slowly, "but questions have risen from beneath the bones of your past. It's time we hear the truth—from your own lips."
Damon stepped forward, posture tense but unflinching.
*Damon's POV*
"I was born to Alpha Cadeon," I began, my voice echoing. "But I was never meant to lead. My father… was a tyrant. He killed without remorse, allied with dark rogues, and sought power beyond what our kind should touch."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"I left when I was sixteen. I defied him. I built this pack from the ashes of that bloodline because I believed we could be better."
I looked around, meeting their eyes.
"I never spoke of it because I wanted to bury that shadow. But if my past makes you question my right to lead—"
"No," a voice cut in.
It was Nyla, standing at the back, fierce and unapologetic.
"We all have shadows. It's what we *do* with them that defines us. Damon didn't run from power—he remade it. If any of you would rather follow a clean history than a man who chose honor, then maybe *you're* the problem."
The crowd stilled. Murmurs softened.
*Miracle's POV*
I clenched my fists in the shadows.
This wasn't part of the plan. She was supposed to be broken.
Not rising.
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