Chapter 26 In the Presence of Him

Chapter 26 In the Presence of Him
The yard is already alive by the time Amaris steps into it, she’d had thirty minutes which is frankly not enough but she makes it in time anyway so that head woman bitch could only scowl at her.
Stone stretches wide beneath her feet, pale and polished, reflecting the morning light that pours in from an open sky. Tall palace walls rise on all sides, carved with sigils and symbols she does not recognize, they are rumored to have been carved by the former king, Damon, to keep the curse of the Moon Goddess at bay, if they do work, no one knows. The space hums with voices, soft laughter, nervous whispers, and the restless shuffle of too many feet trying to look composed.
Girls are everywhere, in every single place in the courtyard.
They cluster together in groups that make sense to everyone but her. Some stand shoulder to shoulder like they have known each other all their lives, hands linked, heads bent together. Others hover just close enough to be included but far enough to retreat if necessary. Their dresses vary from carefully chosen finery to simple garments meant to look effortless but never poor, and now, with help from her nice smelling knight, she’s able to look less poor compared to the day before.
Amaris walks past the groups and past the girls and they let her pass, their whispers following her. It’s pretty obvious that girls from the other quarters have heard about her and are now avoiding her as well.
She keeps her head up anyway, even though her shoulder still protests softly with every movement, the ache pulsing dully beneath her clothes. She scans the yard once, quickly, before choosing a spot near the edge where she can see without being seen too much. Unfortunately, it does not work the way she hopes.
Rhea is there.
Of course she is.
She stands among a small crowd near the center, her posture relaxed, her chin lifted, her expression carefully arranged into something pleasant and superior as she peers down her nose snobbishly at the other girls who are around her. When her eyes meet Amaris’s, the look she gives her is sharp with triumph, as though the yard itself is proof that she belongs here more than Amaris ever could.
Amaris looks away first, not because she is afraid, but because she refuses to give Rhea the satisfaction that she has some sort of reaction out of her. Her wolf stirs quietly, she’s been quiet since the day before and Amaris does not mind.
Amaris breathes through it and focuses on the stone beneath her feet, the open sky above her head, the air is thick with scents, dizzying with so many colors swirling together that her senses struggle to separate them. Different perfumes, nerves, excitement, fear, ambition... everything. It presses against her like a living thing, giving her a headache.
Then the gates at the far end of the yard open.
Silence falls almost immediately, rolling through the crowd in a wave.
Guards step aside first, their movements sharp and practiced. Then figures begin to emerge from the palace itself, men and women in fine attire, their expressions solemn. The tension tightens further when a familiar presence settles over the yard, heavy and commanding, even before she sees him.
Amaris feels it before she understands it.
Her wolf goes utterly still.
The air around all of them changes.
A hush spreads, thick and reverent, and one by one the girls drop to their knees, heads bowing low. The sound of fabric brushing stone fills the yard, deliberate and unified. Amaris hesitates, confusion flaring briefly before instinct kicks in, remembering what happened the previous day. She bends immediately, awkward and unsure, her movement a half-beat too late but her knees hit the ground neverteless.
A hand lifts, motioning them all up. “Enough,” a voice carries across the yard, deep and steady. “You may rise.”
The girls freeze, then slowly lift their heads, scrambling to stand, smoothing dresses and adjusting postures. Amaris straightens fully, heat crawling up her neck as she realizes she had not bowed properly at all. She lifts her gaze.
He stands at the top of the steps leading down into the yard, tall and broad, his presence filling the space without effort. As he studies them, so does Amaris study him. While his long mane of dark hair frames a face carved in hard lines and quiet authority, some of the long wisps of hair covering a part of his face, the passing wind momentarily sweeps them outward and there is a scar beneath them, right below the hair. His eyes sweep the crowd with measured precision, missing nothing. And then they find her while she watches him with the same level of intensity, there is a spark right there, and she can almost swear it’s physical. Amaris’s breathe catches.
She does not know how she knows it is him, not logically, not by sight alone. She has never seen his face like this, not in daylight, not clearly, but her body reacts before her mind can catch up. Her wolf hums low and reverent, something between recognition and awe, everything just falls right into place.
Him!
She should have realized it multiple times, the voice of authority he’d used with them the day before and the voice from the night before, stopping the flogging were the same! He does not react outwardly, but something shifts in his gaze, something sharp and focused. His eyes linger on her just a fraction longer than necessary before moving on.
She feels exposed, as though he has reached inside her and turned a key in her head.
Someone beside him leans forward slightly, murmuring something under their breath. One of the head security men frowns, his eyes narrowing as they flick back to Amaris. He gestures subtly, and another guard moves closer to her position, stopping just a few paces away. The message is clear.
Oh not again…!
Hunter steps forward, his boots striking stone in that one hard step. The sound echoes faintly, silencing the last whispers in the yard. “Welcome to the palace,” he says. “Over the next three days, you will remain here under my protection.”
A ripple of excitement passes through the crowd.
“As i believe i made clear yesterday, you have all been summoned for a reason,” he continues, his voice even, controlled. “Eighteen years ago, this same week, someone went missing. I have been ordered by the late King to find this person.”
Amaris’s heart stutters.
Hunter’s gaze sweeps the yard again, slower this time, deliberate. When it passes over her, she feels it like a physical touch, steady and assessing.
“I intend to find that person,” he says. “Until then, you will follow palace rules, respect one another, and remember that this is not a competition of cruelty.”
Somewhere nearby, someone scoffs quietly.
Hunter’s eyes snap toward the sound, cold and sharp.
The girl responsible pales instantly, her head dipping into a deep, apologetic bow.
“This palace does not reward savagery,” he says calmly. “And it does not tolerate it.”
The silence that follows is absolute.
Amaris swallows, her fingers curling at her sides. She does not look at Rhea, but she feels her presence and glance like a thorn beneath the skin.
As Hunter finishes speaking and turns back toward the palace, the tension loosens slightly, though it does not disappear. Guards begin to direct the girls into smaller groups same as the same one from the day before, voices low but firm.
Amaris exhales slowly, her body buzzing with too many sensations.
She does not know who he is by name, does not know what he wants from her. But she knows this much… The man who stood in the yard this morning sounds exactly like the one who carried her through the palace last night.
And somewhere inside her, her wolf smiles
She’s landed herself the ultimate ally.