***Cadiz***
The day before we left for the council, Henrik found me in the library.
"My lord," he said with a proper bow, "Lord Raizel requests that you accompany him to Valewick tomorrow. The Council of Families meets."
My stomach dropped. "Me? Why?"
Henrik's face stayed carefully neutral. "It's tradition, my lord. Lord Raizel felt your presence would be... appropriate. Shall I have the servants pack your formal attire?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Very good, my lord. We depart at dawn." Another bow before he left.
After he left, I sat staring at the book in my hands, not reading a word. The Council of Families.
I'd heard about it, where all the great houses gather twice a year to measure each other, make deals, and play their political games.
And now I had to go. Sit there while everyone stared at the failed omega who couldn't even produce a scent. The thought alone made me feel pain in my chest.
The ride to Valewick took most of the day. I sat in the carriage across from Raizel, who spent the entire trip staring out the carriage windows. He barely looked at me, which was probably for the best. I was nervous enough without trying to make conversation.
The closer we got to the city, the more my hands shook. By the time we reached the gates, I felt sick.
"Stay close," Raizel said as we climbed out of the carriage. It was the first thing he'd said to me all day. "Don't wander off."
I nodded, though I wanted to ask why he cared. Probably just didn't want me embarrassing him more than I already would by existing.
The council chamber was nothing like Ravenshollow. Where our fortress was cold stone and iron discipline, this place was built for show.
White marble pillars reached up to the ceiling, polished so bright they looked like mirrors.
Red banners hung everywhere, each one showing off a different noble family's symbol. The air was thick with expensive incense and the smell of ambition.
The Council of Families only met twice a year, but everyone treated it like the most important thing in the world. This was where the strongest houses sized each other up, making alliances and promises with words as sharp as knives.
I walked in next to Raizel, though the space between us felt huge. His face was like a mask, his eyes showing nothing. I kept my head down, too aware of all the stares following me as we crossed the room.
Servants announced each family as they arrived, their voices echoing off the stone.
"House Ashforde. His Grace Duke Magnus Ashforde, with Lord Raizel Von Ashforde and his legal spouse Cadiz Von Eberhart."
I felt the wave of attention when they said my name. Whispers started up, too quiet to hear clearly but sharp enough to sting.
The Ashfordes took their seats near the front. Duke Magnus, Raizel's father, sat at the head of our table. His hair was dark, his posture perfect, his eyes cold as steel. Even surrounded by other dukes and lords, he owned the space, reminding everyone why the Ashfordes were both feared and respected.
I sat lower down, at the edge of the long bench. Close enough to hear but far enough away to be ignored. Which was fine with me.
The hall filled up fast. The Von Draven family swept in next, their black and gold banners fluttering with each step. Duke Devon Von Draven led them, big and loud, his voice booming with confidence. Next to him walked Aldrik, tall and proud, with Cassius at his side wearing golden silk that gleamed under the torchlight.
My heart beat rapidly when I saw my brother. Cassius looked radiant and graceful. His smile was flawless, his posture straight, his hand resting lightly on Aldrik's arm. The whispers started again, this time full of admiration. I shrank further back on the bench.
Raizel didn't look at me, but I felt his attention sharpen when Cassius walked by.
The meeting started with ritual greetings - all the dukes exchanging words about loyalty to the empire and promises to work together. But underneath the fancy language was the real purpose: power.
Duke Magnus leaned over to Duke Draven during a break, their voices too low for most people to hear. But I caught pieces.
"...stability of the borders... unrest in the east... ."
"...certain heirs... unreliable..."
Their eyes flicked toward me for just a second.
I forced myself to stay still, even though my heart was hammering.
The council kept going, each house presenting their problems. The Von Dravens wanted more patrols on trade routes. The Ashfordes argued for stricter control of provincial governors. Von Wellesley pushed for more influence at court. It was like a dance, every move calculated, every deal bargained for like coins.
But underneath it all, I could feel the rumors growing.
"Is that the scentless one?" someone hissed behind me.
"They say he can't even fulfill his marriage bond properly."
"What was Ashforde thinking?"
My hands curled into fists in my lap. I didn't turn around.
Through all of it, Raizel sat like stone, his face carved in ice. Only once did he move, when Duke Magnus spoke too directly about bloodlines and heirs. Raizel's gaze cut toward his father, sharp as a blade, but he didn't say anything.
The afternoon dragged into evening, the council stretching on with endless speeches and subtle insults. By the time they raised the final toast, the room was full of both laughter and tension.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Cassius looking at me, his perfect smile spread across his face. But somehow, now it felt genuine.
"How have you been, brother?" he asked. For just a second, worry flickered across his face.
I tasted bitterness in my mouth. My life at Ravenshollow flashed through my mind. Was I okay? I looked at him, not sure what to say.
Whether I'd been well or not, did Cassius really care? I was about to say something when some nobles pushed between us and dragged him away with their conversations.
As we got ready to leave, I caught sight of Aldrik across the hall. He stood with Cassius at his side, but his eyes were somewhere else, distant, looking at nothing. Cassius leaned closer, whispering something to try to get his attention back, but Aldrik barely reacted. The smile on my brother's face faltered for just a moment before it returned, polished and bright.
I looked away quickly, guilt knotting in my stomach. Even from across the room, I could see that Cassius's perfect marriage might not be as perfect as it looked.
When we got back to Ravenshollow, the place felt even colder than before. The council hadn't solved anything, not really. If anything, it had made the divisions worse.
The Ashfordes and Dravens were supposed to be allies, but their alliance felt fragile, built on ambition rather than trust. And through it all, my name had lingered like a shadow in their whispered conversations.
That evening, Raizel dismissed me early, sending me away before the Ashforde lords could meet in private. His words were short, but the look he gave me carried something I couldn't read - maybe caution, maybe warning.
I obeyed, though part of me hurt at being dismissed again. Always the same pattern.
In my room, I lit a single candle and sat by the window. The wind howled through the mountains, rattling the shutters. For a moment, the flame bent and wavered, like invisible hands were pressing on it.
I stared into the fire, feeling the same unease I'd carried since Raizel's family visited. The strange incidents were getting stronger, not weaker. And now the whole fortress seemed to know about them.
Whispers followed me everywhere. My own family had written me off. Raizel's family watched me with suspicion. And yet, for reasons I couldn't understand, Raizel himself kept me hidden, like he was protecting me from something I didn't know about.
The candle flickered again, and I didn't look away. Whatever was happening to me, whatever these powers were, they weren't going away.
But sitting there in the dark, watching the flame dance to some rhythm only I could feel, I wondered if maybe that wasn't the whole truth. Maybe there was more to me than being a failed omega. Maybe there was something they were all afraid of.
The thought should have scared me. But instead, it made me feel something like hope.
I wondered what
would break first - the silence that kept me trapped, or the secrets that got tighter around my throat every passing day.