Blood Moon (24 page)

She pushed her plate away, swiping at her eyes quickly, hoping no one would notice. Next to her, Thaddeus glared at Sebastian.

For once, Aria was glad to see Haemon. He spared her the scene likely to have happened at their table. He stalked in the room, followed at a distance by his wolves, who watched him, staying several paces behind. Their attention never wavered from his body, and their unease spread around the room.

Haemon stopped just inside the doorway, his spine stiff, fists clenching at his side. His gaze swept the room, wild and bloodshot. Jonas rose from his table, calling a greeting. Haemon didn’t even appear to see him, let alone hear. Brushing past Jonas, he filled a plate with food, and then slammed it down at the last empty table. One jerk of his head allowed his guards to follow suit. Aria wasn’t even sure they knew what they put on their plates. They approached the table and sat slowly, each one of them keeping an eye on their fearless leader. His gaze roved the room until it fell on her, and the force of it knocked the wind out of her.

His hate could have melted the paint off the walls.

Involuntarily, she shuddered. Whatever had happened between last night and this morning, he believed she was the culprit. What she’d done remained to be seen, but whether she’d actually been responsible would be a moot point. When he made up his mind, no one changed it. Searching her memory, she couldn’t come up with anything that would have inspired him to be this wild and out of control. Haemon needed order—he thrived on it. To see him so visibility agitated made her wonder what she’d missed.  

Don’t encourage him, Aria. Look away.
Lukas’ growl rumbled in his chest. He threw an arm over the back of her chair. The warning had been almost inaudible, but Haemon must have heard it. His entire body tensed, the lines of his body stiff and unbending as iron.

“Jesus. Look at him,” Thaddeus mumbled, cleaning his plate. “He’s the poster child for ‘mad as a hatter’.”

When Cern walked into the room, he stopped and surveyed the scene, then chuckled. Haemon jumped from his seat, whirling to face the intruder, his lips curled back, revealing elongated teeth.

Cern didn’t say anything. His eyebrows rose, and a smirk formed on his lips. Haemon snarled and lunged, wrapping slender, pale fingers around Cern’s brown neck. The contrast was startling. Everything in the room stopped. Cern’s expression never changed. A whisper squeezed from his throat, still amused despite the pain he had to have felt. “I told you she’d be more than you could handle.”

Haemon gave a short, slightly hysterical bark of laughter. “You must be joking, idiot. No one can match me.”

Cern lifted hands to his neck, his short, blunt fingers squeezing Haemon’s wrists until his arms shook. Haemon’s face registered pain, and his fingers relaxed a little.

“They won’t be able to if you get what you want. But right now”—Cern’s eyes flicked to her—“I wouldn’t put my money on you.”

Haemon’s snarl echoed through the room as his fingers renewed their hold on Cern’s air supply. Tessa flew forward, placing her hand on Haemon’s arm.

“This is getting out of hand, dear. You must release him.”

“Back off, Truthsayer. Else, I’ll give you a heedful.”

This time, she was the one amused. Her eyes grew lighter, almost glowing. “You haven’t got anything in you I haven’t seen before.”

Silence echoed in the room. As if someone had turned a switch off, Haemon’s grip fell away from Cern. He tipped his head back, laughing from deep within—loud, rolling belly laughs. Tears tracked down his cheeks, and he ran his hands through his blond hair. “Oh, Tessa. You still think I’m the small child who marveled at your ability to see in my head?” He shook her off, returning to his chair, suddenly jovial as if all previous depression gone in an instant. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

The silence continued for a few moments, then Cern looked down at him. “If you’ve finished manhandling me…?”

Haemon waved him off with another strange smile. Jonas watched both of them from his perch at the corner table, a cup of coffee clutched in one hand. For a brief moment, Aria thought she saw worry linger on his face. Then his craggy features turned to her and all emotion was gone, as if a slate had been wiped clean. It seemed that even the unshakable head Councilor worried about the state of Haemon’s mind.

Someone should.

Lukas spoke up, his fingers played with the hem of her shirt, almost unconsciously. “Jonas, when is the Council meeting?”

“When everyone’s finished with breakfast, we will commence in the ballroom. I have no desire to drag this out longer than necessary.”

