Elis
I took a slow step closer, watching her eyes carefully. "I need to know, Lily…" My voice came out rough, scraped raw by too much silence. "Did you avert that attack last night?" Her throat bobbed. Like she'd been expecting this.
"Yes."
I felt something catch in my chest. "To save me?"
She hesitated and that hurt more than it should have. "It was a reflex." Liar. She could lie to herself if it made her feel safer, but I knew better. I let out a harsh breath. "Lily…" I reached for her hand, needing to feel her, needing to anchor this moment, but she pulled away before I could touch her.
"I can't do this," she said, her voice cracking at the edges. "I won't be your weakness."
"You were never a weakness," I snapped, fiercer than intended. "You were my sanctuary." The words hung between us like a thread stretched too tight. The air was thick with everything we hadn't said. Everything we couldn't. Then…
Knock knock. Sharp. Jarring. The moment shattered like thin glass. I froze, every instinct on high alert. My gaze whipped to the door. Lily's pulse was visible in her neck, quick and nervous.
"My King," came the muffled voice. Douglas. Always calm. Always timely. "There's been… an incident."
I turned back to her. I didn't want this moment to end like that. Not again. "We're not done," I said quietly. But she'd already shut the door behind her heart.
"Yes, we are."
She started to move, and instinct made me step in front of her. I couldn't let her go. Not like this. Not when something about her being here now, felt too tangled with everything unraveling around us.
Another knock, firmer this time. I clenched my jaw. I wasn't ready to face whatever news Douglas carried, but I had no choice. With a sigh, I turned and pulled the door open.
Douglas stood there, composed as always, but his eyes were tight. Trouble. "My King." He bowed slightly. His gaze slid to Lily, then back to me. "You're needed immediately."
My stomach turned. "What is it?"
He glanced toward Lily again, then spoke low. "It's about the Alpha who was struck during your speech."
Behind me, I felt Lily stiffen. My shoulders tensed. "I was told he was being treated."
"He was," Douglas said. "But he's dead."
The words hit harder than I expected. Dead? I curled my fists. "How?"
Douglas lowered his voice further. "That's the problem. His wounds weren't fatal. The healers said he simply stopped breathing. And there's something else." He glanced at Lily again before leaning in. "His body changed."
I narrowed my eyes. "Changed how?"
He hesitated, then said, "It aged. Hours after death, he looked as if he'd been gone for days. Decomposing. Fast."
A coldness crept into my spine. No. This wasn't natural. This wasn't anything close. Lily hadn't said a word, but the energy around her shifted. She felt it too. I met Douglas's eyes. "Does the council know?"
"They do," he said grimly. "And they're demanding answers."
Of course they were. I took a breath, thinking through the web already forming. "Tell them I'll be there shortly."
Douglas nodded. Then, glancing at Lily again, he asked, "And her?"
My voice hardened. "She stays out of this." I left no room for question. "No one is to involve her. No one is to question her."
Douglas didn't argue. "Understood."
I turned back to Lily. Her face was calm, but her eyes…gods, her eyes were a storm. "Stay in your chambers tonight," I told her. "No wandering. No going near the council hall." Her lips pressed into a tight line. She wanted to fight me on it. But something in my face must've stopped her. I gave her one last look before stepping out with Douglas. I didn't want to leave her. But something was moving in the shadows. And it was bigger than both of us.
***
The grand council hall was a den of wolves pretending to be civilized. Whispers rippled across the room like wind across a dry field; dangerous and waiting to catch flame. The body lay at the center of the long table, shrouded, but the weight of its presence soaked the room in tension. I walked in with Douglas at my side. The second I entered, the murmurs died.
An elder with silver hair stood. Old, calculating. "Alpha King," he said stiffly. "We demand answers."
Of course they did. "Then let's not waste time," I said, voice flat. "Tell me what you want to know."
One of the healers stepped forward; a woman who never wasted words or breath. "The Alpha had no fatal injuries," she said. "Shallow wounds. He should've survived." Her voice dipped. "But something drained him. His body aged in death. Rapidly. As if… time had been stolen from him."
A murmur rolled through the chamber. "Dark magic," someone muttered.
My jaw clenched. "Magic is forbidden in this kingdom."
The silver-haired elder nodded. "Exactly. Which is why we must find who's broken that law. This was not a random death." His gaze narrowed. "This was meant for you, wasn't it?"
I didn't answer right away. I glanced at Douglas. He gave nothing away.
"The attack was unnatural," I finally said. "Whether it was meant for me or not… is still unclear." Lie. I knew damn well it had been meant for me. And I knew damn well it would've worked if Lily hadn't intervened.
Another Alpha stepped forward, younger, louder. "Then act, my King. An attack on one Alpha is an attack on the throne. We demand justice."
Justice? Against who? I scanned the room. Every face could be friend or a traitor. Every voice could carry daggers behind its concern. "We will investigate," I said carefully. "But we don't accuse without proof."
They didn't like that. I could feel it. But they had no choice. The meeting ended, heavy with resentment and fear. As we stepped out into the corridor, Douglas walked quietly beside me. Then, "Whoever did this isn't finished."
"No," I said. "They're just beginning." But it wasn't the faceless threat that kept me awake. It was Lily. Because whatever this was… I didn't believe it found her by accident. And somehow, I already knew: This war started the moment she walked back into my life.