Ryder's POV I pushed the door opening and it's hinges creaked as it opened, revealing the inside of the room. Shelves filled with bottles of potions and different body parts hung lined the walls and tables with different surgical items stood at each corner of the room. To an outsider, this place might look like hell, a place only a mad man would stay, but to us, it was our infirmary, the one place we could go to cater for our injuries. Two she-wolves stood beside a bed, it's sheet bloodied, with both of the she-wolves at each side of it. They seemed to be focused on the bloodied body atop the bed as they spoke to themselves in hushed tones while sharing surgical supplies from a nearby tray. The healer, a tall, lean wolf with beards that seemed to glow white, stood at one of the tables at the corner of the room with his back against me. He took seemed to be focused on what was on the table as his hands riffled what looked to be a surgical tray while he shouted orders at the two she-
Ryder's POV "This... this is Alpha London's pack insignia," I muttered under my breath as I frowned. My eyes still fixated on the tattoo, I began to process everything that had happened back at the gate. It then dawned on me Aria's reason for her reaction upon recognizing the she-wolf. She was from her former pack. "Does anyone else know of this?" I asked as I shifted my attention from the tattoo to Lee. Lee shook his head slowly as he replied, "left for my servant back at the front desk and maybe the two she-wolves working with me, I don't think anyone else knows." Lee rubbed his bloodied palm together as he stared at the still she-wolf on the bed nervously. There was a hint of curiosity in the look that he had on his face as he turned to face me. I didn't need a seer to tell me the question he wanted to ask. "What do you think brought her here to these parts?" he asked as a small frown settled upon his face. "If she had been attacked by someone, why didn't she go to her pack f
Ryder's POV The sound of small murmurs reached my ears as I approached the meeting room. From the voices talking inside, I estimated there to be more than three elders there. "Good afternoon, elders," I greeted as I walked into the meeting. All eyes in the room turned to me as I entered and the small murmurs stopped. They all quickly rose up from their seats in respect to my arrival, all except my step-brother. I headed to my throne, the guards that had followed me in following closely behind me. John, who stood by my throne, the alpha staff in his hands, welcomed me as I walked up to the seat. I climbed the small steps that led to the throne, my steps graceful and confident. I turned after reaching the throne and sat down on it. All bowed and John handed the alpha staff to me. "The meeting is now in session," John shouted and everyone sat back down. The small murmurs began again, filling the room with an air of anticipation. I held tight in my hands the alpha staff, my eyes scan
Aria's POV"Luna Aria," I heard John call from afar. I looked up and sighted the butler standing in front of a large door, his hands behind his back. The smile he usually had on his face wasn't there and it only added to the anxiety that had begun to brew within me. "John," I answered as I approached him. "Has the meeting started?" "Not yet, Luna Aria," John answered. He opened the door he stood in front of as I reached him and took two steps backwards for me to go through. "Your seat has been preserved for you, Luna Aria." "Thank you," I said with a small smile and a nod before walking into the room. As I stepped into the room, I felt my anxiety rise up to another level as I soon realized that every eye within the room had been turned to me. "We welcome Luna Aria, Luna to the Lycan King, King Ryder, to the meeting," I heard John shout behind me. I turned and watched as John walked ahead of me to the small podium where Ryder sat on what looked like a throne. The butler climbed the
Ryder's POVI paused in my seat, my hands gripping tight around my staff as I tried to process what Elder Parker had just said. The more I tried to reason it, the more it sounded like a joke to me. How could one of the most respected elders in the council be dead? Was he sure about what he was saying? "I really do not like these kind of jokes, Elder Parker," I said, my voice stern as a small frown settled on my face. "And besides this is not the time to make that kind of silly joke." "But I speak the truth, King Ryd--" Elder Parker made to say but I immediately cut him short. "We wait for the last elder to arrive before we start the meeting," I said, not want to believe a word from the elders mouth. "We won't have a meeting until he's here." "Elder Parker speaks the truth, King Ryder." I turned to Elder Vernon who had just spoke and saw a sad look on his face. He shook his head as a small sigh escaped his lips before continuing, "Elder Parker met me this morning and explained to m
Ryder's POVThe entire room went quiet and all eyes moved to Aria. I didn't need to be in her position to feel the elders stares bore into her. She squeezed my hands tightly as her breathing began to heighten. I squeezed back Aria's hands and turned to Hudson. "Your accusation, step-brother, how sure are you of it?" I asked him as I relaxed into my seat. "Well, Ryder, while you were busy going from party to party, I was busy trying to find how to deal with the Core Legion once and for all," Hudson said with a wicked smile. I gripped tight my armrest after hearing the accusation my step-brother was giving me. He was doing so on purpose because of the presence of the elders. But because I wanted to hear all that he had to say, I decided to let it slide. "And how did your search for that end with your conclusion of Aria being part of the Core Legion?" I asked him as I leaned forward slightly, my gaze unwavering as I studied Hudson's face for any sign of deceit. Aria's hands squeezed
Ryder's POVI looked at Hudson and I saw that his face had suddenly become tensed. His jaws clenched and his fist tightened as he fixated his gaze of the swaying wolf. I couldn't understand tell if he was angry at the wolf for beginning to cause the elders to see his findings as being false or if it was a genuine reaction to the entire story without any hidden strings attached. Knowing my step-brother though, I knew the answer could not be the latter and it for sure wasn't the first. There was something else to this whole thing that Hudson wasn't telling and I was going to find out what it was. "Why were you paid to falsely represent the Core Legion and threaten to kill our Luna?" Elder Parker asked, curiosity in his eyes as he turned from Elder Vernon who he had been discussing with to Trevor. "Yes, Trevor, do tell why you were paid to do that," I added as a small smile began to come upon my face. I was beginning to feel joyous that the Elders were finally starting to loosen thems
Hudson's POV"I knew all of my plans were beginning to crumble down when the looks on the faces of the suddenly changed. They no longer looked at Aria with disdain anymore but now did so with pity and anger, anger that I knew was directed towards Trevor. "I made a silent prayer under my breath for the fool not to see me. My new plan was to end him after they took him to the dungeon. Luckily, the position of my seat in the room was reclined from the rest and this made it easier for me to blend well with the dark part of the room. "All of my plans were however put to void when Ryder suddenly turned to me. The moment he started talking to me, I knew Trevor would know that I was there. I was forced to speak up and this caused the fool to turn to my direction. "The next few minutes was filled with a lot of banter and arguments with Trevor moving farther and farther away from me as he screamed like a mad man. I tried reasoning with my step-brother, to make him believe that Trevor was not