Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 375

Talia’s POV

“Of course. In just a few months, you’ve done what most Alphas could only dream of doing in years,” I said. “You kept the packs together when they were ready to fall apart, brought the Alphas together, and ended the rule of the Rogue King and Morgana, who haunted this land long before we were born. No one doubted you deserved to be Alpha King, Solon. You’ve already shown what you can do, and you’ll keep showing it, because that’s who you are.”

“I know what I’ve done.” He rubbed his face, and for a moment, he looked even more tired. “That’s not what’s bothering me.”

“Then what is?”

“There’s a rumor going around that my condition has gotten worse, that the mad wolf toxin is back and I’m relapsing.” His voice was flat, without emotion. “It’s spreading quickly. Three people asked Derek if it was true this morning, and one of them even asked Leslie directly. It upset her, even though she’s trying to stay strong.”

“I’ll find out who’s spreading it and stop it myself before it goes any further,” I said, turning to leave.

“No.” He caught my wrist, gentle but firm. “I’m handling it my way. I’ll explain everything at the afternoon meeting. Once everyone hears it from me, that should put the rumors to rest.”

I didn’t like it, but I understood why. People would believe him more than if I tried to stop the rumors, which might just make it look like we had something to hide.

‘It’s Geoffrey,’ my wolf said, voice low and sure. ‘Who else would gain from making Solon look weaker? He saw him cough up blood, and now, just one night later, everyone’s whispering. That can’t be a coincidence.’

I agreed it was too much of a coincidence. He did not back down until Nolan threatened him, and now this, I would bet my life that Geoffrey wanted to be the Alpha King. The question was how far he was willing to go to get what he wanted. Was he planning to challenge Solon outright, or was he just stirring up trouble to shift the balance of power?

I agreed, but I kept it to myself. Solon already had enough to deal with, and I didn’t want to add an unproven suspicion to his worries.

“How are you going to explain it?” I asked instead.

“I’ll tell them the truth,” Solon said, his voice steady. “The toxin’s out of my system, but it will take me time to recover.”

“However, I am still in the process of recovering from the poisoning,” Solon continued. “It will take time, but I am confident I will regain my full strength. In the meantime, Alpha Nolan and Luna Talia will be taking on leadership duties alongside me. They will oversee council meetings, coordinate between the packs, and approve any urgent decisions that arise, so that nothing is delayed while I recover. This is only temporary. I don’t plan to rely on them any longer than necessary. Any questions or concerns?”

I watched the Alphas closely and noticed the hesitation in their eyes.

No one spoke for a while. Then suddenly, a cold, mocking laugh came from the back of the room, and every head turned toward it at once.

Geoffrey stood by the back wall, arms crossed, looking a little amused, as if he’d just heard a private joke he was happy to share. My wolf growled within me at his disrespect. We couldn’t address him, not now. It would make Solon look weak to the Alphas.

“Alpha Geoffrey,” Solon said, giving nothing away in his voice. “Do you have something you wish to say?”

“No offense meant, truly,” Geoffrey started as he stepped forward, so that everyone could see him. “It’s just that we’ve heard the Alpha King himself say his recovery could take a long time, and we don’t know how long. I just wonder, respectfully, if now might be the time to think about replacing him, for everyone’s good.”