Thaddeus mouthed, “Thank God.” Jonas didn’t seem to notice.

Cern sat with Jonas, nibbling daintily on a slice of bacon. He didn’t say a word, just stared at him. After only a few moments, Jonas slammed his coffee cup on the table and stalked from the room with a disgusted snort.

Cern caught Aria watching and lifted a shoulder. “It’s a gift, really.”

She had to resist a chuckle. They finished their breakfast, waiting patiently, while Cern slowly made his way through a second helping of bacon, and then patted his stomach with a sigh. “I do love pig.”

Haemon stood, leading the way through a set of double doors. “Now that you’re done expressing your devotion, can we get started?”

Jonas led the way. Down a short hallway and through a set of plain wooden doors, revealed a huge ballroom with marble floors and mirrors in heavy gilded frames lining three walls. On one side, solid French doors opened to the garden. In the morning light, the blooms sparkled with dew.

Aria’s breath caught. Lukas wrapped an arm around her waist for support. The entire Council had shown up. All ten sat on a raised platform, facing a single chair dead center. Aria thought she’d prepared herself for this. She was wrong. Jonas turned as they walked into the room, a smirk twisting on his lips as he passed her.

“Baby, listen, you have done far more difficult things than this.” Lukas’ hand rubbed up and down her arm. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She nodded, clearing her throat and forced her shoulders back. Her steps echoed loudly on the marble as she trudged to the chair. One of the guards that lined the walls moved forward, grabbing her free elbow. Lukas’ growl stopped him.

With a deep breath, Aria cupped the side of his face and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Each emotion she felt at the moment, poured in her connection to him. Her love, her fear, and her hope painfully squeezed in her chest, fighting for control. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

Lukas searched her face for a moment. “If I knew an easier way, baby, I would have taken it.”

She chuckled. “Didn’t you know? I always do
everything
the hard way.”

Lukas ran his hand over her hair, nodding once. Reluctantly, he released her arm. Aria didn’t move, tilted her chin and stared at the guard until he removed his hand from her elbow. Then, with measured even steps, she marched to the front of the Council and stood before the chair. She nodded to each of the members. Tessa stood off to the side, her expression strangely pleased.

“We are here today to determine the claims made by Haemon Thessangelos and Lukas MacLeod, both recognized Alphas by this Council of Werewolves. Who stands with Aria Lagreve?” The Head Councilor, a short, round woman named Mira, started the farce of the event.

Cern moved forward, but stopped when Aria’s hand slashed through the air. “I stand alone, Councilor.”

“You will not ask anyone to speak on your defense?”

“I have a voice, ma’am.” Stubborn pride forced her fear back. “And this time, the Council will not prevent me from using it.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Mira’s eyes narrowed. “You cannot speak for yourself, young lady. We have been briefed before this, and your current mindset is somewhat…unstable.” 

Aria whipped a glance at Jonas, who sat in the center of the table, his face unreadable. “I see. You have been told I’m mentally unable to speak for myself?”

She waited until Mira agreed. In her peripheral vision, she saw Thaddeus speaking quietly with Lukas. They did not appear pleased.

Aria searched for something to help aid her cause. She motioned to Tessa. “Let the Truthsayer ask me.”

A woman, a new Council member Aria didn’t know, leaned forward. “That won’t help. She reads the truth of your words. If you believe you are fine, it is the truth. That doesn’t mean it’s correct.”

“You’re splitting hairs, ma’am. The fact remains, I will speak for myself. Others have done my speaking for me long enough.”

A pause ensued, and the Councilor looked down the table, gaining nods of approval. She motioned for Aria to proceed. “As you like. Jonas, please continue.”

Jonas stood, drawing himself up to his full height. His chest puffed, and he put a pair of tiny, wire-rimmed glasses on the end of his nose. Over the edge of the lenses, he surveyed the room, shaking out a simple, innocuous piece of paper.

When he felt everyone had given their undivided attention, he cleared his throat and began to read off the paper. “Aria Lagreve, female of the Keener Pack—”

“Formerly. I denounced my Pack over a year ago,” Aria challenged. She would not allow anyone to imply she still claimed any part of her father’s former Pack.

