Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Selena's POV

"We know the witch is inside."

Those words hit me like ice water. The room full of powerful people, felt silent.

No one moved, no one even tried to speak. The office felt too small. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it. No.

How?

How could they know?

I had spent years hiding what I was. Every spell, every trace of magic and every mistake. Gone, covered and hidden. No one was supposed to know. The pounding on the door came again, harder this time.

"Open this door, Kael!"

Kael's eyes darkened. Ryder walked to the entrance.

"They brought guards."

I looked at him, then at Kael. Neither of them looked surprised. That terrified me the more.

"You already knew?" I asked. Kael didn't answer. That was enough to answer enough.

"You knew?" Still silent. I took a step towards him.

"When?"

There's nothing.

"When did you know?"

The bond between us twisted so badly. Because I could feel his emotions, the fear, anger and desperation. But none of it made sense. If he was afraid for me...

Then why was he doing this?

The door shook again. The Moon Council was losing patience. Kael finally looked at me.

"There's no time."

“Oh God!”

"No."

I shook my head in pain. "No, you're going to answer me."

"Selena—"

"Answer me, Kael!"

My voice echoed through the room. For the first time, I saw guilt flash through his face. The pain and the real frustration. Then it vanished. The real king now returned. Cold, emotionless and untouchable.

"I found out three days ago." He said.

Everything inside me burned out. Three days, three fucking days. The same three days he had barely slept. The same three days he had been acting strangely. The same three days he kept staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

Three days and he never told me? My chest hurts.

"Why?"

The question came out broken. Kael looked away. "I was trying to find another way." Before I could ask what he meant, the office doors burst open. Several armed guards rushed inside. Behind them walked three people dressed in silver ceremonial robes.

The Moon Council, the entire room went silent. The woman in front of them stepped forward. Elder Lyra. The most feared member of the Council. Her eyes immediately landed on me.

I knew right then that they weren't here for Kael. They were here for me.

"There she is."

My stomach twisted. The guards spread out around the room. Ryder moved to stand behind me. The guards responded by placing their hands on their weapons.

Tension filled the air.

Any one wrong move. That was all it would take. Elder Lyra looked at Kael.

"Your Majesty."

Kael didn't bow, neither did she. The dislike between them was obvious.

"You entered my palace without permission?"

Lyra smiled.

"You no longer have the authority to stop us and you know it." The room went still.

Even Ryder looked shocked. My eyes widened.

What did she mean?

"You should choose your next words carefully."

"I think you should."

The Council member behind her stepped forward. He unrolled a scroll. My heart sank into my stomach. Because everyone now looked nervous, including Kael. The man began reading.

"By authority of the Moon Goddess and the sacred laws of the Lunar Dominion..."

A horrible feeling settled deep inside me.

"...Alpha King Kael Blackwood is hereby accused of concealing a witch inside the royal palace."

The whole room exploded. Ryder cursed.

The guards exchanged looks. Even the Council members seemed tense. But I couldn't focus on any of them. Because, I was staring at Kael. Because now, everything made sense.

The distance, the announcement, the rejection, the coldness and even the guilt.

They all knew. And if they could prove he had protected me...

They would destroy him.

Elder Lyra stood and looked at me.

"Selena."

My body tensed.

"Step away from the Alpha King."

God. Someone should have moved, the entire room was going crazy. Then she smiled, a very cruel smile. That belonged to monsters.

"Or perhaps I should call you by your real title."

My blood went too cold. No.

She couldn't know, she absolutely couldn't know. Lyra unfolded another document. Then she looked directly into my eyes.

"The Last Daughter of the Ash Coven."

The world stopped moving.

My secret, my very last secret. The secret I had buried my entire life. The secret nobody was supposed to know, is no longer a secret. Then Lyra delivered the final blow to my remaining hope.

"We have already sent hunters to capture the rest of your family."

What the hell are they saying? My knees nearly gave out.

Family?

My family was dead. They had been dead for years, at least...

That was what I believed.

Lyra smiled.

"You look surprised?" 

My heart stopped, because for the first time...

I realized someone had been lying to me.

And I no longer knew who.