After a restless night of sleep, I rolled over to look at the clock on my nightstand. It read 5:15. I groaned and decided it was time to get up.
My nerves were too frazzled to let me sleep anymore anyway. I heaved my exhausted body into a sitting position and rubbed my bleary eyes. Aislinn had spent the later part of the night telling me all about the royal council.
According to her, they were terrifying. All dignified and regal, they were a group of four wolves- three men and one woman- who had the last say on every important decision in the pack.
They could even overturn King Ruben's rulings if they wanted to- though it had only happened once, Aislinn had told me.
She said they could be like vultures. They'd pick tear you down and pick apart at your carcass just for the fun of it. She had emphasized that it was important to have confidence in their presence, but to make sure you never disrespect a single member.
They could easily make my life harder here than it had been at Moonlight pack.
I shook away the memories from last night and twirled my mother's ring on my finger. Caffeine. I needed caffeine.
I made my way quietly down to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. My trainings had been cancelled today due to the meeting and Aunt Maddie's arrival. I snuck over to the pot, added water and the grounds, and pushed the button.
I rolled my neck and relaxed my muscles while I breathed in it's heavenly aroma. As I was reaching for a mug, someone cleared their throat behind me.
I spun around with the mug wielded above my head in preparation for attack. Valen threw up his hands as a sign of peace.
"Easy there, tiger. I'm not here to fight today." I sent a glare his way and pointed the cup in his direction.
"Do not sneak up on me before my morning cup. I cannot be held responsible for any injuries you obtain."
He chuckled and moved past me to grab his own mug, before prying mine from my fingers.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked while pouring us both a cup of coffee. I shook my head.
"I'm pretty nervous about today, to be honest. I know your father didn't think too harshly of my solo mission, but I'm worried they don't share his opinion."
Valen grimaced as he took a sip, then crossed the floor to the fridge where he pulled out some vanilla-caramel creamer. He offered some to me, which I accepted gratefully. He turned back to look at me.
"I think you'll be okay, I really do, but I should warn you," he began.
"Warn me about what?"
"Celia's mother is on the council." I choked on my coffee and almost spit it back in his face.
"Excuse me?" I heaved.
"You couldn't have told me this last night? Not two hours before I'm supposed to meet her?"
The panic ramped up in my body and was clawing at my throat. Of course.
The only enemy I had here and her mother is on the council. Just great.
"Calm down. She's mostly talk. She may look like a complete witch, and she has a sharp tongue, but she hates to be challenged. It makes her nervous. I'm not saying to disrespect her authority, but if she throws any snide remarks your way, don't hesitate to say something back." I watched him for a moment before nodding.
"Okay, I can do that. Will Celia be in the meeting?"
"It's possible. But her opinion won't be counted in the final verdict. She's a warrior, not a politician."
"Okay. I think I can do this."
"I know you can," he replied as he leaned down and pecked a quick kiss to my cheek.
"Show them the same badass that I met that first day."
He grinned and I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my face in response. He turned to leave and I headed back upstairs to get ready.
After a quick shower, I was applying my makeup when Aislinn entered the room.
"Oh good, you're up. Here," she said while thrusting a bunch of clothes at me.
"This is your outfit for the meeting. It's simple, but sophisticated and classy." I rifled through the pile with curiosity.
Aislinn had prepared for me a pantsuit that had a plain white top with thin straps. It was connected to a pair of sleek, black flared dress pants and tied together with a black cloth belt.
I pulled the suit on and the pants came up my waist above my bellybutton, making my legs look longer. She matched it with a pair of simple, pointed-toe heels and a long silver chain necklace.
I went over to my jewelry box and pulled out some matching earrings and stuck them in my ears. I turned to Aislinn for approval.
"Hmmm, I think it's missing something," she said with a finger on her lip. She snapped her fingers.
"Ah ha!"
She disappeared into the back of my closet and rustled around for a bit before emerging with a black suit jacket that was tailored to be a little bit more feminine. I threw it on and admired the look.
"Alright, not only do you look great, you look like you're ready for business!"
I laughed at her words and she took my arm to lead me to the council room.
We weaved our way through the mazes of hallways before coming to a stop at two very large, dark mahogany doors. An involuntary shiver went down my spine.
Aislinn turned to me and rubbed my back, before swiping a clear gloss across my lips. She sent me a wink and then turned to go inside. I waited for a moment before hearing a gravelly, unfamiliar voice call out.
"Enter."
I steeled myself before throwing open the doors and walking in. I was met with four faces I had never seen before.
Three were men, all with graying hair and wrinkles, but one of them had a scar across his right eye, which was milky in color. He was sitting in the middle of his his colleagues behind a large raised platform.
The first man on his left was rather portly, his grey hair sticking out in tufts around his head and he had a reddish complexion that glistened with sweat despite the cool air blowing through the room.
