Chapter 7 - The Trial of the Moon
The annual Solstice Feast was the grandest event in the Northern Kingdom. The Great Hall of Ironspire was decorated with hanging boughs of pine, floating candles, and banners of silver and black.
Hundreds of noble lords and clan leaders from across the northern territories gathered to feast, dance, and honor the Alpha King.
Maja sat at the high table beside Queen Elena and Prince Leo. She wore a stunning dark green velvet dress that matched her eyes, her long brown hair braided with delicate silver vines. Though she looked regal, she felt acutely aware of the cold, hostile glares directed at her from the lower tables—most notably from Lady Freya, a beautiful but cold noblewoman with ice-blue eyes and platinum hair.
Midway through the feast, Lord Vance stood up, raising a golden goblet.
"A toast!" Vance announced. "To the Alpha King, and to the human girl who saved our Prince!"
The hall burst into cheers, but Freya suddenly stood, knocking her chair back with a loud clatter. The hall fell instantly silent.
"My King," Freya spoke, her voice echoing clearly off the high stone arches. "We honor the human's kindness to young Leo. But rumors spread through the court that you intend to grant her a permanent position within the royal inner circle—perhaps even title and rank."
Kael leaned back in his throne, his expression turning to ice. "My decisions regarding my court are my own, Freya."
"Our laws are ancient, Kael!" Freya challenged, stepping into the center of the hall. "The high council demands that if a outsider is to be elevated into royal favor, they must prove they are not a liability to the pack. I challenge the human to the Trial of the Moon."
Gasps rippled through the gathered lords. Queen Elena slammed her glass down. "Freya, this is absurd! She is human!"
"What is the Trial of the Moon?" Maja asked softly, looking at Kael.
Kael’s jaw was clenched tightly, a vein pulsing at his temple. "It is an ancient custom. An outsider must navigate the Whispering Labyrinth beneath the castle and retrieve the Moonstone altar key before midnight. It tests courage, sharp instinct, and heart. But it was designed for shifters... it is dangerous for a human."
He turned to Freya, his voice laced with alpha authority. "I reject the challenge. Maja is my guest, and she owes this court nothing."
"If you shield her, my King," Freya said with a cruel, calculating smile, "the southern clans will view her as a weakness in your rule. They will say the Alpha King places a frail human above our ancient traditions."
The court murmured nervously. Maja looked around the room. She saw the doubts in the eyes of the clan lords. She saw how Freya was using her to undermine Kael's authority.
She couldn't allow herself to be Kael's weakness. Not after everything he had done for her.
Maja stood up slowly, drawing herself to her full height.
"I accept the trial," Maja declared firmly.
May you like
Kael snapped his head toward her, his golden eyes wide with shock and alarm. "Maja, no! You don't have to do this!"
"I want to," Maja said softly, meeting his gaze with unyielding determination. "You gave me a home and dignity, Kael. I will not let anyone say I am a shame to your house."
