Chapter 9 The Lion’s Den
The Royal Capital wasn't just a town. It was more like a shiny trap - fancy on the outside, but still a prison.
We rolled past the huge gate right when dawn broke, turning the heavens into shades of deep violet and fiery tangerine. Bikers from the Royal Guard rode beside our SUV, keeping an eye out in case we attempted to bolt.
Not like Ryker’d bolt. He steered quiet - cold, focused - with his palm claiming my leg the whole time.
"Listen to me," Ryker said as the Onyx Palace came into view. It was a towering structure of black glass that pierced the clouds. "When we go inside, do not speak unless spoken to. Do not look the Emperor in the eye. And no matter what Kade says, do not react."
Kade's already here?" I said, feeling a knot in my gut.
"He arrived an hour ago," Ryker said, his jaw tightening. "He’s desperate, Elara. He knows he lost you. He’s going to try to paint you as a monster to justify why he was frightened of you."
"I am a monster," I whispered, looking at my hands. "You saw what I did."
Ryker squeezed my leg. "You are not a monster. You are a Queen. And today, you hold your head high. If they smell fear, they will tear you apart."
The vehicle came to a halt near the bottom of the stairs leading up to the royal building.
The doors swung open. Flash after flash lit up the room - cameras everywhere. Reporters crowded in, eager. These weren't just journalists - they were beastly vultures chasing gossip like bloodhounds. Rumor had it - the big showdown was finally happening: the fierce Blood Moon leader and his spurned partner standing before the judges.
Ryker stepped out first. After fastening his suit coat, he covered the weapon - I was aware of two blades tucked in his boots. As he moved past the vehicle, he reached my side and pulled the door open.
He held out his hand to me.
I grabbed it. Then I walked outside where the lights were blinking.
"Is it true she’s a witch?" a reporter shouted. "Did she curse Alpha Kade?" "Alpha Ryker, did you kidnap her?"
Ryker didn't pay attention to anyone. With a grip tight as steel, he yanked me against him instead - then strode upstairs, dragging me along without slowing down.
The Throne Room felt icy.
A huge room built from pale stone stretched ahead. Thick silence hung there, sharp like burnt metal, yet heavy with age. Over at one side loomed the leaders - twelve elders cloaked in crimson, still as statues.
Beside them, perched on a seat hewn from one massive tooth, was Emperor Valen.
He looked shockingly normal - mid-fifties, thinning hair, face flat like he’d seen it all. Yet something around him pressed down hard. As if the air turned thick, pulling everything heavier.
There he was - Kade - right in the middle of the space, skin ghostly, wrapped up like a mummy fresh from battle.
As we walked in, Kade looked our way. His gaze hit mine straight on. What used to be warmth had vanished. Just dread and anger stayed behind.
"Alpha Ryker of the Blood Moon," the High Elder announced. "And Elara Vance. You stand accused of Treason and Witchcraft."
Ryker stayed upright. Moving into the middle of the space, he took his place beside Kade - just taller, looming without trying. Instead of lowering himself, he simply arrived, quiet but firm, filling the air differently than before.
"I stand accused by a boy who got his ass kicked by his ex-girlfriend," Ryker drawled, his voice echoing off the walls.
A few on the Council sucked in their breath. Then Kade turned crimson.
"She is a Witch!" Kade shouted, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She has no wolf! She has been 'wolfless' for twenty years. And yet, on the battlefield, she used dark magic to throw me - an Alpha - across the courtyard. She brainwashed my hunters! She nearly killed me!"
The Emperor shifted closer. Yet his gaze - dark like soot - pierced right through.
“Is it really so, little one?” the ruler said. His tone gentle - yet firm underneath. Not quite loud, but carrying weight. Quiet strength hummed beneath each word. A whisper with an edge. Soft - but not weak by any means.
My mouth felt parched. Stay quiet till someone talks to you.
"I did not use magic, Your Majesty," I said, my voice steady. "I used my voice."
"Her voice!" Kade scoffed. "She commanded me to kneel. No wolfless female can Command an Alpha. It’s impossible. It’s sorcery!"
The Emperor hummed. He looked at Ryker. "And you, Ryker? You harbor this woman. You claim she is your mate. Did you give her a dark artifact? A talisman?"
"I gave her nothing but my name," Ryker said calmly. "Kade is weak. He was humiliated because he underestimated her. Now he is crying to you to save his reputation."
"I am not weak!" Kade roared. "Test her! Bring out the Null Stone. If she touches it and she has magic, it will burn her skin off."
The Council nodded quietly, voices blending into a soft hum.
