The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 56

Chapter Fifty Six

Back in Crimson Fang Rack, the atmosphere felt nothing like it once had. Where there had once been structured discipline and confident hierarchy, now there was tension. Whispered conversations stopped when Asher walked past. Warriors trained harder-but without the same unity. Mothers kept their pups closer. Trust had been fractured.

Alpha Asher stood alone in his office, staring out at the training grounds below.

He had lost his Luna.

That wound was political.

But losing his Beta-

That was personal.

Rafe had been more than his second-in-command. He had been his shadow since they were pups. They trained together, bled together, and celebrated victories side by side.

Rafe had been there the day Asher found his fated mate and rejected her. He still remembered Diana’s face that day. Shock. Hurt. Confusion.

Rafe had stood beside him then.

“You are Alpha first,” Rafe had said. “Your duty comes before your heart.”

So Asher chose the pack.

He chose politics.

He chose Hazel.

And Rafe supported him.

When Asher formally made Hazel his chosen Luna, Rafe stood proudly at his side.

The irony burned now.

Hazel had been Rafe’s fated mate all along.

And Diana-

Diana had a wolf.

Not just a wolf.

A powerful one.

And now there were whispers of a Rogue King searching for her.

The captured rogue’s words replayed in Asher’s mind.

The Rogue King retaliated for what happened to Diana’s parents…

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Rogues were sent to hurt her…

The Silver Wolf is our Queen.

Queen.

The rogue had called Diana his queen.

Asher clenched his fists. If the rogue spoke truth, then someone powerful had been looking for Diana for

years.

Everything felt unstable.

His Luna was exposed as a traitor.

His Beta is imprisoned.

His pack was shaken.

And the Alpha King of Black Howler had every right to intervene.

Asher exhaled slowly. He did not have the luxury of grief, he needed to prioritize.

Stabilize.

Reassure.

And appoint a new Beta.

“Tyler, please come to my office,” Asher mind-linked his Gamma.

Tyler had been the third of their trio growing up.

Asher.

Rafe.

Tyler.

Tyler had always been steady, loyal, and observant. And now he was hurting too.

A few minutes later, Tyler knocked once before entering.

“Alpha, you called for me?” The formality in his tone struck Asher immediately.

Tyler had never addressed him with such stiff distance before.

Asher could feel his distress-through years of friendship, it was almost tangible.

“Yes,” Asher said without preamble. “Sit.”

Tyler remained standing.

Asher did not waste time. “Tyler, you will be my new Beta effective immediately. I will announce it to the pack tonight.”

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Tyler blinked. “What?”

You heard me.”

Clam

Tyler shook his head slightly, disbelief written across his face. “Asher, are you sure? I’m not certain I am the right choice.”

Asher stepped forward, his voice firm. Tyler, we no longer have the luxury of hesitation. We cannot afford second-guessing. The pack is restless. Confidence must be restored quickly.”

He gestured toward the window. “The Royal Guards will not remain here permanently. The Alpha King will recall them eventually. When he does, we must stand on our own strength.”

Tyler’s jaw tightened.

“You need to begin handling Rafe’s responsibilities immediately,” Asher continued. “Council coordination. Warrior rotations. Border enforcement. I will guide you through it, but you must step into the role now.”

Tyler swallowed slowly. “Understood… Alpha.”

The word sounded heavier this time.

He looked at Asher carefully. “Asher… what will happen to Rafe?”

The question hung painfully in the air.

Asher turned away briefly. “I do not know, and frankly, I am not ready to discuss it.”

His voice hardened. “The Alpha King wanted him dead.”

Tyler’s eyes widened slightly.

“And if he had not been in a rush to bring Diana back to Black Howler,” Asher continued quietly, “I believe Rafe would have been executed on the spot. No matter what I said.”

Silence filled the office.

“What he did-what he and Hazel did to Diana-was unforgivable.”

Tyler’s voice was low. “But he did it because Hazel was his fated mate. He was trying to protect her. Trying to please her.”

Asher spun around sharply, and he snapped. “Hazel should not have been his mate.”

Tyler stiffened.

“Not anymore,” Asher continued, more controlled but no less intense. “Not after I chose Hazel as my Luna and he supported that choice.”

His voice dropped. “He should have rejected her the moment he knew.”

Tyler’s expression tightened. “Rejecting a fated mate is not easy.”

“And betraying your Alpha is? Your best friend?” Asher shot back.

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The room fell silent.

“He let himself be manipulated by that viper,” Asher ran a hard through his hair, frustration bleeding through. “Hazel fed his ego. Fed his resentment. And he allowed it

Tyler stepped forward slightly. “He loved you, Asher. He would have died for you.”

Asher’s jaw clenched. “I know.”

That was what made it worse.

“He stood beside me when I rejected Diana,” Asher continued, his voice lower now. “He told me it was the right decision. That the pack came first.”

Tyler did not respond.

“And now I find out she had a wolf all along,” Asher said bitterly. “Not just any wolf.”

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