Chapter 37 CHAPTER 37
The morning sun poured through the tall arched windows of the council chamber, turning the dust motes into floating embers. Even before Ethan entered, he could taste tension in the air - sharp, metallic, like the prelude to a storm. Gregor stood waiting by the door, shoulders tight.
“Your Majesty,” the advisor murmured, “the elders have been here since dawn. They said the matter is urgent.”
Ethan exhaled slowly. “I can already feel that.”
He pushed the carved doors open. Five elders sat around the long stone table, their faces carved in patience that felt too rehearsed. Lora gave him a small, respectful nod; Vaughn’s gaze was a challenge.
He took his seat at the head of the table. “Let’s not waste the morning,” he said. “What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait for the sun to rise properly?”
Elder Kellan cleared his throat. “It concerns the… addition to your household.”
Ethan stilled. “My sister.”
“Indeed.” Vaughn’s tone was cool. “Word spreads fast when a princess thought dead walks the courtyard.”
“You speak as if that’s a bad thing.”
“It is not bad, Your Majesty,” Elder Rufus said, his voice weary but kind. “It is unexpected. We would have appreciated notice before she arrived - confirmation through the council’s rites.”
“And,” Thorne added carefully, “the presence of a human girl within court walls raises… concerns. Some people believe it’s bad omen introducing a human to our realm.”
There it was - the real reason. Ethan folded his hands, knuckles white.
“Concerns,” he repeated softly. “Because I brought home my blood? Or because I showed compassion to a human? And when you say some people, does it mean the council or others?”
Vaughn leaned forward. “Because you acted alone. The Lycan Court is not ruled by impulse. Even royal blood must answer to protocol.”
A pulse of heat stirred behind Ethan’s ribs. Rex’s growl rumbled faintly in his chest.
They question your right to protect your own, the wolf hissed inside him.
Let them speak, Ethan answered silently. We’ll remind them soon enough who rules this chamber.
“I acted,” Ethan said aloud, “because I knew she was mine. I felt the bond in my veins - the same that tied me to my father and every alpha before him, and I made a judgement call – no way I was letting my sister suffer in some city dump, working at a humans’ cafe for even a second more just because of protocol. If this protocol you speak of….”
Kellan lifted a brow. “Feelings can mislead. There are ways a clever enemy might...”
“Enough,” Lora interrupted. “Let the king finish.”
Ethan inclined his head toward her, grateful for the brief reprieve.
“I did not bring a stranger into our walls,” he said. “I brought family. And the human girl who came with her is under my protection. She has earned that right.”
Vaughn’s lip curled. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but such haste resembles the kind of recklessness that cost this court dearly the last time.”
Every heartbeat in the room froze.
Ethan’s voice dropped. “What did you just say?”
Vaughn hesitated but pressed on. “When the witches struck, we lost much because caution was ignored. I only mean…”
“Are you implying,” Ethan interrupted, each word razor-edged, “that my father was reckless when he died defending these walls?”
“Not your father,” Vaughn replied quietly. “But someone in your family was.”
The scrape of Ethan’s chair against stone was deafening. He rose slowly, golden light flickering in his eyes. The air thickened; the torches trembled.
“Who?” His voice vibrated, deepened - Rex’s timbre bleeding through.
Vaughn swallowed hard, but before he could answer, Lora’s voice cracked like a whip. “Enough! This is no time for accusations. You shame your oath, Vaughn.”
The elder dropped his gaze, chastened, but the damage was done. Rex surged forward. Ethan’s breath came heavy as heat rolled off his skin.
The scent of pine and lightning filled the chamber. His voice - no longer entirely his - echoed through every skull.
“You speak of consultation,” Rex growled through him. “You question the instincts of the blood that built this court. Do you think I could not sense my own kin? Do you believe I would bring danger into my den?”
Chairs scraped back as the elders recoiled. Even Gregor took an involuntary step away.
Enough, Rex, Ethan urged. You’ll frighten them.
They should be frightened, the wolf snarled. They forget who the alpha is.
Ethan wrestled for control, his hands trembling as he forced the beast down. When he spoke again, his tone was quieter but far deadlier.
“She is my sister,” he said. “Her wolf – Celia - answered mine before a word was spoken. I do not need your rites to prove what the Goddess already confirmed.”
The silence that followed was almost holy. Outside, a hawk cried; inside, not one elder breathed too loudly.
Finally, Elder Kellan spoke, cautious again. “We only seek to protect the realm, Your Majesty. None here doubts your devotion. But the safety of the court demands….”
Ethan cut him off. “The safety of the court lies in unity, not suspicion. And if any of you think to challenge my judgment, do it openly. Do not hide behind counsel.”
Vaughn flinched. Thorne looked down at his clasped hands.
Rex’s presence eased, but his voice lingered inside Ethan’s mind, low and steady.
They will test you again.
Then we will remind them why the blood of Ashvale still commands, Ethan replied silently.
Lora finally rose, her tone soft. “Perhaps, my king, when the time is right, you will let the council meet her - to know the princess themselves.”
Ethan exhaled, reclaiming composure. “When she has rested and adjusted, yes. Until then, she is to be left in peace. Is that understood?”
All five elders bowed. “Understood, Your Majesty.”
Gregor – the court secretary glanced up, cautious. “Shall I record today’s meeting as resolved?”
Ethan gave a curt nod. “Resolved enough.”
He remained standing as they filed out. The heavy doors thudded shut, leaving him alone with the echo of their footsteps.
His hands still tingled where Rex’s power had surged. For a moment he thought of Lisa’s nervous smile when she first stepped through the gates, of the human girl’s laughter that filled the courtyard like sunlight. The contrast between that tenderness and the venom in this chamber made his stomach twist.
He turned to the tall window overlooking the training grounds. Young warriors sparred below, unaware of the storm brewing in their own hall.
Rex’s voice returned, softer now. They will whisper about her. About the human. About us, those that have long believed it was wrong for the throne to be kept vacant until you were of age to inherit it.
Let them whisper, Ethan answered. They’ve done worse before – and yet here we stand.
Do you regret it? Bringing her here without their blessing?
Ethan’s lips curved faintly into a smile. Never. She’s my blood. I’d do it again a thousand times.
The wolf rumbled in approval, a low purr of shared pride. Then stand tall, King. A crown’s weight is not meant to crush - it is meant to remind.
Ethan drew a long breath. “You’re right,” he murmured aloud.
He looked once more toward the far corridor leading to the guest wing where Lisa and Isabel rested.
“I won’t let them hurt you Lisa,” he whispered. “Not again.”