The hall breathed.
That was the first thing Aire noticed after those cruel words spoken to her by the head of the councils elder.
She stumbled, bare feet slapping against cold stone. Chains did not bind her wrists but exhaustion had already done that.
Her body felt hollowed out, starved, and scrubbed raw. Every nerve felt exposed. The slim whip had bitten deeper than Madam expected, and even now, hours later, her back burned, wet and sticky beneath the thin shift they'd thrown over her.
She lifted her head, and looked around.
They were all here.
Her uncle stood to the far left of the hall, rigid, and face pale but eyes fixed on her like she was already a corpse. Beside him, Hannah clutched her cloak too tightly. She had an entitled expression on, disgusted even.
Further ahead… Xanden stood.
He stood straight, with his shoulders squared, and jaw locked so tightly it looked like it might crack. His eyes met Aire's for half a second.
Alaric stood beside him, unreadable, as his usual laziness burned away. His hands were clenched behind his back, knuckles white, and gaze tracking every step Aire took as if memorizing her.
And Nate….Aire's breath caught.
He leaned a gainst one of the stone pillars like this was entertainment. His arms were crossed around his chest, with his expression bored. He had a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.
But his eyes, they were not bored. They were glowing. They had a darker look in them.
Behind them stood Alpha Elijah, unmoving. His presence alone was enough to make the hall bow inward. His gaze slid over Aire once, dismissive, then returned to the council as if she were already gone.
Twelve council members sat around the high round stone table.
Twelve.
Their wolves stirred the air.
Aire couldn't hear them, but she could feel them. They pressed against her skull, with their voices brushing the inside of her mind without sound. The pressure that made her temples throb.
High Danshic.
They were speaking High Danshic. The language of wolves.
The hall was silent to human ears, yet every wolf inside was speaking. Every wolf was connected.
Their eyes glowed faintly as their minds merged, with wolves threading together in ancient communion.
Aire staggered.
Her knees almost buckled.
She grabbed at herself, fingers curling into the thin fabric over her chest like she could hold herself together through sheer will.
"I have no last word." she whispered.
A woman rose from the council then.
The woman was tall, and silver-haired. Her face was carved with age and authority. Her eyes were pale—too pale—and when she stepped forward, the wolves quieted slightly, as though yielding.
She held a piece of white chalk in her hand.
"Step forward," the woman said.
Her voice was calm.
Aire swallowed, and her feet moved before her mind agreed.
The chalk scraped against stone.
The woman formed a circle beneath Aire's feet, precise and ancient. Twelve andles were them placed around the circle, one by one, until the air grew heavy with wax and heat.
Fire bloomed around her.
The pressure in the hall intensified, as everyone kept their eyes soul fixed on her.
The woman stepped into the circle with her.
Up close, Aire could smell her old magic and iron.
"Give me your hands," the woman instructed.
Aire hesitated. She turned to where Xanden stood with his brothers, and met his eyes, almost pleading.
Xanden shifted forward instinctively.
Alaric's jaw tightened.
Nate straightened.
Alpha Elijah snapped his fingers once, calling them to order when he felt their wolves known edge.
"Don't embarass me today." He forced out through his teeth, while maintaining a straight expression.
Aire turned away from the brothers, and lifted her hands, trembling.
The woman clasped her hand. Her grip was cold. Cold enough to make Aire shiver.
Then—
She closed her eyes, and her lips began to move.
The chant poured out low and steady. She let out syllables rolling like thunder beneath the skin of the world. High Danshic flooded the hall—not aloud, but inside every wolf's mind.
The candles flared brighter.
Aire looked around helplessly.
Everyone was watching. Everyone was listening, and conversing, except her. She had no idea what they spoke of, or decided.
Her uncle's face had softened now, with a slight smile on his lips. Hannah on the other hand stared at her manicured finger rolling her eyes.
The alphas from other packs—royal bloodlines with ancient power etched into their posture—leaned forward with interest.
Aire's breath came shallow.
"What is this?" she whispered.
There wad no answer. Pain struck her without warning, and she screamed.
Her knees hit the stone as agony exploded behind her eyes—white-hot, and blinding. It felt like something was being ripped out of her skull.
She clawed at the ground.
The council woman dropped with her, her knees slamming down but her grip unbroken, chant unbroken, and eyes still shut.
Blood spilled from both eyes now. Three thin streams poured from Aire's left eye, and three from her right.
They ran like tears.
She screamed again.
"Please!" she sobbed, her voice shattering. "Please, please, please!"
Her gaze darted wildly.
Xanden took a step forward.
Alaric turned sharply to him. "We should—"
Alpha Elijah snapped his fingers again.
Xanden stopped immediately.
Aire's hands began to glow. They were faint at first, then brighter. She stared in horror as her fingers turned translucent, veins visible, and her bone faintly outlined beneath skin.
"No—no, no—!" she cried, trying to pull away.
The woman's grip tightened.
The candles blazed.
The council woman's head snapped backward unnaturally. Her throat arched as the chant accelerated. Her words tumbled faster, and harsher.
Aire screamed until her throat burned raw.
Her hands were disappearing right before her eyes.
"Please, please, please!" she turned to the woman now, desperate. "Please don't do this! Don't do this to me!"
The wolves' voices surged.
High Danshic thundered across the hall, as more wolves joined the conversation.
Nate's smirk vanished, and for the first time, fear flickered across his face.
Aire's gaze found him. She didn't know why, and didn't understand it. But everything inside her raged towards him.
"NATE!!!"
Her scream ripped through the hall, raw, desperate, and shattering.
It tore through wolves and stone alike, scratching, tearing, and unforgettable.
And for one single heartbeat—
Everything stopped.