Chapter 60 Council's hate
The guards yanked Evthys away, Raven’s dark eyes pierced Octavio.
His fists clenched. “That was unnecessary—”
Raven's pale fingers flicker towards him. “I see that your loyalty lies with her, doesn't it?” her voice was voice deadly, icy and sharp.
“It lies with the truth,” Octavio said, steady, despite the cold engulfing the room
“What truth? Octavio?” Raven's laugh was a hiss, shifting her gaze from him. “This is treason. The girl is a DOG—an Omega from the pack. Nothing in our principles allows that,” she stated, her voice rising.
Octavio remained calm, every fibre of him braced what was coming. Raven knew that he would act, and that whatever he did could snatch the throne from her grasp.
Her eyes narrowed, "Come down to the hall, the council elders are here.”
With a flick of her wrist, she walked past him. The rustle of her black gown sliced the cold silence.
Octavio rubbed his eyes, frustration etched across his face. If the Council had arrived, Evyths' fate was doom—banishment, and worse. He knew her value, why he had kept her close.
The fates were intertwined, more than any council member could understand.
…
The hall was colder than the night and the council's eyes got worse. They watched Octavio with sharp, pointed gazes.
Octavio was stoic, dragging a seat. “Welcome, Elders. How was your trip?” Octavio politely asked, finally adjusting in his seat.
“Particularly disturbing,” one muttered..
“We do not have the time for pleasantries.” Another added. “What ties you to the werewolf?”
Silence fell.
The elders were representatives of two other houses that guides Ravencroft.
House Belmont originated for royal blood. nd loyalists.E
House Viremont re traditionalists, they also believed that Werewolves and other species were livestock.
House Aurelian were specifically open to negotiations that were mainly invaluable to the vampires. While Raven represented House Blackwin, a secondary family that's known for its cabal if sorcerers who have also mastered the hunters' sorcery.
However, Octavio represented House Belmont given that Valerio was dead
Octavio met their gazes evenly, steady. “Nothing ties me to the werewolf, I stand for truth.”
“Truth?” Lord Russell Viremont’s gray brows furrowed. “We see none.”
“The werewolf should stand trial.” Lord Baelish Aurelian said, voice cold.
Octavio's gaze flicked to Raven. “Why a trial? She's harmless—”
“Or you are defending the dog!” Raven snapped, her gaze sharp like a blade. She turned to the elders. “Rynorscsoread. The vampires are thirsty. The werewolf is cursed. She killed the King,”
“That's not true,” Octavio countered firnly, stepping forward.
“Is it?” Raven materisled behind him, her trim fingers tracing his arm. creeping towards his face. The dark haze spiraled from beneath the table, rising like smoke.
The elders froze, hypnotized. Octavuois fingers trembled, resisting the magic that clawed him. Like Valerio before him, he was almost immune.
A wild wind burst from his arms, sending Raven crashing against the wall. The gaze vanished. Shocked. the elders blinking, shaking off the attack.
“Yoi chose the wrong one to play with, Raven.” Octavio said, voice low but sharp. His hands pressed against the desk. “The king was stabbed by the hunters and the council must seek just. But the werewolf… she's committed no treason,”
Raven's lips curled into a thin, black smile.
“And yet you defend her,”
“I defend the truth.” Octavio replied. His voice was calm but sharp. “Your claims are lies, Raven. She's not the curse you speak of,”
The elders murmured, their fangs glimpsed beneath lips. Fear and doubt rippled through them.
“Do you think your words can sway them, Duke? You may have stalled me but the council listens and the throne will bend to me.”
Octavio leaned forward. “Not while I stand. Your sorcery may frighten them, but it cannot undo what is right. And I will not allow harm her or the potential she carries “
A flicker if hesitation crossed Raven's face. For a moment, she imagined Evyths' unborn child—a hybrid, capable of shaking the balance of power. She proved herself to push the thought away.
“Silence!” She commanded, silence slicing the chamber. “Lord Viremont? Lord Aurelian? I will summon you separately. The Duke and I must speak.”
The elders rise and bowed, vanishing in the swirl of the thin wind. Octavio's gaze remained fixated on the chalice at the center of the table.
Raven approached, her arms elegantly crossed. “You are stubborn.” she said softly.
“No, I refuse to bend.” he shot back. The cold breeze tousled their hair.
“Dear Octavio,” she purred. “You've been clever in the games. Manipulating doubts… steering Evyths' fate. But now, you take her side. What has changed?”
“I have never been a friend to lies,” he said. “You cannot buy me with sorcery me”
A cold smile flickered across Raven's black-painted lips. “I can thwart your plans… or end the hope of reviving Valerio.”
“How?” His brows knitted.
“You know what I mean, Duke.” Her eyes were sharp, unfazed.
“Valerio would end you. That is why I protect the werewolf. That is why I'm against your sorcery,”
Raven swallowed, straightening herself. Her gaze faltered, “You would defy me for a… weak werewolf,”
Octavio's lips curved in a small, deadly smile. “She is no weakling. And neither am I.”
…
The cell was colder than the night outside. Stone walls dripped with damp, and a faint echo of crows cooing.
Evyths huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes flicked to the door every time it creaked.
Octavio’s shadow fell across the threshold. He didn’t knock. He didn’t announce himself. He simply appeared, calm but tense, the faint clink of his sword at his side.
“Evthys,” he said softly. “We need to talk.”
She flinched, pulling back slightly. “No, we can't talk.”
He shook his head. “No. We should.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Octavio stepped closer, lowering his voice. “The council will decide your fate soon. Raven has already poisoned their minds against you. If they act first, there’s no turning back. You’ll be sent away… or worse.”
Evyths swallowed hard, the taste of fear thick in her mouth. “And you? What do you want from me?”
“I want to save you,” he said simply. “And I want to save Valerio—just like I've said before. But I can’t do it alone.”
She tilted her head, skeptical. “The queen is watching behind the shadows.”
“I know.” He admitted.
He knelt down to her level, meeting her green eyes. “Your visions, your… potential. You are the only one who can equate the balance. And if we fail, the kingdom falls, and Valerio is lost forever.”
Evthys shivered, not just from the cold. “I don’t even know if I can do it.” she whispered. “I thought I could.”
“You can,” he said firmly. “But you need a plan, and you need someone who trusts you, someone who can shield you while you act.”
She studied him, searching for deceit and finding none. “What plan?”
Octavio leaned closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “We’ll need to move quickly. Raven thinks the council has all the power. But they are fools—she underestimates what we can do together.”
Evyths frowned. “And what’s that?”
“We’ll fake your execution,” he said, his eyes sharp, calculating. “Raven will think you’re gone. That will give us time to leave the city, reach the crypts, and perform the ritual to revive Valerio.”
Her breath caught. “Leave the city? The crypts? You mean—”
“Exactly,” he interrupted gently. “It’s dangerous. The council will hunt us, Raven will stop at nothing. But if we wait, there’s no hope. You, me, and Valerio—we have one shot to reset the balance.”
Evthys’ fingers trembled against her knees. “And if we fail?”
Octavio placed a hand over hers. “Then we die trying. But if we succeed…” He let the words hang, weighty with promise. “…everything changes.”
For the first time, Evyths felt a flicker of hope. The walls of the cell no longer seemed bland. With Octavio at her side, a plan, and a chance, maybe—just maybe—they could fight back.
He rose to his full height, determined. “We leave at dawn. Rest tonight. Tomorrow, we take the first step.”
Evyths nodded slowly. The fear in her chest had not vanished, but it had a purpose now. A mission. A chance. And a partner she could trust.