Chapter 65 Warlocks in Wolfskin

Chapter 65 Warlocks in Wolfskin
Aurelia

It didn’t take long for the Shifter Governing Council to descend on the compound like vultures smelling blood.

Their sleek black vehicles rolled through the gates barely an hour after the basilisks fled. Seven of them, all new faces I didn’t recognize, stormed into the courtyard with their robes flapping and their superiority complex fully intact.

It was such a dramatic entrance.

The head of the council, a tall, gaunt man with a silver beard, didn’t even bother with greetings.

“Aurelia Varkis,” he barked, his voice dripping with unfiltered disdain. “You have misused your so-called divine power, assaulted emissaries of the Basilisk Empire, and brought disgrace upon the image of the Moon Goddess herself.”

I folded my arms, feeling the mark on my chest pulse warmly.

The rest of the council muttered in agreement, glaring at me like I was shit on their shoes.

“Nero is on the verge of declaring war,” another one snarled. “And he refuses to be placated.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Nero can go straight to hell if he wants. His sister Nimaya came in here making threats, choking my people with her power. They were gasping for air, on their knees. Was I supposed to smile and negotiate while they suffocated?”

The council head gnashed his teeth so hard I heard them grind. “The Basilisks are not some weak pack you can push around. They are ancient. Feared. They do not negotiate. They found fresh wolf scent all over their hatching grounds. Your pack stole from them. That is fact.”

“The Alpha is already investigating it,” I shot back.

The blue-haired woman who had been silent until now stepped forward, pointing at the five glittering pillars of salt still standing in the courtyard like grotesque monuments.

“You turned living emissaries into salt,” she hissed. “And you expect us to believe you’re fit to be Luna or commander? You will apologize to the Basilisk Empire. On your knees. The old way. Beg for their forgiveness.”

The other council members nodded eagerly, their eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction.

My blood boiled. How dare they? I stood down Nimaya, put her in place, and this was how I got paid in return? 

“I’m not getting on my knees for a bunch of fucking snakes,” I said firmly. “I will not be bullied by Nimaya, by you, or by anyone else.”

The head of the council’s face contorted with anger. “Their frozen bodies are right there as proof of your crime, and you still refuse to show remorse?”

I felt it then, the threads of my magic leaking out of me uncontrollably, spreading through the air like invisible smoke, hungry for a reason to lash out

Before I could respond, a wave of raw, unrestrained fury slammed into me through the mate bond. Zhayad. I couldn't explain what that had been about. Wherever he was, he was pissed as hell.

“I defended my pack,” I said, my voice ringing across the courtyard with cold steel. “If you call that a crime, then I’ll happily wear the title of criminal. I cannot reverse what I did to them right now… but they deserved every second of it.”

The council head’s face darkened with disgust. “Just like your father. Stubborn. Arrogant. Reckless. Cassian Varkis’s blood truly runs thick in you.”

That one hurt more than I wanted to admit.

“We know how difficult you are,” the blue-haired woman added with a sneer. “We won’t waste our time sweet-talking you into doing the right thing. But mark my words, when the heat becomes too much, when war rains down on this pack because of your actions, do not come crying to the Governing Council. No pack will ally with Onyx Fang after they hear what their witch Luna has done.”

I said nothing. Because if I opened my mouth, the power screaming inside me would pour out like molten lava. The glowing threads of magic were writhing under my skin, begging, demanding to be released. 

My hands trembled as I fought to keep them locked down. The council members exchanged looks of contempt before turning sharply on their heels. 

Their robes whipped behind them as they stormed out of the compound without another word.

The moment their vehicles disappeared through the gates, the tension snapped.

My knees gave out. I collapsed heavily into the nearest seat, breathing hard, sweat coating my forehead. 

The goddess mark on my chest was burning like a brand. My entire body felt like it was vibrating with too much power I still didn’t know how to control.

Now would be the right time for the moon goddess to take back her powers. I was suffering. It was turning me into something I couldn't recognize. Someone I couldn't recognize.

“The Alpha has arrived!” a scout barked, his voice carrying across the compound.

My head jerked up. Relief hit me first, it was sharp and dizzying, followed by something hotter, deeper, rushing through the mate bond a heartbeat before I saw him.

Zhayad strode through the main gates like a king returning to claim what was his. He looked as though he’d clawed his way out of the underworld and left its ruler bleeding behind him.

His gaze found mine instantly across the courtyard. Then it shifted to the five glittering salt pillars standing in plain sight like accusations made solid.

“I heard on the way back,” Zhayad bit out hoarsely. “Did they hurt you? Did any of them fucking touch you?”

I gave a small shrug, exhaustion dragging at every limb. “They tried.”

That was enough. Zhayad closed the distance in three hard strides and hauled me to my feet. His hands were careful, but there was nothing calm about them. 

He tipped up my chin, swept his palms over my arms, checked my throat, my shoulders, every inch of skin my clothes left exposed.

Possessive. Urgent. Nearly frantic. Like he needed proof with his own hands that I was still here. Still whole. Still his.

“They’re lucky they only used words,” he ground out, the promise of murder sitting heavy beneath every syllable.

I let him look his fill before I finally asked, “What did you find? Anything new?”

“The wolf shifters the basilisks keep screaming about”—his mouth twisted—“they’re not from our pack.”

My brows pulled together. “Another pack?”

It didn't sound right. They left scents that Nero traced all the way down to our pack. Shifters from another pack couldn't do that.

A humorless look flashed across his face. “Worse. Warlocks. Glamoured with your father’s magic to smell and look like our wolves.” His jaw locked. “He took blood from Irina and injected it into them. That’s why the scent was so convincing.”

Of course. This was exactly what my father could do. His game was obvious now. He wanted to obliterate the OnyxFang but indirectly.