Chapter 67 WHO IS THE LIAR
AVA’S POV
The council hall has never felt this cold to me.
It's like everyone here is waiting in silence and apprehension.
Its stone pillars rise like silent judges, carved with the history of Alphas who ruled long before Ragnar, and who would gladly see him fall.
I can feel their gazes even before I step inside fully, the weight of expectation pressing down on my shoulders.
I straighten my spine anyway. I would never let their harmful plans even dare touch Ragnar.
I am Beta.
Or at least, I am supposed to be.
The guards announce me, with their voices echoing too loudly in the vaulted chamber as heads turn to study me.
Murmurs ripple in the room as I recognize a few faces, Alphas from neighboring territories, elders who still cling to old hierarchies and at the center of it all, Elder Torin.
He doesn’t smile when he sees me.
Ahh shit.
This was supposed to be a private intervention where it's only the elders of the pack and I but now even rivaling Alphas are here.
That alone should have warned me.
I walk to the center circle, stopping right at the sigil etched into the floor.
Since the challenge is coming, all the elders of different packs have merged together with our own to form laws and judge the coming challenge with ‘equality’.
Tradition demands I wait to be acknowledged, even though I outrank all the elders and Alphas present.
It takes longer than it should.
“State your business,” one of the council Alphas finally says, his tone bored.
“I am Ava of the MoonCrest pack,” I reply, projecting my voice as if they all don't already know who I am. “Beta under Alpha Ragnar. I am here to report an incident involving his personal guard, Sebastian.”
The name draws immediate interest as some Alpha's eyes sharpen and their bodies lean forward.
Good.
Elder Torin’s gaze fixes on me like a blade. “Proceed.”
I inhale.
“He attacked me,” I say, exaggerating it. “He disrespected council authority and refused a lawful order.”
A murmur passes through the room.
“And?” another elder presses.
“And,” I continued carefully, “he used coercion.”
Torin’s brow arches. “Explain.”
Here it comes.
“He overpowered my Beta authority,” I say with a smidge of shame. “Not physically. Through… command.”
The words taste bitter.
Laughter breaks out. Not loud but enough to make my face red.
“An Omega?” someone else scoffs.
“That’s not possible,” another says dismissively.
Heat crawls up my neck.
I clench my fists, instinctively reaching for my Beta power, only to feel it hesitate and become thin and fragile, like smoke slipping through my fingers.
It doesn’t respond to my command anymore, a sequelae from earlier on.
The council feels it.
I see the flicker of contempt immediately.
Torin leans back in his chair. “You expect us to believe an unranked Omega forced a Beta into submission?”
My mouth opens.
Nothing comes out.
Before I can stop myself, Sebastian’s voice echoes in my head, calm and commanding.
Kneel.
The memory makes my knees weak.
My silence stretches too long.
Torin’s eyes gleam.
“On your knees,” he says suddenly.
The command slams into me, not with power, but expectation from him.
I hesitate. An unranked and basically powerless elder won't make anything happen to me.
But the pause is enough.
Shame floods me as I lower myself onto the stone floor.
The hall erupts in loud gasps and whispers. Shock floods the room, not at my submission, but at the implication.
Torin rises slowly. “Fascinating,” he murmurs. “You kneel without resistance.”
My cheeks burn.
I bow my head, letting humiliation twist into something sharper.
“If I may continue,” I say quietly.
Torin gestures lazily. “By all means.”
I lift my head.
“He didn’t just resist me,” I say, my voice steadier now. “He commanded me. Forced my authority back into me until I couldn’t access it. I was… helpless.”
This time around, no one laughs.
Torin steps closer, circling me like prey. “And what else did he do?”
I swallow.
Sebastian’s crimes begin to grow as I list and make them up by myself.
I talk about intimidation and about threats. About his closeness to Ragnar, how he boasts of protection and ignores authority.
I frame his restraint as arrogance, his silence as manipulation.
Each word builds something ugly and convincing to everyone here.
By the time I finish, the room is thick with outrage.
Good luck winning the challenge Sebastian.
You'll need it.
Torin stops in front of me.
“You’re dismissed,” he says softly. “But you’ll come with me.”
I blink. “Elder?”
“There are… details better discussed privately.”
No one objects.
That alone tells me everything.
—
Torin’s estate sits at the edge of the upper ridge, far from Ragnar’s territory. The walk there is quiet, heavy.
Once inside, warmth hits me from the firelight, rich furs and the scent of spiced wine.
Torin gestures for me to sit.
I remain standing.
He studies me for a long moment before speaking. “Tell me again,” he says. “Slowly. About the Omega.”
I do.
This time, I don’t embellish or lie,
This time, I tell the truth.
“How did it feel,” he asks quietly, “when he commanded you?”
I hesitate.
“Like drowning,” I admit. “Like my power was still there, but locked behind him.”
Torin exhales sharply. “Extraordinary.”
“You believe me?” I ask.
“Oh, I believe you,” he says. “I’ve suspected Ragnar’s pet was… different.”
My heart stutters. “Pet?”
Torin waves it off. “An Omega who can dominate a Beta is dangerous. One who does so while protected by the Alpha of Alphas?”
He clicks his tongue. “Unacceptable.”
Relief washes through me.
“So,” I say carefully. “What happens now?”
Torin smiles.
It’s thin and satisfying.
“I will handle Sebastian,” he says. “Quietly.”
My breath catches.
“And you,” he continues, “have done well. Exposing a weakness before it rots the pack from within.”
Warmth spreads through my chest.
“It takes courage,” Torin adds, “to stand alone against misplaced sentimentality.”
He pours wine into a goblet and hands it to me.
“Someone like you,” he says thoughtfully, “understands sacrifice, duty and strength.”
I take the goblet with trembling fingers.
“You should be Luna,” he says plainly after a while.
The words hit like lightning.
“I–” My voice breaks. “You think so?”
“I know so,” Torin replies with certainty. “And when Ragnar finally realizes the cost of his foolishness, he’ll need someone worthy beside him.”
My pulse races.
For the pack.
And what that would mean for me.
I take a large swallow from the cup.
And for the first time since entering the council hall, I smile.