Chapter 9: Is he really here?
833 Words
It was the stranger from the cave.
He stopped at the end of the long aisle, his eyes scanning the rows of judges before landing directly on me.
For ten long seconds, the entire room went dead silent and nobody moved an inch.
I could feel the pull between us, it wasn’t performed or mundane, it was extraordinary in many different ways that my mind couldn’t catch up with.
"What is going on here?" his voice rumbled, deep and low enough to make the glass windows vibrate.
The elder hurried down from his high seat, his hands shaking as he bowed low, his robes dragging on the floor.
"Your Majesty! We... we didn't expect you to leave your room. We were just finishing a trial, a matter of border security. This girl…"
"Your Majesty!" Seraphina’s sharp voice cut through the quiet, she sounded desperate.
"Please, don't let this dirty creature ruin your courtroom! She was caught with a messy, jagged rogue mark on her neck. She’s a traitor!" She said pointing a finger at me.
He didn't look at the elder, instead, his gold eyes snapped directly to Seraphina.
The ice in his stare made the words freeze right in her throat and I was glad to see her face go completely pale, and she clamped her running mouth shut. Who knew Seraphina could shut up with just a look?
The heavy iron chains clanked loudly against the floor as I forced myself to stand all the way up.
My legs were shaking badly and my head was spinning, but I couldn't stay on the ground while he was coming toward me.
As he got closer, I noticed he didn't look quite as impossibly giant as he did in the pitch-black cave, but he was still a very big man. He completely towered over the guards and every other person in the room.
He stopped right in front of me and I could feel his smell wash over my face, completely clearing my head.
My knees suddenly buckled, the last of my strength giving out.
I braced myself to hit the hard floor, but his large hand came forward, catching me securely around the waist and pulling me against his chest. He was solid and incredibly warm.
I looked up into his face, the scary King everyone talked about, I didn’t know who that was. I only saw the man who had held me in the dark. And a small, tired smile touched my lips.
"It’s you," I whispered.
"Silas," he replied, his voice dropping so low it was meant only for me.
"I’m Elara," I said, my hand resting against the cold metal plate of his armor.
"I know," he murmured. He raised his other hand, his thumb gently wiping a tear from my cheek. His skin felt like fire against mine.
For a moment, the whole room disappeared.
Everything from the angry judges, to the chains on my wrists, the execution sentence, none of it mattered.
We were completely lost in each other, forgetting everyone else was even there.
"But…but Sire!"
Seraphina’s voice broke the quiet again, sounding frantic and ugly.
She had stepped back to Kaelen's side, her fingers gripping his arm as she forced herself to speak, her ego driving her to be stupid.
"The Moon Goddess chooses true mates! Elara is nothing! Kaelen and I are the true fated match of the Silver-Oak pack! She is trying to trick you!"
He didn't let go of my waist. His grip tightened, holding me steady against his side so I wouldn't fall.
But he turned his head slightly to the side, pinning Seraphina with a deadly look.
"A hybrid's mark does not look like a normal wolf bite," Silas said, and everyone went quiet to listen to him.
"With the blood of a Lycan and a Great Beast, the fangs tear the skin roughly. It looks violent. It looks chaotic."
He looked back down at me, his thumb tracing the linen bandage on my neck.
"That is not a rogue's mark," he said to the silent room. "It is mine and anyone who touches her" he paused for a moment to let the panicked gasps settle.
“They will die by my hand” he concluded and the
Elder stumbled back against a bench, his face turning gray.
This didn't seem like good news to the High Council, I noticed.
My Uncle Mordecai looked like he had been slapped, his mouth hanging open in pure terror.
Behind Seraphina, Kaelen’s arms dropped to his sides, his eyes wide and blank as he stared at the High King holding me. I could see the rage in his eyes.
"No... no, that can't be!" Seraphina stammered, her voice cracking with jealousy.
"We have the Goddess's blessing! Our bond happened instantly!"
"You dare speak of the Goddess's will to me, girl?" Silas whispered, his voice echoing perfectly in the quiet room.
"Why don't you explain to him how your mate bond happened so fast?"
- Writer
