The Adviser’s Questions

Darius was waiting in a small room beside the council chamber.

Lyra stopped at the doorway. Two guards stood behind her, their expressions giving nothing away.

“You sent for me?”

“Come in.”

She stepped inside but remained standing.

Darius gestured towards the chair opposite him. “Sit.”

“Why do you want to see me?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You prefer questions before instructions?”

“I prefer knowing why I’m being summoned.”

For a moment, he simply studied her. Then he leaned back in his chair.

“You have been in Nightfang for only a few days, yet our Alpha has allowed you to remain within the pack.”

“He gave me a chance to earn my keep.”

“And you intend to take advantage of that chance?”

Lyra frowned. “I don't understand.”

“Do not pretend to misunderstand me. You came from Ashen Moon. Your former Alpha has every reason to dislike Nightfang. Why should we believe you have no connection to whatever he is planning?”

“I was expelled.”

“An answer you expect us to accept without question.”

“What would you like me to say? That I was secretly sent here by Garrick? That I crossed the border with a mission?” Her voice remained steady. “Neither is true.”

Darius tapped a finger against the table.

“People lie when they have something to hide.”

“And people accuse when they have nothing to prove.”

The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

Lyra immediately wondered whether she had gone too far. She was still a stranger here, and Darius was no ordinary pack member. His position gave his words weight.

But she refused to apologise for answering honestly.

“You are very confident for someone who has no standing in this pack,” he said.

“I am not asking for a position. I am asking to be allowed to work for the food and shelter I receive.”

“Your training gives you access to our warriors.”

“Under Master Toren's supervision.”

“You observe them closely.”

“Because I am trying to learn.”

Darius rose and walked towards the window. Beyond it, the training grounds were slowly emptying.

“Let me make something clear, Lyra. The Alpha may have permitted you to stay, but that does not mean the rest of us trust you.”

“I never assumed you did.”

He turned.

“If I discover that you are hiding anything from this pack, your arrangement with the Alpha will not protect you.”

Lyra held his gaze, though her stomach tightened.

“I have nothing to hide.”

“Everyone says that.”

“Then perhaps you should look for something other than words.”

For the first time, Darius's expression changed. It was only a brief tightening around his eyes, but she noticed it.

He returned to his chair.

“You may go.”

Lyra turned towards the door.

“One more thing,” he added.

She paused.

“Do not approach the western border without permission. And stay away from the council chamber.”

“I was never told I had any reason to enter it.”

“Now you know.”

She left without another word.

Outside, the guards escorted her back towards the main compound. Lyra kept her face composed, but her thoughts were racing.

Darius had not asked questions because he wanted answers. He had already decided she was suspicious. He was searching for a reason to send her away.

And if he found one, Kael might not stop him.

Kael was reviewing another set of reports when Darius entered his office.

“She is defensive,” Darius announced.

Kael continued reading. “Most people are when questioned like criminals.”

“I asked her simple questions.”

“And?”

“She denied having any connection to Garrick's plans. She also challenged my authority.”

Kael put down the report.

“Did she threaten you?”

“No.”

“Did she admit to spying?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what exactly did you learn?”

Darius's expression hardened. “That she knows how to choose her words.”

Kael stood and moved towards the window.

“You wanted me to send her away before she had a chance to prove herself. I refused. That does not give you permission to intimidate her.”

“I am responsible for protecting Nightfang.”

“And I am responsible for deciding who stays within it.”

Darius lowered his head slightly. “As you wish, Alpha.”

But his agreement sounded reluctant.

After he left, Kael remained by the window, looking towards the training grounds.

He could feel the faint pull of the bond, distant but persistent. Lyra was somewhere within the compound.

He had no intention of allowing that connection to cloud his judgement. Yet Darius's growing interest in her troubled him for reasons he could not entirely explain.

Lyra returned to her room and sat on the edge of the narrow bed.

Her shoulder ached, her legs were exhausted, and now she had an adviser watching her every move.

She had thought crossing the border would be the hardest part of starting over.

She was beginning to understand that surviving among enemies required more than courage.

It required knowing whom not to trust.

And Darius had just made himself very clear.