Chapter 84 The Judas Banquet

Chapter 84 The Judas Banquet
The air in the Council’s high-altitude glass ballroom was thick with the scent of lilies and expensive cologne, but to my nose, it smelled like a slaughterhouse.

I smoothed the front of my silk gown, the fabric cool against my skin, though my blood felt like it was boiling. Twelve years ago, I would have trembled in a room like this. I would have looked for the nearest exit and prayed that Alexander’s hand on my waist wouldn't tighten into a bruise. But tonight, the honey-gold light in my eyes wasn't a flicker it was a steady, burning fire. I wasn't the trophy anymore. I was the wolf at the door.

Kaelen stood beside me, a dark shadow in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. The suit struggled to contain the raw power of his frame, and the silver Enforcer tattoos on his neck pulsed with a faint, warning light. He hadn't touched a drop of the champagne being passed around by silent servers. His hand was never more than an inch away from the small of my back, a constant, silent reminder that he was there, even if I still didn't know if I could fully trust him with my heart.

"Smile, Seraphina," Kaelen murmured, his voice so low it was almost a growl. "Half the Elders in this room are waiting for you to trip. Don't give them the satisfaction."

"I’m not here to dance, Kaelen," I whispered back, my gaze fixed on the head table where Elder Darius sat. "I’m here to watch them choke on the lies they’ve been feeding us for a century."

The "Traitor’s Banquet" was a tradition as old as the Council itself a formal gathering meant to show unity, usually held right before a "cleansing." Everyone knew why we were here. They wanted to see the True Alpha heir I carried. They wanted to see if the "property" had truly been broken.

As we moved through the crowd, the whispers followed us like a wake.

"Is that her?"

"The Vance woman? I heard she killed him."

"Look at her eyes she's changed."

I kept my chin high. Every step was a battle. My body felt heavy, the life kicking inside me a constant, rhythmic drumbeat of "survive, survive, survive." I was six months along, and the maternal instinct to rip the throat out of anyone who looked at me too long was becoming harder to suppress.

We reached the center of the room just as the music died down. Elder Darius stood, his silver hair gleaming under the chandeliers. He looked like a statesman, but I knew better. I had seen the reports Maya had gathered. I knew about the "culls" he had signed off on.

"A toast," Darius announced, his voice carrying with a practiced, chilling authority. "To the return of our prodigal Enforcer, Kaelen Thorne, and the... preservation of the Hayes bloodline."

He raised his glass toward me, his eyes like chips of frozen flint. "It is a rare thing to see a legacy reborn. We hope the mother understands the responsibility she carries to the Council."

The room went silent. This was the moment. The trap was set.

"The only responsibility I carry is to my son," I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade. I didn't shout. I didn't have to. The Alpha resonance in my chest made the crystal glasses on the nearby tables hum. "And the Council has no claim on his life. Or mine."

A collective gasp rippled through the guests. You didn't talk to an Elder that way. Not unless you were prepared for war.

Darius’s smile didn't reach his eyes. "Bold words for a woman who only stands here because of a contract she signed in a moment of weakness. Tell me, Seraphina, does the contract still hold? Or has the Enforcer failed in his duty to keep you compliant?"

I felt Kaelen stiffen beside me. I knew what Darius was doing. He was trying to provoke Kaelen, to force him to choose between his oath to the Council and his loyalty to me. He was reminding us both of the betrayal in the mountains, the phone call to Alexander, the way my world had shattered.

"The contract is ash," Kaelen said, stepping forward. He didn't look at me, but his hand finally landed firmly on my shoulder. "I don't protect her because of a piece of paper, Darius. I protect her because she is the Sovereign. And if you want her, you’ll have to go through the man you spent twelve years turning into a monster."

The tension in the room snapped. Suddenly, the "servers" weren't passing drinks anymore. They were reaching into their jackets.

"I expected as much," Darius sighed, looking bored. "Betrayal is such a tedious habit of yours, Kaelen."

Before he could give the order, the massive double doors of the ballroom burst open.

It wasn't a security team. It was Maya. She was covered in soot, her clothes torn, but she held a tablet aloft like a weapon. Behind her, the giant screens that usually showed Council propaganda flickered and died, replaced by a grainy, black-and-white video feed.

It was Alexander. Not the polished billionaire, but the man in his final hours, screaming at his doctors to "harvest the cells at any cost," bragging about how the Council had helped him fake Seraphina’s mother’s death to keep the bloodline under his thumb.

The room erupted into chaos. The "Traitor’s Banquet" had just become a televised execution of the Council's reputation.

"Sera, we have to go! Now!" Maya shouted over the noise.

Kaelen grabbed my hand, his grip bruisingly tight. "The North exit. Move!"

We ran through the panicked crowd, the silk of my dress tearing as we ducked past a Sentinel who tried to block our path. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen a warning from the baby but I pushed through it.

We reached the balcony, the cold Los Angeles night air hitting us like a physical blow. Below us, the city lights stretched out like a sea of diamonds, but all I saw was the path to the mountains.

"Kaelen, wait," I panted, stopping at the edge of the stone railing.

He turned, his face frantic. "We don't have time, Sera. They’re right behind us."

"They’re not behind us," I said, looking back at the ballroom where the Elders were being swarmed by their own frightened guests. "They’re finished."

I looked down at my hands. They were glowing a pure, blinding white that I had never seen before. It wasn't the honey-gold of fear or the silver of the Enforcers. It was something new.

"I’m not running anymore, Kaelen," I said, the power finally settling into my bones. "They wanted a True Alpha. Now they're going to find out exactly what that means."