The tension in the air was palpable as we waited for the council members to arrive. No one had uttered a single word since waking up this morning, and King Ruben had locked himself in his room.
The only person permitted to enter was Queen Stella, and even she couldn't quell his murderous mood.
I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Valen, Von, Anton, Celia and I were all waiting in the sitting room once again.
The boys had been taking turns glaring at her and I was getting kind of tired of it. I understand that she's under a lot of scrutiny right now, but they didn't have to make it so obvious.
I thought we were trying to keep the upper hand here.
Celia hadn't said anything to anyone after spending the night under King Ruben's watchful stare. I'm not sure what kind of conversation had ensued between the two, but she seemed worn down this morning.
Her shoulders were slumped as she sat in the corner, curled into a small ball. It was like she was trying to make herself disappear from the room.
She still had enough spunk left in her to return a snarky glare whenever she'd catch one of the boys staring at her, though.
Finally, King Ruben opened the door and joined us. He didn't say anything as he sat at a large mahogany desk. He just curled his fingers together and waited.
We all turned our heads as we heard voices drifting down the hallway. I straightened my back a little, and watched the door as they came closer.
Malakai was the first to enter, a huge smile on his scarred face. It struck me as odd that he would be smiling at a time like this, but I decided against saying anything.
"Your majesty, what a pleasure," he said as he bowed in front of King Ruben.
The king just rose his hand and gestured to an open seat, which Malakai sauntered over to. Next to enter was Charles, followed closely by Edwin.
"Your majesty," they both greeted with a slight bow.
King Ruben didn't even respond to them this time. They took their seats next to Malakai.
Finally, Seraphine entered the room with a look so cold, I swear, the temperature dropped a few degrees.
She had poorly concealed bags under her eyes and her figure was slighter than I remembered. Her hair didn't shine as brilliantly as it did before, but her lips were still pursed into a thin, hard line.
She locked eyes with Celia first and I saw them narrow a fraction of an inch. Celia immediately looked down and clenched her fists.
"Your highness," she all but sneered to King Ruben.
He let out a growl as a warning but waved her in. She sat as far away from the other members as possible, but still not any where near Celia. A flash of hurt crossed her face and I almost felt pity for her.
King Ruben stood and you could feel his intimidating royal aura rolling off of him. He wasn't taking any chances today. He was trying to make sure we all knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of.
"I've gathered you all here today to discuss an important matter. Just yesterday Artemis, Von's mate, was taken from the cave by a small band of wolves. Based off of the intel Von and Celia were able to provide, we believe that these wolves were from the Moonlight Pack. If this is the case, they have gone back on their treaty and these actions are seen as a declaration of war."
King Ruben paused to assess the room. None of the council members seemed surprised in the slightest upon hearing this news.
In fact, they almost seemed bored. Aside from Seraphine, who was clenching the edge of her seat with white knuckles.
"Our first priority is to get Artemis back. We can not leave her in the hands of our enemies any longer. We will first send out a scouting party to gather intel on Moonlight. This party will stay close to their borders for three days, watching and waiting for anything out of the ordinary. They will track the daily schedules of the guards and warriors that are there on duty so that we can find an in. Once that task is complete, we will assemble another team, comprised of our best warriors and trackers, and we will get Artemis back."
He looked to Von as he said this, who was sitting up straight in his seat and hanging on his father's every word.
His hands were clenched at his side and his posture was tight. I couldn't imagine the worry that he was going through right now; the pain of not knowing what was happening to your mate.
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, almost as if he could hear my thoughts, and I quickly looked away. I don't think he'd appreciate my pity.
"Why was this meeting so important you had to drag us into it then?" Malakai asked.
King Ruben's eyes flashed as he turned to him.
"I have other news as well. Indigo and Valen were at the ruins and found some interesting items." King Ruben withdrew the dagger and the note from his desk drawer.
I saw Seraphine's eyes widen just a bit, but she composed herself before anyone else noticed.
"This envelope also contained an item that is precious to Indigo, which leads me to believe this was a direct threat to her." Malakai leaned forward to examine the note.
His brows furrowed as he read it, but he passed it down to the other council members. Once they had all read it, Seraphine spoke up.
"How do we know these two outsiders aren't behind this whole thing?"
Her voice rang clear through the room and she was staring directly at me with hatred burning in her green eyes.
I held my head a little higher, but didn't respond. I wasn't going to back down from her challenge.
"Seraphine does bring up a good point," Charles interjected.
"The incidents started happening the moment Indigo came to this pack, and have continued to escalate ever since."
Valen growled beside me and I put my hand on his chest to keep him from leaping over the desk. King Ruben didn't bat an eye at their accusations, though.
"Artemis and Indigo are the fated mates to my sons. They have been with us since the attack and I can say with full confidence that they are not apart of some plot to over throw our pack."
His tone was strong and finality rang through the air.
"Furthermore, their scents were not detected on these items or anywhere near them. We deduced that they had been planted at the ruins about a day or two before they were found. Would you like to know who's scent we did find, however?"
His sharp gaze shifted to Seraphine. Her face had paled at this point and she was shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
"Well, tell us then. Who was it?"
Malakai asked impatiently. King Ruben glanced at him for a second and then returned his gaze to Seraphine. He pointed at her.
"Your family's scent was found at the scene. It had been distorted and tampered with, so we were unable to pinpoint which one of you was there. But you made a mistake when you didn't cover your tracks completely. Now, we know at least one of you is involved."
Everyone's gazes shifted to Seraphine, who looked like a rabid animal being backed into a corner.
She was trembling and her eyes were wide as she searched the room. She clenched her fists in her lap and sprung from her chair, knocking it over in the process.
"Are you really going to believe the lies he's spewing?" she yelled at the other council members.
Charles looked uncomfortable and Edwin just looked bored. Malakai, on the other hand, had his brows furrowed as he was deep in thought.
King Ruben crossed his arms over his chest, daring her to try and lie again. She breathed heavily as she waited for them to answer her.
Finally, Malakai sighed.
"The evidence against your family is too great, Seraphine. You and Celia are hereby charged with treason and will be taken in for questioning immediately."
Celia let out a loud sob but her mother turned on her with a vengeance.
"You will keep quiet, do you hear me!" she roared at her.
Celia whimpered and lowered her head in submission. Seraphine whirled back to the council and King Ruben.
"You can't prove anything with what you have! Question us all you like, and you'll see! You have nothing!"
Malakai raised from his seat and restrained Seraphine, who was still screaming. He drug her toward the door as she tried to kick at everyone in her way. Her eyes met mine and she gnashed her teeth together and snarled at me.
"This is all your fault! I won't let my daughter's fate be the same as mine. I won't!" she declared as Malakai finally got her out of the room.
Celia followed willingly, with Charles and Edwin right behind her. Charles turned to King Ruben.
"We'll be in touch soon, your majesty."
King Ruben bowed his head and they left. We could all hear Celia's quiet sobs drift away.
I broke the silence first.
"What did Seraphine mean about Celia's fate?" Valen and Von stiffened beside me and looked toward their father.
King Ruben's shoulders sagged as he slumped back down into his chair. He produced a bottle of whisky from under his desk and uncorked it, taking a swig before answering me.
"That is a story for another time. Right now, we have to prepare to get Artemis back."
Author's Note:
Okay, no real surprise there, right? But what did Seraphine mean? Do you think Celia is really as bad as she's been portrayed? What will happen when they go to rescue Artemis?
Comment and Vote to show some love and let me know your thoughts!
Xoxo,
CrimsynIris