Chapter 36 Tides of Accusation
Lulu
Salt flooded my mouth as I choked, seawater pouring out of my nose and throat in one brutal, burning gasp. My body felt impossibly heavy, pinned down by the water hurled at me with a vicious swing of his arm.
When the miniature wave finally receded, I managed to push myself up from the cold, slick stone floor. My palms shook as they pressed against wet surfaces littered with shattered glass. My vision swam. The room tilted, and for a second I couldn’t even tell whether I was still inside the guest room at The Oyster-Shell Retreat.
“Who the hell are you?” I rasped. My throat felt shredded.
My window was gone—completely blown out. All that remained was a gaping hole open to the outside world.
Seawater surged across the room, knocking furniture aside, tearing down curtains, destroying the fragile order that had made me feel safe for even a moment. And there, standing amid the wreckage, was a figure that made my chest tighten before my brain could catch up.
He didn’t answer. He just laughed—cruel, sharp, enjoying himself far too much.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, mutt.”
He stood atop a slowly rolling swell of water, the dark robe clinging to him but somehow not weighing him down.
His hair was pulled neatly back, his face pale and taut, jaw clenched tight. His eyes burned with a hatred that felt alive—breathing, watching.
“What kind of bloody idiot walks straight into their own grave?” he sneered. “I didn’t even have to lure you into this city.”
I staggered back, my spine hitting an overturned table. My throat went dry, and I had to force the words out.
“I asked who you are. Why are you attacking me?”
He gave a short, humourless laugh. “You really don’t recognise me. Interesting. After everything.”
The water around him rose, curling into a thin arc that rotated lazily.
“You hurt my sister,” he continued, his voice hardening. “And you’re standing there like I’ve got no bloody reason to be here.”
My blood turned cold. “I didn’t hurt anyone. I don’t even know your sister.”
“You didn’t.” His lips curled. “That’s exactly why you deserve to die right now.”
With a flick of his hand, water slammed into the wall beside me, the impact cracking stone. I screamed and dodged, slipping before barely catching my balance. My heart pounded like mad, my ears ringing.
“The underground storage beneath Eldemar Reach City Hall,” he said sharply. “Neutral city. Sorcerers and humans mixing freely. Werewolves had no business being there—especially filthy blood like yours.”
Eldemar Reach.
The city hall where sorcerers gathered. Where a ritual nearly killed me.
So he was one of them.
“You were the one Morpheus hit,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
The sorcerer smiled—and the sight made my stomach twist. “So you do remember.”
He stepped forward, carried silently by the water. “My sister nearly died that night. Bones crushed. Lungs filled with water. I was buried under the rubble, waiting to bloody well die, until someone dragged me out.”
His fist clenched. The water around him thickened, vibrating with pressure.
“He told me all this chaos started with you, Lulu. With your very existence.”
I shook my head hard, breath coming in ragged bursts. “You tried to turn me into a sacrifice. You attacked me first—with your lot.”
“Shut up!”
A wave smashed into the floor right in front of me, spraying high and sharp. I jumped back, fear crawling fast up my spine, my body instinctively shielding my stomach.
I didn’t fight back. I knew I couldn’t. I just moved—dodging, weaving through debris, searching for air in a room shrinking under water and fury.
“You can’t run,” he said calmly, and somehow that calm was worse than the shouting.
Water sealed off my escape.
Then the world shattered with the sound of breaking glass.
A violent crash tore through the opposite side of the room as the door was ripped clean off its hinges by something massive and fast.
Wind slammed into my face, and before I could process what I was seeing, a white-grey wolf leapt through the doorway.
He positioned himself squarely in front of me.
He growled low—but not at me. When he turned toward the sorcerer, he bared his fangs in full, lethal display.
For a split second his body hung in the air, muscles coiled tight, wet silver-grey fur gleaming. Then he slammed into the sorcerer with full force, the impact shaking the building’s façade. The water beneath them exploded, losing its form entirely.
“Caspian…” I whispered as they crashed to the ground.
Caspian gave him no space. His jaws locked around the sorcerer’s arm, fangs tearing through skin and fabric. He hurled his enemy onto the stone platform outside the window—bones cracking loud enough for me to hear.
The sorcerer screamed, trying to summon water to fight back, but Caspian was already on him again. Massive claws slammed into his chest again and again, a deep, furious roar ripping from his throat.
More wolves emerged from the shadows—leaping from rooftops and bridges, surrounding the scene with trained precision. The water magic collapsed. Maelis was suddenly at my side, holding me upright as my legs finally gave out.
“Easy,” he said softly. “You’re safe.”
I trembled. The world felt distant.
Hours later, I sat in Caspian’s room while the sorcerer—Konic Thyr—knelt bound on the floor. Caspian stood before him, gaze cold and razor-sharp, voice low as he demanded answers.
When Konic refused to speak, Caspian’s aura shifted into something terrifying—something that nearly stole my breath. Maelis stepped in just in time, deciding Konic would be brought before the Council.
Caspian turned to me. “Rest, Lulu. We’ll guard the retreat.”
The next morning, a knock woke me. Maelis reminded me to come down for breakfast and prepare for the castle.
I ate with my mind stuck on the events of the night before. It felt like every sorcerer was starting to target me. Konic was right—I’d dug my own grave coming here.
Just as Maelis said, Konic was brought before the Council. The hearing took place in a silent white-stone chamber. Water flowed gently across the floor, a sharp contrast to the tension thick in the air.
Caspian introduced me as a she-wolf of his pack, a survivor of a Sorcerer of Water’s attack. I gave my testimony—about the attack last night and what had caused it.
“What is your defence, Konic?” asked a Council member with a long white beard.
“Yes, I did it. I’m prepared to accept punishment.”
“And is there anything else you wish to add, Miss McCarthy, before I pass judgement?”
I added the ritual. The one in the underground storage.
“He performed a Havent ritual—used me as a sacrifice.”
The entire chamber froze.
“That ritual is forbidden,” one Council member said grimly. “Blacklisted across the world.”
I fell silent. Maybe they didn’t know. But without proof, my words carried little weight.
I wanted to be the one to punish him—like Caspian had last night—but Konic was sentenced only to imprisonment for assault.
The session ended. My heart was still restless, my mouth muttering complaints as I stood beside Caspian to leave.
A female Council member approached us—Elaria Vaelwyn—wearing a warm smile. Her name was embroidered on her robe in gold thread.
“Miss McCarthy, my apologies for the inconvenience caused by one of our sorcerers. As compensation, please allow me to offer you more comfortable accommodation,” she said, her voice clear and gentle.
“I’ll accept—but I’d like to set a condition.”
“Of course. You are our guest.”
“I want you to prepare a room for Alpha Caspian as well. He’ll be accompanying me during my stay in your city.”
“Very well. That won’t be a problem.”
Elaria whispered to a younger sorcerer at her side. At her nod, he vanished from sight.
I followed her steps, but when I glanced back at Caspian, I noticed his eyes never left Elaria.
“We need to stay sharp, Lulu,” he said quietly. “We were careless last night. I won’t let anyone touch you again.”