The next man down from him wore glasses attached to a chain that wrapped loosely around his neck. His gaze was patronizing, as he looked down his long, thin nose at me.
The woman seated on the right, however, was the picture of beauty. Long, straight chestnut locks that were streaked with silver strands adorned her head. Her features were long, but sharp; her eyes set in a permanent glare. Her emerald irises searched over my body, looking for any visible flaw.
I took a chance and looked around and noticed that King Ruben, Queen Stella, Valen, Von, Aislinn, and, to my disgust, Celia were seated at a smaller table a few feet away from the council.
My eyes connected with Celia's and she raised her lip at me. There was no mistaking the malice in her eyes. I turned my gaze back to the council. The man in the middle began to speak.
"Welcome, Indigo Murray, to the DarkBlood pack's council room. I am the head of this council, Malakai. And these are my peers." He gestured to the men on his left.
"This is Charles and Edwin, and this" he gestured toward the woman "is Seraphine." I bowed before them all, but uttered no words.
"You were called here today to discuss your status in this pack." Malakai said when my eyes met his once again.
"We have come to a decision, but it is customary that we meet with all new applicants first. You are from the Moonlight pack, correct?"
"Yes, sir." I answered in a firm voice. I sounded a lot more confident than I felt.
"And is it true, that you are the heir to the Moonlight pack's throne?"
"It is."
"Then tell me, young one, why would you come here for a chance at royalty, when it is destined to you at your home?"
"Moonlight pack is no longer my home, sir. I am the heir, yes, but I was produced from a royal affair."
The room was silent for a beat, but no one looked surprised. Seraphine's dark lips curled into a twisted smile.
"So, your father would not hand the throne over to you then?" Malakai asked.
"No. He intends to give it to my half-sister, Gina. She is younger than me by just a couple of months."
Malakai curled his hands together. "I see."
"Do you care to explain to us why you were in the woods alone, the night that your old pack was spotted near our lands?" Seraphine's voice rang out, sharp and clear.
My gaze shifted to her. She still had a small smirk on her face.
"I had learned that Valen and Von were trying to figure out what was going on, but they weren't able to. I thought that I could get close enough to identify the wolves, since I was not initiated at that time. I didn't tell anyone of my plan, because I knew that they wouldn't have allowed me to go, or someone would have insisted on coming with me." I looked her directly in her eyes as I relayed the tale, but her gaze never faltered.
"And tell us, Indigo, how you were able to drive them back from the perimeter?"
She was full on smiling at me now as she issued a silent challenge.
They had to know what had already happened. She must be trying to see if I would lie to save my own tail. I glanced over at the princes, who were watching me intensely.
I relayed the story to her and the council and explained my new found. When I was done, the room was once again silent. The smile was gone from Seraphine's face now, and her expression almost looked troubled. A snort came from the other table.
"How can we know she's even telling the truth? She could have plotted with her father before coming here to bring down our pack. This whole "poor Indigo" story isn't fooling me," Celia said.
She was looking me in the eyes, daring me to respond. I simply raised an eyebrow at her.
"If you question the legitimacy of my reason for being here, then you need to take it up with King Ruben and Queen Stella. Don't think for a second they would have brought me along with them if they suspected that I was a traitor at our first meeting." I responded to her coolly.
Her face looked shocked and she looked down at her hands as her cheeks tinged red. I saw King Ruben smile at me from the corner of my eye. I turned back to the council.
"I can understand why you would be hesitant of me, for the exact reasons Celia was so kind to point out," I began.
"If I didn't have true intentions of being here, I wouldn't have driven my old pack away, and I surely wouldn't have told anyone about my powers. This kingdom has become a home to me, and I treasure the people of this castle. Not one of them has ever shown me anything other than kindness and acceptance, and I intend to do the same. Not just for them, but for this whole pack."
Malakai's face broke into a smile, while Seraphine scowled at me once more. Edwin and Charles, however, still looked uncertain. Charles spoke next.
"You could be a danger to this pack, there is no denying that."
"That is true, however, I could also be a valuable asset." I countered.
He sat back in his seat but said nothing more. Finally, Edwin spoke.
"We are wary of you, Indigo. Some of us more than others," he said while glancing to Seraphine.
"However, we are willing to let you in." A huge grin broke out on my face.
"However," Malakai boomed.
"You will not be initiated until after the ball. Once we know how the whole pack sees and interacts with you, we will know better where to place you. And, if you do end up as a potential princess, we will see to making special arrangements at that time."
I bowed to them all.
"Thank you, all of you, for this opportunity. I will be sure to be a member of this pack that you can all be proud of."
They said nothing further and Malakai dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I turned on my heel and exited the room. Once I was out, I leaned against the wall and took a huge breath. I smiled again.
I was one step closer to being apart of the DarkBlood Pack.