Mabel had nearly had the time to shut her mouth when the castle and the realm erupted.

It started with voices at the outer gates, then the lower courtyards, and the roads leading into the capital.

Wolves gathered in uneven clusters at first—farmers, guards off duty, common pack members who had heard too many whispers and seen too many contradictions.

Most of them held rough wood planks nailed together with paint still wet with writings.

One of the plank read; "Protect the Kingdom."

Another read; "The prophecy must die."

And then, more violently, more of them read; "Burn the fae spy."

Inside the castle, Aire froze. Mabel saw them coming from afar, while a few of them were already in the castle ground.

She held Aire’s shoukders, and make her look at her. "You’ll stay here." It wasn’t a question.

Aire nodded. Mabel turned, and left the room immediately With no explanation. They both saw the situation.

She stood near her chamber window after Mabel left, with her hands resting on the frame.

Aire’s fingers tightened faintly. Her breath slowed without permission as the voices below grew stronger.

"Burn her!!!" They demanded intentionally, in unison. It became a chant, and they repeated it over and over again.

Aire stepped back from the window immediately. Her heart didn’t race at first, it froze.

Her body couldn’t decide whether to panic or shut down completely. The sound followed her anyway. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She moved deeper into the room, and it still did.

......

Elsewhere in the castle, the chant got to Nate too.

He stood in one of the inner corridors near the southern wing, speaking briefly with a guard when the first chant reached him.

His body went still.

The guard beside him froze it instantly.

"Alpha Nate—"

Nate turned away frim him, and was already moving down the corridor, and toward the sound.

Outside the lower gates, a protest had begun to swell. Wolves stood shoulder to shoulder now, including soem omegas in the castle ground.

A few stepped forward as leaders, shouting over the rest.

"Do you want your children cursed by prophecy?" they asked, cautiously.

"Do you want your packs destroyed from within?"

"The Moon Goddess warned us!"

"The fae mark is real!"

The crowd grew louder and louder, and so did the chants. They demanded answers, and a solution from King elijah converting their Luna.

Nate arrived without warning.

He pushed through the guards stationed at the edge of the courtyard before anyone could properly stop him.

"Alpha Nate, don’t—" one guard began but Nate was already facing the crowd before he could finish.

And the moment they saw him, some of them hesitated going on with the chant. Others didn’t.

The chanting didn’t stop, rather, it intensified.

"Luna or not, she is the curse!"

"You protect her because of weakness!"

Nate’s jaw tightened sharply. His wolf surged violently beneath his skin with instinct. His protective instinct without logic pushed forward.

His eyes flickered gold for a split second, and then he moved.

A protester near the front line stepped forward, shouting something about prophecy and cleansing.

Nate crossed the distance in an instant.

His hand shot out, and before he could fully process it, he had the man by the collar.

The courtyard went silent instantly.

The chant broke mid-air, the guards froze, and even the protester stopped struggling for a moment, startled by how fast it escalated.

"Nate!" a voice barked sharply behind him.

King Elijah appeared at the edge of the courtyard, his eyes fixed on Nate with warning.

His presence alone changed the air. He took one look at Nate holding the protester, then at the crowd, and then at the guard line failing to maintain control.

He immediately understood what this could become.

"Nate," Elijah said again, colder now. "Release him."

Nate didn’t move. His grip tightened slightly instead. The protester gasped.

Elijah stepped forward.

"This is not war," Elijah warned quietly. "You are not making it one."

Nate’s voice came out rough. "They are calling for her death."

The crowd shifted uneasily like they had been accused.

Elijah’s eyes sharpened. "That does not give you permission to tear apart your own kingdom."

Nate’s jaw flexed. Slowly yet reluctantly, he released the man. The protester stumbled backward quickly, coughing.

The crowd did not resume chanting immediately.

Elijah stepped closer to Nate, lowering his voice. "You defending her like this," he said quietly, "only makes things worse."

Nate didn’t respond.

Elijah studied him carefully. Concern crossed his expression. The whole prophecy was complicated, and his hands are tied.

......

Back inside the castle, Aire still stood near her chamber window.

The chants hadn’t faded. They had only become more distant. Her fingers trembled slightly now.

They day she had feared for day now, have finally come. She closed her eyes briefly, but she kept hearing the protesters, asking for her to be burnt.

A knock came at her door, sharp and urgent.

Aire flinched. "Come in," she said quickly.

The door opened immediately. Madam stepped inside. Her expression was tight and controlled, but not calm.

She crossed the room in seconds, glancing once toward the window before shutting it fully.

Then she locked the door.

"Is it that bad?" Aire asked quietly. "Will I be condemned to die?"

Madam didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she moved through the room, checking corners, checking windows, checking the balcony latch like instinct had taken over.

Only when she was satisfied did she turn back.

"They are gathering outside," Madam said finally.

Aire’s throat tightened. "I can hear them," she whispered.

Madam’s gaze softened for a brief moment. Then hardened again as another chant rose faintly from beyond the walls.

Madam moved closer to her. "You stay here," she said firmly. She stood between Aire and the window anyway.

Minutes passed, and nothing happened. No one came. Aire eventually moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

Madam remained standing, listening, and guarding.

Aire finally spoke again, barely above a whisper. "Do they truly hate me that much?" she asked after what seemed like forever.

She was genuinely uncertain. She still couldn’t fully comprehend everything. If she knew going to Nate room that night would result to this, she wouldn’t have dared it.

Madam didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes shifted slightly toward the door, waiting. Then, her gaze returned back to Aire.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She closed her lips immediately.