Betrayed By My Mate, Crowned By An Alpha.

Respect or exhile?

(Kael)

The moment Aria left the dining hall, Thunder roared to life in my mind. My wolf wanted blood. He wanted to teach our disrespectful son a lesson he would never forget. The only thing stopping me from shifting right there in the dining hall was the roomful of pack members watching every move I made.

Daniel stood in the middle of the room with a satisfied smile on his face. He thought he had won something today. He thought humiliating my mate in public would somehow prove his point about her worthiness.

He was wrong.

I stood up slowly, letting my Alpha presence fill the room. Every wolf in the dining hall felt it. Conversations stopped. People turned to look at me with wide eyes. Even Daniel's smile faded as he realized he might have pushed too far.

"Sit down," I said quietly, but my voice carried to every corner of the room.

"Father, I was just asking reasonable questions," Daniel said, but I could hear uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"I said sit down."

This time I let more of my Alpha command into the words. Daniel's knees buckled slightly as his wolf tried to force him to obey. He caught himself on a nearby table, fighting the compulsion but clearly struggling.

"Everyone else may leave," I announced to the room. "Guys, escort the pack members out. Now."

Rowan, Cassian and Thorne immediately stood and began directing people toward the exits. Most of them moved quickly, understanding that they did not want to be caught between an Alpha and his rebellious son. Within minutes, the dining hall was empty except for Daniel, Ashley, a few of Daniel's friends, and the council members.

"You too, Ashley," I said without looking at her. "This is family business."

"But Alpha, I think I should stay," she protested. "Daniel might need support."

"Daniel is about to need medical attention if you do not leave right now."

Ashley's face went white. She grabbed her purse and practically ran for the door, leaving Daniel alone with his friends.

I walked down from the head table, my footsteps echoing in the now empty hall. Daniel tried to straighten up, tried to look confident, tried to show me is alpha strength, but I could smell his fear. Good. He should be afraid.

"Jake, Adam, Tyler," I said, naming Daniel's three closest friends. "You have thirty seconds to decide if you want to be part of this conversation or if you want to follow Ashley out that door."

The three young men looked at each other nervously. They had grown up with Daniel, supported him through everything, but facing an angry Alpha was different from teenage rebellion.

"We stand with Daniel," Jake said, though his voice shook slightly.

"Then you can face the consequences with him."

I stopped directly in front of my son. At six feet tall, Daniel was not small, but I was bigger, older, and infinitely more experienced. Right now, with Thunder pushing at my control, I probably looked like death itself.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" I asked quietly.

"I asked legitimate questions about our Luna's qualifications," Daniel said, lifting his chin in defiance. "The pack has a right to know if their leader is prepared for the job."

"You humiliated my mate in front of the entire pack. You questioned her authority, undermined her position, and disrespected both her and me."

"She could not answer basic questions about pack operations. Maybe that should tell you something."

The urge to hit him was almost overwhelming. Thunder was snarling in my mind, demanding that I put this insolent pup in his place. But I was still his father, and some part of me hoped he could be saved from his own stupidity.

"She has been Luna for five days," I said through gritted teeth. "Five days, Daniel. You have had twenty seven years to learn about pack operations, and you still cannot balance a budget or negotiate a trade agreement."

"That is different. I am not Alpha yet."

"No, you are not. And at this rate, you never will be."

The words hit him like a physical blow. Daniel's eyes went wide with shock and hurt.

"You would not pass over your own son."

"I would pass over a son who cannot show basic respect to his Luna. Leadership is not just about strength, Daniel. It is about wisdom, maturity, and the ability to put the pack's needs above your personal feelings."

"My personal feelings?" Daniel's voice rose. "You marked my mate. MY mate. How am I supposed to just accept that?"

"She was not your mate anymore. You rejected her, remember? You threw her away for Ashley, and now you are angry that someone else saw her value."

"You stole her from me."

"I saved her from you. There is a difference."

Daniel turned away, running his hands through his hair in frustration. His friends shifted nervously behind him, probably wishing they had left with Ashley.

"This is not over," Daniel said finally.

"Oh, but it is." I stepped closer to him, close enough that he had to look up at me. "You will not question your Luna's authority again. You will not undermine her in public. You will not spread rumors or encourage others to disrespect her. Is that clear?"

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you will find yourself without a pack. I will exile you myself."

The threat hung in the air between us. Exile was serious business. It meant being cut off from the pack bond, losing the protection and support of the family you had known your whole life. Most wolves did not survive long as rogues regardless of being an Alpha.

"You would exile your own son?" Daniel asked quietly.

"I would exile anyone who threatens the stability of this pack. Even my son."

Daniel stared at me for a long moment, probably trying to decide if I was bluffing. I was not, and eventually he seemed to realize that.

"Fine," he said. "I will keep my opinions to myself."

"No. You will do more than that. Tomorrow, you will publicly apologize to your Luna. You will acknowledge her authority and pledge your support."

"Father, please. Do not make me do that."

"You brought this on yourself. You want to challenge her publicly? Then you can submit to her publicly."

Daniel's face went red with anger and embarrassment. "The pack will think I am weak."

"The pack will think you learned your lesson. And they will be right."

I turned to address his supporters. "Jake, Adam, Tyler. You chose to stand with Daniel today, which means you share responsibility for what happened. You will also apologize to your Luna tomorrow night."

"But Alpha," Jake started to protest.

"Or you can leave the pack right now. Your choice."

Jake shut his mouth quickly.

"Now," I said, addressing all four of them, "you will go to your rooms and think very carefully about your behavior. And if I hear even a whisper of disrespect toward your Luna from any of you, exile will be the least of your worries."

They left quickly, Daniel shooting one last angry look over his shoulder before disappearing through the door.

Rowan approached me once they were gone. "Alpha, was threatening exile wise? Daniel is still your heir."

"Daniel is my heir if he proves worthy of the position. Today he proved the opposite."

"The pack will talk about this. Some will say you chose your mate over your son."

"Let them talk. I chose my pack over one wolf's wounded pride. Even if that wolf is my son."

Rowan nodded slowly. "What about Aria? She will need support after today."

"She will have it. From me, from the council, from every pack member who understands what loyalty means."

I left the dining hall and headed upstairs to find my mate. She would be hurt and embarrassed by what happened tonight. Daniel had succeeded in making her feel small and unprepared.

But he had also made a crucial mistake. He had shown the pack that he cared more about his own feelings than their welfare. And he had shown me that maybe it was time to start considering other options for the future of this pack.

My son had chosen his path today. Now he would have to live with the consequences.

And tomorrow, the whole pack would see him learn what it meant to disrespect their Luna.