The Council chamber was colder than the hallway outside.
Not physically—
the temperature was perfectly regulated—
but the air held a chill that seeped beneath the skin.
A crescent of high-backed seats loomed above the polished floor, each one occupied by a member of the Academy Council.
Heavy velvet banners hung behind them.
The Academy's crest was carved into the marble front of the dais.
And at the center—
Councilor Varyn Hale sat with the smug stillness of a predator pretending to nap.
Horace stepped inside with a silence that felt sharp.
Controlled.
Measured.
But dangerous.
Lucian walked at his side, his expression composed but alert.
The doors shut behind them with a deep, echoing thud.
The hearing had begun.
THE COUNCIL'S FIRST STRIKE
Councilor Jessa Varn—one of the quieter members—leaned forward.
"Prince Frinton," she said smoothly,
"we appreciate your presence.
However, the disciplinary review concerns a student under your… protection."
Her gaze flicked to Lucian.
"And her involvement in the destruction of restricted property."
Horace let the words hang for a heartbeat.
Then—
"You mean the chamber she was illegally placed in."
A ripple moved through the council seats.
Councilor Hale's smile did not falter.
"How interesting," he murmured.
"You speak as if she were a victim."
Horace's jaw flexed.
Lucian subtly nudged his arm.
Hale continued:
"Yet, according to the logs, the Omega demonstrated an abnormally high heat spike, endangering three Alphas in proximity and causing structural damage."
Lucian's fingers tapped the tablet at his side.
Horace didn't break eye contact.
"And who exactly," Horace asked softly,
"approved her placement in that chamber?"
The room went still.
One of the councilors shifted uncomfortably.
Hale smiled thinly.
"A clerical error. There was confusion in student designation."
"A clerical error," Horace repeated.
"You expect us to believe that?"
Lucian leaned in slightly.
"Given the chamber's purpose, any 'clerical error' is negligence punishable by dismissal."
Hale's eyes glittered.
"And yet here you both are, interrupting protocol with accusations. How curious."
Horace's voice lowered.
"You nearly killed my—"
Lucian's hand on his arm became firmer.
Horace stopped.
Barely.
Hale's smile sharpened, sensing the slip.
"Your… what, Your Highness?"
Horace didn't answer.
But the silence itself spoke volumes.
THE OTHER COUNCILORS TURN PREDATORY
Councilor Renlow, a stiff older man with gray hair pulled into a tight knot, cleared his throat.
"Regardless of how she ended up in the chamber, the Omega's conduct must be reviewed.
Her heat readings show instability."
Lucian raised a brow.
"Instability caused by external suppression techniques.
Please don't pretend we don't know what those chambers do."
Renlow ignored him.
"Her reactions put multiple students at risk."
Horace stepped forward.
"They risked themselves. They went in to save her."
Renlow sniffed.
"That is precisely the problem."
Another councilor chimed in.
"Omegas with dangerously strong pheromonal influence must be monitored."
Lucian's eyes flashed.
"Her readings were normal until she was restrained."
The chamber erupted in murmurs.
Hale lifted a hand, feigning calm.
"Please. Let us remain civil."
Then he fixed his gaze on Horace.
"Prince Frinton.
Do you deny that this Omega displayed dangerous influence over three Alphas simultaneously?"
Horace's voice dropped into something deadly calm.
"What you call 'dangerous influence'—
I call bond reaction."
The councilors stilled.
Bond.
A word heavier than anything else in the room.
Hale's eyes gleamed triumphantly.
"Ah. So you admit you are bonded."
Lucian cursed under his breath.
Horace's heartbeat thundered.
He did not look away.
"I admit nothing," he said quietly.
"But I will not allow you to twist the narrative."
Hale leaned forward.
"Then explain why three Alphas broke protocol to reach her."
Lucian stepped in.
"Because she would have died otherwise."
Hale waved the comment aside.
"Convenient."
Lucian's jaw clenched.
Horace breathed once, carefully.
"She is not dangerous," he said.
But Hale spoke over him.
"Then where is she now? Hidden away?
Unable to even walk the halls without three Alphas glued to her sides?"
Horace's voice darkened.
"She is recovering. Because of what you did."
Hale ignored the accusation entirely.
Instead, he tapped a file open.
"Bring in the witness."
Lucian's eyes widened.
"Witness?"
Horace stiffened.
And then the side door opened.
Footsteps.
Light.
Familiar.
Rowan appeared, flanked by two aides.
ROWAN IS SUMMONED
Rowan's face was pale.
