Ariella's POV
COUNCIL ROOM
The council room felt heavier than usual, like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
The long wooden table stretched across the center, polished and intimidating, surrounded by elders dressed in dark robes that carried authority with every fold. The air smelled faintly of old parchment and burning oil from the torches fixed to the walls. Outside, the moonlight pressed weakly against the tall windows, but inside, everything felt controlled, serious, untouchable.
And at the head of the table…
Kael.
He sat like he owned not just the room, but everyone in it. His posture was straight, his shoulders relaxed yet powerful, his sharp eyes focused ahead as one of the elders spoke. He wore a fitted black shirt, slightly open at the collar, the sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal the tension in his forearms. His presence alone was enough to silence anyone.
But my eyes were not on him.
They were on the glass in front of him.
Still.
Waiting.
Deadly.
My chest tightened painfully.
"That's it," Sky said, her voice low but urgent.
"I know," I whispered.
My heart started pounding harder as the image replayed again in my mind. Jordon's hand. The dark liquid. The careful movement. The quiet betrayal.
I stepped forward before fear could stop me.
"Alpha Kael."
My voice cut through the room.
Everything stopped.
Every head turned toward me at once. The shift was immediate, heavy, filled with disapproval. I could feel their eyes judging me, questioning my presence, already deciding I didn't belong here.
Kael's gaze moved to me slowly.
Sharp.
Cold.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
I didn't answer that.
"You can't drink that," I said instead.
A murmur spread instantly across the room, louder this time, filled with irritation.
Before Kael could speak, another voice stepped in.
Calm.
Controlled.
But dangerous.
"Enough."
I turned slightly.
Elder Jordon.
He sat among the elders, his posture relaxed, his hands resting neatly on the table. His face carried that same calm expression everyone trusted, but now that I was looking at him properly… I saw it.
Something underneath.
Something wrong.
His eyes held a flicker of something close to satisfaction.
"You forget yourself," he continued, his voice steady. "An omega does not interrupt a council meeting."
My chest tightened, but I didn't look away.
"This is important," I said.
His lips curved slightly.
Not a smile.
Something thinner.
"Important?" he repeated softly. "From you?"
A few elders chuckled under their breath.
The sound burned.
But I didn't stop.
"Please," I said, turning back to Kael. "Don't drink that."
Kael's gaze didn't leave mine.
But he didn't move either.
And that scared me more than anything.
Jordon leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping lightly against the table.
"Remove her," he said.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Two guards stepped forward immediately, their heavy boots echoing against the floor. They were tall, broad-shouldered men dressed in dark training gear, their arms strong as they reached for me without a second thought.
"Wait—" I started.
Their grip closed around my arms.
Firm.
Unforgiving.
I struggled instantly.
"Let go of me!" I said, trying to pull free, but they didn't budge.
They began dragging me back.
Panic rose fast.
Too fast.
"No, wait!" I shouted, my eyes snapping back to Kael. "Don't drink it!"
He still hadn't moved.
Not even a little.
Why wasn't he listening?
Sky's voice rose sharply inside me.
"He's about to."
My heart nearly stopped.
Because she was right.
Kael's hand moved.
Slowly.
Toward the glass.
"No!" I cried out.
But no one stopped him.
No one cared.
And behind it all…
Jordon watched.
Still.
Calm.
And this time, I saw it clearly.
The slight lift at the corner of his lips.
He was enjoying this.
Something inside me snapped.
It started as heat.
A sudden rush that spread through my chest like fire being poured into my veins. My breath caught sharply as the warmth grew, stronger, louder, impossible to ignore.
The guards' grip on me suddenly felt… weaker.
Unsteady.
Like they were holding something they couldn't control anymore.
"Now," Sky said.
I moved.
I didn't think.
I pulled.
And their hands slipped.
Just like that.
Their fingers lost their hold, their strength gone as if something had forced them to let go. One of them stumbled slightly, his face filled with shock.
Gasps filled the room.
I didn't stop.
I ran.
The table blurred past me.
The voices disappeared.
All I could see was Kael.
And the glass in his hand.
His eyes widened slightly as I reached him.
"Ariella—"
I grabbed his wrist.
Hard.
The moment our skin touched, something surged through me again, stronger this time, almost violent. His grip loosened instinctively, just enough.
Enough.
I snatched the glass from his hand.
Everything froze.
For a split second, no one moved.
Then I lifted it.
And drank.
The liquid burned the moment it touched my tongue.
Bitter.
Sharp.
Deadly.
It rushed down my throat like fire, spreading instantly through my chest, clawing at my insides as if it was alive.
The glass slipped from my fingers.
It shattered loudly against the floor.
And then—
Chaos.
"What the hell did you just do?!" Kael's voice exploded, raw and uncontrolled.
His hands were on me instantly, gripping my arms, pulling me toward him.
The room erupted.
Elders stood.
Voices overlapped.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
But Kael…
Kael was something else entirely.
His control was gone.
Completely.
"Why would you do that?!" he demanded, his voice shaking with anger and something deeper.
Something terrified.
I tried to speak.
But the pain hit.
Hard.
My body jerked slightly as the poison spread, cold and sharp, clashing violently with the heat still burning inside me. My chest tightened, my breath becoming uneven as something twisted deep within me.
It hurt.
So much.
But it wasn't just pain.
It was resistance.
The poison was there.
But something was fighting it.
Pushing back.
Kael pulled me closer, his grip tightening as if he was afraid I would disappear.
"Stay with me," he said, his voice lower now, rough, desperate. "Ariella, look at me."
I tried.
I really did.
But everything was spinning.
Across the room…
Jordon stood.
Still watching.
And for the briefest moment…
He smiled.
Not openly.
Not fully.
But enough.
Because this…
This was supposed to work.
And yet something in his eyes shifted.
Not fear.
Not yet.
But confusion.
Because I was still standing.
Barely.
But still there.
Kael noticed.
I felt it in the way his grip tightened again.
His eyes searched my face, sharp, intense, trying to understand what he was seeing.
"This should have killed you," he said under his breath.
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
My body trembled slightly, my knees weakening as the battle inside me continued.
Sky's voice came faint.
"Hold on…"
"I'm trying," I whispered.
The room had gone quiet again.
Not calm.
But waiting.
Watching.
Because something wasn't right.
Something wasn't normal.
And everyone could feel it.
Kael's hand moved to my face, steadying me, forcing my gaze to stay on him.
"What are you?" he asked.
The question wasn't soft.
It wasn't gentle.
It was real.
And filled with something close to fear.
My vision blurred.
The last thing I saw was his face.
Not cold.
Not distant.
But shaken.
Then darkness took over.