Chapter 5 Someone Wanted Me Weak
745 Words
The silence that followed the King's words was suffocating.
No one dared move.
No one dared speak.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the trembling that had taken over my body.
Someone had been draining my wolf?
For years?
It couldn't be true.
It had to be impossible.
Yet...
Nova's voice had grown weaker every year.
The headaches.
The dizzy spells.
The nights I woke up gasping for breath after dreaming of silver chains wrapped around my heart.
The healers always dismissed them.
"You're simply a weak she-wolf."
"Train harder."
"Stop embarrassing yourself."
Had they known?
A loud scoff cut through my thoughts.
"This is absurd."
Alpha Cedric Voss stepped forward from the crowd, his expensive crimson cloak sweeping across the marble floor.
"The ceremony has already been interrupted enough."
He bowed respectfully to King Kael.
"Your Majesty, surely one frightened girl's imagination isn't enough to accuse this Council of treason."
"I didn't accuse the Council."
Kael's voice was frighteningly calm.
"I accused someone."
Cedric smiled politely.
"With no evidence."
Kael tilted his head.
"No evidence?"
His golden eyes slowly drifted toward me.
"Tell me, Lyra."
My stomach tightened.
"Y-Yes?"
"Since what age have you been unable to shift completely?"
My breath caught.
"I..."
"Answer him."
"...Since I was twelve."
Gasps erupted around the hall.
Ronan's head snapped toward me.
"You never told me that."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"You never asked."
His expression tightened.
I looked away before I could see pity in his eyes.
I'd had enough pity for one lifetime.
Kael continued.
"How many healers examined you?"
"Five."
"And what did every one of them conclude?"
I swallowed.
"That... I was born defective."
The King's jaw flexed.
"No."
His voice echoed through the hall.
"You were poisoned."
The word struck like lightning.
My knees nearly buckled.
"Poisoned?"
"Not by venom."
He looked toward Elder Orion.
"But by Moon Silver."
The Elder inhaled sharply.
"No..."
"Impossible."
Moon Silver.
Every werewolf knew the name.
It wasn't an ordinary metal.
In its purest form, it could suppress a wolf's strength.
Used carefully, it restrained dangerous criminals.
Used for years...
It could slowly destroy a wolf from the inside.
I shook my head.
"Who would do that to a child?"
No one answered.
Because no one had an answer.
Or perhaps...
Someone did.
My gaze drifted through the crowd.
Faces blurred together.
Warriors.
Elders.
Servants.
Nobles.
One expression caught my attention.
Iris.
She wasn't frightened.
She wasn't shocked.
She was angry.
Not because of what the King had revealed.
Because he had revealed it at all.
The moment our eyes met, she quickly lowered her gaze.
A chill crawled down my spine.
Before I could think further, Kael spoke again.
"Who raised you?"
"My parents died when I was six."
The words came automatically.
"I was taken in by the pack."
"Taken in?"
His tone sharpened.
"Or kept under watch?"
Confusion flooded me.
"I don't understand."
"You will."
Kael turned to the High Elder.
"I want every record concerning Lyra Everhart."
The Elder nodded immediately.
"I'll have them brought at once."
"I said every record."
Kael's gaze darkened.
"If even one page has disappeared..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
The threat hung heavily in the air.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
A young palace messenger burst through the doors, panting heavily before dropping to one knee.
"Your Majesty!"
Kael frowned.
"You were ordered to remain outside."
"I know, sire, but this couldn't wait."
The messenger looked pale.
"They've found something."
"What?"
"The royal guards searched the healers' quarters after your command."
The hall fell silent again.
The messenger swallowed hard.
"They found hidden vials."
Elder Orion stiffened.
"What kind of vials?"
The young man reached into his satchel with trembling hands and produced a small crystal bottle.
Dark silver liquid swirled inside.
Even from where I stood, I could feel an icy sensation creeping beneath my skin.
Kael's expression turned deadly.
"Moon Silver."
The messenger nodded.
"There were dozens of them."
My heart pounded painfully.
"No..."
"It gets worse."
The messenger looked directly at me.
"Each bottle was labeled."
My breathing stopped.
"Labeled?"
He nodded once.
"They all carried the same name."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"'Patient... Lyra Everhart.'"
The crystal bottle slipped from the messenger's shaking fingers.
It shattered against the marble floor.
The silver liquid hissed like acid.
And somewhere inside the Great Hall...
Someone quietly began to clap.
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