Heat rushed to my face instantly, the burning shame of being exposed.
The servants and the pack healer standing nearby turned their gazes on me, their eyes filled with open contempt.
"All those pretty words, and he's just bitter about losing his claim. He'd drag his own uncle's name through the mud for territory rights—shameless!"
"If you ask me, his uncle probably saw through him long ago. Knew he was nothing but an ungrateful pup. That's why he didn't pass the pack to him."
"Alpha Fenris raised him for twenty years, treated him like his own son. And this is how he repays him? Slander after death. The Alpha deserved better."
"Disgusting! A greedy, faithless cur. Get out—don't dirty our den with your presence!"
One of the servants grabbed a broom and swept furiously at my feet, driving me toward the entrance of the great hall.
Waves of humiliation and grief crashed over me. My eyes burned red as I swept my gaze across the room, my voice breaking.
"I'm not doing this for the inheritance! I just want to understand why my uncle did this. Did something force his hand? Was it something I did wrong? Were these twenty years of bond between us—father and son in all but blood—were they all lies?"
"Even if the truth turns out to be that this was truly his wish, I'll accept it willingly. I just can't bear living in this fog of confusion, powerless to understand anything!"
Tears fell despite my efforts to hold them back. Elder Eamon hobbled over to me, looked into my face, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Kael, don't let your mind run wild. If your uncle didn't love you, why would he have set aside a substantial heir-seal trust for you?"
I froze, suddenly remembering the words my uncle had whispered to me on his deathbed.
"Kael, I've placed a significant sum in an heir-seal trust for you. Don't touch it unless you have no other choice. The blood-key... only the true heir knows it..."
I had been too consumed by grief at the time to grasp the meaning behind those words.
I had assumed he was simply leaving me a safety net in case I failed to manage the pack's affairs properly.
Now I understood—my uncle had been preparing for something.
My gaze cut toward Alaric Ravenhart like a blade, my voice carrying the weight of someone who had nothing left to lose.
"Alaric Ravenhart, one last time. Come with me to the Neutral Custodian House. Prove to me whether you're truly the rightful heir!"