A fair test," said the Emperor. With a flick of his hand, he gave the signal.
A guard moved ahead, holding a rough dark rock resting on soft fabric - called the Null Stone. This old tool punished witches long ago. Touch it with magic in your veins, pain hits hard. Werewolves? No effect at all.
"Touch it," Kade sneered at me. "Go ahead, Elara. Show them."
Ryker moved up ahead of me. "Let her handle zilch."
"Ryker," I whispered, touching his arm. "If I don't do it, they’ll kill us both right here."
"If you touch it and you are what I think you are..." Ryker hesitated. "It might react differently."
Believe it or not, I told you.
I moved past Ryker. Then I approached the guard.
The stone felt chilly. I breathed in slow. Reaching forward, I pressed my hand onto the dark surface.
Silence.
Nothing took place. Just silence instead. Not a single flame appeared. Nobody yelled or anything.
I exhaled slowly - turns out it’s only a stone.
“Got it?” Ryker asked, folding his arms. “Just ordinary stuff.”
Kade looked like he was about to explode. "That’s impossible! I felt it! The power... it crushed me!"
The ruler rose to his feet.
The room fell totally quiet. Then, step by step, the Emperor came down from the platform. Moving in my direction, he closed the distance without a word.
"The stone detects witchcraft," the Emperor said softly. "It detects borrowed magic. But it does not detect... Authority."
He paused right before me. Taller than I was, though not as tall as Ryker. His scent mixed decay with something strong.
"There is another test," the Emperor said. "A simpler one."
He glanced at Kade. Next, his eyes shifted to Ryker. After that, he scanned the whole Council.
"Get down on your knees," the ruler said.
He spoke with the tone of a king.
It hit like a punch. One heavy thud crashed through the space.
It wasn’t up to me. That’s just how life works.
The guards hit the ground right away. Meanwhile, each Council member sank down on their knees. Then Kade crumpled, face touching the cold marble, whimpering under his breath.
Even Ryker...
I stared, frozen, when Ryker's legs started trembling. Teeth clenched tight, his neck veins bulging - still he pushed through, struggling harder than ever. Sure, he led all Alphas, yet even that power didn’t block out a Royal Order completely.
With a snarl of anger, Ryker dropped to one knee. His chin stayed high, eyes sharp - yet he was on the ground. Despite the pressure, he didn’t look away. Still, his leg gave way beneath him.
Each person inside had dropped down low.
Except me.
I stayed put. The weight pressed in - like a heavy gust shoving at my chest - yet it didn’t knock me back. Legs held firm. No urge inside told me to give in.
I glanced sideways. Turns out, everyone else had already sat down.
The Emperor's eyes grew big. At last, he seemed taken aback.
Ryker stared up at me, fear wide in his golden eyes. Drop low, he formed silently. Pretend, Elara - play along!
Yet it came after the moment had passed.
The Emperor moved near me. Just like that, the weight disappeared. People nearby panted, trying to get up fast - yet no one paid attention. All eyes stayed locked on the girl who stood against the ruler.
You stayed on your feet," the ruler murmured.
"I..." I stammered, stepping back. "I didn't know I was supposed to - "
"It is not about etiquette," the Emperor cut me off. "It is about biology. A wolf must submit to a stronger wolf. It is the law of nature."
He grabbed my chin without warning. That hold hurt bad. With slow moves, he turned my head left then right - checking me over just like someone would eye a racehorse at auction.
"Unless," the Emperor murmured, a cruel smile spreading across his face, "the wolf in question is not a subject. But a rival."
He looked at Kade. "You were right, boy. She is dangerous."
Then he looked at Ryker. "And you knew. You tried to hide her."
Let her go," Ryker growled, moving ahead - his grip reaching toward the weapon.
“Soldiers!” yelled the ruler.
Fifty royal guards pulled out their blades in a flash, pointing straight at Ryker - sudden tension crackling in the air.
"Seize her," the Emperor commanded, shoving me backward into the arms of two guards. "Take her to the Breeding Wing. If she carries the Royal Blood, we must see if she breeds true."
"NO!" Ryker roared.
He snapped.
He moved - no slow change, but a sudden, fierce twist. Fabric tore when a huge dark wolf burst through. At the men pinning me he charged, teeth crunching into ribs.
Ryker - halt!” I shouted while guards hauled me off to the exit. “You’ll end up dead!”
Kill the monster!" said the ruler without emotion.
Kade pulled out his blade - then gunfire erupted from the guards.
The last thing I noticed - just before those thick metal gates crashed closed - was him, my so-called beast, vanishing beneath a heap of lifeless forms, stuck in a battle with no way out.