Evelyn had thought the fortress halls cold before, but now they seemed to press in on her like tombs.
The whispers followed her everywhere. Servants stopped talking when she entered a room, guards exchanged glances when she passed. Even the wolves patrolling the courtyards tilted their heads and sniffed as though uncertain whether she was prey or predator.
Tonight, she will face the Council of Elders.
The thought alone made her stomach knot. She had never heard of this council until a maid, wide-eyed and trembling, had whispered it to her while fastening the laces of her gown.
"They are the keepers of our laws," the maid had said, her voice low. Older than the fortress itself. If they judge you unworthy… She'd swallowed the words and refused to finish.
Unworthy.
The word haunted Evelyn all the way to the council chamber.
The doors groaned open, spilling torchlight across the polished black stone.
The chamber was circular, vast and echoing, the domed ceiling painted with wolves of legend. A long obsidian table stretched across the center, its surface carved with silver runes that glowed faintly. Around it sat twelve figures, robed in deep crimson and black, their gazes sharp as knives.
The Elders.
At the head sat High Elder Maelor, his beard white as snow, his eyes clouded with age but no less piercing. Around him, the others watched in silence, some with curiosity, others with naked disdain.
And on the far right, like a venomous jewel among them, sat Lady Selene.
Her lips curved the moment Evelyn entered, though the smile never reached her eyes.
Darius entered first, his presence filling the chamber like a storm. Every Elder bowed their heads, but their expressions shifted quickly when Evelyn followed.
A ripple of disapproval spread like fire.
"She is the one?"
"A human-born?"
"This cannot be…"
Evelyn's cheeks burned. She wanted to shrink back, but Darius's hand pressed lightly at the small of her back, urging her forward.
"She is mine," he said, his voice echoing through the chamber like thunder. "And by bond, she is your queen."
The silence that followed was heavy with disbelief.
Finally, Selene rose.
"Your Majesty," she purred, every word a dagger hidden in silk. No one doubts your power. But surely you know what it means to bring an outsider before us. A girl without wolf blood. Without lineage. Without strength. Her gaze slid towards Evelyn, dripping venom. "How can such a fragile creature stand beside a king? How can she lead packs when she cannot even shift?"
The words struck like blows. Evelyn's nails a bit into her palms.
Darius's growl shook the chamber, deep and dangerous, but Maelor lifted a hand. "Peace, my King. Lady Selene speaks to the heart of the matter. "The council must decide if this… girl… is fit to rule."
A dozen eyes speared Evelyn. She wanted to scream that she had never asked for this, that she wanted none of it. But deep inside, her wolf stirred. It wasn't loud, not yet, but it pressed against her ribs, whispering one word.
Fight.
Selene stepped closer, her voice lilting like poisoned honey. "Your Majesty, if it is a mate you desire, I will stand by your side as I have since the beginning. I am wolf-born, trained in the laws, bred of noble blood. The packs respect me. The council trusts me. Why should you shackle yourself to weakness when strength already stands before you?"
The council murmured in agreement. Evelyn's chest burned, her throat tight.
Darius's power rolled through the room, silencing them all. His golden eyes glowed, his voice a command carved in stone. Because fate does not ask what we want. She is mine. No law, no council, no rival will change that.
Selene's mask cracked, her eyes flashing. "Then let her prove it," she spat. Let the girl speak. Let her convince us she is worthy of our king's mark. If she cannot… Her smile returned, sharp and cruel. "…then she is nothing more than a pretty pet, and the packs will never follow her."
The elders nodded slowly. All eyes turned to Evelyn.
Her mouth went dry.
That was it. Her trial.
She stepped forward, her legs trembling, her heart hammering so loudly she thought it would echo through the chamber. Darius stood just behind her, a silent wall of strength, but he did not speak for her. He was waiting.
Selene's eyes glittered with victory as Evelyn faced the council.
Her throat tightened, her mind blank. What could she possibly say to convince them? She had no training. No wolf blood. No right.
But then she remembered the village she had left behind. The fear in her father's eyes as soldiers dragged her away. The whispers of the servants in the fortress, pitying and mocking in equal measure.
And the look in Darius's eyes when he said, I cannot reject you.
She straightened her spine.
"I never asked for this bond," she began, her voice trembling. "I never asked to be dragged from my home, to be chained to a king I did not know, to be thrown into a world that despises me. I did not choose this fate. But fate chose me."
The words surprised even her. Her wolf surged inside, lending her strength, her voice growing steadier.
You call me weak. Perhaps I am. But I have survived things your noble daughters have never faced. "I have lived with hunger, with fear, with loss." I know what it means to fight when you have nothing but your will to keep you alive.
Her eyes locked with Selene's. "If strength is only measured in blood, then perhaps I will fail. "But if it is measured in spirit, then know this." She lifted her chin. "I will not bow. Not to you. Not to anyone. And certainly not to fate."
The chamber rang with silence.
One Elder shifted. Another cleared his throat.
Selene's smile faltered.
And Darius looked at her as though she had just set fire to the world.
Maelor finally spoke, his voice slow, thoughtful. "The girl has fire. More than I expected. But words are wind. If she is to stand beside our King, she must prove her wolf."
Evelyn's blood ran cold.
"My… wolf?" she whispered.
"Yes." His cloudy eyes sharpened. Every mate must awaken the wolf within. If she cannot, then fate has made a mistake.
The council murmured in agreement.
Selene's smile returned, sharper than ever. "And when she fails, the King will see where his true future lies."
Evelyn's knees weakened. She had no idea how to awaken the wolf. No idea if she even could.
But Darius's hand closed over hers, firm and grounding. His voice rumbled low enough for her ears alone. "You will. You are mine. And your wolf will answer."
Her pulse thundered. Fear twisted with something deeper, something wild.
She wasn't sure if it was hope or madness.
But as the council rose, sealing her fate, Evelyn knew one thing.
The time for running was over.
The time to fight had come.