CHAPTER FOUR: JUDGED BY WOLVES
1248 Words
Seraphina woke to silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The dangerous kind—thick, watchful, alive.
Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of Kael’s chamber, pale and cold, casting silver shadows across the stone walls. She lay still on the bed, wrapped in dark furs that still smelled like him. Smoke. Pine. Power.
For a brief, foolish moment, she forgot where she was.
Then memory crashed down.
The council hall.
The chains.
The rejection.
The bond.
And the Alpha who hated her.
She sat up slowly.
Kael was gone.
The space he’d occupied felt empty in a way that made her chest ache. The bond pulsed faintly, unsettled, as if searching for him and finding nothing.
A knock echoed at the door.
She flinched.
“Enter,” she said, forcing steadiness into her voice.
The door opened, and two women stepped inside.
They wore deep red—pack colors. Both were tall, strong, unmistakably wolves. Their eyes swept over Seraphina with open disdain.
One inclined her head stiffly. “I am Lyria. This is Maera. We’ve been ordered to prepare you.”
“For what?” Seraphina asked.
Lyria’s lips curved slightly. Not kind. “The morning assembly.”
Her stomach dropped. “Assembly?”
Maera snorted. “You didn’t think you’d be hidden forever, did you?”
Seraphina swung her legs off the bed. Her feet touched the floor—warm now, blessedly—and she rose, spine straight.
“I’m ready.”
Lyria’s brows lifted. “Already?”
“I won’t crawl,” Seraphina said quietly. “If I’m to be judged, I’ll stand.”
Something unreadable flickered in Lyria’s gaze.
They dressed her not in finery, but in black.
A simple fitted gown, long sleeves, no jewels, no adornment. Mourning colors.
“You dress me like a criminal,” Seraphina observed.
Maera met her eyes. “That’s how they see you.”
They braided her hair tightly down her back—no softness allowed—and led her from the chamber.
The palace corridors were alive now.
Wolves lined the halls, pretending not to stare and failing badly. Whispers followed her like ghosts.
“—traitor’s blood—”
“—rejected mate—”
“—Alpha lets her sleep in his bed—”
Her cheeks burned, but she kept her head high.
The assembly grounds opened before her—an immense stone courtyard carved into the mountainside. Hundreds of wolves gathered there, ranked by strength and status.
At the center stood Kael.
Dressed in black and silver, Alpha markings gleaming against his skin, he was a force all on his own. His presence silenced the crowd without effort.
He didn’t look at her.
That hurt more than if he had.
She was guided to stand several paces behind him, alone.
Exposed.
An elder stepped forward—white-haired, sharp-eyed.
“We gather,” the elder announced, “to acknowledge the arrival of Seraphina Vale, daughter of Alpha Darius Vale of the Southern Ridge.”
Murmurs rippled.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“She stands accused,” the elder continued, “of carrying traitor blood into Blackthorn territory.”
Seraphina inhaled slowly.
“I have committed no crime,” she said clearly.
The courtyard exploded.
“How dare she speak—”
“She should kneel—”
“Silence her—”
Kael turned.
One raised hand.
Instant quiet.
His eyes locked onto hers.
“Speak only when permitted,” he said.
The words were cold.
But beneath them—something else.
Warning.
She nodded once.
The elder cleared his throat. “Alpha Blackthorn, you claimed her as part of a political exchange. Yet the Moon Goddess marked her as your mate.”
A hush fell.
Kael’s voice was iron. “And I rejected it.”
Gasps.
Seraphina’s chest tightened painfully.
“The bond exists,” the elder pressed. “Whether you accept it or not.”
Kael’s gaze burned. “The bond does not erase blood.”
A woman stepped forward then.
Tall. Beautiful. Golden-haired.
Her confidence was unmistakable.
“Alpha,” she said smoothly. “You shouldn’t have to justify yourself.”
Seraphina recognized her instantly.
This was Nyra.
Unmated. High-ranking. A favorite among the pack.
Nyra turned, eyes raking over Seraphina with open contempt.
“Why allow her to stand here?” Nyra continued. “She reeks of betrayal. Her presence weakens us.”
Agreement echoed.
Seraphina clenched her fists.
Nyra smiled sweetly. “If she truly belongs here, let her prove it.”
Kael stiffened. “Careful.”
Nyra’s gaze flicked to him, surprised.
“Alpha?”
He didn’t look at her.
“What do you propose?” Kael asked flatly.
Nyra’s smile sharpened. “Trial.”
The word rang like a blade.
Seraphina’s breath caught.
“A test of loyalty,” Nyra continued. “Let her enter the Shadow Pit. Alone. If she survives the night, we’ll accept her presence.”
The crowd roared approval.
Seraphina turned to Kael.
He was already looking at her.
For the first time since the rejection, something cracked through his control.
“No,” he said.
The courtyard fell dead silent.
Nyra stared. “Alpha?”
“I said no.”
The elder frowned. “Alpha Blackthorn—”
“She is under my protection,” Kael snapped. “Trial by death proves nothing.”
Nyra’s eyes narrowed. “Or perhaps you fear she won’t survive.”
Kael’s aura flared violently.
The ground seemed to vibrate.
“Enough,” he growled.
Nyra took a step closer to him—too close.
“You reject her as mate,” she said softly. “Yet you shield her like one.”
Seraphina watched the exchange, heart pounding.
Nyra leaned in, voice low but sharp. “What does that make me, Kael?”
His eyes went glacial.
“It makes you reckless.”
The slap echoed like thunder.
Nyra staggered back, shock etched across her face.
Gasps erupted.
Kael stood rigid, fist clenched at his side.
“No one,” he said slowly, “touches what is under my command.”
Nyra’s eyes burned with humiliation.
Seraphina trembled.
What is under my command.
Not mate.
Not woman.
But not disposable either.
Kael turned to the assembly.
“She will not face the Pit,” he declared. “She will remain under my watch. Any wolf who challenges that answers to me.”
Silence.
Fear.
Acceptance.
The elder bowed stiffly. “As you command, Alpha.”
The crowd began to disperse, whispers trailing behind them.
Seraphina stood frozen.
Kael turned to her.
For a heartbeat, they were alone in the chaos.
“You should have let me speak,” he said quietly.
“I would have,” she replied. “If they weren’t sentencing me to die.”
His jaw flexed.
“Come,” he ordered.
They walked back toward the palace side by side.
Too close.
Too aware.
“You didn’t have to protect me,” she said softly.
“Yes,” he replied. “I did.”
She looked at him. “Why?”
He stopped walking.
Turned fully to face her.
His voice dropped, rough and honest in a way that startled her.
“Because if they break you,” he said, “the bond will break me.”
Her breath caught.
“And I refuse,” he finished, “to give anyone that power.”
The truth hung heavy between them.
Nyra watched from the shadows, eyes burning with promise.
This was far from over.
- Writer
