Court of wolves
1022 Words
Aria’s POV
I walked down the grand staircase with my hand still tucked under Cassian's elbow. It felt like a haunting repetition of the night at the gala. The last time I had walked this path, I was a girl with a stolen mark and a misguided cousin. Today, I was a woman with a restored mark and a target on my back.
At the bottom of the stairs, the air felt frozen. Noah stood by a corner, his expression a wall of unreadable Alpha stone. Beside him, Elena stood with her chin high, her eyes flashing with a disapproval she didn't bother to hide.
The drawing room had been scrubbed of blood, but the scent of ozone and silver still clung to the curtains. The Grand Luna sat in her usual chair; the High Council member, the one who had been at the bar during the m******e, sat by her right. He looked remarkably composed for a man who had drunk through a war.
"Finally," the Grand Luna said, her voice like a gavel striking wood. "Now that the cause of our misfortune has joined us, perhaps the Council can reach a verdict."
She turned toward the council member, her posture perfect, her tone dripping with practiced grief. "As I reported, the twins were blindsided. Their strength is unquestionable, their capability proven over decades. This estate has stood for three generations without a single breach, until now. It was the presence of this girl and her tainted blood that provided Julian the opportunity he needed to invade our home."
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. "First time for everything," I mumbled under my breath.
Noah’s eyes darted quickly toward me for a fraction of a second, his face remaining perfectly straight, though I saw the slight tightening of his jaw.
"The girl and her good-for-nothing cousin upstairs," the Grand Luna continued, waving a hand dismissively toward me, "are a liability we can no longer afford. My recommendation to the Council is simple: they must leave the estate immediately, never to return. We must sanitize this bloodline before the rot spreads."
Noah opened his mouth to speak, his chest expanding as he prepared to intervene, but Cassian beat him to it.
"You are not the owner of this estate, Mother," Cassian said, his voice low and vibrating with a sober, dangerous edge. "It is not in your place to send Aria away. She has done nothing wrong. I brought her here."
"We," Noah interrupted immediately, his voice cutting through Cassian’s like a blade. "We brought her here, and she stays under the protection of the Vaelor Alphas."
The Grand Luna’s eyes narrowed into slits, giving Cassian that warning look every mother gives in disapproval. She turned back to the Council member with a forced, pitying smile. "You must forgive my son’s pettiness. He is tired. He and his brother were the ones who saved us, after all, along with Elena, Cassian’s wife, who stood by them in the darkness."
Elena let out a small, sheepish smile, glancing down at her feet as if she were the hero of the hour.
"Fiancée," Cassian corrected sharply.
The smile on Elena’s face faded instantly, her lips thinning into a hard line.
The High Council member leaned forward, his silver crest catching the light. He ignored the bickering, his gaze fixing solely on Noah. "Whatever happened here needs to be handled with extreme care, Noah. Especially where you are concerned. The Council’s patience with this... arrangement... is at its limit."
Noah kept his face like a mask, bowing his head slightly in a gesture of understanding. I frowned, looking between them. What were they talking about? What "arrangement" was involved in that the Council was threatening him over?
The Council member stood up, walking toward the center of the room. He stopped in front of me, his eyes raking over the silver mark on my chest.
"The mark is back," he noted, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But so is the confusion. You see, Aria, your presence and a situation of this magnitude requires a sacrifice to the Council to maintain the peace."
He turned back to the room, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Since you all insist she stays, the Council agrees. On one condition. She needs to prove her loyalty and also prove that she is indeed an heir, or at least a bearer and this complicates things."
Silence fell over the room, a silence so heavy it felt like it was crushing the air out of my lungs.
“I don't understand,” I spoke with an edge.
He continued, “I have been informed that we already have an heir.” He pointed to Elena's tummy, which she clasped with her hand lovingly. “But since the mother of the child hasn't been claimed, we cannot officially call it an heir.”
I arched my brow, still trying to understand. ”I don't see how any of this concerns me."
"Oh, it does,” he continued. "You see, you have the mark and according to the prophecy, which I can't say we are sure of, you are the heir or maybe a carrier of the heir. You know prophecies and their twists. You, Aria, would need to undergo a trial. The Silver Trial.”
Noah’s hand gripped the mantle so hard the wood groaned. "The Silver Trial is for criminals," he hissed.
"And for those whose presence brings war to our gates," the Grand Luna added smoothly, her eyes meeting mine with a triumphant glint. "If she survives, she stays. If she fails... well, she will be the least of her problems."
I looked at Cassian, then at Noah. They both looked as though they were watching me walk toward a cliff.
"I'll take the trial," I said, my voice ringing out clearer than I expected. "But if I win, Grand Luna leaves this estate. Not me."
- Writer
