Chapter8:TheDebtOFBlood
861 Words
The doors of the High Hall didn't just open; they paved a way as I shoved them aside like they were paying respect to me.
The Council members were gathered at the long obsidian table, their faces pale in the morning light. Elric Noctyne sat at the head, his fingers trembling as he clutched a scroll. Caelan Thorne stood in the corner, stripped of his Alpha title, looking like a trapped animal.
I walked down the center aisle, the Moon-Crested Dagger visible at my hip. Tristan and Fredrick walked three paces behind me,the dark shield and the golden sword,but this was my stage.
"The Law of the Common Howl has been approved by the Alphas," I said, my voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. "The Council is dissolved. But before you will not be executed , there is a debt of blood to be paid."
Then I stepped closer. “ You will be bound by the forgotten oath” seer Lucas moved forward, his staff striking the stone once “ you will not speak against the pack, his voice resonated with authority “nor act against the Majority.Should you try, the Moon itself will take your voice.
And further “, certain members will be dispatched to other houses as “ observers” . Each shall answer to a different alpha .
Elric opened his mouth, astonished by my law but no sound came out . The silence was immediate and my law was absolute.
I leaned in, my voice low . “ You wanted to rule from the shadows . Congratulations, that’s all you are now .
Elric stood, trying to reclaim his dignity "Aeralyn, be reasonable. I am the one who brought you here. I found you in the wreckage of the Old House. I gave you a home in House Shade."
"You didn't give me a home, Elric," I hissed, stepping onto the dais until I was inches from his face. "You gave me a cage. And you gave me a lie."
The memory of my foster mother, Elena, flared in my mind,the only woman who had ever looked at an "Omega" child with love.
"Ten years ago," I began, my voice trembling with a decade of suppressed rage, "the Great Archive was burned. You told the pack that Elena had stolen the scrolls and set the fire to cover her tracks. You stood by and watched as they executed her for treason."
Elric’s eyes darted to the side. "She was careless with the candles, child"
"Liar!" I roared. The silver light in my eyes flared so brightly that the Council members shielded their faces. "I was there. I was hiding in the corner . I saw you take the scrolls. I saw you strike the flint. You needed a scapegoat for the knowledge you were stealing, and you chose the only person who cared for me because you knew an Omega’s word meant nothing."
I turned to the room, to the sentinels and the Alphas who had gathered at the doors.
"He murdered the woman who raised me to keep his secrets," I shouted. "He handed me over to House Shade to be a 'ghost' so I would be too broken to ever remember what I saw. I didn't 'hustle' for myself all these years because I was ambitious, Elric. I did it because I knew the only way to get justice for Elena was to become the law itself."
Tristan’s hand moved to his sword hilt, his face a mask of cold fury. He hadn't known this part of my story. None of them had.
Fredrick stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous. "Is this true, Seer? Did you spill the blood of a neutral pack-member to hide your theft?"
Elric backed away, his heels hitting the edge of the balcony. "The scrolls contained the Shadeborne prophecy! It was too dangerous for the common wolves to know! I did it for the stability of the Vale!"
What a prophecy?"You did it for yourself," I said, reaching out and grabbing his collar. "And now, the majority has decided your fate."
I released him.
“Moon Seer Elric Noctyne “,you will live ,you will be watched . Your voice belongs to the moon and your freedom to the pack.This is your punishment: To remember, to fear , knowing I can end you whenever I want . The sentinels lowered their heads and the council bowed.
I looked out at the Omegas standing at the back of the hall,the ones Elric had spent a lifetime stepping over.
"I stood in his seat at the head of the Hall. I looked at the empty room, feeling the weight of Elena’s memory finally resting in peace.
"The Council meeting is dismissed ," I said to the remaining members. "Go.
As they scrambled out, only the Triad remained. Tristan walked up to the dais, his eyes soft. "You've been carrying that alone for ten years?"
"I'm not alone anymore," I said, looking at him and then at Fredrick.” But I wonder what prophecy he says he was hiding.
The era of quiet obedience was over. Or so I thought .
- Writer
