Violet

My mind was at peace.

Even as every head in the hall turned when I made my entrance.

The weight of their attention hit me before I had even taken my first step inside. Hundreds of sharp and assessing eyes fixed on me with an intensity that would have buckled my knees months ago.

I continued moving.

The council hall in Voya’s castle stretched wide. It was even larger than the hall the Summit in Fresna was held. The ceiling arched at a normal level, supported by thick stone pillars etched with light fixtures embedded into the upper segment of the pillars. There were even other lamps lining the walls and ceiling which compensated for the lack of windows.

Unlike the raised platform in Fresna’s hall, a long table curved in a semi-circle in the central open space. The Supreme Alphas were seated behind it, including Kael, Rowan, and Voya. And in the many other tables and seats surrounding that centre space were the seated delegations of the Supreme Alphas.

And all of them were watching me.

I felt their gazes like individual points of heat against my skin. Majority of them sized me up like I was a potential threat.

I took my seat at the table directly facing the Supreme Alphas and some of Voya’s wolves, including two of the elders sat with me.

Rowan, Kael, and Voya wore neutral expressions. Voya would not be the one to preside this trial due to my support from her, along with the fact she was the host.

Supreme Alpha Calder’s stern gaze met mine. That old man from the last time.

It seemed he would be the one presiding over this again.

I had expected and braced myself for the familiar tightening in my chest and the flutter of panic beneath my ribs. But sitting here now, with the weight of every gaze in the room pressing down on me, I still felt calm.

My eyes moved across the semicircle. I remembered their faces from the last summit.

Then my gaze landed on the representative for Palisa.

My heart seized.

For a sharp moment, I thought and believed that the person seated there was Palisa.

My mind tried to wrestle with the fact as those terrible moments she had forced into my head flipped through my mind. Her memories of those horrendous things she had done to my people.

My breathing grew shallow.

No. I had to be seeing things. I had killed her. Everyone else had seen her corpse then. They had destroyed it.

So why... was this really the daughter?

Was a child supposed to look this identical to their parent...?

The room tilted beneath me.

She looked young, almost my age if not a bit older. She had the exact same bone structure, the same angled jaw, the same way she carried herself.

And her eyes...

I was only now realising the slight difference in them.

Where Palisa’s had burned with cruel intelligence and ancient hunger, this woman’s were quiet. Guarded. Carrying a weariness that didn’t belong on a face so young. She looked very exhausted too.

Fana. Palisa’s daughter.

Voya had revealed who would be representing Nal on behalf of Palisa. But knowing and seeing were different things, and the resemblance hit me with a force that made my hands tighten in my lap.

My stomach turned, and I had to force myself to look away before the resemblance made me lose the composure I had spent weeks building.

Fana’s eyes met mine for a brief second before I turned away. There was no hostility in them. No accusation. Just a steady, quiet gaze that made me uncomfortable.

I would have even preferred if she looked hostile.

Not this.

The murmuring that had filled the hall since the delegations arrived fell silent as Voya rose from her seat. Every eye turned to her as she placed both hands flat on the table before her.

"We are gathered for a formal trial," Voya began, her voice carrying easily across the stone chamber. "The matters before us today are significant, and I expect them to be treated as such. There will be order. There will be civility. And there will be resolution before anyone leaves this room."

Her gaze swept the semicircle, landing briefly on each Supreme Alpha in turn. None of them flinched, but I saw a few straighten in their seats.

"Before I hand the proceedings off to Lord Calder and we address the primary matter regarding the late Supreme Alpha Palisa of Nal and the circumstances behind her death, there is a preliminary issue that must be established for the record."

She turned and nodded to the far side of the hall.

A door opened, and three women entered in single file. They wore pale robes, and two of them carried small ceramic vessels while the third held a large jug.

I stilled.

Was that the liquid totem Voya had talked about?

A low ripple of confusion moved through the delegations. Priestesses were usually called for sacred matters—bonds, blessings, disputes that required divine verification. Their presence at this trial was unusual enough to draw immediate attention and whispered speculation. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"What is this?" Calder’s voice cut through the murmurs.

A few of the other Supreme Alphas frowned.

They had all held a brief meeting before this trial. I would have at least expected Voya to have revealed this detail about Kael and Rowan being my mates then.

Don’t tell me she still hadn’t revealed this to them?

Voya waited until the priestesses had positioned themselves nearby.

"Violet here is mated to two Supreme Alphas. Lord Kael of Fresna and Lord Rowan of Silverwood. The priestesses are here to verify the bonds before this council."

The silence that followed lasted exactly two seconds.

Then the hall erupted.

Voices overlapped, and the careful composure of a dozen delegations cracked simultaneously. Wolves turned to each other, some half-rising from their seats, others staring at me with expressions ranging from disbelief to open shock.

Supreme Alpha Calder stared at me with wide eyes before shifting them to Voya. "What is the meaning of this?"

One of the other Supreme Alphas frowned. "Are you trying to fabricate—"

"Please, measure your words carefully. I have nothing to gain from fabricating anything," Voya interrupted, her stern voice slicing through the chaos. "I didn’t even mention that she is my mate. Now, this is precisely why the priestesses are here. To verify this."