Chapter 6

Mira

The next morning, I arrived at the council chamber early.

By the time they walked in, this room would no longer feel like foreign territory, and that familiarity might ease some of my nerves. Before leaving my quarters, I had stood before the mirror for a long time, studying my reflection with clinical precision. I chose a deep gray robe; my hair was braided tight and coiled at the crown of my head, secured with a silver pin. My neck bore no jewelry—clean, bare, exposed.

This was not a casual choice.

Eliya's selection of me had already stirred considerable controversy within the estate, and rumors needed no facts to thrive. A single glance, a hint of impropriety, would be enough for the elders to dismiss me with contempt. I could not afford to give them any ammunition.

Now I sat upright, hands folded neatly in my lap. The fireplace remained unlit, and cold air seeped through cracks in the stone walls. My fingertips tingled with chill.

Then I knew he had arrived.

Not from footsteps—from presence. A current ran down my spine, my throat tightened. As he drew closer, the back of my neck seemed pressed by an invisible hand, swelling beyond my control.

"Miss Vaughn."

"Alpha." I turned my head slightly, nodding.

He stopped, facing me directly.

Aiden wore a dark coat, collar slightly open; I could see the contour of his chest beneath his collarbone. He glanced at me again, his eyebrow arching slightly.

He was surprised.

He looked at me as if comparing: the woman before him now, hair immaculate and neckline pristine, against the barefoot bride who had stood before him that night, reeking of wine—were they the same person?

The corner of Aiden's mouth twitched. Amused.

"You look very different today."

"Of course. I'm sitting here as a healer."

"Then I'm curious... which one is the real you, Miss Vaughn?"

I lifted my gaze, studying him carefully for the first time in daylight. His left eye, amber, was clear and decisive. The brown of his right eye was bottomless, like the Northern Lands' winter lakes.

I felt his right eye could see through me—see through my ambition.

Guilt flickered through me, and I forced my attention back to the totem on the table, feigning composure.

"You called me here today to discuss business. I'll give you a satisfactory result. Isn't that enough?"

"Fair enough."

His lips curved, about to say more, when seven elders filed into the chamber.

Their expressions froze when they saw me.

Not everyone reacted the same way. Some frowned, some narrowed their eyes, some turned down their mouths. But the essence was identical: surprise, followed swiftly by disapproval.

I could almost read their thoughts word for word.

The woman who vanished after her broken engagement—how was she sitting in Alpha Aiden's council chamber?

"Don't avoid their eyes, Mira. You deserve to be here."

Seraphina encouraged me from deep within my consciousness.

Yes. I deserved this. Whatever my ambitions, I had saved a pack beta's life.

I raised my chin, expressionless, staring straight ahead until all seven elders had taken their seats. The scrape of chairs against stone and murmured voices eased some of my tension.

Aiden's gaze left me, shifting to the far end of the long table.

"Today's agenda concerns the hunter incursions." Aiden's voice swept across the table. "Over the past days, patrol members have been injured repeatedly. The frequency is increasing, the methods escalating."

Brief silence.

Hagen, the eldest elder, spoke first. "Why are you certain they're hunters? This news will cause great panic within the pack."

"Because the wounded were hit with silver bullets," Aiden said.

The atmosphere on both sides of the table tightened.

"What's the treatment status?" another elder asked, his gaze flicking toward me deliberately.

"Miss Vaughn, it's your turn to speak."

When Aiden said this, his tone was matter-of-fact, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Inwardly, I rejoiced.

Handing authority to a woman of unknown origins was itself an act of trust.

The entire room fell silent. Then came the elders' displeased murmurs.

"Honored elders."

I stood, spine straight, hands folded before me.

"The silver bullet entered the patient's outer left foreleg and exited through the inner side. When I received him, approximately twelve hours had passed since the injury."

"I removed all silver toxin. No residue, no aftereffects."

Each word fell like a stone striking ice, clear and final.

Eliya's voice inserted itself smoothly, gentle and tactful. "Surely this can serve as preliminary proof of her capabilities."

"As I understand it, confirming whether silver poisoning has been treated typically requires observation of three days or more," Hagen said skeptically.

"In three days, everything will be clear."

When my final word dropped, the room fell quiet. Aiden's amber eye flashed with interest for just an instant.

I saw it. A small smile touched my lips.

Now was the time to present my follow-up plan—my trump card for earning Aiden's trust.

"Next, I request permission to provide frontline treatment directly to the patrol squads."

