A figure emerged from the gardens and walked toward the castle entrance.
His father.
Korvus had not been seen for nearly two days.
Orionn immediately left the balcony and headed downstairs, intercepting him before he could disappear into the castle.
"If it isn't the Alpha," Korvus said lazily the moment he spotted him approaching.
"And if it isn't the former Alpha himself," Orionn replied coldly. "Back at the palace after disappearing for two days."
"I had matters to attend to."
"Yeah. I'm sure you did."
Korvus's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I heard about the incident last night. I assumed my capable son would have everything under control."
"It was an unexpected situation," Orionn replied sharply. "And it has been handled."
"When I was Alpha, situations like this never happened."
"Well, you're not Alpha anymore," Orionn shot back. "And apparently, I inherited a kingdom full of enemies thanks to you."
The older man's expression darkened.
Orionn continued before he could speak.
"When you ruled, there were no coordinated rogue attacks. No rogue wolves working alongside merfolk."
That made Korvus pause.
"Explain."
"Melody and I were attacked in the forest," Orionn said. "The leader controlled water. Blue eyes. Definitely merfolk blood. And he was working with rogue wolves."
Korvus frowned deeply now.
"That's impossible."
"Exactly," Orionn replied. "Rogues are mindless creatures. They don't coordinate attacks. Yet these ones did. Everything was planned. They knew where I would be."
He stared directly at his father.
"Someone is controlling them."
Silence stretched between them.
Korvus sighed.
"Well," he muttered, "good thing I'm no longer king."
Orionn scoffed softly.
"How's the queen?"
"She's fine."
"I trust she is."
Another silence followed before Orionn stepped aside.
"If you disappear again," he said flatly, "don't bother coming back."
"That's a cruel thing to say to your father."
Orionn didn't respond.
Korvus only chuckled faintly before walking deeper into the castle.
Melody slept through most of the day and woke late in the evening.
After freshening up, she headed to the dining hall, where she ate alone in silence before making her way toward Orionn's office.
She needed answers.
About the attack.
About the masked man.
About what exactly was happening in this kingdom.
As she approached the office doors, she slowed when she heard raised voices from inside.
"I'm telling you this is not the right time," someone snapped.
"It is exactly the right time," another voice argued.
"The people are panicking," a voice she recognized as Nathan's said. "News of the explosion has already reached Lyrius and Kaelinor. Rumors are spreading everywhere."
"This situation is already unstable enough," Damon added.
Melody moved closer quietly.
Then Orionn's voice cut through the room, calm and controlled.
"And what exactly would you have me do?"
There was silence for a moment before Damon spoke again.
"We should tell them about the rogues."
"No."
Orionn's answer came instantly.
"We don't even fully understand what we're dealing with yet," Nathan added carefully. "Starting panic across the continent won't help."
"And hiding it will?" Damon asked.
"Yes," Orionn replied. "For now. Until we figure it out."
Melody frowned outside the door.
"What do you want, Melody?"
She jerked slightly at the sound of her name.
How did he know she was there?
Orionn sat behind the office desk, staring directly at her as she stepped inside.
"Um…" she started awkwardly. "Hi, Damon."
Damon gave her a lazy wave. "Your Majesty."
"I didn't see you yesterday," she said.
"That's because he's always disappearing on missions," Nathan muttered from the side.
Damon smirked. "Someone has to do the dangerous jobs around here."
Melody rolled her eyes slightly before turning back to Orionn.
His gaze never left her.
"I wanted to ask if you discovered the identity of the masked man."
The room grew quieter.
"No," Orionn replied. "But we are certain he's from Kelenior."
"And he's working with rogues," Nathan added grimly.
"Well…" Melody frowned. "Wouldn't that be strange?"
It was strange.
Even she knew that.
The merfolk kingdoms and the werewolf kingdoms barely interacted peacefully. There were hardly any merfolk in Tharenos and very few werewolves in school Kaelinor. The races mostly kept to themselves. Alliances between them were nearly nonexistent.
Which made this situation worse.
If rogue werewolves and merfolk were truly working together, then something much bigger was happening beneath the surface.
"So," she said slowly, glancing between them, "what exactly were you all arguing about before I came in?"
Damon immediately pointed toward Orionn.
"Your dear husband insists on still holding the tournament."
"What?" Melody turned sharply toward Orionn. "You said things were dangerous."
"They are," Nathan answered. "That's exactly why Damon and I think postponing it would be smarter."
"We still don't understand these attacks," Damon added. "We don't know who these people are, how many there are, or what they actually want."
"And holding a tournament with representatives from different kingdoms gathered in one place sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Nathan finished.
Melody looked back at Orionn.
"But you still want to continue it?"
"Yes," Orionn replied simply, leaving no room for debate.
Damon sighed heavily.
"This tournament is supposed to strengthen alliances between kingdoms," Orionn continued calmly. "If we suddenly cancel it, panic will spread faster. Rumors will start. Leaders will think Theneros is weak."
"And what if someone gets attacked during the tournament?" Nathan asked.
"Then we handle it."
Melody crossed her arms slightly.
"You're all worried about security," she said slowly. "But that's not the real reason you're arguing, is it?"
Damon suddenly smirked.
"No," he said bluntly. "He's worried about you."
Melody blinked.
"What?"
Nathan looked away like he suddenly found the wall interesting.
Damon looked entirely too pleased with himself.
"This whole 'cancel the tournament' debate started because the Alpha thinks you joining it is dangerous."
Melody immediately turned toward Orionn.
"You thought about cancelling the tournament because of me?"
"I never said that," Orionn replied flatly, glaring at Damon, who pretended not to notice.
"But you were considering it because of me."
Silence.
That was enough of an answer.
Melody stared at him for a moment before scoffing softly.
"Well, you don't have to."
Orionn's gaze narrowed slightly.
"I'm serious," she continued. "If the tournament is important politically, then hold it. I'm not going to die."
"You seem very confident lately," Damon commented.
"I will survive," Melody said firmly. "I survived worse."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
A brief silence followed. Everyone seemed to linger on what she had said.
Orionn's expression shifted almost imperceptibly, but she noticed it.
He looked like he wanted to ask what she meant.
Instead, he simply said,
"Confidence alone won't keep you alive."
"Well, worrying about me won't stop me either," she shot back.
Damon coughed to hide what was very obviously amusement.
Nathan looked like he wanted to disappear from the room entirely.
Finally, Damon straightened.
"Well," he said, clapping his hands once, "I guess the tournament is happening then."
"Yes," Orionn said firmly. "It will begin in a few days."
Nathan sighed in defeat.
"We'll send messages to the kingdoms tonight," Orionn continued. "Every ruler is to prepare their chosen candidates."
"And security?" Damon asked.
"It will be doubled," Orionn replied immediately. "No one enters Theneros unchecked."
Melody stayed quiet as the conversation shifted back into strategy, but her mind lingered elsewhere.
The masked man.
The rogues.
The hidden truths inside this castle.
And now… a tournament bringing powerful kingdoms together in the middle of growing chaos.
Something told her this was going to end badly.