Claimed by the Alpha I Hate – Episode 33
News of Daisy’s mixed blood reached the pack council before noon. Whether a guard talked or Mila pieced together enough rumors no longer mattered. Blackwood elders demanded an emergency hearing.
Daisy entered the council hall beside Nolan rather than behind him. Every seat was filled, and distrust followed her across the floor.
An elder named Marcus opened with the law forbidding vampires from Blackwood territory. He spoke as though Daisy had crossed the border with an army rather than grown up among wolves.
“She is half wolf,” Nolan said. “She is also my mate and has committed no crime.”
Mila rose among the Eastwind representatives. “She attacked an entire gym.” She omitted that the outburst came during an awakening Daisy did not understand.
Daisy answered before Nolan could defend her. “I lost control, and no one was injured. Since then, someone entered the Alpha’s mansion and sealed my power.”
The admission created uneasy whispers. Some council members feared her strength; others feared a vampire capable of reaching Nolan’s private rooms.
Marcus demanded Daisy be confined until Blackwood determined whether she could be trusted. The word confined carried memories of locked rooms, photographs, and every decision made over her head.
“No,” Daisy said. Her refusal surprised the council more than Nolan’s protection. “You will not punish me for blood I didn’t choose.”
Mila laughed softly. “She didn’t choose Scott either, and look how that ended.” The attempt to reopen old humiliation made Daisy turn toward her.
“Scott chose to betray his pack,” Daisy replied. “I came back when ordered. Which of us has shown more loyalty?”
Several Eastwind wolves lowered their eyes. Mila had no answer that did not expose the cowardice of the mate she once praised.
Nolan addressed the council. “Daisy remains under my protection, but not as a prisoner. She will train, attend classes, and participate in the investigation into the breach.”
Marcus warned that an Alpha who placed a mate above his pack risked losing both. Nolan did not flinch.
“An Alpha who condemns an innocent person to satisfy fear has already failed his pack.” The statement ended the argument, though not the hostility behind it.
Daisy felt the cost of his decision. Nolan was not protecting her privately now; he was staking public authority on her choices.
The council accepted a compromise of supervised movement and daily training. It was more restriction than Daisy wanted, but less than the cell Marcus proposed.
Afterward, she asked Nolan why he risked the council’s trust. He looked at her as if the answer should be obvious.
“Because they were wrong.” He did not mention the mate bond. The simplicity made his support feel earned rather than compelled.
From the hall’s shadowed exit, Mila watched them leave together. If fear could not remove Daisy from Nolan’s side, she would find someone capable of turning that fear into power.