Chapter 123: The Elder Council Says

Tara’s POV

The four of us were silent for a long time afterwards. I didn't know if it was because we didn't know what to say or because there was nothing left to say about the situation.

I had challenged an Alpha. Although, granted, I was an Alpha in my own right, I just had never undergone the process of it. The thought of becoming someone who challenged a loved one for power made me sick.

Talia kept a hold of my hand as I explained everything to them, from what had happened in Second Moon territory, to what transpired between Victor and myself. I didn't know how to tell them this in a way that could make me feel any better about myself, so instead, I told them the cold, hard truth.

That although I had challenged Victor, he had yet to bring the situation back up with me. That although we still slept in the same bed at night, and he still hugged me to sleep, and I still kissed him as if he were the oxygen I needed to breathe, there was something simmering beneath the surface.