The following week, a carriage rolled up to the Halas Mansion, carrying Gellen Young. He had sharp green eyes, fair hair, and a lean frame—nearly a head shorter than his brother, Forrest. Yet what drew the eye most was his face: narrow, twitchy, and sly, like a weasel sizing up its next opportunity. He wasn't a lycanthrope—one of the beast-born, those half-human, half-animal folk—but he looked the part all the same, as if his blood remembered an animal that wasn't there.
Leo watched him closely, one hand never far from his sword as he guided the uneasy Gellen toward the meeting room. Inside, Elena awaited them, dressed in a gown of deep red of elegance, golden threads woven through its fabric like captured sunlight. Her red hair shimmered beneath the arched window as she gazed outside, the picture of poise and quiet fire.
In the corner, unseen by any eye, the shadows stirred—Jake watching in silence, his presence a soft ripple in the dark.
"Greetings, Lord Young, it's nice to meet you," Elena said, turning her amber eyes glowed like flames, as her eyes met with his green.
Gellen straightened. "My honor is mine, Lady Falmil, heir to the Falmil house." He said as he did a proper bow.
"Please, sit. There are matters I wish to discuss." She gestured toward a small table set for two.
Gellen nodded and took his seat. Leo pulled out Elena's chair and received a grateful nod before stepping back to stand guard.
Gellen could feel the heat behind her gaze—eyes that seemed to burn with questions and resolve.
"Why meet with me?" he asked cautiously. "I've heard rumors there were… arrangements once, between you and my brother."
"Yes," Elena replied, her tone even. "But that fell through. And now, thanks to the heir of the Lockvry family, your brother has gone missing." She motioned for Leo to fetch tea, her expression unreadable.
As Leo stepped out, Gellen's back dampened with sweat. Elena's stare made it worse, her eyes flicking across him like a fox that had just found a plump mouse out in the open.
Leo soon returned, placing two cups before them. Elena smiled faintly. "Thank you, Leo. I'll pour."
She filled both cups with practiced grace. "Tell me, Lord Young—are you worried about your brother's disappearance?" Her eyes did not meet his.
"Oh, yes, I am deeply worried about him," Gellen said, clearing his throat, as he watched Elena pour him a cup of tea.
"You took his place, correct?" Elena asked, her eyes glancing up at him. "You know, I heard some rumors that Forrest was on the list that Jake Lockvry personally gave to the King."
"Ah, um, simply rumors, Lady Falmil, and yes, you are correct that I took up some of his duties." Gellen's eyes darted around as he tried to avoid her gaze.
Elena nodded, then she said calmly.
"Lord Young," Elena began, her voice a model of noble courtesy. She arranged herself gracefully, folding her hands in her lap. "I asked you to come today not for a small chat, but as someone concerned about the… stability of our noble circles."Gellen's smile tightened. "Stability? I'm afraid I don't follow, my lady."
"Oh, come now," Elena said lightly, her laugh soft but edged. "The rumors are everywhere. Your brother's name was indeed on that list. I saw it myself." She let the words hang in the air, watching the color drain from Gellen's face.
"Slander!" he sputtered, his already weak composure cracking. "Vile slander from a criminal seeking to sow discord!"
"Is it?" Elena tilted her head, her gaze innocent, her voice calm. "The Lockvry heir had nothing to gain and everything to lose by lying under the protection of the Pact. And let us be frank, Lord Young, your family's sudden rise in wealth has been the subject of… speculation for years." She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a confidential murmur. "I am here to offer you a lifeline."
Gellen's eyes narrowed with an animal instinct. "A lifeline?"
"The Falmil name carries weight," she said. "We can give your house the veneer of respectability, whisper in the right ears, deflect the worst of the accusations." She paused, letting her words linger. "In return, you'll publicly sever all ties with your brother. Denounce his actions. And provide me with your family's full shipping manifests from the past five years."
The demand struck him like a blow. Betray his brother—and hand over the family's trade records? It would destroy Forrest… but perhaps save everyone else.
"You ask me to betray my own blood," he whispered.
"I'm asking you to save your house from ruin," Elena corrected gently, her voice cold as steel wrapped in silk. "Forrest is a sinking ship. You can either go down with him, or you can cut him loose and swim for shore. My offer is the only shore in sight."
Elena leaned back in her chair and took a sip in the silence. The tea was to her liking, hot and honey, with a hint of caramel.
He stared down at his hands, trembling. Loyalty warred with fear, and Elena could see which was winning. It always did with men like him—the ones who hid from darkness instead of mastering it, unlike Jake, who thrived in it.
At last, Gellen's shoulders sagged. "I don't know where he is," he said softly. "But… I have an idea. A rough one." He swallowed hard. "I joined him because he was my brother. I admired him once. Now I don't know what I see when I look at him."
Elena set down her cup, the porcelain clicking gently. "You've made the right choice, Lord Young. Your family will thank you for saving their name." A faint smile touched her lips, though she knew she'd just made a man condemn his own blood.
Gellen didn't look at her as he took a quill and wrote quickly on a scrap of paper: Warehouse 7, South Dock District, Van.
The shadows rippled unnoticed by Gellen in excitement. Elena glanced at the shadows, then her eyes turned back to the paper, then to Gellen. She sighed, glad things went according to plan, as she took the paper and put it in a drawer beside her.
"Thank you, Lord Gellen, you have contributed significantly to the crown," Elena said smoothly, with warmth in her voice.
"What will happen to him?" Gellen asked, his gaze fixed anywhere but her eyes.
"He will be captured and brought to justice—one way or another," she replied, her tone cooling like steel drawn from a sheath.
"I'll do as you ask," Gellen said quietly. "For my family… and for the Crown."
"You've done the right thing, Gellen," Elena said, her voice softening. "Your own crimes will be forgiven, given your… limited involvement."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them. Gellen's shoulders sagged beneath the weight of what he'd done. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet and asked to be escorted back to his carriage. Leo stepped forward and led him out, the door closing softly behind them.
Elena remained still, the air thick with the echo of her victory—and the bitterness that came with it.
Then a familiar voice drifted through the dim room, smooth and quiet, cutting through the tension.
"Well," Jake murmured from the shadows, "that went better than expected."
Elena didn't turn. She lifted her cup and took a slow sip of tea. "Gellen is a weak man," she said evenly. "The weak are easy to break, my love."
Gellen's untouched cup sat cooling on the table between them. From the shadows came a low, amused chuckle—Jake's laughter, soft and dangerous, curling through the silence like smoke.