His eyes darted to Horace, then to Lucian.
"W-what's happening?"
Horace stepped instinctively toward him—
but guards blocked his path.
Hale gestured lightly.
"Beta Rowan Vale.
You were present during the incident."
Rowan swallowed.
"H-her collapse wasn't her fault."
A hush fell.
Hale smiled.
"Tell us.
Did you feel influenced?
Compelled?
Overwhelmed by her heat?"
Rowan took a step back.
"N-no. I—
I went to her because she needed help."
"Did you lose control?" Hale pressed.
"No!"
"Did she draw you with pheromones?"
"No!"
"Did she attempt to lure you—?"
"STOP!"
Rowan's voice cracked like something breaking inside him.
His breath shook.
His hands shook.
Horace looked ready to tear the railing apart.
Lucian's face shifted from calm calculation into sharp, cold fury.
Rowan's voice dropped to a whisper—
one the whole chamber leaned in to hear.
"I went to her…
because she's someone I can't lose."
The chamber erupted in tension.
Hale lifted a brow.
"How touching. And what exactly is she to you, Beta Vale?"
Rowan froze.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't expected the question.
His lips parted.
No words came out.
Horace took a step forward.
Lucian blocked him with an arm.
Hale tilted his head.
"Well?"
Rowan looked down.
Fingers trembling.
"She's…"
A shaky breath.
"She's important."
"Important?" Hale repeated with mild amusement.
"Is that all?"
Rowan's eyes drifted toward me—
toward the hallway where I waited.
But I wasn't inside.
I wasn't there to help him.
I wasn't allowed.
And that realization broke something in him.
His voice cracked softly.
"She's… everything."
The chamber went dead silent.
Horace closed his eyes.
Chandler, in the hallway, would feel this, I knew he would.
Lucian let out a long, slow breath.
But Hale—
Hale smiled.
A slow, poisonous smile.
"So."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Two Alphas and a Beta… all affected by one Omega."
Rowan stiffened.
"I wasn't affected—"
Hale raised a hand.
"No need to lie.
You've said enough."
Rowan's breath hitched.
Horace's hands curled into fists.
Lucian stepped forward.
"This line of questioning is manipulative—"
But Hale cut him off.
"Remove the witness.
We've collected what we needed."
Guards stepped forward.
Rowan backed away, panic flickering in his eyes.
Horace snarled—
the sound low and terrifying.
Lucian grabbed his shoulder.
"Horace—don't."
But Horace's voice dropped to something lethal.
"If you touch him, you answer to me."
The guards froze.
Hale raised a brow.
"Prince Frinton, are you threatening Academy personnel?"
Horace didn't blink.
"Yes."
Silence.
Pure, heavy silence.
Hale smirked.
"This hearing just became much more interesting."
The First Accusation
The guards hesitated.
They had to.
Horace's glare alone was enough to freeze trained soldiers in place.
Beta or not, Rowan was under their protection—
and the guards knew that moving him without permission could be seen as a slight against the Crown.
Hale leaned back in his chair, bored amusement flickering across his face.
"Well?"
He tapped one finger idly against the desk.
"Escort the witness."
Rowan's breath hitched.
"No—no, wait—" He shook his head frantically. "I didn't say anything wrong! You can't twist it like that—"
The nearest guard reached gently for his arm.
"Please, Beta Vale. This way."
Rowan flinched backward.
Horace moved so fast the councilors recoiled.
He stepped between Rowan and the guard, body braced, eyes burning.
"If you put a hand on him again," Horace said quietly,
"I will consider it an act of aggression against the Crown."
The entire chamber went silent.
Lucian swore under his breath, stepping quickly toward Horace.
"Your Highness—stop."
Horace didn't move.
Didn't look away from the guard.
Didn't blink.
Rowan's fingers curled weakly around the prince's jacket.
"Horace—please," Rowan whispered.
"They'll remove you from the hearing. Don't—don't do this for me…"
Horace's jaw clenched.
"They don't get to treat you like you're disposable."
Rowan swallowed, eyes stinging.
"I'm not. Because of you. But—please. Don't let them use this against her."
That hit Horace harder than anything.
Lucian seized the moment, stepping between the guards and the boys.
He held up his authorization tablet.
"I will escort the witness," Lucian said.
"Not your soldiers."
One of the guards shifted.
Hale lifted a brow.
"Fine. If the Beta cannot walk alone, let someone competent accompany him."
Lucian smiled—sharp, humorless.
"Gladly."
Rowan shivered but nodded, slipping from behind Horace.
