The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

“Alpha Kiny.”

Enzo’s voice cut through the thick air, low but steady, as he turned toward Talon. The crowd silenced instinctively as the Alpha King stepped forward, his presence alone enough to still the restless murmurs spreading through the pack grounds.

Talon moved with deliberate calm, every step measured, every breath controlled. But those closest to him -Enzo especially could feel the barely restrained fury coiled beneath his composed exterior.

In front of him stood Leah’s parents.

Leah was pressed tightly against them, her arms wrapped around her mother and father as if letting go might cause them to vanish again. Her fingers were buried in her mother’s clothes, knuckles white, her entire body trembling despite her effort to stand tall.

Enzo could feel it.

Her fear.

It rolled off her in waves-sharp, frantic, raw. He could smell it, hear the uneven beat of her heart, feel the tremor through their bond. Her eyes flicked toward Talon and then away just as quickly, her instincts screaming at her to protect what she had just gotten back.

Enzo stepped closer to her, careful not to crowd her, his voice dropping into their private bond.

‘Mate,’ he said gently, anchoring her with his presence, ‘The Alpha King will never hurt them. I swear it to you. I swear it on my life, on our bond. I will never let anything happen to you or your parents.

Leah’s eyes lifted to his, conflicted and shining. She wanted-desperately-to believe him. Enzo could feel how badly she needed that reassurance, how much she wanted to trust the man fate had bound her to.

But then the memories crashed in.

The panic.

The emptiness.

The way her parents had simply… disappeared.

She remembered searching everywhere. Running through pack lands until her lungs burned. Trying to scent them, trying to feel them, even reaching out blindly through the mind link-only to find nothing. No trace. No echo. Just silence.

And Enzo had known where they were.

He was the one who hid them. Hid them from her.

Her grip tightened around her parents as doubt clawed up her spine.

‘I don’t know,’ she whispered back. ‘I want to believe you… but I was so scared, Beta Enzo. They were gone.

I couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t find them. And you… you were the one who hid them from me.’

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Before Enzo could respond, another voice stirred within her.

Clem

‘He is our mate. We can trust him. Tara’s voice was calm but firm, steady as bedrock. Leah could see her wolf clearly in their shared mind-standing tall, ears alert, eyes bright with certainty.

‘Look at him, Tara continued, nudging Leah’s awareness toward Enzo. He is strong. He is loyal to his Alpha. And he is fiercely protective of our parents and us. What more could we ask for?’

Leah swallowed hard. ‘He hid them, Tara, she shot back, pain sharpening her thoughts. ‘We were looking everywhere. We couldn’t smell them. We couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t even reach them through the link. We didn’t know what he did to them.

‘He already explained that, Tara replied, irritation creeping into her tone. He hid them to protect them. You are being hard on our mate.’

Leah didn’t answer because part of her knew Tara was right. And part of her couldn’t forget the terror of thinking she had lost her parents forever.

Talon stopped directly in front of Leah’s parents.

The moment he did, the entire pack seemed to hold its breath.

He studied them carefully-not as a king, not as an Alpha asserting dominance, but as a man seeking truth. His gaze lingered on their faces, searching for fear, deceit, hesitation.

Then he turned slowly, his eyes sweeping across the gathered crowd.

“To avoid any doubt,” Talon said, his voice carrying effortlessly, “I will use my authority as Alpha King and compel the truth.”

A ripple of unease moved through the pack.

“I will order them to speak only what they know to be true,” he continued, power threading every word. “So that whatever is said here today will not be rumor, not speculation, but truth.”

Panic flared.

“You cannot do that!” Luna Hazel’s voice rang out, shrill and sharp. She stepped forward, her composure cracking. “This is not your pack. This is our pack. You do not have authority here!”

Talon turned to her slowly.

The air thickened.

“That,” he said coolly, “is where you are wrong, Luna.” The title dripped with cold formality. “As Alpha King, I hold authority over every pack within my kingdom. This pack may have its own Alpha and Luna-but both of you stand under my rule.”

Hazel faltered, color draining from her face.

“And because my mate is the one who was attacked,” Talon continued, his voice darkening, “I will use that authority to seek justice for her.”

A shiver ran through the crowd.

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Talon turned back to Leah’s parents.

“Robert. Pel.” His voice lowered, but the power behind it intensified. “You will tell the truth. Only what you witnessed with your own eyes. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

The command settled over them like a weight.

“Yes, Alpha King,” Robert and Pei answered together, their voices steady but solemn.

Talon nodded once. “Begin.”

“When the rogue attack happened,” Robert took a breath, his hands trembling slightly. “My wife and I were in our home. We heard the mind link ordering all pack members to move to the bunker immediately.”

“We ran toward the bunker,” Pei squeezed his hand before continuing, “and on the way, we saw Erwin and Carla. They were running too.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Whispers broke out instantly.

Everyone had believed the same thing that Diana’s parents had disobeyed orders, that they had fled toward the forest instead of following protocol. But this…

This meant Diana had been right all along.

Her parents had obeyed.

They had trusted their pack.

“Continue,” Talon said calmly, though fury simmered beneath his restraint.

“When we reached the bunker,” Robert continued, “the four of us entered and waited for further instructions. We were scared. I remember telling Erwin and Carla that I feared the rogues because they were relentless.”

His voice softened. “But Carla… she wasn’t afraid. She told me not to worry. She said her daughter-Diana -was out there fighting for us. She said Diana was the strongest warrior in this pack and that she would never let anything happen to any of us.”

Talon felt the bond flare violently.

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