Chapter 48: Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter 48

Lia’s POV

The air in Duskwood had changed.

It wasn’t anything you could point to, no sudden proclamation, no shift in the moon’s pull, but it was there all the same. A stiffness in people’s smiles. Conversations that stopped when I entered the room. The sound of doors closing softly in my wake.

Elena told me I was imagining things. Or was it overreacting she said. But Elena also had a way of speaking to me now that was too careful, like I might shatter if she said the wrong word.

It was the third morning of this, whatever it was, when the summons came.

A young omega brought it, her eyes downcast as she handed me the folded parchment. “From the council,” she murmured. Then she left before I could ask anything else.

The message was short, almost insultingly so:

Your presence is requested at the main house at noon.

It didn’t say why. It didn’t even say please.

By the time I arrived, the air in the main house was thicker than usual, heavy with the scent of polished wood and faint traces of old smoke from last night’s fire. I expected to be led to the council chamber. Instead, the guard at the door told me to wait in the east hall.

I sat on the edge of a carved bench, my hands clenched in my lap, watching the light filter through the high windows.

That was when I heard them.

Two voices, male, low, but not low enough. They were coming from the side room near the stairs. I recognized the tone before I recognized the words, that particular blend of authority and false courtesy that belonged to the elders when they thought no one important was listening.

“…too much risk, keeping her here,” one said. “You saw what happened before. We can’t afford distractions.”

“She’s not a distraction,” the other replied. “But there’s a larger plan at play. The Alpha’s survival depends on stability. And stability may require a… change.”

A pause. Then the first voice again: “He hasn’t agreed yet?”

“Not yet. But his options are limited. He’ll see that soon enough.”

A shuffling of papers, the scrape of a chair leg, and I quickly stood, pretending to study one of the framed maps on the wall.

They emerged a moment later, both offering me the kind of polite smile that didn’t reach the eyes. One of them inclined his head. “Miss Mason. Someone will be with you shortly.”

Then they walked past, their voices fading down the hall.

I didn’t have to be a genius to know they were talking about Edgar. Or that “change” was never a harmless word in politics.

When I was finally called into the council chamber, it wasn’t Edgar waiting for me, it was a senior steward with a message that the Alpha was “unavailable.” I was told to return home and “rest.”

Rest.

I walked back through the village in a haze, my mind replaying the words I’d overheard. His options are limited. Stability may require a change.

That night, Edgar came home later than usual. He looked tired, more than tired. There was a paleness to him that hadn’t been there before, a hollowness in his eyes.

I wanted to ask where he’d been. I wanted to tell him what I’d overheard. But the words stuck in my throat when he kissed my forehead and murmured, “Long day,” as if that explained everything.

He lay beside me, tracing the bond mark on my back.

“I still don’t know how I survived,” he murmured.

“You weren’t alone,” I whispered. “None of us were. We had love. That’s stronger than any curse.”

He turned to me, emotion raw in his eyes. “Do you still love me, after everything?”

“Yes,” I said. “And more.” Even though I was surprised at the question.

He rested his head against my chest, listening to my heartbeat. “Then I’ll make it worth it. Every moment from now on.”

We ate together in silence. He barely touched his food.

When he finally excused himself, saying he had more work to finish, I watched him go, the straight set of his shoulders, the way his hand lingered briefly on the doorframe before disappearing into the other room.

I didn’t sleep much that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those elders leaning over a table, plotting something I wasn’t meant to hear. I saw Edgar surrounded by them, his face caught between defiance and resignation.

By morning, I’d made my decision.

If Edgar wasn’t going to tell me what was happening, I’d have to find out myself.

I didn’t care if it meant sneaking into the main house again. I didn’t care if it meant confronting those smug old men.

I wasn’t going to sit quietly while decisions were being made in dark rooms, decisions that could change everything.

And this time, I wouldn’t just overhear.

This time, I’d be ready.