Chapter 6: The Accused

POV: Elara

I barely heard anyone around me. I was still trying to understand what had happened to me.

A moment ago, I had been carrying Lila’s belongings, wishing I could disappear before anyone noticed me. Now I stood in the middle of the training ground with silver light fading from my skin, surrounded by hundreds of werewolves who looked at me as though I was something that shouldn’t exist.

My arms trembled when I tried to move them, and the strange strength that had filled my body was already slipping away, leaving me weak and confused. I wanted someone to explain what I had done, but the one person who might have understood was glaring at me with an expression I could not read.

Lila broke the silence before anyone else could speak. She stumbled backward, clutching her chest, and let out a scream that drew everyone's attention away from the shattered orb.

“She tried to kill me! Did you all see that? Elara attacked me!” Her voice cracked as she pointed at me, and within seconds, tears were streaming down her face. “I knew she was dangerous. I've been telling Father that something was wrong with her, but nobody listened to me. She was waiting for an opportunity to get rid of me, and today she finally showed everyone what she really is!”

I stared at her in disbelief, struggling to find the words to answer such an outrageous accusation. “Lila, the orb was coming straight at you. I didn't attack you; I was trying to stop it from hitting you.”

I looked toward the instructors, expecting at least one of them to remember the direction the energy had been travelling, but their attention had shifted between Lila and me. Even Professor Thorne, who had been standing close enough to witness the entire incident, appeared more concerned about the destruction in the arena than the reason I had intervened.

“You would have been killed if I hadn't done something,” I added, directing my words at Lila, but she responded with another distressed cry and backed away from me.

Mara reached Lila first, slipping an arm around her shoulders while Persene hurried to her other side. Neither seemed particularly interested in examining whether Lila had suffered an injury. They were more occupied with making sure the surrounding students understood how badly she had supposedly been treated.

Mara demanded that somebody fetch a healer, while Persene loudly accused me of turning the academy's welcome demonstration into an attempt on Lila's life.

When one of the students pointed out that I had clearly intercepted the orb before it could strike her, Persene rounded on him and asked whether he intended to defend a creature whose powers nobody understood. That was enough to silence several people who had been preparing to speak.

“Please, don't let her come near me,” Lila whimpered, pressing her face against Mara's shoulder. “I don't know what she's capable of anymore. She has been living in our home for years, pretending to be human, and now she's revealed what she really is.”

Her words carried across the arena, reaching people who had not even seen the orb explode, and I could almost watch their uncertainty harden into suspicion. I wanted to remind them that Lila had spent years ordering me around and humiliating me, yet I knew that saying anything about it would only give her another reason to play the victim.

The President of the Academy rose from his seat in the viewing section, and the other Elders gathered around him as security wolves moved toward the arena. Valerian raised one hand, demanding order, before turning his attention to me.

“Elara Blackthorn, remain where you are. Until we determine what caused this incident, nobody is to approach you without authorization.” His command was directed at the security members, but I understood what it meant for me. I was no longer a student who could be ordered to fetch water or clean a classroom. I was a potential threat, and the academy intended to treat me accordingly.

I tried to explain again, this time addressing Valerian directly.

“Please, I’m just a human. I don’t understand anything of what is going on!” I pleaded. I had no secret explanation to offer them, no hidden knowledge of ancient wolves or forbidden powers. Whatever had emerged from inside me had surprised me as completely as it had surprised everyone else.

Valerian exchanged a glance with the Elder beside him, then turned back toward me. Before he could respond, Lila pulled away from Mara and began walking in my direction, her face wet with tears and her expression sharpened by something that had very little to do with fear.

“You don't get to stand there pretending you're innocent after what you've done to me,” she said, her voice low enough that only those nearest us could hear. “You have embarrassed me in front of the entire academy, and now you're going to act as though you're the victim? Do you have any idea what Father will do when he finds out you've exposed our family to this kind of shame?”

“Lila, I didn't ask for any of this,” I replied, taking a step back when she came closer. “I didn't ask for whatever happened to me, and I certainly didn't ask to be accused of trying to kill you when I was the one who saved you.” I was tired of apologizing for things I had not done, but I could see the danger in challenging her with so many people watching. Lila had always been able to turn an ordinary disagreement into a reason to punish me, and the situation before us gave her more power than she had ever possessed. Still, I could not bring myself to accept the accusation without defending myself.

Her face tightened. “You ungrateful little—” Lila began, raising her hand as though she intended to strike me.

I instinctively drew back, but before her palm could reach my face, it stopped mid-air. I gasped; the air stuck in my throat.

Kairos.