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“Enough of this,” one of the masked councilmen mutters, his voice weathered, making him sound older than the others. He’s clearly had enough of the scene playing out before him, and if his voice is anything to go by, he sounds exhausted.
My eyes are locked on Councilman Ruby who has paused before us, but I pick up some movement behind him, and the feeling of magic swells in the alleyway.
I open my mouth to warn the others, but before I can, the world goes black, and I fall into unconsciousness.
* * *
Groaning at the pounding in my head, I slowly open my eyes, my head feeling foggy and sluggish. Bits of dirt and grit bite into my skin, telling me that once again, I’m lying on the floor. I piece together all the fragmented bits of memory until I’m able to work out what’s happening.
We were sneaking into the city when the councillors caught us. Syn betrayed us and handed us right to them. The council has magic and has learned how to knock us out and transport us to new locations.
It’s an impressive skill, but I’m getting really fed up with them knocking us out. Councilman Ruby already pointed out that I was always going to follow their orders to make sure my father was kept safe, so all they needed to do was tell me to shut up and follow them, and I’d do it. That’s not good enough for them though, oh no, they use magic to show that they have power over us.
I reach for my bonds. I’m worried we’ve been separated and my mates are far away because the connection feels fuzzy. However, as I blink and stare at the bracken on the ground, I slowly feel those bonds come to life. They are here with me, and if I were to take a guess, I’d say they were also knocked out and are just waking up. Their groans confirm my suspicion.
Gathering my strength, I push myself into an upright position, hating that my arms shake in the process. I wait for my brain to catch up with what I’m seeing. We’re back in the forest on the edge of the compound, in the clearing where it all began. This is where we had all been called for the beginning of the werewolf trials and where I first met Joel. It was also where the councilmen called me out and forced me to participate in the trials, knowing full well that I was unable to shift and it would most likely result in my death.
Not my favourite memory.
I look for my mates and find them sprawled on the hard dirt beside me. They look like they were just dumped in a pile, their limbs entangled and twisted at odd angles. Wincing, I shuffle onto my knees and attempt to stand and help them up. I’m aware that we’re being watched, but my mates are the most important thing right now. Our captors can wait.
Helping everyone up, I move over to Luna and pull her up, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder as she winces and presses a hand to her head. I know the feeling. Once everyone is upright and present, I finally turn to the wooden platform behind me.
The councilmen stand on the small stage that raises them above us, all as still as statues as they look down upon us. Not bothering to waste my attention on them for long, I do a slow spin and take in the crowd surrounding us. Werewolves of all shapes and sizes fill the clearing, some standing in larger groups that are clearly their packs, but others are just in groups of two or three. While it seems like there are a lot here, there are not nearly as many as there were at the beginning of the trials. Is that because the packs refused to attend? Or simply because they didn’t have time to get here on such short notice?
Syn stands at the foot of the stage, leaning against the wooden structure with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face as he glances around the clearing. His darkness has practically enveloped him, something I know most can’t see. However,Ican see it, and when that happens, it’s usually because he’s feeling overwhelmed by his emotions. Instinctively, I reach for the bond, only to bounce back off it, still shut off. I do notice the wince that twists his face momentarily as I touch it, so I know he can still feel me, whether he wants to or not.
Everyone is strangely quiet, which is the complete opposite of how it was when I was revealed as having magic. Yet here I stand, half wolf, half witch, with two other witches and Nicolai who has clearly been changed, and no one makes a sound. In fact, they seem wary, the atmosphere tense, and I get the strangest feeling that it’s not us that they are afraid of, but the council. What happened while we were gone that put everyone on edge?
Councilman Ruby steps forward, unnecessarily clearing his throat to call for silence.
“Werewolves, you have been gathered here because treason has been committed,” he begins, his voice amplified around the clearing. Pausing for dramatic effect, he clutches his hands in front of him, hanging his head slightly as though this news brings him sorrow. Taking a deep breath, he continues. “Our laws are clear, death is the only acceptable punishment for such a crime. However, this isn’t any usual offender.”
I lift my head high as all eyes automatically fall on us, and I stare back at Ruby, refusing to appear weak in front of him. My mates and friends shift their positions until they are spread out behind me, making it clear that they stand with me.
“Laelia was promised to us,” the councillor continues, ignoring the silent statement we make, “and despite her having magic, something that is banned amongst us, the council gave her the chance to prove herself in the trials. She managed to cheat her way through, until she was rescued by a group of witches.”
If I were a wolf right now, my hackles would be raised. He’s making it sound like the council was gracious in “allowing” me to compete in their deadly challenges. There was no mention of the threats, the attempts on my life, or the fact that they fixed the trials to make it even harder for me to survive. Then to say that I cheated… My blood boils.
How dare they speak of me like this? They have no idea who I really am, I rage, my thoughts turning dark as my power swells within me, demanding to be released.They should be bowing tome, not making me out to be cheating scum. That last thought startles me out of my anger. Where did that come from? The power I’ve accepted from the goddess comes with its own challenges it seems, one of them being the darkness I carry.
Now that I’ve pulled myself from my anger and managed to soothe my power, I realise that something he said stands out.Laelia was promised to us. Is this just another lie to make me seem evil and untrustworthy? Because he’s making it sound as though they already knew of my existence. Or, at least, that I would arrive one day. What I once thought would have been impossible is now put to question. The council has magic, so it could be possible that they also knew of the prophecy. This is just mind-blowing, and I can feel my mates’ confusion. They seem just as thrown by this information as I am.
At the mention of witches, the gathered werewolves finally react, hissing and snarling. However, it feels strained, as if they are making the noise because they are expected to. They’ve been brought up to hate witches, and it feels like an automatic reaction instead of their actual feelings.
“It turns out that those witches were also traitors,” the councillor continues, his voice swelling with emotion. “At the witches’ stronghold, Laelia spread unease and lies until she tore it apart. She then came back here and attempted to break into the council with her mates so she could do the same thing.”
Where did they get this information from? We know that Bates was sent by the council to attack Haven, but what he’s saying is too close to the truth to be a simple guess. While I never spread unease or lies, I can’t deny that my presence split the witches’ loyalty. Unease settles in my stomach, the hair on my arms stands on end, and a tingle of warning trickles down my spine.
“That’s all lies!” Atlas seethes, moving as though to march forward. The only thing stopping him is Luna and Nicolai, who are holding him back. I take his hand in mine and pour my love for him down the bond.
“Don’t give him the reaction he wants,” I whisper, hoping that my presence will calm him. Thankfully, it seems to work, his body relaxing as his anger slips away.
Releasing his hand, I give him the smallest smile and step forward. My mates go to follow me but stop at the slight shake of my head. Scanning the watching werewolves, I turn my back on the council and address them instead.
“The witches are innocent and not our enemy. They want peace. It’s the council and a small group of witches who want to keep this war going, but most of us just want to live in peace,” I explain, wishing my voice was amplified like the councilman’s, but thanks to their keen hearing, I know they can all hear me. “The council sent a group of werewolves to attack Haven and incite violence and destruction, destroying our progress to convince the witches that we weren’t all savages. After that, we were given no choice but to leave. I’ve never spread lies, and any change in attitude wasn’t because of me.”
I’m quite surprised that none of the councilmen try to stop me as I defame them, laying their crimes out for all to see. I’ve not even gotten started with what they did to Nicolai. A ripple of unease spreads through the group, and I notice several of the wolves looking at each other as they question what they are hearing.
