Immediately after breakfast, King Elijah ordered an immediate council meeting with some council member. He sat at the head of the long table quietly.

The silver markings carved into the dark wood reflected faintly beneath candlelight while shadows stretched heavily across the chamber walls.

One by one, the council members filtered inside, including some military heads, elders, and trusted advisers.

The doors closed heavily behind the last person.

And notably, Aire was not invited.

Nate sat three seats away from Elijah in complete silence.

Alaric stood near one side of the chamber instead of sitting immediately. His arms were folded tightly across his chest while irritation darkened his entire expression.

Xander entered last. The moment he sat down, his jaw clenched again. Despite hours passing since breakfast, he still could not erase the image of the bruises around Aire’s throat.

The claw marks had been impossible to ignore. Every time he remembered them, anger moved through him all over again toward Nate.

The room settled slowly.

King Elijah finally spoke. "No discussion from this meeting leaves this chamber." He warned.

Everyone nodded.

Silence followed briefly afterward before Elijah continued.

"The mark behind Luna Aire’s ear has been confirmed."

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Even though everyone already knew why they had been summoned, hearing it aloud still unsettled them.

An older council member inhaled quietly beneath his breath, and another lowered his eyes grimly.

A military commander finally spoke first. "The half moon prophecy." He recalled.

Elijah nodded once. "The same." He agreed.

Another voice entered carefully. "We are certain?"

Nate answered before Elijah could. "I saw it myself." His tone remained flat, and emotionless. Like he wasn’t soekarno of his mate.

One elder shifted uneasily. "And the girl knows what the mark means now?"

"Yes," Elijah answered. "She does."

"What was her reaction?"

Alaric finally moved toward the table. "She thinks the prophecy is ridiculous." He replied. "She’s harmless."

Several people exchanged uncertain glances immediately.

One military head frowned. "Being harmless proves nothing."

"No," Alaric replied coldly. "It proves she isn’t plotting the destruction of an entire race in her spare time."

The man wisely stopped speaking after that.

Xander leaned back heavily into his chair. His patience already felt thin yet the meeting had barely begun.

Another elder cleared his throat carefully. "With respect, Alpha Alaric, the prophecy existed long before Luna Aire was born."

"And?" Alaric snapped.

The elder hesitated faintly. "Prophecies exist for reasons."

Alaric chuckled. The sound held no amusement. "Interesting," he said coldly. "Because last I checked, prophecies weren’t laws."

One of the military commanders finally spoke. "The kingdom is already talking. Everyone is aware."

Elijah’s eyes lifted toward him.

"The servants saw the mark." the military head explained himself.

Xander’s jaw tightened instantly. Nothing remained secret inside castles for long. He honestly wondered how words of Torak and Adele never got out.

The commander continued carefully. "The servant who dropped the tray this morning spread the story before she even left the southern wing."

Another voice entered immediately afterward.

"The guards are speaking about it openly now."

Elijah’s expression darkened faintly. "How far has it spread?"

"Far enough. Even to the South boarders."

Another elder spoke quietly. "Lower wolves are beginning to panic." He sounded less judgemental.

Xander frowned deeply.

The elder continued. "Some believe the Moon Goddess has abandoned us entirely."

Another added grimly, "Others think the war has already begun."

Alaric’s irritation sharpened visibly. "Over a mark?"

"Not just the mark," one council member replied. "The veil broke weeks ago. Humans sightings are increasing. Strange abilities are appearing around the castle." His gaze darkened slightly. "Now the prophecy child appears inside the royal household itself."

The chamber grew heavier afterward.

Elijah remained quiet. Nothing sounds like a coincidence any more. His fingers rested still against the armrest of his chair while he listened.

A military man sighed heavily. "The people are afraid. Is just been three hours, but they are considering a protest against the Luna."

Nate still had not spoken again. His silence inside the room kept everyone on their toes, and alert.

Elijah turned to Nate.

Nate should have been furious, or defending his actions from last night. Instead, he sat there staring at nothing. At that moment, he looked his mind existed somewhere far away from the council chamber entirely.

Elijah studied him briefly before looking away again.

