CHAPTER14: UNNATURAL.
700 Words
"Omega! Omega! My lordship... I I'm so sorry to disturb you, but...
speak!" The young servant girl's voice trembled as she rushed into the hall, breath hitching with every step.
Aria, the Omega, held her wine glass tightly, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. "I said... speak," she commanded, her voice quivering slightly but trying to maintain control.
"My lordship... your mother... she... she was found dead... at the back of the pack!" the servant girl cried, her words stumbling out in a frantic whisper.
Aria froze, the wine glass trembling in her hand. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop. Then her fingers gave way, and the glass slipped from her hand, shattering against the stone floor with a deafening crash. The sound echoed through the hall, silencing every whisper, every shuffle of feet, every beating heart.
The Omega swayed, a hand pressed to her chest, and then her knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor in a faint, her body trembling as the shock of the news overtook her. Gasps and murmurs filled the hall. Servants froze mid-step, and even the torchlight flickered as if in awe of the tension.
From the back, Nyxara, kneeling with bundles of herbs, rose slowly. Her dark eyes observed the chaos with calm precision, every movement deliberate and measured. Nonchalant. Dangerous. She did not rush to Aria, but her gaze swept the hall, already analyzing every whisper and glance.
"Bring her to her feet," Nyxara commanded softly, her voice carrying an unspoken authority. Servants scrambled, some supporting the fainted Omega, others whispering frantically among themselves.
Aria's eyes fluttered open, glazed with confusion and horror. "My... mother... dead..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yes," the young servant girl said, still trembling. "It's true, my lordship... found early this morning. No wounds... no signs... nothing. Some... some think it's poison... others... fear the curse..."
Nyxara's eyes flicked to the silver charm around her neck, the runes etched faintly glowing under the torchlight. She remained calm, hands folded over her herb bundles, letting the hall's tension grow naturally, subtly.
"Call every servant to the hall," Nyxara instructed, her voice quiet but commanding. "All of you. Now."
The servants moved quickly, murmuring nervously. One young girl hesitated at the edge of the hall.
"Hey... you, servant girl," Nyxara said, voice calm but sharp, "come forward. What keeps you from obeying?"
"I... I... I fainted just now, my lady," the girl stammered, eyes wide.
"Then stand," Nyxara said simply. "And report everything you know about the Luna's final hours."
Meanwhile, whispers continued to spread through the hall:
"The Luna... dead?"
"The stone-born girl... near the chambers yesterday..."
"It must have been her power!"
The sudden sound of heavy footsteps halted the murmurs. Rhyven and Maximus entered, their presence immediately commanding attention. The hall fell silent again, every servant and warrior holding their breath.
Rhyven's gaze swept the hall, landing finally on Nyxara at the back. Calm. Nonchalant. Even in the shadow of panic, she seemed untouched.
"Report!" Rhyven demanded, his voice cutting through the hall like steel.
A young warrior stepped forward. "Alpha... the Luna... she was found dead in her chambers this morning. No signs of struggle, no wounds. Some... suspect poison... others... fear a curse..."
Maximus's eyes remained on Nyxara. "Even restrained," he murmured, almost to himself, "her presence unsettles the pack. Be cautious."
The priestess of the Moon Goddess stepped forward, robes swaying with every step. "Alphas... this cannot be natural. The Luna... she is dead, and no explanation fits. We must understand before we act."
Nyxara's dark eyes scanned the room once more. Calm. Nonchalant. Dangerous. The hall seemed to shrink around her as every whispered suspicion, every fearful glance, seemed to center on her presence.
Outside, the full moon poured silver light through the hall's tall windows. Shadows stretched long and ghostly across the floor, dancing over the shattered glass, over the fainted Omega, over the gathering of terrified servants.
The priestess whispered again, voice trembling with awe and fear:
"Alpha... this... this cannot be natural..."
And the hall fell silent, every heart beating in tense anticipation, as Nyxara remained at the back, calm, watching, waiting...
- Writer
