Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 57

Echo's pov : 

Alpha Elijah's voice carried through the hall long before we saw him. Calm and steady, but that kind of calm that meant something was about to break. Storm leaned against the doorframe beside me, his expression half-defiant, half-bored, like he was trying to convince himself he didn't care what was coming.

We'd been summoned. Not asked, summoned. And no one ignored dad Elijah when he used that tone.

The Alpha's office smelled like cedar and rain. The fire in the stone hearth was low, the shadows flickering across his jaw as he stood behind his desk, arms folded. Mr. Clemens's complaint must have reached him fast. Too fast. The old man probably ran here trembling, clutching his pride like a wounded bird.

"Sit."

Dad's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the kind of authority that vibrated down the spine. Storm dropped into the chair nearest me. I stayed standing, part reflex, part respect, part unease. His gaze flicked toward me once, assessing, but his eyes lingered on Storm.

"You two want to tell me what happened?" he asked.

Storm scoffed. "He was being insane. I didn't threaten him. I told him to back off or I'll kill him with my Moon given powers. There's a difference."

"Insane?" Elijah's eyebrow lifted slightly. "That's your defense?"

"Come on, Alpha. He was saying Echo is dangerous, was I supposed to smile and let him spit in my face?"

"You were supposed to walk away," Elijah said sharply. The words hit the air like a slap. "You were supposed to remember whose territory you're standing on and who allows you to be here, also, Echo is dangerous, you both are."

We aren't anymore, but no one is going to know that anytime soon.

Storm opened his mouth again, but Elijah's gaze cut him off. The silence after that was dense. Heavy. The fire popped in the hearth, a tiny spark breaking the quiet before dying again.

"He's weak," Elijah continued. "And whether or not he deserves your respect, he has it by default while you're under my roof. Do you understand that?"

Storm leaned back, jaw tight, the muscle in his cheek ticking. "I understand, but-"

"No," Dad interrupted, his voice dropping lower. "You don't. Because if you did, Mr. Clemens wouldn't be outside right now telling everyone my daughter and her mate are going to kill everyone."

I intervened "You know damn well he's had it out for me since high school."

His tone softened slightly, but that made it worse. The disappointment in it, the restraint, that was Elijah's weapon, he didn't have to raise his voice to make you feel small.

"Echo," he said finally, turning his attention on me. "You were there. Why didn't you stop him?"

I swallowed hard. The air in the room was cold, but I could feel a bead of sweat crawl down my neck. "I didn't want to," I said quietly. "Clemens hates me, his statement was subjective. The man was provoking us. He wanted a reaction."

Elijah exhaled slowly, like he was counting backwards from ten. "I don't care if he lit a fire under your feet," he said. "If you two are staying here, if you want this pack's protection, my protection, then you'll act like you belong here. That means no fights. No threats. No showing teeth at the first insult."

I scoffed "Dad, he has it out for me, he kept giving me Cs for no reason, my essays were perfect!"

He sighed "Not this again, this isn't the subject, no threatening to kill people in my pack, no matter what."