The silence in the throne room was suffocating.
Every wolf watched me, eyes gleaming with hunger. They wanted a fall, they wanted blood. Villainesses made easy prey.
The System's voice thrummed like a blade in my skull.
[Mission Active: Protect the Alpha from betrayal during court session.]
[Time Remaining: 54 seconds.]
My breath came tight, my chest aching from the invisible weight. One wrong move, and the System would gut me from the inside. One wrong word, and Ronan would finish the job.
"Prove it," Ronan repeated, his voice a command sharpened by suspicion.
Cerys smiled sweetly at his side, like a serpent waiting for the strike. My servant trembled on the floor, clutching the stolen coin. The pouch glinted in the torchlight—proof of my guilt, even if I had never touched it.
How could I turn this around?
I forced my hands to steady at my sides. My eyes swept the court, searching for something, anything. Every gaze burned with doubt. But then I noticed—too sharp, too quick—the faint smirk tugging at Cerys's lips.
She wanted me to flinch.
My voice came out low, steady despite the fire in my spine. "Search her chambers."
The court stirred, whispers rippling like wind through tall grass.
Cerys blinked, feigning surprise. "Mine? How dare you—"
I cut her off before fear could choke me. "If I were stealing from the treasury, I'd be a fool to hide it in my own servant's quarters. Wouldn't I?" I tilted my chin, letting the words cut. "But someone clever, someone hungry for power, might frame me that way."
Ronan's eyes narrowed. He didn't blink, didn't move. But I felt the shift in the air—like the room itself braced for blood.
"Search," he ordered.
Two guards bowed sharply and left. The chamber buzzed like a nest of hornets.
Cerys's smile cracked, just for a second. But then she leaned closer to Ronan's throne, her voice smooth as honey. "Alpha, surely you see this for what it is. A desperate attempt to escape punishment. Everyone knows Ayla has—"
"Silence."
The word cracked through the room like thunder. Ronan didn't raise his voice, but power coated every syllable. The she-wolf stiffened, lips pressed tight, fury flashing in her eyes.
My heart slammed against my ribs. I had bought time, but time was never free.
The System whispered again.
[Warning: Evidence may not be found. Prepare alternative proof.]
[Timer Reset: Ten Minutes.]
My throat closed. Even if the guards returned with empty hands, the System would drag me down in blood.
Minutes bled slow. My palms ached from where my nails pressed into them, hidden in my sleeves. Ronan never looked away. His stare was relentless, as though he could peel away my skin and read the truth written on my bones.
Finally, the doors opened.
The guards strode back into the hall, heavy boots echoing on stone. One carried a small coffer in his hands.
The crowd surged forward to see.
He dropped to one knee, placing the coffin at Ronan's feet. The lid creaked open. Inside—gleaming coins, enough to shame a house.
Gasps rang out.
Cerys's face was drained of color.
For a heartbeat, I couldn't breathe. Relief tangled with terror. The System had warned me evidence might not be there. Yet here it was, glinting under the torchlight.
My victory should have tasted sweet. But the System didn't let me savor it.
[Mission Progress: 50%.]
Not complete. Not enough.
The chamber roared alive. Voices tangled, accusations flew. Some cursed Cerys for betrayal. Others spat that I had planted it to frame her. The court was a storm, and Ronan was its still, deadly center.
"Silence," he said again.
It wasn't just a word. It was law. The noise cut off at once.
His gaze shifted from the coffer to Cerys. Her lips parted, but no defense came. She only glared at me, poison in her eyes.
Ronan rose, the weight of his authority filling every shadowed corner of the hall. "You speak of treachery, Lady Cerys," he said, voice quiet, dangerous. "And yet treachery festers in your chambers."
She dropped to her knees, trembling now. "Alpha, please—"
But he didn't look at her again. His eyes were locked on me.
"You played this game well," he murmured, low enough for only me.
The words cut deeper than claws. He thought I had arranged this. That my defiance, my challenge, was nothing more than another scheme.
The System purred, feeding on my fear.
[Mission Update: The Alpha's suspicion remains. Continue proving loyalty.]
My chest ached. No matter what I did, no matter what proof I found, Ronan would not believe. Not yet.
"Take her," Ronan commanded. Guards seized Cerys, dragging her out as she wept and screamed her innocence. The court shuddered at the display, but no one dared protest.
When the chamber emptied, when only Ronan and I remained, the silence pressed heavier than chains.
His gaze burned into me. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."
The System's claws sank into my skull again, sharp and merciless.
[Immediate Mission: Survive.]
[Timer: One Minute.]
I drew a slow breath. "Because if you kill me, you'll never know why I stopped tonight's betrayal."
His lips curved, cruel. "You admit it then. You knew."
"I guessed," I shot back. "And I was right."
The throne room seemed smaller, darker, as he stepped closer. His shadow fell over me, golden eyes bright with fury.
"You think you can read me? Outsmart me?" His voice brushed against my ear like the edge of a knife. "Be careful, Ayla. You are not the only wolf who knows how to lie."
The System thrummed, feeding on the tension. My knees trembled, but I refused to lower my gaze.
Then, before I could answer, before I could even breathe—
The doors burst open again.
A messenger stumbled inside, blood staining his tunic. His eyes were wide with panic as he dropped to the floor.
"Alpha—raiders. The western border. They've broken through."
The court's whispers earlier had been hungry. Now the silence was sharp with fear.
Ronan straightened, a predator unleashed. His power surged like fire, golden eyes flashing. He didn't look at me. Not once.
But the System did.
[New Mission: Fight beside the Alpha.]
[Failure Consequence: Death.]
My breath caught. My fate wasn't only tied to Ronan anymore. It was tied to the battle waiting outside these walls.
And if I failed… I wouldn't just lose my life. I'd lose my last chance at changing this cursed story.