Evander
The High Council chamber was a tomb of cold marble and even colder hearts. I sat on the elevated throne, my bandaged hand hidden beneath the heavy folds of my fur cloak. Across the long stone table, the five Elders sat like vultures, their quills scratching against parchment.
Cassian stood to the side, leaning against a pillar with a smug, oily grin. He looked like a man who has lost.
"The matter of the girl, Ember," the Lead Elder began, his voice dry and rattling. "Prince Julian has filed a formal grievance. He claims she attacked a member of the royal bloodline and that you, My Lord, offered a pathetic apology in the courtyard rather than sentencing her to the lash. The Council finds this... concerning. It shows a lack of grip on your house."
I didn't move, nor did I even blink. I let the silence stretch until the Elders began to fidget.
"An apology," I repeated, the word sounding like a low, dangerous hum. "Yes. I did apologize to my brother in front of the entire pack."
Cassian chuckled, stepping forward. "You did. You admitted she was a problem. You bowed your head to me, Evander. The guards saw it. The nobles saw it. You settled the debt with your own shame."
I slowly stood up, my shadows stretching across the floor— turning the white marble into a sea of ink. I walked toward Cassian, my boots heavy against the stone.
"I apologized," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper that echoed in the rafters, "because under the Ancient Law of the Altar, a Sovereign's apology for his ward's actions is a 'Final Settlement.' Do you remember your history, Cassian? Or were you too busy drinking in the taverns?"
Cassian's grin faltered. His eyes darted to the Elders.
"The Law of Settlement," the Lead Elder murmured, his eyes widening. "Once a King apologizes for a debt, the debt is erased. Legally, it is as if the crime never happened."
"Exactly," I hissed, stopping inches from Cassian's face. "The moment I said that word in front of everyone , Ember was legally cleansed of any crime against you. She was a blank slate. Which means..."
I reached out, my bandaged hand gripping Cassian's throat. I didn't squeeze, not yet—but the shadows at my fingertips began to burn his skin.
"Which means when you took her to your chambers that night to 'collect a debt' that I had already settled... you weren't punishing a criminal. You were kidnapping a protected ward of the Crown. You were assaulting a woman who, by my own word, was innocent."
The Elders gasped. The scratching of quills stopped. Cassian's face went from pale to ghostly white.
"I didn't... she came willingly!" Cassian choked out.
"She came under duress. She was ignorant about the law," I countered, my voice vibrating with a lethal clarity. "I gave you an apology to see if you were man enough to respect the King's Peace. You weren't. You took it as a sign of weakness and used it to commit an act of treason against my house."
I turned to the Elders, my cloak swirling like a storm. "I didn't apologize because I was sorry. I apologized to give him enough rope to hang himself. And he took it."
I looked back at Cassian, my eyes glowing with a silver light that promised nothing but pain. "The 'apology' is over, brother. Now, we talk about what you owe me for touching what is mine."
"You can't do this to my brother," Julian yelled. Banging his fist against the wall.
"Animals, are not allowed in meeting like this. Get yourself in order or I might be force to fed you along with your brother to some hungry vampires," my words were firm I could feel the suddenly coldness in the air .
"They must be cursing me," I muttered, with a grim smile.
I sat back on the throne and watched them squirm. The Elders looked like old crows huddled together in their white robes. Cassian was being dragged out by the guards and his boots were scraping against the floor. He looked pathetic.
The Lead Elder cleared his throat and stepped forward. His hands were shaking and he began to sweat from his hair.
"My Lord," the Elder said. He sounded like he had swallowed a handful of dry sand. "We understand your point. The Law of Settlement is clear. You trapped the Prince fairly. But we are begging you. Think of the family. If you throw your own brother in the Oubliette, the people will see you as a tyrant. Please. Forgive him. Release him to his own rooms." He folded his arms in front of me.
I leaned forward and the shadows in the room suddenly dove toward the center of the table. The candles flickered and almost went out. The Elders all jumped back like they had been burned.
"You're begging me?" I asked. My voice was a low growl that made the glass in the windows rattle. "The High Council is asking for mercy?… I looked around trying to catch their gaze but they spent their faces to my boot .
"Where was the mercy? when he was trying to ruin the girl I needed to keep my head straight?"
"We just want peace," another Elder whispered. He was sweating. I could smell his fear from the throne. It smelled like sour milk. "Please. Just move him to house arrest. We will do anything."
I let the silence hang there. I wanted them to feel the weight of my power pressing on their chests. I wanted them to remember that I could rip the soul out of this room if I felt like it.
"Fine," I said. "He stays in his wing. If he steps one foot outside his door, I will take his head myself. Is that understood?"
They all nodded fast. They looked relieved. But then the Lead Elder stood up a bit straighter. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled out a heavy scroll.
"Since you are being reasonable," the Elder said. "We have to talk about the Law of the Shadow Throne. You are an Alpha, Evander. You are strong. But the law says a Lycan King cannot sit on this throne alone for more than a month. You need a Luna. Without a mate, the madness will take you and the throne will be vacant by law."
I gripped the arms of my chair. I felt the wood groan under my fingers. "I have a healer. She keeps the shadows back."
"A servant is not a Queen," the Elder said. He wasn't shaking anymore. He knew he had me trapped. "The law says the Council can choose a mate for an unstable King to protect the bloodline. We have already made the choice. She is coming in now."
The doors opened. A woman walked in. She had dark hair and eyes that looked like they were made of cold green glass. She didn't look scared of the shadows at all. She looked like she wanted to own them.
"This is Isadora," the Elder said. "She is the daughter of the North. She is your future Queen. If you refuse her, we will declare you unfit. We will take your crown and your 'healer' will be thrown into the streets."
I looked at Isadora. She gave me a small, sharp smile. I felt like I was being tied up in invisible chains. I had the power to kill everyone in this room, but the law was a different kind of monster.
"You use my own laws against me," I said. My voice was dangerously quiet.