Betrayal Uncovered
The great hall of the stronghold buzzed with tension as Malrik convened his inner circle. The flickering torchlight cast shadows that seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally, mirroring the unease in the room. Seraphine, still cloaked in her Isla disguise, stood among them, her posture confident but her pulse racing.
“You’ve all seen the chaos within the pack,” Malrik began, his gray eyes scanning the room. “Someone here has been playing games. And I’m done being a pawn.”
His gaze landed on Seraphine, lingering for a beat too long. She met his eyes with a calm façade, but a flicker of doubt crept into her mind.
“Isla,” Malrik said smoothly, stepping toward her. “You’ve been… different these past few days. Tell me, what’s changed?”
Seraphine’s lips parted, ready to deflect, but Malrik moved faster. With a sudden motion, his hand shot forward, and his fingers brushed against her crescent mark. A burst of shadow energy rippled through the room as the magic concealing her true form dissolved.
Gasps erupted as the wolves around them stumbled back. Seraphine’s visage flickered, her real features snapping into place. She straightened, her smirk returning despite the odds. “Well, this is awkward,” she said lightly, her tone dripping with venomous humor.
Malrik’s fury radiated off him in waves. “You,” he growled, his voice low and deadly. “So this is how the Silver Queen’s wicked sister operates?”
Seraphine shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. “You assumed I’d just sit quietly while you played your little games? That’s adorable.”
Before Malrik could respond, the chamber doors burst open, and Isla was dragged inside by two of Malrik’s warriors. Her silver hair was disheveled, her strength visibly drained, but her eyes still burned with defiance.
Malrik turned to face the sisters, his expression a mask of rage. For a moment, he said nothing, letting the weight of his presence suffocate the room.
“So,” he finally said, his voice a low snarl. “The sisters stand together at last. United in betrayal.”
Isla’s gaze darted to Seraphine, the first spark of doubt creeping into her resolve. “What did you do?” she hissed.
Seraphine tilted her head, her smirk never wavering. “Nothing you wouldn’t have done, dear sister. I just got caught first.”
Malrik raised the relic he had used on Isla earlier, the runes now glowing with an ominous intensity. “You’ve both underestimated me for the last time,” he snarled.
The guards tightened their grip on Isla as Malrik gestured to his warriors. “Take them. We’ll show the pack what happens to those who defy me.”
As the guards began to move, Seraphine’s smirk faded, replaced by a rare flash of fear. Isla, her voice steady despite the turmoil, fixed Malrik with a glare. “You can try to break us, Malrik. But you’ll fail. Just like you always do.”
Malrik’s laughter echoed through the hall, dark and hollow. “Oh, Isla,” he murmured. “Failure isn’t in my vocabulary.”
