23: Iris
“You are his dughter the woman roared. “You are the child of the man who died thig
Then the whispers began, fingers pointed at me, eyes filled with hatred and suspicion.
“What is a maggot doing in our Alpha’s castle?” One of the civilians asked.
Every other civilian echoes the question.
It was then that the realization dawned on me. The inhabitants of the Alpha’s castle were the only ones who knew of my identity, knew of the wedding and every other thing that had happened since I was captured.
“L.1.1 blubbered like a fool, shaking.
“She is my wife,” Cassian’s voler cut through the tension as effectively as a heated knife through butter.
The eyes of the civiliam could have popped out of their sockets at his revelation.
“My Alpha…you married a kin of our sworn enemy,” the grieving mother muttered, her face as pale as chalk.
The others, although astounded by the secret revealed, try to prevent the mother from speaking. Their fear of Cassian was as palpable as their hatred for me, but their fear outweighed the loaching. However, the mother was different. She glared at me through her tears and reddened eyes. Her fury was unbridled.
“How could your” she demanded, stepping forward despite the restraining hands of the others. “How could you bring the blood of those monsters into our midul Into our home?”
Cuisin’s expression hardened.
“Watch your tone, Ignist” The woman’s companion pleaded. “He is the Alpha ”
“An Alpha that could not protect my son, instead he brought a maggot to be his wife The woman spat, her voice dripping with disdain
Gasps echoed through the room. I did not need to understand Lycon politics and government to know that what the woman had uttered was treason. In Ashfall, it was punishable by death not to speak of what it meant in a Lycan pack.
I saw that Alpha’s guards stalking towards the woman, their weapons drawn. Her grief did not matter before that Alpha She had wished death upon herself and got it with what she had said.
My eyes fell on the corpse of her son. Mangled and broken far beyond dignity, It was a horrid sight that made bile rise in my throat not to speak of the funily of the person the corpse had once been. I could not imagine her agony. Yet, my mind conjured up the image of my mother’s slit neck. sipping blood. The way her body had fallen limp in Kavriel’s hands, that way that the snow had been stained crimson. Grief gripped my heart in an unrelenting hold. I knew that I could not let this happen. The death of her son, directly or indirectly, had been my doing
“Ha!” I yelled at the guards. They turned to me shocked. That was probably the highest that I had ever raised my voice. I did not know exactly what I was doing, but I simply let my instinct lead me. “Do not touch her,” I ordered, voice trembling slightly.
Someone laughed at that moment, cold and mocking. “Do you think you have power here!” Kolan said. “She has committed treason against my brother, the highest offense in a pack.”
The guards began to proceed again. I looked up at Cassian, who had sat back on his throne and was looking on like a spectator. His eyes met mine, dark eyes unreadable and impassive. He looked nothing like the man who had spoken to me with understanding just a moment ago.
Yes, I did not relent. I said stop! Leave her be.”
But the guards did not listen
“She had said absolutely nothing wrong! Leave her bel” The rigidity and authority of my voice was bizarre. It was as though an impostor had taken
my roke.
The guards stopped once again
And continued to speak, taking steady and courageous steps in their direction. I was dressed in royal attire, I wore the Alpha’s ring and bore his name. If I could just stop being so afraid, I could do something that actually mattered. Like sparing the life of an innocent, grieving subject.
“Your Alpha indeed married a kin of your enemy. With what my kind have done to you, you have every right to call us monsters, Indeed, your son was not protected. You have every right to be aggrieved” My voice, though trembling, carried through the hall. I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage I had left.
“Look at her,” I continued, pointing at the grieving mother. “She has lost her son. She is a victim of this endless war, this cycle of hatred. Her grief, her anger, is justified.”
The guards hesitated, their eyes flicking between Cassin and me. I pressed on, feeling a strange sense of determination take hold
“Cassian,” I tumed to him, my eyes pleading. “You are not just an Alpha; you are a leader, a protector of your people. Show her mercy. Let her grief
be beard, not silenced.”
For a moment, the room was utterly silent. All eyes were on Cassian, waiting for his response. He rose from his throne, his gaze steady and unyielding
“Enough” he finally said, his voice commanding. “You heard my wife. Let her be.”
My heart skipped a beat at what he referred to me as, my wife. But I shook away that warming feeling, there were far more dire affairs to tend to
The tension in the room cased slightly, though the atmosphere was still thick with unease. The guards lowered their weapons and stepped back. allowing the grieving mother to collapse to her knees, sobbing more.
I stepped forward, reaching out a hand to her, “I am sorry for your loss.” I said softly. “I wish I could undo the pain that my kin have caused you.”
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions–hatred, sorrow, confusion. Then her features hardened. “Stay away from me!” The guards had their weapons suddenly raised again, but I raised my hand to stop them and, surprisingly, they heeded.
I began to back away from her, before a pair of hands clasped my shoulders. I looked up to meet Rolan’s azure eyes filled with mischief. Dread pulled in my stomach and my skin crawled at his touch.
“It seems that I was wrong about you, dear sister in law,” he said, his tone sly and ingenious. “You are proving to be worthy of your tide of Lana of
our great pack
“Luma?” both Zahilla and Cassian’s mother echoed in shock. The entire room shared the sentiment. Everyone wore shocked expressions, mouths agape with horror. Only Cassian’s countenance seemed unaffected by Rolan’s words, but even be narrowed his eyes at his brother.
“Don’t be preposterous, Rolan,” Cassian’s mother said. “She could never be our pack’s Lana”
“Exactly.” Zahila seconded her mother–in–law. “She is not worthy of the title, she is a-”
“A werewolf? Not a Lycan” Rolan completed for her. “Yet, the goddess is never wrong, and She made her my dear brother’s mate, the Alpha’s mate He said, gesturing to me. “And she has proven herself to be firmly on our side today, as she not?”
I should have felt relieved that my brother–in–law was finally taking my side, but my gut told me that it was too early to celebrate.
Zahila scoffed, her eyes blazing “Was it not just a few days back that she tried to escape to her lover?” She countered. “Was has gotten into you?” “She only did that to protect her family,” he countered, then turned to me. “Isn’t that right?” He asked me.
I nodded hesitantly, glancing nervously at Cassian.
“See? Rolan asked: “Her mother was killed despite her best efforts.”
The civilians glanced at me, as though unable to believe what they were hearing. Some loathing drained away from their expressions.
“So she understands your pain far more than you think and, as her people, she will do what it takes to bring you the justice you deserve. Won’t you our dear Luna?” He asked me, his gaze expectant.
My heart was thumping wildly, and my hands were clammy as I felt every eye fall on me, even Cassian’s. “Of course, I will,” I said with far more confidence than I felt. Every intuition, every instinet told me that his words meant more than he was betting on. It felt like an elaborate trap that L could not help but fall into
“You heard her, she will bring your son’s murderer to justice, Before our great pack, she will punish him by death with her own hands.”
Rolan’s words echoed in the chamber, their weight settling over me like a heavy shroud. The room fell into a hushed silence, the air thick with anticipation and shock. My blood had run cold, every fiber in my body tensing. Rolan tumed to me, a cunning smile curving his lips. Satisfied that he had caught me as he had intended
“He will die at our Luna’s hands for his sins, even if he is her father.”
