Chapter Fifteen!
The council hall was colder today.
Not in temperature, but in spirit. The air buzzed with the silent tension of a storm not yet broken. Morning light streamed through the high windows, catching the golden veins in the stone walls, bathing the chamber in soft firelight. I stood beside my aunt Vivienne at the front, where power resided, not as a prisoner this time, but as a witness.
Elara entered, flanked by two guards.
She wore white. How fitting. White for innocence, or perhaps to mock it. Her chin was lifted high, her lips painted the soft pink of spring roses. If not for the iron stiffness in her shoulders, she would have looked every bit the queen she thought herself to be.
But no one bowed. Not a single head dipped in respect.
“Elara of Silverkeep,” Vivienne began, her voice like frost on steel, “you stand accused of theft, deceit, and fraudulent assumption of title.“”
Elara barely flinched. She folded her hands before her, fingers adorned with rings bought by money she never earned.§
“I have done no such thing,” she said. “Everything I have, Damien gave freely.”
Elder Galen stood. His scroll was thick and bound in gold–threaded ribbon, a symbol of gravity. “Damien of Stormveil did, indeed, send financial support to his former mate and child. Regularly. Substantial sums. We have traced those payments. Not a single coin reached Selene.“>
Elara turned pale.
Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to explain how the funds intended for a mother and newborn in exile ended up paying for Nightfang’s new throne room?“}
A flicker of panic crossed Elara’s eyes. “I was told Selene was dead. Damien… he said—“}
I stepped forward.}
“He lied. And you didn’t question it. Because it was convenient.“}
She met my gaze, something bitter dancing in her features. “You left, Selene. You walked away.“}
I laughed, sharp and humorless. “I bled out in a mountain cabin giving birth alone. I waited five moons for a letter. And when it came, it wasn’t from him. It was a decree. Damien was now Alpha of Nightfang. You were his Luna. And he was raising your children.“}
The words settled like ash.!
Elara’s lips trembled. But she held her tongue.}
Vivienne rose, slow and deliberate. “You claimed Luna status without challenge, without ceremony, while Selene lived. That is a crime. You accepted mate’s rights while another still bore the bond. That is sacrilege.“}
Eider Theon added, “And you spent what did not belong to you. That is theft.“}
“I did what was necessary for Nightfang,” Elara said, voice thin. “Damien needed a partner. I only did what any Luna would.”
“You built your life on my grave,” I said, quiet and sharp. “Pity I climbed out.”
Sience fell.
Vivienne turned to the gathered council. “Let this be clear. We do not punish out of malice, but for justice. Elara of Silverkeep, you are hereby stripped of al! Luna titles. Your name will bear no weight in Nightfang or any allied pack. You will return every misappropriated coin to its rightful purpose not just to Selene, but to the orphaned children and widows your lies affected.”
She raised her hand, fingers glowing with ancient power. A hush fell over the hall.
“And for one full moon cycle, you shall bear the sigil of dishonor.“>
Light burst from her palm, swirling into the air like molten fire. It struck Elara in the chest. She cried out, stumbling, as a glowing rune etched itself into her collarbone, pulsing crimson, visible even beneath her dress.}
Gasps echoed.
Elara fell to her knees, hands clutching the mark. She didn’t look noble now. She looked small.
I stepped forward once more. My voice, though soft, rang clear.
“You stole a crown that was never meant for you. Now wear the weight of your choices. I forgive you
She looked up, eyes rimmed with tears. But I saw no regret, only wounded pride.§
The guards moved to her sides./
*Escort her out,” Vivienne said. “She is no longer welcome here.“”
As Elara was led away, her shoulders shook, but she did not look back.
The council murmured, but it all sounded distant.
Vivienne touched my arm lightly. “Now that justice is served… what will you do with your freedom?“}}
I didn’t have an answer. Not yet.”
–
not for your sake, but mine.”
But I knew this: for the first time in a long time, my future was mine to shape. And I would do it not as a broken woman… but as a mother, as a survivor, as something far greater than the girl who once begged for love.!!
I stood taller.
The storm had passed.
