Chapter 481: She Tried To Kill You

Orion’s jaw tightened long before the words left his mouth.

He didn’t look at Brynhild.

He didn’t even look at Sophia.

He stared at the wall beside the bed, at the faint crack that ran through the stone.

"She tried to kill you."

The words were rough and quiet.

Sophia nodded.

"Yes," she said softly. "She did."

The room felt smaller after that. Brynhild was quiet; she sat at the edge of the bed, staring at Sophia.

"We had just finished the tasks Ethan had assigned us. The ones each examiner gives," Sophia began quietly.

"After that... everyone decided to split up and start on our individual tasks. We had little time left, and we did not want to waste it. After all, the earlier we moved, the better and faster we could finish."

Her gaze dropped.

"So... we went our separate ways."

She lifted her eyes again.

"And I honestly thought I was alone at first, especially given the fact that we all went our separate ways. But I wasn’t. Holly followed me."

Brynhild’s expression barely shifted—but the tension in her hands did.

Sophia continued.

"At first, I didn’t think much of it. I really thought she only followed me because of the swords."

Orion’s eyes flicked instinctively to her hands.

The shortswords weren’t there now.

But he knew exactly which ones she meant.

"She kept asking where I got them from," Sophia said. "Over and over again. She wouldn’t let it go."

Her lips curved faintly, humorless.

"I thought... maybe she was just being jealous because Orion gifted the swords to me, and she had seen me use them too."

She let out a breath.

"But even before I could answer her properly... she attacked me." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The silence after that sentence was thick enough to press against Sophia’s ears.

"She came at me with her sword," she said quietly. "And there was no hesitation in her movements. It was like she was ready for the attack, like she had thought about it too."

"I knew she didn’t like me, especially since Orion and I are together, but then she went as far as calling me a demon. She kept saying it. That I was a demon. A thief. That I had bewitched the pack."

Her brows drew together faintly.

"And well... Orion."

Orion inhaled sharply.

"She said I had cast some kind of spell on you," Sophia went on. "On everyone. That when I died, everyone would finally be free."

A slow, bitter smile touched her lips.

"She really believed it. And um... I fought her back. I wasn’t going to stand there and let someone who was clearly hysterical swing a blade at me while calling me a demon."

A flicker of heat passed through her eyes.

"And I wasn’t going to let her insult me and claim I was something I’m not. So I fought her back. And I’m not going to deny it—if I was given the chance, then perhaps I would have maybe killed her too, because the intent she had... it was killing intent," Sophia told them.

"All of that," Sophia said softly, "happened before the Trihydras even showed up."

That part made Brynhild’s mouth tighten.

"I didn’t even know she left me," Sophia added quietly.

Orion looked at her sharply.

"You didn’t know?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Her voice dropped lower.

"I didn’t know she ran. I didn’t know she made that choice."

She swallowed.

"When the Trihydras appeared... everything changed."

Her gaze drifted to the far wall, unfocused.

"She was hurt. One of them struck her. I saw her hit a tree."

Her lashes lowered.

"And then... everything went wrong. I tried to fight off both Trihydras since they were attacking me, but then I couldn’t and chose to run... I didn’t get far before I saw the... the vision about Ronan and the others."

"You were unconscious?" Orion asked her.

Every time Sophia had gotten these visions, she was unconscious. Perhaps it was at this moment, when she became unconscious, that he heard her voice, just like when she had seen the vision about Brynhild dying.

Sophia nodded. "Yes."

A heavy silence settled.

Sophia hesitated, then added quietly,

"I know it sounds insane, and it sounds like I’m just making things up..."

Orion shook his head.

"No," he said to her. "I believe you. I know you are not making things up, and I also know Holly."

The certainty in his voice was absolute.

Orion huffed a soft, humorless breath.

A sound that almost became a laugh—and failed halfway through.

He dragged a hand down his face.

Then he shook his head.

"She tried to kill you," he muttered again.

The words were heavier this time.

As if repeating them made the truth worse instead of easier.

He gave another slow shake of his head, the movement made with disgust.

Brynhild hadn’t spoken for a long while.

When she finally did, her voice was calm.

"Sophia."

Sophia turned toward her.

"Yes?"

Brynhild lifted her chin slightly.

"Do you know what happens to those who attempt to kill a pack member?"

Sophia blinked, then shook her head slowly.

"No."

Orion looked at her and then smiled softly.

But there was something sharp underneath it.

"It’s good you don’t know."

Sophia frowned faintly.

"Why?"

His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"Because what happens to Holly... will be worse than what others who actually committed this same crime would receive," he told her.

The words were quiet.

Orion straightened.

At the same moment, Brynhild shifted.

She rose from the edge of the bed with fluid, practiced ease.

Orion stood from the chair.

The scrape of wood against stone sounded too loud in the room.

Sophia looked between them.

Confusion crept into her expression.

"What are you doing? Where are you guys going?"

Neither of them answered immediately.

Orion reached for the back of the chair, pushing it neatly into place as if routine still mattered.

Brynhild adjusted the fall of her braids over her shoulder, her red-and-white feather earrings brushing softly against her neck.

Sophia sat up straighter.

"Where are you going?" she asked again.

Orion turned back to her.

"To pass judgement," he told her with a smile.

Sophia stared at both of them with wide eyes.