“
Former
female of the Lagreve Pack has been claimed as True Mate by two Alphas: Lukas MacLeod and Haemon Thessangelos. Her father, Garrett Lagreve, endorsed the claim of Haemon before his death last year. Aria has refused to support this claim, instead, turning to Lukas MacLeod. Normally, a female’s preference would be taken into account. But Aria has spent the last year in places unknown, and her mental stability is of some concern, therefore, the Council has been asked to assist. The Council is asked to decide which of the males present is Aria’s True Mate.”

Asked?
A slow burn started in her gut, and she bit her tongue. She continued to remind herself of the more important things at stake than semantics as Jonas continued to read.

“There is also a secondary issue: Aria and Lukas may have completed the Mating Ritual, though they were aware of a Council edict forbidding the ceremony. They were notified of the interdiction and asked to wait until this Meet occurred. To all appearances, they openly defied Council orders.”

“She did not know.” Lukas stepped forward, motioning to Aria. “I didn’t tell her it had been forbidden until the ritual was over.”

All attention turned to Tessa, who glided over the floor. She stopped a few feet from Lukas, their eyes locking. Aria had never seen anything like it. If two people could fight without touching, it would look like that. Both their faces showed signs of strain. When Aria squinted, she could almost see a golden glow moving like a stream of dust motes from Tessa to Lukas. But they never connected. Just short of his nose, the stream stopped, breaking into a fine mist and dissipating.

A crease formed between Tessa’s brows, the fine lines around her mouth deepening. She took another step closer, her stare even more intense. They were nearly nose to nose. Lukas cocked an eyebrow, giving her a look Aria had seen him use on one of the teens who got out of line. If he’d been directing it at her, she’d have called it patronizing.

“Well?” Jonas called out, impatient with the delay.

“I cannot make him out—he has crossed over and come back. I cannot see him clearly.” Tessa stepped back, still studying Lukas intently as if he were a puzzle specifically built for her.

Jonas stared. “What does she mean?”

Lukas shrugged. “I am not easily read. The night Aria and I first tried to elope, I was killed. Haemon and her father came after us. They were so angry, they hauled Aria out of the room and came after me. I’ll spare you the details,” Lukas stated, his tone bland as if he discussed the weather, not his own brush with death.

Aria’s chest tightened just thinking about it. Her mind replayed the moment over and over, but she stood straighter, facing the Council.

Lukas continued, “Suffice to say, I died, but someone decided life wasn’t quite done with me yet.”

“Who?” Outrage blazed from Jonas’ eyes, but Aria couldn’t be sure it was for them or for Lukas’ audacity in returning from the dead.

“I do not know. I was in no condition to ask when I woke. I promptly passed out again. I said someone brought me back—not that I was unhurt.”

“What about the matter of Haemon’s attack?” Aria added. Lukas had enough to worry about without piquing the Council’s curiosity about his abilities.

Jonas tapped his lips with one finger, appearing deep in thought. “It is a concern, but what can I do? Lukas cannot clearly remember the entire event. I cannot condemn Haemon on evidence from a man whose memory might not be totally clear.”

“When did my word become suspect?” Lukas made the comment in a reasonable tone, but an underlying threat laced his words.

“When you openly admitted to defying a Council mandate.”

And there was the fall of their supposed advantage. Aria had hoped they could use Haemon’s attack. Now she dreaded the rest of their questions. She would be the one to answer, her responses scrutinized from every angle.

Jonas turned to her and she felt as if she were sixteen again, in trouble for sneaking out of a Council ballroom. “Well? Did he tell you about the mandate the Council had sent? Did you marry him despite our orders?”

“I did. He tried to keep it from me, but he could not.”

Jonas flicked a glance to Tessa, who inclined her head slightly. “Why would you openly defy the Council? You knew that we and your father had discovered your Mate.”

“You arranged a marriage without my consent. I know your reasons, but I am loathe to say them openly.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying more. Anger threatened to loosen her tongue, and that would be dangerous.

“Why? Are you afraid of us?” Tessa asked.

Aria chose her words carefully, aware that the faces of the Council were sharper, paying as much attention to her body language as to what she said. “I am afraid of what you might choose to do if I admit what I know.”