Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Three

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Three

I didn't need a crowd to witness the trial. I had only invited en pack members, but no doubt, once it was over, news of what happened here would spread to the whole pack. The trial would take place in the dungeon chamber.

Phil and Austin took their positions by my side. I doubted looked any better than I had a few hours ago, but I was ready to face them. The door swung open, and three soldiers dragged in the rebels-Stark, Luthor, and, of course, Kade. The very one who had shot me.

The moment they spotted me, they went pale.

The soldiers didn't have to force them to their knees-they went down willingly.

"We... you shouldn't be alive. There's no way you could have survived that," Stark said, disbelief clear in his eyes. "It shouldn't be possible..." he kept muttering to himself.

"Silence," I said, and they fell quiet. The tension in the room thickened with each passing second. "This is how this will go you speak only when I ask you a question."

They nodded, but Stark still looked uncertain. He stared at me as if he had just seen a ghost.

He was right-I shouldn't be alive. The shot to my stomach had been fatal, but the Empress had appeared out of nowhere with a magical potion.

"What was the plan? When you killed me, did you for one moment think about how it would affect the pack?"

"We did." Luthor spoke up; he seemed to be the only one brave enough to answer. "The plan was for the next Alpha to be chosen by strength-the strongest in the pack would rule."

"There's more you're not telling me," I said. I could see it in the way the others kept darting their eyes to him.

"Yes-yes, there is more. We had other plans too, just in case the previous one failed. Military rule. We believed that this could be the beginning of something new and... different. But there were many flaws to the plan. So we decided that leadership would fall into the hands of the council till a decision is made."

"But you're not part of the council," I said. From the look in their eyes, I knew exactly what they weren't saying. The plan was to seize control-to force their way into the council even after walking away from it, afterall, I would be dead, there would be no one to stop them. I chuckled, finding it all amusing. "How many others are part of this plan?"

"There are many. But the others were too reluctant to act... perhaps even afraid."

I thought back to Keith; he had talked about respect and loyalty being earned, but these people had wanted to seize power into their hands; they didn't care about 'earning' it.

If I had to guess which of the ex-council advisors would attempt to murder me, Keith would have been the first to come to mind. He never liked the idea of a woman as Alpha. But to my surprise, he hadn't been brave enough to make a move.

“Mercy, Alpha,” Kade finally cried out, tears streaming down his face. “I swear my undying loyalty to you. I don't care if I'm stripped of my title or forced to work in the fields among the farmers-I'll do it. But I don't want to die. I beg you."

"We all swear our loyalty to you," Stark said. He tried to sound brave, but I could see the fear in his eyes, he knew death was laying wait for them all. "We've made a grave mistake-one that will never be repeated. We know the consequences of our actions, but I beg you... forgive us."

"Alpha..." Phil began, but I silenced him with a small wave. This time, I didn't need anyone's counsel-I knew

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Three

exactly what to do."

4

I gave a nod to the soldiers, and they moved forward. One by one, they injected the rebels with syringes filled with wolfsbane-before they even realized what was happening

Once again, I had left them speechless. They believe I would show them mercy. I had let Keith talk back to me andnoveldrama

get away with it. I had let many walkaway free despite their disrespect. But this time, there was no

give.