Violet
The dress felt too fine against my skin.
I stood still as two attendants fussed over the flowing fabric, adjusting the drape of the sleeves and smoothing out non-existent wrinkles. The pale silver-blue material cascaded down in soft waves, loose and elegant without being restrictive. It felt wrong for to be dressed so finely, but the older wolves that would be accompanying insisted.
Astrid supervised from her position near the vanity, her sharp eyes tracking every adjustnt the attendants made.
My thoughts drifted despite the activity around , circling back to that night with Kael.
Sothing had been wrong.
He’d held so tightly, almost desperately, as if I might disappear if he loosened his grip. The way he’d buried his face in my hair, the tension in his entire body, the careful way he’d avoided my questions.
’"I am fine, Violet. Just let hold you for a while."’
But he hadn’t been fine. I had felt it in every rigid line of his body, along with how he had walked into the room in the first place.
What had happened before he ca to ?
"You’re frowning," Astrid said, drawing my attention back to the present. "Keep in mind that you need to be focused today, not lost in your thoughts."
I rely nodded with a sigh and the attendants stepped back, satisfied with their work. As they gathered their supplies and left, I noticed the way Astrid kept her distance. Not obviously, but there was a careful space between us that hadn’t been there before. Along with how she no longer readily t my eyes like she used to.
She had been like this since the eclipse. She had especially seen what I was capable of doing.
She likely knew what I was.
"You will do well," she said as she led out of the room. "Just rember what they taught you. Stay calm, answer clearly, and do not let them provoke you into saying sothing you’ll regret."
"I understand," was all I could say.
This morning felt so strange. From thinking about that night to having wolves actually dress , and Astrid herself coming to assist with it.
I also especially didn’t feel like talking today of all days.
The two wolves who had been here with Kael and Tow weeks ago to guide on how the trial would play out were waiting in the entry hall.
The older wolf, Gregor, and the slightly younger one, Sermaine.
My stomach slightly twisted with nerves as they offered brief greetings.
"Please, do well to rember," Gregor said, his voice low and steady as he pinned with a sharp stare. "Answer only what is asked. Do not volunteer information they haven’t requested. If you are uncertain about a question, you can ask for clarification."
"And keep your composure," Sermaine added. "The more composed you are, the less credible his accusations will seem."
"This isn’t entirely too serious a matter, and there is the high likelihood of the Alpha being punished for providing wrong information to our Supre Alpha." Gregor was already heading towards the entrance.
I drew in a deep breath, trying to settle the nervous flutter in my chest. Oddly enough, beneath the anxiety, I felt a strange sort of confidence I hadn’t expected.
Everything would be fine.
It had to be. And he had assured so.
Astrid left to handle a few matters and would be entering the main hall later. The two wolves led through the castle’s winding hallways, far deeper than I had ever ventured before. The walls here were thick stone, and I noticed how the sounds from outside grew muffled and distant as we walked.
The powerful soundproofing was likely why I never heard anything from the summit sessions despite being inside the building. Unless I stood right outside the hall itself, which was sothing I have deliberately avoided doing for the past four days.
Kael had been occupied every evening since the summit began. Formal dinners with the other Supre Alphas and their delegations, reinforcing relationships and managing the delicate political dance that ca with hosting such an event.
I didn’t mind the distance. It had given space to think, to prepare, to try and sort through the tangled ss of emotions and questions I didn’t have answers for.
But now, standing outside the massive open double doors that led to the central hall, my chest tightened.
Kael was not the only one I could sense in there.
That other Supre Alpha was there too...
’This is so frustrating.’
Other wolves were trickling in, so moving in and out. This was the early hours of the 5th day and the procession wouldn’t start until the next hour. Gregor and Sermaine gently ushered inside and the vast expanse of the hall nearly stole the breath from my lungs.
The ceiling soared overhead, supported by elegant stone columns carved with intricate patterns of wolves and moons. Enormous windows lined the upper walls, letting in streams of morning light that caught on crystalline fixtures hanging at intervals, scattering rainbow fragnts across the polished floor.
The space could easily hold several hundred wolves, and from the number already present, it seed intent on doing exactly that.
Rows of seats curved in a gentle arc around the center of the hall, rising in tiers so everyone would have a clear view of the proceedings. The seats were already half-filled with wolves from various delegations, their clothing and markings identifying which pack and nation they represented.
But what dominated the space was the raised platform at the far end.
Twelve seats sat behind a dark wide slab on a slightly elevated platform, each one clearly crafted for the Supre Alphas.
So of the Supre Alphas were already there, standing near their chairs and conversing with one another. The older ones made go still, not trying to conceal their powers like Kael usually did.
My eyes found Kael imdiately.
He stood, speaking with another Supre Alpha. His gaze shifted to and his expression softened, just slightly.
Relief flooded through and I allowed myself a small smile, just for him.
Until I felt another gaze that was heavy with a familiar intensity.
My eyes shifted almost against my will, drawn by the pull I had been trying so hard to ignore.
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