Chapter 12 Twelve
Seren turned immediately, her eyes landing on a tall, brown-haired man striding toward her. His presence alone commanded obedience that made the guards stiffened. But Seren was unruffled by his presence she was just curious.
He wore a deep blue lamé coat threaded with silver runes, each one catching the light like restrained power.
As he drew closer, Seren noticed his cold ink-black eyes. A scar ran down the side of his face, harsh against his otherwise handsome features.
He stopped a few feet away, his aura prickling against hers. “Who are you?”
Seren groaned internally.‘Ugh, another person who doesn’t recognize me’
\[Selune’s blessing is too much for mortals to comprehend.\]
‘Tell me about it.’
Before she could even answer, the guard on the right interjected, “Beta Rian, she claims to be Seren Nightwind.”
A flicker of recognition crossed Rian’s face. His gaze sharpened, now filled with suspicion. “You are Lady Nightwind?”
Seren didn’t bother replying him because she didn’t like the way he said it.
“What business do you have at the Alpha Hall?” Rian’s tone turned clipped, hostile.
That was it. Seren had had enough. She flipped her silver hair over her shoulder, stepped right into his space, and jabbed a finger at his chest.
“Listen, Scarface! I don’t recall ever wronging you, so I don’t know where all this attitude is coming from. I’m here to see your Alpha. The same Alpha who claimed me at the ceremony, remember?”
His expression hardened. That was all the confirmation she needed. Seren’s lips curled into a cruel, knowing smile. “Oh… you don’t like that he claimed me, do you?”
When his jaw clenched, she laughed sharply and mockingly.
“Oh Selune… that’s the reason? Did you want poor Nova to be the Luna instead?”
Her laughter echoed down the surroundings, wild and ringing. The three males before her were frustrated and annoyed. Kian himself clenched his fists.
She wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, still smirking. “Wow. Haven’t laughed like that since I got here.”
Then her tone cooled. “Listen, Beta. Your Alpha was the one who chose me. You’re barking up the wrong tree. Now take me to him before I lose my patience.”
Rian visibly forced himself to calm down, his jaw ticking as he turned away. He motioned stiffly for her to follow. He wasn’t wasting words on her anymore.
The guards opened the grand doors, their bravado from earlier gone. Now, they bowed slightly with their eyes lowered and their ears twitching nervously.
Rian stepped through first, but when he glanced back, Seren was walking slowly, hips swaying, a smirk tugging at her lips as if she owned the place.
When she caught him watching, she arched a brow. He quickly turned away. Still, his mind churned. Based on his memory, Seren Nightwind had black hair, how can someone change so naturally?
He didn't sense any hair brightening enchantment on her and he didn't see any rune on her hair. Hell….even her eyes had changed from brown to stormy grey. What was going on?
Seren, meanwhile, was lost in admiration. The manor was breathtaking. It had gothic arches, shimmering moonstone inlays, tapestries woven with shifting silver threads…and a lot more. Compared to this, Nightwind Manor was a shack.
As they passed servants, whispers followed her like a shadow.
“Isn’t that the Luna usurper?”
“You mean Seren? When did her hair turn silver?”
“Maybe she’s cursed…”
“If she’s cursed, she shouldn’t be Luna!”
“Poor Nova…”
Seren’s lips twitched.
‘Wow, I’m quite the celebrity already.’
\[You are the villainess. Popularity is the least of your traits.\]
‘You sound too proud of that.’
They finally stopped before a massive oak door engraved with crescent sigils. Rian turned to her. “This is the Alpha’s Study. Wait here while I inform him of your arrival.”
Seren nodded absently, already admiring the painting across the hall, a depiction of Selune casting light upon kneeling wolves.
Rian entered and closed the door behind him.
Moonlight spilled through wide windows, mingling with the faint mist of dissolving moon dust signifying the remnants of a recent Moon Messenger.
Kael Duskbane sat behind his oak desk, posture regal, expression unreadable. His gaze, however, was sharp enough to cut through silence.
Before Rian could speak, Kael’s voice filled the room, deep and steady.
“The guard I assigned to my Luna just sent a Moon Messenger. I hear she’s here.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Rian bowed.
Kael rose to his full height, his black lame clinging to his frame snuggly, his chair creaking after him. When he reached Rian, the weight of his presence alone pressed against the Beta’s instincts.
“I also hear,” Kael continued, his tone deceptively calm, “that my Luna was disrespected. By my wolves. Including you.”
The tension thickened instantly, two wolves in one room, but only one true leader.
Rian’s gaze dropped. “It was a misunderstanding, Alpha.”
Kael placed a firm hand on Rian’s shoulder. The touch was light, but the pressure was immense. “We talked about this last night. I chose her. Where did you find the courage to question your Alpha’s will?”
Rian winced under the pressure. “But she’s dangerous…”
Kael’s grip tightened. “Would you rather I submit to the Burndels? Risk our entire pack?”
Rian shook his head, face strained. “No, Alpha.”
“Then you’ll respect her. If not for her sake, then for mine.” Kael’s voice softened only slightly, the kind of calm that made obedience instinctual.
Rian bowed lower. “I understand. It won’t happen again.”
Kael released him, brushing invisible dust from his shoulder as a silent dismissal. “Good. You know I have no patience for broken promises.”
He turned to the fireplace, the flames casting gold against his brown eyes. “Bring in my Luna. Let me hear what she has to say.”
Meanwhile outside,
Seren tapped her foot, bored, studying the ornate molding above the door. When it finally opened, Rian stepped out, his expression carefully neutral.
A mischievous grin crept across her face. Ha. He got scolded. Serves him right. Wonder what for.
“The Alpha will see you now,” Rian said tightly. Then, to her surprise, bowed before leaving
.
Seren blinked. Weirdo.
With a shrug, she pushed the ridiculously heavy oak doors open and stepped inside.