Chapter Thirteen — Shadows and Silk
1297 Words
Selene’s POV
Morning came slowly, dragging pale sunlight through the frost on the windowpanes. The air in my chamber was cold enough to mist my breath, but my mind was too sharp, too alive, to care.
Sleep had fled hours ago. Plans had taken its place.
The garden trap had failed to kill me—but it had told me everything I needed to know about who feared me most. Lady Veyra, my father-in-law’s favored mistress, had played her hand too early. She wanted me humiliated, poisoned, erased before my Luna title had time to settle on my shoulders.
Foolish woman.
Now I had proof, and more importantly, I had patience.
This time, I wouldn’t strike out of anger. I would wait until the right moment—when every word, every witness, every whisper would turn the knife back into her own throat.
Eryndor entered quietly, carrying a tray of steaming tea and fresh bread. His presence filled the cold air like warmth from another world.
“You’re awake,” he said, setting the tray beside me.
“I’ve been awake most of the night.”
“I suspected as much.” He poured the tea into a small cup, the steam curling upward like pale smoke. “The mind rarely rests when the heart is at war.”
“Then you must never sleep,” I said, offering a faint smile.
“Rarely,” he admitted, his lips twitching slightly.
I took the tea, inhaling its scent. Bitter herbs, faintly metallic—his work, not the servants’. “No poison this time?”
He raised an eyebrow. “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble keeping you alive.”
“Fair point,” I murmured, taking a sip. The warmth slid through me, easing the lingering ache in my chest. “Has there been talk? About what happened?”
“There is always talk.” He sat across from me, his expression unreadable. “But most of it is nonsense. They whisper that you’re cursed, that the Moon Goddess is testing you. A few believe you’ve survived because of divine favor.”
“And which do you believe?”
Eryndor tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting with quiet amusement. “I believe curses and blessings are the same thing—depending on how you use them.”
I smiled faintly. “Then I suppose I’ll have to make mine useful.”
“Be careful,” he said softly. “Veyra has Malrik’s ear. And men like him don’t need proof to punish suspicion.”
“I know.” My voice lowered. “That’s why proof must never come from me.”
His eyes flicked toward me, sharp now. “You have a plan.”
“I always do.”
He studied me for a long moment, then nodded once, slow and approving. “Then I will play my part when the time comes.”
“You already have,” I said. “And for that, I owe you more than I can repay.”
Eryndor’s gaze softened, almost wistful. “You don’t owe me, Selena. Not in this life.”
The way he said my true name—softly, as if afraid the walls might hear—made something twist deep inside me. A connection that went beyond this lifetime, bound by something neither of us dared name aloud.
I held his gaze a second longer, then looked away. “Still, I intend to repay it.”
Before he could respond, a knock shattered the stillness.
The door opened without waiting for permission.
“Luna Selene,” a servant stammered, bowing low. “Lord Kael requests your presence in the council hall.”
Eryndor’s eyes flicked to mine, wary. “Now?”
“Yes, my lady,” the servant said quickly. “The Alpha has summoned the council to address… the incident.”
So. The show begins.
I stood, smoothing my skirts, though my hands trembled just faintly. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”
Eryndor rose, stepping close enough that his voice was barely a whisper. “Be careful what you reveal. The council listens with your father-in-law’s ears.”
“I know.” I met his gaze, calm but firm. “But they’ll hear only what I want them to.”
---
The council chamber was a pit of gold and venom.
Malrik sat at its head, draped in furs, his eyes sharp despite the heavy shadows beneath them. Around him gathered the pack’s elders and lieutenants, all wearing the same cautious, predatory look—wolves measuring which side of the fire to stand on.
Kael stood beside the far pillar, his arms folded, jaw tense. When his eyes met mine, something flickered there—a silent warning, or maybe concern. It was gone before I could name it.
I curtsied, every movement precise, the picture of a Luna who knew her place. “You summoned me, my lord?”
Malrik’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Our pack’s Luna nearly dies of poison, and now the fortress buzzes like a nest of hornets. Surely you understand my concern.”
“Of course,” I said softly. “Such an act endangers not only me, but the peace of your household.”
Kael’s gaze flicked between us. “Then we should find who’s responsible—quietly, before the rumors grow.”
“Quietly?” Malrik’s voice dropped, dangerous. “When someone in my walls tried to kill my Luna? You’d have me stay silent?”
Kael didn’t flinch. “If the culprit wanted scandal, then silence is punishment enough.”
The old wolf’s lips curled. “You always did mistake patience for strength.”
The council shifted uneasily. I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the tension. “Perhaps I can offer something.”
Malrik’s gaze snapped to me. “Speak.”
I lowered my eyes modestly. “Before I fell ill, I was approached by Lady Veyra in the gardens. She offered me wine. She was… gracious, though I admit I found her sudden friendship surprising.”
A few councilors exchanged glances. Veyra, standing at the edge of the room, stiffened.
Malrik’s brows furrowed. “Are you accusing her?”
I looked up, meeting his gaze with carefully measured innocence. “No, my lord. I only meant to say that I would hate for her name to be drawn into gossip without reason. I trust she would never act against your household’s honor.”
The words slid through the room like silk—and barbed wire.
Kael’s lips twitched, the faintest ghost of a smile. Veyra’s face blanched.
Malrik leaned back, studying me with new interest. “How gracious of you,” he murmured. “To defend the woman everyone whispers about.”
I dipped my head. “I only wish to serve the pack in peace.”
He chuckled darkly. “A rare virtue here.”
The council began to murmur, the tension shifting from accusation to uncertainty. Exactly as I intended.
When the meeting adjourned, Kael caught my arm as I passed him. His grip was firm but not harsh.
“That was dangerous,” he said quietly.
“Everything is dangerous,” I replied. “But you see? Sometimes survival means smiling while the wolves circle.”
He held my gaze for a heartbeat longer. “Just don’t let them bite first.”
“I won’t,” I said. “Not this time.”
He released me, but his hand lingered for a moment longer than it should have.
As I left the chamber, I glanced once over my shoulder. Veyra was watching me, her painted smile trembling at the edges.
Good. Let her tremble.
The hunt had only just begun.
---
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