The elders spite—i

Chapter Eleven: The Elders Spite—(I)

Lyra’s POV

“She told me to tell you that no matter what dress you wear, a stray dog will always look like a stray dog.” Her voice did not shake. She dropped those final words like hot coals into the quiet of the room.

I pressed my palm flat against the cold stone of the center table. I forced the heat down deep into my chest where it could burn out of sight. I would not let them see me break, I thought.

“I’m sure you will win, Luna. I believe in you.”

After eating, she helped clear the dishes and the remaining leftovers, leaving the room quiet so I could sleep.

Left alone in my bedroom, I began to feel restless. The silence of the walls offered no comfort. I imagined how Mara’s face was going to look tomorrow. The anxiety coiled tightly in my stomach, spinning endless threads of doubt. What if I don’t answer the questions correctly? What if something goes wrong?

I lay down in my bed and tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but I couldn't stop seeing Mara and Selene’s faces behind my eyelids.

“Good morning, Luna,” Nira declared cheerfully, entering my room quite early. She brought with her the soft morning light filtering through the open door.

“I told you to stop calling me Luna. You can call me Lyra,” I said, stretching and yawning. I got out of bed by untangling the linen sheets, forcing my mind to get ready for the challenge ahead.

She did her chores quickly, helped me tidy up my bed, opened the tall windows to let the crisp air in, and prepared my bath.

“Today is finally the day,” she said to me as I stepped out of the water. She was standing in front of the mirror, her hand pointing to the heavy wooden chair for me to sit.

She took the bone comb in her hand. Her fingers moved with care, drying and brushing my hair carefully. Then, her grip tightened. She pulled the hair back until my scalp stung with sharp pain, letting go only to twist the lock all over again.

“Don’t look at Mara,” she whispered. I had to watch the reflection of her moving lips in the glass. “Don’t answer her first. Even if she spits a question directly into your face, you let the air freeze between you. Do not say a word. Let the elders ask questions first, before you answer her.”

She paused, gripping my hair tighter to emphasize her words.

“And whatever you do, do not reach for the Alpha’s hand first. Let him seek yours. If your fingers go searching for him first, every elder in that room will call you a whore.”

“What if he doesn’t reach for my hand?” My voice leaked out. It sounded so small and thin in the large room.

“Then you keep those hands planted in your lap and your spine perfectly straight. You act like a Luna. You show them you can stand alone.” She secured the base of the braids with a heavy, silk blue ribbon.

My eyes caught the garment carefully placed on the mattress. “Don’t tell me I’m wearing this.”

She stood up, grabbed the dress, and walked over to me with cheerful eyes. “Yes, Luna, you are putting on this.”

She helped me put on the garment. It was a heavy fabric that swallowed me whole. My heart pounded with anticipation as I felt the weight of the fabric against my skin.

“Now, to your makeup—”

“Am I allowed to wear makeup for such an event?”

“Yes, you can. You have to look stunning.”

After she was done, she stepped back, allowing me to admire myself in the mirror. “Even with the little makeup you have on, you are still looking absolutely gorgeous.”

“Thank you so much, Nira.” I pulled out a friendly hug."Thank you for your dedication and time throught out this process" In that brief moment, I felt like I had my Eliora back. I finally had a person who had my back after Bloodmoon burned to ash.

“You’re welcome, Luna. Now, it’s time to go!!”

She escorted me down the long stone stairs. The heavy hall gate was pulled open, and when I walked in, I instantly noticed the absolute silence of everyone in the room. 

The great hall was filled with burning torches, and they cast long, dancing shadows across the table.

The eyes of the elders were locked on me. Their expressions were a mixture of disappointment and intense curiosity, some even whispering directly into each other’s ears. There were twenty in total. Their faces were marked with deep war scars; they were hard men with gnarled hands that had burned rival packs, and stern women with hands that had buried generations of sons. 

Yet, despite their age, they sat with their shoulders pinned back like drawn bows. They were proud and dangerous.

I took a deep breath, lifting my heavy garment with my two hands. I placed a sweet, practiced smile on my lips and lifted my left leg forward. "For Caleb. For Bloodmoon."

That was when Kieran walked in. He wore the exact same garment. His broad shoulders caught the dim torchlight, and for a second, the symmetry of our clothes made us look like a true pair. We looked like a mated set. 

The realization brought a sudden, sickening jolt to my throat. My heart thudded violently against my ribs, and I had to force myself to breathe normally.

We walked in together. The herald stepped directly into our path. His voice was cracked and dry with age, but when he spoke, the sound boomed against the stones, hitting the high ceiling.

“Lyra of Bloodmoon!” he bellowed.

I passed through the rows of elders and took my place in the Luna seat—the beautiful lie we were both selling to the council. The grand chair was built for a larger, heavier lineage of wolves. I had to shift my weight to the very edge of the cushion just to keep my feet from dangling above the floorboards like a child's.

At the absolute opposite end of the long table, Kieran’s mother, Selene, sat in absolute silence. Her hands were folded over a small square of linen. Her fingers rested on a half-finished embroidery of a night sky, intricately stitched with metallic silver thread. Her pale eyes never drifted away from my face. She watched my every move.

Kieran sat beside me. Suddenly, the torches went off, and the massive fire pits were put on, bathing the room in a raw, primal amber glow.

Mara arrived thirty seconds later. Her entrance was timed to absolute perfection. She wore a fluid green silk that rippled gracefully with every step she took. The fabric caught the firelight until her skin looked like warm honey. Her hair fell loose and heavy over her shoulders in flawless, glossy curls.

As she took her seat across from us, she offered us a sweet, practiced curve of her lips. It was the kind of smile born after hours of rehearsal before a mirror. 

Then she looked at me, and the unspoken message was devastatingly clear "You are sitting in my chair, wearing a dress meant for me."

Suddenly, the heavy back doors swung open with a loud thud. A solemn group of warriors marched in, holding up large pictures of Kieran's father. The room instantly grew cold with remembrance. As if pulled by a single thread, everyone in the hall got to their feet to show respect to the late Alpha.

Except me.

I stayed sitting down, completely frozen. Nira hadn’t told me we were going to stand up for this part. 

She must have forgotten to mention it during our rushed morning, but I didn't blame her because we were given so little time to prepare. For a terrible second, I was the only one seated in t

he entire room. Sensing the suffocating weight of eyes on me, I stood up immediately.