8

Ayla

“Where is she?” Emily said as soon as I stepped out of the room. She tried to look into the room, but I blocked the entrance with my body and firmly shut the door.

“What do you want?” I asked, irritated by the intrusion.

“What do I want? I want your daughter to explain how half the courtyard is covered in solid ice and a thick layer of snow!"

“Don’t yell. You’ll wake her. And this is the northern pack, isn’t it? It’s always cold here; who’s to say it’s not…”

“Don’t you dare,” she interrupted. “Don’t you dare tell me anything about this place. It’s cold here; yes, we have snow and solid ice, but that happens outside, not in the courtyard! Your daughter did that. Stacy saw…”

“Stacy could’ve seen anything. I saw something entirely different: a scared child in a different environment, a child who stood bravely in the face of danger and was questioning everything around her. My child doesn’t owe you any explanations, Emily. I don’t care what Stacy saw. I don’t want you anywhere near my children. Do you hear me?”

“Emily!” Ragnar’s voice echoed through the hallway as he made his way towards us. She spun around angrily, but he held up a finger. “Get the others; it’s time for dinner.”

“Ragnar, she doesn’t belong here,” she said, turning to me. Anger flashed in her eyes as she took a step forward, but I stayed put.

“Emily!” Ragnar yelled, and she turned to him. “Get the others, now!”

She growled at me, then marched off, hitting him with her shoulder when they got close to each other.

“Ignore her,” Ragnar said to me as soon as she was gone. “She’s just scared.”

“She’s a beta, Ragnar; why would she be scared of a five-year-old?” I questioned, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Maybe because she’s never seen a five-year-old do something like that. Have you spoken to her? What happened?”

“She was scared,” I replied and sighed. “I think she remembered what happened in the woods, and that was her own way of reacting to it.”

He glanced at the door and nodded slowly. “Well, dinner’s in ten minutes. It’s in the great hall. Can you…”

“Yeah, I’ll get them ready. And don’t worry, she won’t be making snowstorms in a while.”

“I hope so,” he said and walked away.

We walked into the hall a few minutes later and stood at the entrance, watching as everyone moved to their seat.

“Come with me,” Ragnar said from behind and carried Leo on his shoulders.

His excited giggles rang throughout the room, mingling with the others’ chatter. Snow held my hand tightly as we walked behind Ragnar; we moved past the others to a quieter part of the hall.

“This is where the king sits,” Ragnar said, pointing towards an elevated platform where a long table, draped with black fur-lined sheets, utensils, and twelve chairs, stood. “That’s my chair,” he added, and Leo clapped excitedly.

“You’re the king!” he said, and Ragnar chuckled.

“Yes. Come, I’ll show you where to sit,” he said, picked him up, and beckoned to us.

We moved to the right wing, where a group of chairs was arranged in a semicircle around a table. He pointed to the chairs in front and placed Leo on one of them.

“Thank you,” I said as Snow, and I took our seats.

He nodded and walked back to his seat. We watched as the room grew rowdy with each arrival. People arrived in the hall in groups, wearing specific colours and whispering amongst themselves as they took their seats in different parts of the hall, slowly filling up the room.

Soon, Emily arrived with a group that covered their faces behind green veils. She was the only barefaced one, staring around angrily until she met my eyes. She sneered at me, then masked her expression when she realised people were watching.

She walked away, leading her group to their designated part of the room. Stacy and a group of people in orange veils followed closely and sat in the empty chairs opposite us.

It wasn’t hard to see that word of what happened in the courtyard had spread throughout the realm, and I worried about the narrative Emily might create about it.

A loud bang reverberated throughout the room, and the chatter immediately died out. A wolf howled in the distance, and the doors flew open. Everyone rose to their feet as a fog rolled into the room, accompanied by the smell of mint and the sound of metal clanging.

A low hum reverberated throughout the room as eleven men dressed in black robes walked into the hall. I slowly stood up, and Snow tugged at my hand.

“Who are they?” she whispered.

“Shh,” I said gently and watched the procession. The fog filled the room, then slowly dispersed through the vents.

The men made their way toward the table Ragnar had pointed out to Leo a few minutes ago, each finding their seat beside Ragnar, who stood until they all stood in front of a chair. Ragnar raised his hand, and the crowd followed. The wolf howled again, and everyone stomped their feet, then sat down.

“Welcome all!” Ragnar’s voice boomed throughout the hall. “The council and your king welcome you to the Feast of the Great House!”

Cheers erupted throughout the room, and the doors flew open. Servants dressed in white waltzed in, followed by a band of musicians who sang as they distributed food. As everyone ate, Ragnar waved at us, and I smiled. A servant placed a tray in front of us, then turned to Snow.

“Do you think you can freeze us all?” She asked, her tone sweet, but her eyes flashed with rage.

“Get away from her,” I whispered, and grabbed the tray.

She rolled her eyes and walked away as I set the tray on the table.

I sat down and glanced at the chairs opposite us. Stacy and I locked eyes as she pointed to Snow and whispered something to the person seated next to her.