Chapter 134 The Queen

Chapter 134 The Queen
The council chamber was too quiet that morning.
The enormous stone hall usually conveyed authority.
Stability.
But now…
it seemed heavy with something invisible.
The alphas were scattered around the main table, speaking quietly amongst themselves while Conrad remained seated at the head.
Momentary.
His attentive golden eyes observing every movement around him.
Maya remained beside him this time, without Lysander.
And even without the baby present…
she still felt the gazes.
Heavy.
Suspicious.
Steve sat further away.
Too calm.
As if all that tension was already expected by him.
“The kingdom is restless,” one of the older alphas finally began. “The rumors grew too fast.”
Conrad didn't respond immediately.
He just continued observing the council in silence.
“The people saw shadows near the castle,” another alpha added. “And now there are stories circulating about the heir.”
The air in the room grew heavy immediately.
Steve remained quiet.
Watching.
Always watching.
“Stories created by fear,” Conrad replied coldly.
“Perhaps.” The alpha hesitated before continuing. “But we need to understand if there is any real risk.”
Those words sent a chill down Maya's spine.
Risk.
That was how they were beginning to see their son.
As a threat.
Not a child.
Another alpha took a deep breath before asking the question everyone was clearly avoiding:
“Are the shadows connected to the heir?”
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Conrad.
Waiting.
Maya felt his body tense beside her.
And then…
Conrad hesitated.
It was quick.
Small.
But enough.
Maya felt her heart clench immediately.
Because Conrad never hesitated.
Never.
And the alphas noticed it too.
Steve lowered his eyes slowly, hiding his reaction.
As if he had expected it.
“The heir hasn’t harmed anyone,” Conrad finally replied.
But that hadn’t really been an answer.
And everyone noticed.
Doubts grew silently in the room.
Maya stood up before anyone could continue.
Anger burning inside her chest.
“Are you listening to yourselves?”
The voices ceased immediately.
“He’s a baby.”
No one answered.
That only made things worse.
“You talk about him as if he were a creature.” Her voice began to falter with indignation. “As if he weren’t an innocent child.”
“It’s not about innocence,” one of the alphas countered carefully. “It’s about safety.”
Maya felt the urge to expel everyone from there.
“Security?” she repeated incredulously. “My son was just born!”
Conrad slowly stood beside her.
Alpha pressure filled the room.
Protective.
Dangerous.
But before he could speak…
the council doors burst open.
Kael rushed in.
Pale.
Breathless.
And utterly terrified.
Everyone turned to him immediately.
Kael held several ancient scrolls in his hands.
“The runes on the second key have changed,” he said breathlessly.
Silence fell again.
Conrad narrowed his eyes.
“What does that mean?”
Kael swallowed hard before answering:
“The rift is being fed.”
Horror and fear gripped the faces of the alphas.
Whispers immediately began to fill the room.
Low.
Restless.
Suspicious.
And that only fueled the growing revolt within Maya.
“Lysander is not and never will be a danger to this kingdom!” Her voice echoed firmly through the council room, strong enough to silence some of the discussions. “The rift is the true enemy! The erasers are our enemies!” Her eyes slowly scanned each alpha present. “As is anyone who tries to use the rift the wrong way.”
The last words were directed at Steve.
And he noticed.
Maya saw the exact moment his expression hardened almost imperceptibly.
Because she had understood.
Perhaps more than he would have liked.
The growing fascination.
The curiosity.
The way he began to look at the rift not just with fear…
but with interest.
“My son and I are Eleryons.” Maya continued, now even more determined. “Beings connected to both light and darkness. We are connected to the rift.” She took a deep breath before adding, “That’s true.”
Shock immediately spread through the room.
Some alphas exchanged glances.
Others seemed even more tense.
Steve remained silent.
Watching Maya carefully.
“We are the only ones capable of stabilizing the rift.” Her voice didn’t waver. “The only ones capable of stopping the shadows from destroying this kingdom.” Her eyes met Conrad’s for a brief moment before returning to the council. “We want to end the attacks. We want to stop more people from dying. And we want to rescue those who sacrificed themselves to give us time.”
The silence became absolute.
Even Kael remained motionless now.
“But we can’t do this alone.” Maya clenched her fists at her sides. “Keep feeding the fear… keep turning my son into a monster… and all you’ll achieve is weakening the only people trying to stop the collapse of this kingdom.”
Conrad remained standing beside her.
Momentary.
But Maya felt his attention entirely on her.
Perhaps surprised.
Perhaps proud.
Perhaps both.
“You can continue to distrust us,” Maya concluded more quietly, but still firmly. “But remember one thing…”
Her eyes slowly scanned all the alphas present.
“We are the only ones doing anything.”
The weight of those words fell upon the entire room.
No one responded immediately.
Because, deep down…
everyone knew she was right.
And that was precisely what was most frightening.