The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 143

Alaric

Three days of relentless battle have transformed the kingdom. Villages smolder in various states of reconstruction, fields bear scars of combat, and everywhere I look, the evidence of both destruction and resilience marks my people.

But it's the council chamber that holds my attention now.

"The evidence is irrefutable." I gesture to the documentation spread across the massive table - research from both the Blackthorn facility and the temple, testimony from captured scientists, records of deliberate attacks spanning generations. "A systematic conspiracy to suppress healing abilities, culminating in Cassius's attempt to weaponize the corruption itself."

The gathered council members shift uncomfortably. Some - those we've identified as likely co-conspirators - maintain carefully neutral expressions. Others appear genuinely horrified by what they're learning.

"These laws." Lord Harrison lifts ancient documentation regarding royal mate requirements. "Created specifically after the healing packs were purged."

"To prevent healing abilities from ever gaining political power," I confirm. "A deliberate effort to ensure wolves like Sage remained controlled. Marginalized."

Through our bond, I feel Sage's steady presence as she stands beside me, her composure perfect despite the magnitude of what we're revealing. The past days have transformed her in the eyes of the kingdom - no longer just my chosen mate, but a leader who earned respect through her own actions.

"And yet," Victoria's father speaks carefully, "these abilities have historically been considered dangerous. Unpredictable. The ancient texts warn—"

"The ancient texts were written by the victors," Sage interrupts smoothly. "By those who feared powers they couldn't control. Just as Cassius feared abilities he couldn't possess."

She gestures to the maps marking mutant attack sites - all now secured, the creatures either defeated or, remarkably, liberated from control and integrated into specialized recovery zones.

The council session concludes with formal preparations assigned, committees formed to examine legal reforms, and intelligence teams organized to continue the hunt for Cassius. Through our bond, Sage's exhaustion finally surfaces as we return to our private chambers.

"One week." She sinks onto our bed, the weight of recent days evident in the shadows beneath her eyes. "Is that enough time to prepare properly?"

I sit beside her, taking her hands in mine. "The kingdom needs this. Needs to see their Lycan King formally claim the mate who helped save them."

Through our bond, her emotions flow complex and contradictory - pride in what we've accomplished, anxiety about the public ceremony, and beneath it all, bone-deep weariness from days of constant healing and fighting.

"Rest," I urge, guiding her to lie back against the pillows. "The war is won. Cassius is gone. The kingdom stands united in ways I never thought possible."