The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

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"Are you sure about this?" Noah asks me, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Yes. It's our only chance. It has to work," I smile at him but I lie.

The plan that we came up with is an excellent plan, but it's time sensitive; and my role in it may be the reason why it fails. After many hours of discussing our options, Caleb, Eli, Noah and myself finally came up with a plan. It's quite simple really.

It's evident the Council will challenge Noah's claim to the throne, and if Caleb is correct, they will do it today. The Council was incredibly frightened by Noah's aura, it is in their best interest to get rid of him... soon. But considering they can't just remove him, they'll do it the 'legal' way: by challenging his lineage.

The thing is, even if we do manage to prove that King Alexander is his father, the nature of his relationship to Noah's mother will arise, and with it, her name and lineage. Noah is half wolf; a half breed lycan. If that information gets out, not only will he be forced to abdicate the throne, but he could also be exiled from his land. Unfortunately, by proving that he is Alexander's son, the same document will inevitably expose his mother.

That leaves us with no other choice.

We have to get rid of the Council.

But we have to do it without them suspecting what we are up to.

The first phase of the plan is simple. Let this Council meeting run its natural course until they challenge Noah's claim to the throne. Then, a certain amount of time will be granted for him to gather the evidence and make his case.To avoid an incomplete reading experience, visit Jobn'i'b.com. When the time is up, however, we will not be presenting said proof. We will be presenting a united front where healers, warriors, scholars, and common folk recognize him as King, in spite of the Council; this is the second phase of the plan.

Moreover, with how weak the Houses have become financially and politically, it wouldn't be difficult to have them accept him as the King. Council or not, out of mere self-preservation. Essentially, we would be twisting their arms.

That being said, if the Houses still do not accept Noah as King and decide to boycott the Castle financially, there are two options. Either we go to war with them and force them to submit, or my initial plan comes into play. Opening up trade routes with wolf territory.

I came up with this idea a few months ago, really. Lycan territory is incredibly vast, but severely underdeveloped. Wolves have a diverse economy and advanced technologies, but with that, we have neglected our farmers and farmland; making it the perfect trade off. They get to profit off of bringing their businesses into lycan territory, and lycans benefit from selling their crops to wolves while also enjoying their technological advances. Gone are the days where everything is handled through physical correspondence, we can actually have phones and computers here now. The possibilities are endless. And more importantly, it wouldn't matter if the Houses decide to no longer support the Crown, we would be sustaining a thriving economy without the them.

There is only one additional problem, however.

This plan leaves us with one unchecked box, which is where I come in. For Noah to have a legitimate claim to the throne and therefore, the vast support of his people, we do in fact need to prove that he is Alexander's son, the natural heir to the throne; not for the Council's sake, but for the people's sake. And if we prove that he is *also* part wolf through his mother's side, and from a powerful clan at that, there might be less resistance from wolves to do business with lycans. But that is the key word... *might.*

This crucial part of the plan could backfire, extraordinarily.

By revealing Noah is part wolf, we would also have to reveal how the union between Alexander and Ellie Goldmoon came to be. How she escaped her husband to be with Alexander, defying her family's wishes and tradition. Even if we make a case for them being destined mates, her family could still decide Alexander kidnapped her and that she was an unwilling participant in the affair, making Noah not only a bastard, but a bastard conceived through force. Either way. I have to go back to wolf territory to seek the most important part of this plan: Noah's legitimate birth certificate.

If he has no legitimate claim to the throne, the people will not stand behind him. Seems like a simple plan, right?

Then why am I so weary?

After Noah, Caleb, and Eli left to face the Council, I'm left not knowing what to do with myself. I'm already anxious about this whole thing; there are too many variables we aren't even considering. What if there is no document, here or in wolf territory, to prove Noah's lineage? What if the Gold Moon clan, rather than accept Noah, see him as an abomination and declare war against lycans for the kidnapping of their daughter? What if the Council moves on removing Noah before we get the chance to pull this off? After a few minutes of going crazy with what ifs, it's clear that my anxiety really won't help the situation at all. I leave the courtyard, determined to go up to the clinic and help organize everything again, but after careful consideration, doing that will only make my frustration worse.

Instead, I decide to go work on Charlotte's peonies. Maybe concentrating on something else and releasing some of this pent up energy might help calm me down.

In theory, moon peonies only bloom for a few hours, or a day even, but the flowers that I initially used my magic on, have remained in full bloom. My aunt and grandmother have told me it's because I channeled my magic through them, which means they are sort of like a part of me? Or rather, reactive to the state of my magic.

Charlotte has helped me shape them and guide their roots to where we want them, which really is all throughout the Castle. They have already begun taking over the stone walls of the courtyard where the rest of the vegetation has taken up residence. I take a quick look around before beginning, making sure there is nobody watching me.

I get on my knees in front of the first handful of flowers that I saved with my magic; I've realized that as I use my magic on them, their roots expand even more, making it the center of the growth.

I take several deep breaths, trying to concentrate.

With each breath, I let go of all my worries and anxiety, clearing my head to allow my magic to flow from my fingers onto the roots of the flowers, making sure it is not an erratic release. This has helped me greatly these past months to understand the behavior of my magic and what I can expect from it.

I feel the tell-tell sign of my magic beginning to be released; my fingertips first feel warm, and then they feel a little shock of electricity as my magic is released. As I concentrate. I also feel my wolf close to the surface.

I breathe out, and feel through the roots how new flowers begin to form all the way up in the Castle wall.

The feeling is elating. Now that I have somewhat learned to control my magic, I feel this connection to everything it touches, almost like the roots and flowers themselves are an extension of myself.

When I'm satisfied, I slowly open my eyes and smile at my work. The flowers look radiant, sizzling with magic. Maybe it's a glow that only I can see, but it makes them so much more beautiful and fragrant.

When I stand up and take a step towards the courtyard to see the new flower buds, I hear someone gasp.

It's a wide-eyed Cassia, and she just dropped a full tray of food she was carrying with her.