Lucian placed a steady hand on the boy's back and guided him toward the side exit.
Before leaving, Rowan turned.
His eyes met Horace's.
And for a moment, everything else faded.
"Please be careful," Rowan whispered.
Horace's expression softened in a way he rarely let show.
"I will."
The side door shut behind them.
The room felt wrong without Rowan's presence—
as if something small but essential had been pulled out of place.
OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER — CHANDLER'S REACTION
While Horace stood frozen in the chamber, inside a tightening noose of politics—
Rowan stumbled into the side corridor, breath trembling.
The moment the door clicked shut—
Chandler was there.
He grabbed Rowan's shoulders firmly.
"Rowan. Look at me."
Rowan looked up—
and immediately broke.
Tears welled in his eyes, spilling over.
"I—I messed everything up—"
"No," Chandler said sharply.
"You didn't. Not even a little."
"They twisted my words— they made it sound like—like she controlled me—" Rowan hiccuped for breath. "I didn't mean to—"
Chandler pulled him into a sudden, fierce hug.
Rowan froze—
Then melted, gripping Chandler's uniform desperately.
"You told the truth," Chandler murmured into his hair.
"And that's exactly what they're afraid of."
Rowan's voice shook.
"Horace almost… he almost attacked them for me."
Chandler's arms tightened.
"He'll be fine. He's not alone in there."
"But Elleanore—what if this hurts her—?"
Chandler cupped the back of his head.
"Rowan. Look at me."
Rowan lifted his face, eyes wet.
"You did right. That's what matters."
Rowan sniffed, trembling.
His forehead pressed lightly against Chandler's chest.
"…thank you."
Chandler swallowed.
"Always."
They stayed like that until Rowan's breathing steadied.
Only then did Lucian return.
"We need to stay close," Lucian said quietly.
"They're moving to the next phase of the hearing."
Chandler's jaw hardened.
"Which is?"
Lucian's eyes darkened.
"The formal accusation."
INSIDE THE CHAMBER — HORACE LOSES CONTROL
Back inside, Horace stood alone.
No Lucian.
No Rowan.
No Chandler.
Just him.
And the Council.
And a rising anger that felt like it could crack marble.
Councilor Renlow cleared his throat.
"Your Highness, your behavior is interrupting procedure."
Horace didn't look at him.
His gaze stayed on Hale.
"Get on with it," he said.
Hale smiled.
"As you wish."
He lifted a thin holographic sheet.
"This is the Council's preliminary conclusion."
Horace didn't move.
"Based on witness testimony, heat signatures, and breach logs," Hale recited smoothly,
"we find that Omega Elleanore Fonze—"
Horace's breath stilled.
Hale's smile sharpened.
"—is a danger to the Academy community."
The words hung in the air like a loaded gun.
Horace inhaled slowly.
Deliberately.
"Choose your next sentence very carefully," he said.
Hale's eyes gleamed.
"The Council formally accuses her of—
and I quote—
unregulated pheromonal influence over multiple Alphas."
Horace's teeth clenched.
Renlow chimed in dryly:
"Including the Crown Prince."
A murmur of interest rippled through the chamber.
Horace said nothing.
Did not breathe.
Did not blink.
Hale continued:
"We believe her presence may compromise the Academy's power structure, threaten Alpha stability, and disrupt training integrity.
Therefore—"
He paused, savored the silence.
"—we move to discuss possible disciplinary actions."
He looked directly at Horace.
"And potential expulsion."
The chamber fell silent.
Horace did not.
He stepped forward.
Just one step.
But it felt like the floor shook beneath him.
The guards tensed.
Several councilors flinched.
Hale kept smiling.
"Your Highness," he said softly,
"you will not threaten this Council."
Horace's voice was a whisper of danger.
"I am not threatening you."
Hale blinked.
Horace's eyes burned.
"I am promising you—
that if you try to take her from me,
if you try to punish her for surviving—
you won't have a Council left to stand in."
The chamber erupted.
Shouts.
Gasps.
Alarm.
But Hale didn't flinch.
He only watched Horace carefully.
Thoughtfully.
Curiously.
"Wonderful," he murmured.
"This hearing just became far more… illuminating."
Horace tensed.
And then—
the doors behind him opened suddenly.
Lucian entered.
Chandler behind him.
Rowan following closely.
All three froze as they saw the tension in the room.
Lucian scanned the councilors quickly.
"What did we miss?"
Horace didn't turn.
He kept his eyes locked on Hale.
"Everything."