Episode 20: Council Interrogations
213 Words
Aelin sat straight‑backed in the marble hall of Hollow Hall as pack elders filed in. The wood paneling smelled of ancient secrets; portraits of alphas past stared down from gilded frames. “The Council merely seeks the truth,” murmured Elder Laurent, but his eyes flicked toward Clarissa. Damian squeezed Aelin’s hand under the table; his warmth steadied her. Questions came like sharp pebbles: How did a human join the Crescent Moon Pack? Was she a spy? Aelin answered calmly, telling the story of a debt paid by a contract and a bond sealed by the moon. Marcus testified that she had trained harder than anyone and saved him from rogues. When Victor’s emissary accused her of seducing Damian for power, the entire hall bristled. Aelin’s voice did not waver as she declared her loyalty to the pack over her own life. By the time the gavel struck, murmurs had shifted from suspicion to reluctant respect.
As she left the council chamber, she felt the weight of eyes upon her, but she also sensed a shift — perhaps the beginning of acceptance. She knew this was only the beginning of the battles she would face. Damian squeezed her hand again, his silent support promising that she would never face them alone.
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