From The Ashes

Chapter Thirty-Six

The tension in the air was palpable as we waited for the council members to arrive. No one had uttered a single word since waking up this morning, and King Ruben had locked himself in his room.

The only person permitted to enter was Queen Stella, and even she couldn't quell his murderous mood.

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Valen, Von, Anton, Celia and I were all waiting in the sitting room once again.

The boys had been taking turns glaring at her and I was getting kind of tired of it. I understand that she's under a lot of scrutiny right now, but they didn't have to make it so obvious.

I thought we were trying to keep the upper hand here.

Celia hadn't said anything to anyone after spending the night under King Ruben's watchful stare. I'm not sure what kind of conversation had ensued between the two, but she seemed worn down this morning.

Her shoulders were slumped as she sat in the corner, curled into a small ball. It was like she was trying to make herself disappear from the room.

She still had enough spunk left in her to return a snarky glare whenever she'd catch one of the boys staring at her, though.

Finally, King Ruben opened the door and joined us. He didn't say anything as he sat at a large mahogany desk. He just curled his fingers together and waited.

We all turned our heads as we heard voices drifting down the hallway. I straightened my back a little, and watched the door as they came closer.

Malakai was the first to enter, a huge smile on his scarred face. It struck me as odd that he would be smiling at a time like this, but I decided against saying anything.

"Your majesty, what a pleasure," he said as he bowed in front of King Ruben.

The king just rose his hand and gestured to an open seat, which Malakai sauntered over to. Next to enter was Charles, followed closely by Edwin.

"Your majesty," they both greeted with a slight bow.

King Ruben didn't even respond to them this time. They took their seats next to Malakai.

Finally, Seraphine entered the room with a look so cold, I swear, the temperature dropped a few degrees.

She had poorly concealed bags under her eyes and her figure was slighter than I remembered. Her hair didn't shine as brilliantly as it did before, but her lips were still pursed into a thin, hard line.

She locked eyes with Celia first and I saw them narrow a fraction of an inch. Celia immediately looked down and clenched her fists.

"Your highness," she all but sneered to King Ruben.

He let out a growl as a warning but waved her in. She sat as far away from the other members as possible, but still not any where near Celia. A flash of hurt crossed her face and I almost felt pity for her.

King Ruben stood and you could feel his intimidating royal aura rolling off of him. He wasn't taking any chances today. He was trying to make sure we all knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of.

"I've gathered you all here today to discuss an important matter. Just yesterday Artemis, Von's mate, was taken from the cave by a small band of wolves. Based off of the intel Von and Celia were able to provide, we believe that these wolves were from the Moonlight Pack. If this is the case, they have gone back on their treaty and these actions are seen as a declaration of war."

King Ruben paused to assess the room. None of the council members seemed surprised in the slightest upon hearing this news.

In fact, they almost seemed bored. Aside from Seraphine, who was clenching the edge of her seat with white knuckles.