Silence lasted approximately three seconds. Elder Hagen frowned.

"Miss Vaughn. Silver toxin removal is indeed a skill, but that doesn't mean you're capable of treating all casualties."

Aiden said nothing, merely studying me quietly.

He was assessing my loyalty, and he wanted to see how I would handle the elders' challenges.

I raised my chin.

"If the wounded must be sent back to the estate for treatment, even the fastest sled would take six hours. Survival rates will drop."

"Do you wish to see the death toll rise?"

I met his clouded eyes directly, my words unwavering.

Hagen's mouth moved, but he said nothing more.

Elder Rowan leaned forward. "But patrol conditions are harsh. As a daughter of House Vaughn—"

"Enough."

Aiden's voice wasn't loud, but both sides of the table immediately quieted.

One hand rested on his armrest, fingertips drumming rhythmically.

"Miss Vaughn."

"Alpha."

"Are you certain you can handle the border situation alone?"

"Not entirely. I'll need a fast horse, some supplies, and your authorization. The rest I'll manage myself."

Silence again. Then he nodded once.

"Since you're so confident, from today forward, you're responsible for all medical affairs of the border patrol. Any needs, report directly to me."

His words were final.

"Also. After the meeting, I need a private word with you."

The elders exchanged glances, but no one dared say more.

After a few more rounds of discussion, the council adjourned.

I remained seated until the footsteps faded down the corridor, until only Aiden and I remained in the chamber.

Aiden walked toward me. Firelight danced on the stone walls, stretching our two shadows long and intertwined.

One step. Two steps. He stopped to my left.

I didn't turn my head, but my entire left side felt like it might combust.

"You smell hot, Miss Vaughn. Is it because you're nervous?"

Damn. My body temperature had betrayed everything. I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

He leaned down, his lips an inch from my earlobe.

The scent of fir mixed with the heat unique to Alphas invaded my nostrils.

"I know you made a deal with Eliya."

My knees nearly buckled. Fear of exposure, and uncontrollable desire.

I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, involuntarily exposing my entire neck beneath his lips.

It was instinct.

My body's most primal, most submissive response under an Alpha's presence.

"I don't know if your goal is status within the pack, or my bed."

"But Iron Claw has always needed capable people. I'll give you one month to prove yourself."

"If you're a fraud, a slut, I'll exile you to the Black Forest. The beasts there will devour you alive."

I bit down on my molars, forcing back the gasp that nearly escaped.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze, struggling to steady my breathing.

"You're overthinking. I'll perform my duties faithfully."

He straightened, nodding.

"Good. Rest well today."

He turned to leave, then paused, looking down at me.

"And one more thing."

"I don't trust you, but I don't want you dying with the patrols either. So don't worry—the resources I provide will be more than adequate, not less."

He turned and left. Boot steps echoed down the stone corridor, gradually swallowed by the wind.

I sat there, gasping, as if all energy had drained from my body.

Seraphina curled into a ball deep in my consciousness, tail pressed against her belly, whimpering.

"Just now, he scented you."

Her voice wavered, as if recovering from intense intimacy.

"He deliberately came close and scented your neck. He was confirming something."

He was confirming how likely I was to be his mate.

I knew it, but I didn't dare believe it.

In the months before the wedding, when Kellen got drunk, he would sometimes come to me on a whim. When we were alone, his hands would find me—first my waist, then my thighs. He kissed my lips, my chin, my neck, and made my body tremble.

When his lips traveled to the back of my neck, I could feel the outline of his teeth.

But even then, I had noticed something.

When he did this, I remained strangely, abnormally clearheaded.

"Your scent is faint," Kellen had said, propped on his arm beside me, frowning.

"Perhaps it's my constitution. The Moon Goddess never opposed our betrothal," I had replied, eyes lowered to the embroidery on my skirt.

I thought it was the Moon Goddess's warning—that only by marking me during the wedding ceremony could he prove his loyalty and love.

But if my mate was Aiden, not Kellen, everything made sense.

No. I couldn't think about that.

I didn't believe the Moon Goddess would bless such a pairing; I didn't need to be marked.

I only needed to climb into Aiden's bed like countless mistresses before me, to occupy a place in his heart.

It didn't need to be honorable or respectable.

As long as I could leverage a fraction of Aiden's power, carry a trace of Aiden's scent, that would be enough to drive Kellen mad.

And earning Aiden's trust was always the first step.

"Get ready, Seraphina. We're about to fight a hard battle." I smiled.