Moonbound: The Rogue's Second Chance-Chapter 109: DISCUSSION (II)

Serena pushed open the door and she squinted to let her eyes adjust to the light in the room. At the table sat five people. Darius was peering at a stack of papers before him, his hair looked flat as though he had not taken the time to comb through it. On his right sat Elder Evelyn, who was deep in conversation with an older man with thick glasses who she had come to know as Elder Julian.

At the far end of the room, Elder Iris and Livia stood over to the side, laughing about what Serena assumed was a joke. Serena pushed the door closed and the wind helped her to slam it, which made everyone in the room pause what they were doing and look up.

Serena flinched. Of course, she thought bitterly, and forced a polite, awkward smile. Her fingers curled tighter around the hem of her sleeve. The room was uncomfortably quiet before Elder Iris cleared her throat.

"Welcome," she said.

Serena nodded at her and replied, "Thank you."

The blonde woman stood at the door awkwardly, avoiding everyone’s gaze, and then Livia broke the silence again. "This cannot be how an ambassador of Crimsonclaw would behave. Take a seat."

Another nod. That was all she seemed capable of lately. Her stomach twisted with the pressure of eyes and expectation. She moved forward, each step feeling louder than it should, and pulled the wooden chair beside Darius with care before settling into it.

Darius cast a sidelong glance at her and arranged the few scattered papers around him back into a stack. He tapped on the table to get Serena’s attention.

"You made it," he began.

"Of course, I did. I would not miss this for the world," Serena said.

Darius leaned his cheek into his palm, deliberately ignoring the unmistakable daggers Livia was glaring into his back. He could feel the heat of her gaze, a silent warning, but chose not to acknowledge it.

"Well, I am glad you still have your resolve. It should get you by for the time being."

Serena raised a brow to him and tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"You’ll need to be more conscious about your actions now," he said. He reached for a blank sheet of parchment and, with a few sharp strokes, sketched a rough map of Kaldora. He tapped the eastern edge. "You came all the way from here. You’re not just some passing guest– you’re important. So act like it."

Serena kept her gaze fixed on the paper and she exhaled softly. All of this was just an elaborate play and she had the biggest role to play. If she failed, then she was not sure what consequence would follow after her. The room was filled with people who would turn their backs to her if she made an error.

Serena felt like a fish trying to adapt to boiling water. She nodded and looked at Darius and kneaded her fingers together.

On the other hand, Darius was worried for Serena. Her face looked pale and he instantly took note of how she interlaced her fingers together. Livia was quick to already show her thinly veiled hostility towards Serena. Darius’ hands were tied, he could not outrightly show favour towards Serena in a setting like this.

It was an unspoken agreement for both of them to keep the secret of their bond between them, and well, Livia as well. The fact that Serena had had a partner before added another layer that Darius could not ignore. He also had to let Serena do certain things on her own. She had agreed to take on this dangerous task and there would come a point when Darius would not be at her side to guide her.

The red-haired man pressed his lips into a thin line and looked forward. There were four people missing and the meeting would commence once they arrived.

Serena had nothing to do but to play with her hands. Darius had all but ignored her, not that she could blame him for that. The stack of paper in front of him scared her. Every now and then, she caught Livia glancing at her with an unreadable expression on her face. The blonde woman wished someone would talk to her.

Then the double doors swung open, banging against the walls, and a familiar, boisterous laugh filled the room. Serena’s spine stiffened at the sound.

General Silas had arrived, and at his side was a shorter man she knew all too well...Ryker. Both were in high spirits, their boots echoing confidently against the floor as they sauntered into the council chamber.

"Alpha," both of them greeted when they met Darius’ gaze.

"Ryker, Silas," Darius said, returning their greeting and nodding at both of them.

Then Silas and Serena’s eyes met and his smile fell. The General looked at the ceiling and then rolled his eyes. Ryker barely spared her a glance before they took their seats. Silas sat next to Julian and Ryker stopped right behind her and cleared his throat.

"Rogue, this is my seat," Ryker said.

Serena looked at the marble table and then looked back at the name. The name did not have any sort of inscription that indicated that this was in fact Ryker’s seat. She had assumed that with such a mixed bag for the meeting, anyone could sit as they liked.

Usually, a beta sat at the right of the Alpha and that seat was currently occupied by Elder Evelyn. Serena had picked the seat at Darius’ left, traditionally reserved for the Luna.

"I do not see a name tag here," Serena said.

Ryker narrowed his eyes and looked between Silas and Serena. "What?"

"I was under the assumption that we can sit wherever we liked. Please address me by Serena."

Serena’s heart thundered in her ears, especially when Iris and Livia had turned to see whatever the matter was. Serena did not blink once and kept her gaze steady on the stout man.

"Ryker, you may sit next to Serena," Darius said, looking up from his work.