Chapter 10 – Trial of the Half-Blood
1289 Words
The chamber smelled of blood and old stone.
Torches lined the walls, flickering in the draft that whispered through the underground hall. The sound of my chains echoed as two guards led me forward. I could feel every stare — the council, the warriors, even Lycian — watching like I was something dangerous, something they didn’t understand.
Maybe I wasn’t sure I did either.
The mark on my wrist had stopped glowing, but it still pulsed under the skin, like it was waiting for something. I kept my eyes down, focusing on the rhythm of my heartbeat so I wouldn’t fall apart.
“Emily Rivers,” the Elder’s voice boomed through the chamber. “You stand accused of deceit, trespass, and invoking forbidden power within Alpha territory.”
My throat went dry. “I didn’t invoke anything.”
The Elder, a tall wolf with silver eyes, raised a brow. “And yet, witnesses saw you unleash magic powerful enough to scorch half the forest.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I said, barely above a whisper. “It just—happened.”
“She lies.” A voice from the crowd — a Beta I didn’t know. “No human could do that.”
“I’m not human,” I snapped before I could stop myself.
The hall fell silent. The truth hung between us like smoke.
The Elder’s gaze sharpened. “Then what are you?”
Before I could answer, Lycian spoke.
“She’s my responsibility.”
Every head turned toward him. He stood at the edge of the dais, hands clasped behind his back, every inch the Alpha — except for his eyes. They weren’t cold or cruel; they were… haunted.
“With respect, Alpha,” another councilor said, “your judgment is compromised. You defended her when she should have been detained. You refused to hand her over to the Elders for examination.”
“Because she’s not our enemy,” he said, voice like thunder restrained by will. “She saved three of our own from the rogue attack.”
“She brought the rogues here!” someone shouted.
The room erupted in growls and accusations. I could feel the fury building — like a storm about to break. I looked at Lycian, silently begging him not to fight for me. Not if it meant tearing himself apart.
He caught my gaze and, for a second, his expression softened. Just enough to remind me that beneath the Alpha, there was a man who’d once reached for me in the dark and whispered that I was safe.
The Elder raised his hand. Silence fell again.
“Enough. The council will decide her fate after she speaks.” His eyes locked on me. “Tell us the truth, girl. What are you?”
I swallowed hard. “I told you. I don’t know exactly. My mother was human. My father was…” I hesitated. “He was one of you. Maybe more.”
“Name him,” the Elder demanded.
I hesitated. Lycian’s jaw tightened — he already knew.
“The white wolf,” I said quietly. “He called himself Cael.”
The name sent a ripple of shock through the hall. The Elders exchanged wary glances. One of them muttered, “The traitor lives.”
“Traitor?” I repeated.
The Elder turned his gaze on me, voice grave. “Cael was once an Alpha King — ruler of the Northern Packs. He betrayed his kind, sought to bind wolf and witch magic into one bloodline. He was banished… and thought dead.”
The world tilted. “He’s my father.”
A murmur rippled through the council. Lycian’s fists clenched at his sides.
“So it’s true,” one of the warriors spat. “She carries the blood of the fallen king.”
Another added, “She’s a weapon. We should end this before it begins.”
Lycian’s growl cut through the air. “No one touches her.”
The hall went still. The authority in his tone left no room for argument.
The Elder frowned. “Alpha Lycian, your attachment clouds your duty. If she is Cael’s daughter, she could fulfill his prophecy.”
“What prophecy?” I demanded.
The Elder’s voice lowered. “A child of two worlds, born under a blood moon, destined to either unite or destroy the packs.”
My stomach knotted. Unite or destroy.
No wonder they wanted me gone.
Lycian took a step closer to the dais. “I won’t let fear decide her fate.”
“Then what will?” the Elder challenged. “Your heart?”
The words hit harder than any blow. Lycian’s silence said enough.
The Elder turned back to me. “By law, you should be executed. But the Alpha claims your protection. Therefore—” he paused “—your fate will be tested by trial.”
My breath caught. “Trial?”
“You will face the Moon’s Judgment,” the Elder said. “Survive, and you may walk free. Fail, and your blood will return to the earth that cursed it.”
Lycian’s eyes darkened. “That’s barbaric.”
“It is our law,” the Elder replied. “Unless you wish to defy the council, Alpha?”
Lycian’s voice was low, dangerous. “If she dies, her blood is on your hands.”
“She’s already marked us,” someone growled. “We can feel it. The balance shifts when she breathes.”
The guards moved to take me. Lycian’s growl made them freeze.
“I’ll oversee it myself,” he said.
The Elder hesitated, then nodded. “As you wish. The Moon’s Judgment will begin at the next full moon.”
The guards unshackled me, but it didn’t feel like freedom. The air was heavy, the silence heavier. Lycian reached out, fingers brushing my wrist before he caught himself and pulled back.
“Don’t fight them,” he murmured. “Not yet.”
My voice trembled. “You think I’ll survive this?”
His eyes met mine, raw and unguarded. “You’ve already survived worse.”
The guards led me out of the chamber, their steps echoing behind me. I didn’t look back — not until I reached the end of the tunnel and heard his voice again, softer this time, meant only for me.
“I’ll find a way,” he said. “Even if it means breaking every law we have.”
I almost turned around. Almost.
But the darkness swallowed me first.
That night, locked in the Alpha’s old watchtower, I couldn’t sleep. The moonlight spilled across the floor like spilled milk, pale and cold. My mark pulsed again, brighter now — reacting to something in the air.
“Unite or destroy,” I whispered to myself. “Which am I supposed to be?”
A knock startled me. The door creaked open, and a familiar figure slipped inside — a young warrior, his eyes nervous.
“Emily,” he whispered. “There’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?”
He handed me a folded parchment, the seal still wet. The scent on it made my stomach twist.
It was Lycian’s.
I broke the seal. The words inside were short, hurried, written in his rough hand.
If I can’t save you from the trial… then I’ll fight beside you.
— L.
I pressed the note to my chest, heart pounding too fast. For the first time since the truth came out, I let myself cry — not from fear, but from the terrifying realization that I was no longer alone in this.
Somewhere beyond the forest, thunder rolled. The next full moon was coming.
And with it — judgment.
- Writer
