THE LUNA TRIAL
Sebastian’s POV
The council room was already full when I walked in.
Twelve high council members sat in their curved seats. The Queen was near the center, dressed in silver-gray, her face unreadable as always. Evelyn was seated near the edge, quiet but calm. Her shoulders were straight, her chin lifted. Not afraid.
She didn’t wear a crown. She didn’t need one.
Rowan stood behind her like a shadow. Reyna was posted near the door. Soren and Dante took their usual places at my side.
I moved toward the center of the floor and nodded to the room. “Thank you for coming.”
Councilman Varrick gave a slow nod. His face gave nothing away. But he had kept his word.
I placed the small black drive on the table in front of me. “This is from Varrick,” I said. “It contains vault logs. Including a list of cursed items that were transferred after the southern palace was shut down. One of those items is now missing.”
Murmurs rose instantly.
The Queen raised a single hand. “Let him finish.”
I looked around the room. “The missing item is the Blood Charm.”
That made the room go silent again.
“It was supposed to be destroyed,” Councilwoman Merra said. “That was the vote.”
“It wasn’t,” I said. “It was hidden instead. Locked in Vault Twelve under council orders. Last night, someone broke in.”
“You have proof?” asked Councilman Riker.
I nodded to Soren, who stepped forward and played the footage. The glitch. The shadow. The empty crate.
“It’s not just stolen,” I said. “It’s been activated. There’s trace magic in the vault. Strong, dark magic.”
Reyna stepped up now, holding a printed copy of the spell signature.
“The same kind found during the southern attacks,” she added.
Whispers broke out.
The Queen’s eyes narrowed. “Do we know who took it?”
I looked straight at her. “We believe it was Layla.”
Someone scoffed. “That girl again?”
“She’s not just a girl,” I said. “She’s dangerous. Smart. And she’s already used magic to frame a Luna and nearly destroy a royal bond.”
Evelyn’s fingers tightened in her lap, but she said nothing.
“She’s not acting alone,” I added. “We believe someone from within this council helped her.”
That made the room buzz with nervous energy.
Councilman Varrick stepped forward then, clearing his throat. “I saw her three nights ago. She had names. Access logs. She knew where the charm was kept. She was looking for power—something final.”
The Queen looked at him slowly. “And you told no one.”
“I didn’t trust anyone,” Varrick said. “Not until now.”
That earned a few sharp looks, but no one argued.
The Queen turned her gaze on me again. “So what do you suggest, Alpha?”
“We lock down all vaults,” I said. “Review all council logs. Strip access for anyone outside inner leadership.”
“And Layla?”
“We find her,” I said. “Before she uses the charm.”
A long silence followed.
Then the Queen leaned back slightly in her chair.
“We will vote on this shortly,” she said. “But first…”
She turned her cold eyes toward Evelyn.
There it was.
The shift.
The real reason for the meeting.
“Before we cast judgment on the traitor,” she said, “we must decide something else.”
Evelyn sat up straighter, sensing it too.
“The Luna Trial is coming,” the Queen said calmly. “And many still wonder… if Evelyn Darkmoor is ready to stand before the packs as more than just your chosen mate.”
No one moved.
I spoke before Evelyn could.
“She has proven herself. She stood before this council and told the truth, even when no one believed her. She trained harder than any wolf I’ve seen. She took betrayal and didn’t run. She stayed.”
“Words,” the Queen said simply. “But the Luna Trial is not made of words. It is made of blood. Loyalty. Strength. Will.”
“She has all of those,” I said.
The Queen’s eyes moved to Evelyn.
“Do you believe you are ready, girl?” she asked softly.
Evelyn didn’t flinch.
She stood slowly, her voice even.
“I do.”
“Then you accept what comes?”
“Yes,” she said. “Whatever it is. I’ll prove I belong.”
The Queen watched her in silence for a long, cold moment.
Then she gave a slight nod. “So be it.”
My heart twisted.
I had hoped we could delay it. That they would let her settle, heal.
But the Queen never forgets tradition.
The Luna Trial was happening.
And the packs would be watching.
Later – Private Quarters
We returned to our room in silence.
Evelyn peeled off her shoes, her hands a little shaky now.
“You didn’t have to speak for me,” she said after a while.
“I didn’t do it for you,” I said gently. “I did it for them. Because they needed to hear it.”
She sat on the bed, staring at her hands.
“I thought they’d wait. Give us time.”
“They won’t,” I said. “They think the sooner the trial happens, the sooner they can test your loyalty.”
She looked up at me.
“I’m not afraid of pain,” she said. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You won’t.”
She shook her head. “What if I fail?”
“You won’t.”
I sat beside her.
“You’ve already been through worse than anything that trial can throw at you,” I said softly. “You didn’t break then. You won’t now.”
She leaned against me slowly.
But I could feel the storm in her.
The fear.
The pressure.
The weight of being judged again.
And deep down, I was angry.
Not at her.
But at them.
For making her prove herself again.
But I wouldn’t let her face it alone.
Not this time.
That Night – Council Chambers (Unknown POV)
A door creaked open in the dark.
A figure stepped in, hooded, silent.
A shadow near the wall spoke first.
“Well?” the voice asked.
“The trial is confirmed,” the hooded one said. “Evelyn will face it in five days.”
“And the charm?”
“Hidden. But ready.”
The shadow smiled.
“She won’t survive.”
The hood dipped in a silent nod.
Then both vanished into the dark.