The Alpha Luna’s True Mate

The Standoff

Elira

My mind went blank as I stared at the black velvet box in the captain's hands. A wave of pure shock and confusion rushed through my veins, making my head spin.

How on earth had that jewelry set gotten into my bedroom? I hadn't stepped foot near the western wing all afternoon, let alone entered Nyra's private quarters to steal her things.

During my stunned silence, Nyra was quick to jump into the gap, wiping a fake tear from her cheek as she looked at Leon.

"Leon, please, do not be too angry with her," Nyra said, her voice dripping with that sickening, patronizing sweetness. "Maybe Queen Elira didn't actually mean to steal it. She probably just borrowed it from my vanity because it was so beautiful and she wanted to try it on."

"Borrowed it?" I protested against this, my voice rising as I finally found my tongue. "I have never even seen that jewelry set before today, Nyra. Do not dare stand there and accuse me of sneaking into your room."

Leon didn't listen to a single word I said. He slammed his hand down on the table, making the wine glasses rattle violently against the wood.

"Why did you steal the jewelry set when it clearly didn't belong to you, Elira?" Leon questioned, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low rumble that filled the entire dining hall. "Answer me."

I stood to my feet right then, my chair scraping loudly against the marble floor as I pushed it back. I've had a bellyful of every single insult and humiliation from Leon.

"I did not take her necklace, Leon!" I pressed, glaring directly at my husband with everything I had left. "I have never stolen a single thing in my entire life, and I would never descend low enough to steal from a mistress."

From the corner of my eyes, I suddenly noticed a large shadow shifting at the end of the long table. It was Ares.

He stood up to his feet without saying a single word to anyone, turned his back on the room, and began to walk away toward the exit.

My chest tightened with a sensation that felt exactly like disappointment. My stomach sank into a deep, hollow pit as I watched his broad back disappear through the heavy double doors.

He was walking away. He actually believed I was a thief, just like Leon and the rest of the council did.

The thought shattered the tiny bit of strength I had left, making me feel isolated in a room full of enemies. If even Ares thought I was capable of doing something so cheap and petty, then I really had absolutely nobody left in this palace.

"That is enough of your lies, Elira," Leon snapped, pulling my attention back to the high table. "The proof is sitting right here in front of the entire court. You will apologize to Nyra at this exact moment, and you will return what is hers."

"I am not apologizing for a crime I didn't commit," I refused, my jaw locking tight as I held my ground.

The moment the words left my lips, loud whispers began to fly around the massive room like a swarm of angry hornets. The nobles and pack elders leaned across their seats, gesturing toward me with sneers on their faces.

"Look at her," a duchess whispered loudly from the middle table. "She is nothing but a proud thief who cannot even own up to her crime."

"Exactly," a lord replied, scoffing openly. "She gets caught red-handed and still refuses to simply apologize like the king had ordered. She has no shame at all."

I stood there entirely exposed, unable to proof my innocence to any of them, my whole body shaking with a wave of helpless, suffocating anger. My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, my fingernails biting into my palms so hard it stung.

Just then, a sharp, terrified cry rang through the heavy air outside the dining hall doors.

The heavy oak doors burst open with a loud thud, and a young maid was pushed violently into the room, losing her balance and falling directly onto her knees on the hard marble floor. She was sobbing hysterically, her uniform completely wrinkled as she clutched her apron.

Ares walked right behind the girl, his face looking like stone as he stepped into the light of the chandeliers. He hadn't left because he believed I was guilty?

"What is the meaning of this, Ares?" Leon demanded, standing up completely as his half-brother approached the dais.

"I saw this girl sneaking out of the queen's private chambers earlier this afternoon," Ares declared, his deep voice cutting through the whispers of the crowd instantly. "At the time, I didn't question it because I thought she was just one of her personal maids handling the linens. But after hearing Lady Nyra say all this tonight, I decided to go down to the servant quarters and have a quick chat with her."

The moment Ares finished speaking, Nyra's eyes went wide with panic. It was brief, but I caught the look clearly before she could mask it behind her usual innocent expression.

"Speak," Ares ordered, looking down at the shaking girl on the floor.

"I am so sorry! Please do not banish me!" the maid confessed, her voice cracking as she rocked back and forth on her knees. "I was the one who stole the diamond jewelry set from Lady Nyra's vanity after lunch. I wanted to sell it to pay off my brother's debts in the lower districts."

She sneaked a terrified glance toward Nyra before quickly looking back down at the floor, her shoulders heaving with thick sobs.

"But then I heard footsteps coming down the residential corridor, and I panicked," the girl lied smoothly, repeating what was clearly a practiced story. "I knew the guards would search the servant wing first, so I ran into the queen's room because the door was unlocked. I hid the box at the bottom of the wardrobe, planning to come back for it later tonight when everyone was asleep. The queen had nothing to do with it, I swear!"

The entire dining hall went completely dead silent, the previous whispers vanishing as if they had never existed. The nobles who had just been calling me a proud thief suddenly looked down at their plates, completely embarrassed.

Ares didn't even look at the maid again. He took a step forward, fixing his intense golden eyes directly onto the king.

"You need to be sure of your judgment next time, Leon," Ares said, his voice dangerously low, radiating authority that made the guards shift uncomfortably. "You are the king, but you are entirely too quick to condemn the innocent without any real investigation."

He tilted his head, his gaze narrowing as he gestured toward me.

"Treat your Queen right, brother," Ares commanded sharply, his words striking the room like a physical blow. "Award her the absolute respect and honor due to her title and her bloodline, instead of letting outsiders drag her name through the mud for their own amusement."

Leon didn't say a single word back to him. His jaw was working furiously, a thick vein throbbing violently against his neck as his face turned a dark shade of angry crimson.

He stood at the top of the dais, his hands gripping the edge of the royal table so hard his knuckles turned completely white.

Ares stood at the bottom of the steps, his frame still, refusing to back down an inch as he stared his brother down in front of the entire court.

The tension between the two was enough for a knife to cut through it easily.

Nobody dared to move, nobody dared to breathe, as the two brothers locked eyes.