Chapter 6 The Council Convenes
The Council chamber smelled like polished stone, old parchment, and tension.
Kael walked beside Lina, his stride controlled but edged with barely leashed aggression. Riven followed close behind them, muttering curses under his breath about Councilors, witches, and political stupidity.
Lina’s wolf watched everything, pacing behind her ribs.
As they approached the double doors of the chamber, two guards stepped forward, crossing their spears.
“Only the Alpha may enter,” one said.
Kael didn’t even slow.
“She enters with me.”
The guards exchanged uneasy looks. “Alpha… Councilor Theron gave strict—”
Kael’s power slammed through the air like a crack of lightning.
“Did I stutter?”
The guards instantly bowed and stepped aside. Kael didn’t wait for them to breathe.
Riven gave Lina a sideways grin. “Welcome to politics.”
Inside the Chamber
The room was circular, built of dark stone with high windows that let in angled morning light. Seven raised seats formed a crescent—one for each ruling member of the Dominion’s Council.
Theron sat in the center, fingers steepled, an expression of cold satisfaction tightening his face as Kael entered.
“So,” Theron said lightly, “the Alpha arrives. And he brings… his stray.”
Riven growled. Kael didn’t bother hiding his glare.
Lina lifted her chin and met Theron’s icy stare without flinching.
The other Councilors whispered among themselves. She caught fragments:
“…unclear origin…”
“…forest magic…”
“…dangerous…”
“…Alpha’s judgment compromised…”
Her wolf curled her lip.
Kael stepped forward. “Let’s begin.”
Theron smiled thinly. “By all means. First order of business: the… girl.”
Lina felt the shift in the room instantly. Every gaze centered on her. Some afraid. Some suspicious. Some simply curious.
Theron leaned back in his seat. “This creature walked out of a cursed forest that has swallowed dozens of our scouts over the years. And now the forest is gone. As is the curse. Convenient, isn’t it?”
Lina’s jaw tightened. “I’m not a creature.”
Theron ignored her. “Alpha, your decision to bring her into our fortress without inquiry puts the entire Dominion at risk.”
Kael’s voice was ice. “She is under my protection.”
“And why is that?” Theron pressed. “Because your wolf has taken a liking to her?”
The room erupted in whispers.
Kael stiffened.
Lina felt heat flood her cheeks—but not shame. Anger. How dare Theron twist something neither of them even understood yet?
Kael stepped forward, shoulders squared. “My wolf’s instincts are my concern. Not yours.”
Theron’s smile widened. “Ah. So you don’t deny it.”
Riven’s hand dropped to his knife. “Say one more thing and—”
“Stand down,” Kael growled without looking back.
Riven scowled but obeyed.
Theron’s pale eyes flicked to Lina. “Tell me, girl. Do you have any idea what the Valerius bloodline means in this kingdom?”
The air dropped in temperature.
Lina held his stare. “Do you?”
Theron blinked—clearly not expecting the challenge. “The Valerius were traitors. Power-hungry. Dangerous. They were eradicated for the safety of the Dominion.”
Lina’s voice sharpened to a razor’s edge. “And who told you that?”
“History,” Theron said.
“No,” Lina replied. “The ones who rewrote it.”
A ripple of shock moved through the Council.
Theron’s expression twisted. “You dare—”
Kael cut in suddenly. “The ruins reacted to her.”
The whole chamber stilled.
Even Theron blinked. “Explain.”
Kael nodded to Lina. “Show them.”
Lina stepped forward slowly, her pulse pounding. She extended her hand, letting the faint warmth of her magic rise to her fingertips.
A soft glow shimmered over her palm—silver and pale, like moonlight caught in water.
Gasps echoed through the chamber.
One Councilor whispered, “That’s Valerius magic…”
Another muttered, “It can’t be…”
Theron went stiff as stone.
“That doesn’t prove anything,” he snapped. “Illusions. Tricks.”
Kael’s voice dropped dangerously low. “The witch at the ruins confirmed her lineage.”
The room erupted.
“Witch?”
“There are no witches left!”
“How is that possible?”
“What were you doing consorting with a witch?”
Kael lifted a hand and silence slammed down.
Theron’s lips curled. “So your solution is to trust a witch’s word?”
Kael’s gaze hardened. “My solution is to trust what I saw with my own eyes.”
Lina felt something inside her settle at that.
Theron rose slowly from his seat, robes falling around him like storm clouds.
“The Valerius line is a threat to our stability,” he said. “A threat to the Dominion. To this fortress. To you, Alpha. Especially now that she—”
His eyes flicked to Lina.
“—has your wolf’s attention.”
This time, Kael didn’t deny it.
A dangerous, electric shift moved through the room.
Theron leaned forward. “We vote. Immediately. The girl is to be detained—”
Kael stepped between Theron and Lina in a motion so fast no one else even breathed.
“You will not touch her.”
Theron’s eyes flashed. “You cannot stop a Council vote.”
Kael bared his teeth—not aggressively, but with the cold, deadly certainty of someone who knew exactly how far his power reached.
“I can veto it.”
Gasps broke out.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Theron hissed.
Kael’s voice dropped to a quiet, lethal whisper. “Try me.”
Lina’s heart clenched.
For the first time, Kael wasn’t just protecting her out of instinct or curiosity.
He was choosing her.
Theron stepped closer, eyes narrowed to slits. “You are risking the Dominion for one girl.”
Kael didn’t blink. “I’m protecting the Dominion from your ignorance.”
Cold silence swept the room.
Theron turned his back on them, voice dripping contempt. “Very well. If you insist on harboring a relic of a dead bloodline… her safety is on your head, Alpha. Whatever consequences follow—”
His eyes slid to Lina.
“—belong to you.”
Kael’s wolf surged behind his eyes. “Get out.”
Theron bowed mockingly—and swept from the chamber.
One by one, the other Councilors followed, some nervous, some whispering, some staring at Lina like she was a spark that might ignite the entire kingdom.
When the doors shut and the chamber finally emptied, Kael let out a slow breath and turned to her.
“Are you all right?”
Lina swallowed hard. “You shouldn’t have defended me like that.”
“I disagree,” he said softly.
Riven rolled his eyes. “We’re all going to die.”
Kael ignored him and stepped closer to Lina.
“You’re not a threat to this kingdom,” he said. “Whatever the Council believes. Whatever the past says.”
The words hit her deeper than she expected.
Her wolf leaned into the sound of his voice.
“But,” Kael added, eyes darkening, “Theron won’t stop here. He’ll move against you in every shadow he can find.”
“And you?” Lina asked quietly. “Where will you stand?”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“Between you and anyone who tries to harm you.”
Her breath caught.
Riven groaned loudly. “Moon above, just bond already and get it over with.”
Kael shot him a murderous look.
Lina felt something warm bloom in her chest—dangerous, unfamiliar, terrifying.
Safety.
Kael turned back to her. “Come. You’re staying in my wing until we figure out our next move.”
“Your wing?” Lina blinked.
Kael’s lips twitched. “Did you think I’d leave you where the Council can reach you?”
Riven snorted. “Congratulations, Lina. You’ve been adopted by the most stubborn Alpha on the continent.”
Lina breathed out a shaky laugh.
For the first time in three hundred years, she wasn’t alone.
And that—terrifyingly—felt like the beginning of everything.