With their reluctant agreement, I retreat to my room to change into a suit befitting the council chambers.
I leave the house and use a transport charm to take me to the council chambers, leaving behind my mate and friends.
My thoughts race with possible outcomes and consequences. What if they’re right? What if it’s a trap? But I push away the doubt.
The heavy oak doors of the council chamber creak open, and a wave of tension washes over me as I step inside. The room’s oppressive atmosphere bears down on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. A circular table occupies the center of the chamber, surrounded by high-backed chairs that cast sinister shadows across the walls.
“Ah, Aksel, glad you could make it to one of these meetings,” sneers Councilman Roner, the demon elder, from his seat at the head of the table. I can practically taste the disdain in his voice, but I force myself to remain impassive. My disinterest is a mask, hiding my true emotions and intentions.
“Well, when you put tagging supernaturals up for a vote I had to come. Let’s get this over with,” I reply, settling into my designated chair, trying to appear nonchalant while internally bracing myself for whatever horror the council has cooked up this time.
“Very well,” Roner Reme says, his eyes narrowing. “We’ve been discussing the implementation of a new initiative. One that would allow us to monitor the whereabouts and activities of all supernatural beings within our jurisdiction.”
My stomach churns at the thought of such an invasive, totalitarian measure. Yet, I must maintain my facade of indifference. “And how exactly do you plan to achieve that?” I ask, feigning curiosity.
“By requiring all supernaturals to wear tracking devices, of course,” interjects councilwoman Kia, the light fae elder, with a hint of hesitation in her voice. “It’s for our own good, really. We can’t have rogue supernaturals running amok, now can we?”
“Is this in response to the hunters joining our society?” I ask.
It obviously is.
“Surely there must be less intrusive ways to keep order within our community,” I add.
“Such as?” challenges Monit, the mage leader, leaning back in his chair, his eyes boring into mine.
“Perhaps just a registration process to start,” I suggest, struggling to keep my tone level and detached.
Everyone thinks about it.
I strike again. “We don’t want an uprising on our hands.”
Their eyes widen. They’ve been away from the masses for too long.
“Let’s vote then,” Kia says.
“No action should also be on the ballot,” Eve, the shifter councilwoman, adds.
The vote goes well, it seems Roner was the only one pushing for this initiative. No action will be taken.
This was a waste of time pushed by the demon elder.
I clench my fists beneath the table, nails digging into my palms as I work to maintain my disinterested exterior. They can’t know how far from my father I am until I’m no longer an interim council person.
As the councilors begin to file out of the chamber, I remain seated for a moment and gather myself. Eve, the nicest of all the elders, looks back at me with pity in her eyes. Does she think I’m outmatched on the council?
The cold air hits me as I step out of the council chamber, my footsteps echoing through the empty hallways.
As I approach the exit, my senses suddenly sharpen. Instincts honed with training warning me that something isn’t right. I pause for a moment, straining to hear any sign of danger, but all remains eerily quiet.
I stiffen, barely having a second to react before I’m surrounded by supernatural police agents, their weapons drawn and trained on me.
“What’s going on?” I demand, trying to keep the fear and fury from seeping into my voice. “Why am I being detained?”
“Save it,” one agent snarls, roughly grabbing my arm and twisting it behind my back. I grit my teeth against the pain as another agent slaps a pair of enchanted cuffs around my wrists, the cold metal biting into my skin.
“By order of the Council,” the first agent continues, his eyes narrowed with contempt, “you’re under arrest for the murder of your father, Joka Lenoir.”
My heart stops beating for a moment, shock and disbelief washing over me like a tidal wave.