An elder finally leaned forward. "We cannot ignore this."

Alaric’s eyes narrowed immediately.

The elder continued anyway. "If the prophecy is real, as it should be, then allowing her freedom inside this castle may already be dangerous."

"Careful," Alaric warned quietly.

The elder swallowed once but continued. "She is still connected to fae blood."

"We don’t know that," Xander cut in sharply.

The elder looked toward him. "The mark suggests otherwise. Also, it has been confirmed she’s a tri-bird from te very first day she stepped into the castle."

Several council members shifted uncomfortably. One military commander finally rubbed a hand across his jaw.

"There’s another issue."

Elijah looked toward him.

The commander hesitated slightly before speaking carefully. "She is still Luna." he pointed out.

Her title complicated everything. No matter what prophecy existed, Aire still technically outranked most people in this kingdom.

The commander continued cautiously.

"If word spreads that the royal court turned against its own Luna without proof..." He exhaled quietly. "The kingdom may fracture internally."

One elder scoffed. "Or perhaps protecting her fractures it faster."

Alaric’s patience finally snapped slightly. "She has done nothing. She doesn’t even have a wolf to begin with."

The elder looked toward him coldly. "Not yet."

Alaric straightened slowly from his chair. The movement alone shifted the tension violently across the chamber.

"You will choose your next words carefully," he warned casually.

The elder’s face paled faintly. Even the military heads remained silent now. Everyone in the room understood something important. Alaric rarely threatened people twice.

The elder swallowed harshly. "I only meant..."

"Keep shut," Alaric interrupted coldly. "You meant exactly what you said."

Elijah finally stepped in before things worsened. "Enough."

The room quieted again reluctantly.

Alaric sat back slowly, though fury still remained sharp across his face.

Xander rubbed tiredly against his forehead. "This is insane," he muttered. There was no way he’d let them condemn his mate to death.

One elder immediately replied, "What’s insane is pretending the prophecy does not exist simply because she’s Luna."

Xander looked toward him sharply. "And what exactly do you want us to do?" he demanded. "Punish her for being born?"

"She should be contained until we know more."

"Or executed." Another elder added immediately.

Everything stopped immeidately after the elder suggestion.

Alaric stood so fast his chair slammed backward against the stone.

"You old fool." He cursed, and stood behind the elder in seconds.

The elder visibly stiffened.

Alaric’s eyes had turned gold instantly.

"You speak of execution again," he said dangerously, as his claws hunged above the elder head, "and I will personally drag your body out of this room myself."

Several guards near the walls straightened immediately. Tension exploded through the chamber at once.

"King Elijah," another council member called quickly, trying to avoid chaos, and maintain peace.

However, Elijah’s attention remained elsewhere on Nate. Nate still had not reacted, not even to execution.

That silence unsettled Elijah more deeply now. He still remembered Nate’s nightmare from years ago.

Finally, Nate moved.

His gaze lifted toward the elder across the table. "Execution accomplishes nothing."

An elder frowned faintly. "Alpha Nate—"

"If the prophecy is real," Nate continued flatly, "killing her may trigger exactly what we’re trying to prevent."

Several council members exchanged looks immediately.

Nate leaned back slightly into his chair afterward, his expression unreadable.

"And if the prophecy is false," he finished quietly, "then we become murderers because we feared a girl."

Silence swallowed the room whole afterward. Alaric glanced toward Nate briefly as did everyone in the table.

He had openly uttered a blasphemous word towards the moon goddess by suggesting her prophecy to be false.

Xanden in the other hand relaxed. Despite everything, that was the first truly reasonable thing Nate had said since last night.

Elijah exhaled slowly through his nose.

His head already hurt. The room felt divided beyond repair with fear on one side, and logic on the another.

Meanwhile, Aire stood in the middle, completely unaware that people were debating whether she deserved protection or death.

Elijah finally rose slowly from his chair.

The movement silenced the room instantly. "This discussion is not finished." He announced. "We extend the meeting."

Several council members straightened immediately.

Elijah’s gaze moved across every face inside the chamber carefully. "Until then," he said quietly, "Luna Aire remains under royal protection."