Chapter 4

Aaliyah POV

The walk to the Dowager's Estate was short, but in my fever-weakened state, it felt like miles. By the time Kaela helped me through the heavy oak doors of my grandmother's residence, my legs were genuinely trembling.

Instantly, the rich, grounding scent of aged sandalwood enveloped me, washing away the lingering stench of Charlotte's panic.

"Aaliyah!" Elder Luna Evelyn Hayes rushed across the grand hall, her usually stern face softening into absolute horror. "By the Goddess, you look like a ghost."

She wrapped her arms around me, her warmth seeping into my chilled bones. I leaned into her embrace, letting out a soft, pathetic sigh. I didn't have to fake the exhaustion, but I certainly played up the vulnerability. "I'm sorry to intrude, Grandmother. I just... I didn't feel safe in my own room."

A low, dangerous rumble vibrated in Evelyn's chest. Her Inner Wolf-an old, battle-scarred dire wolf-bristled at the implication that her favorite grandchild was being threatened. She immediately ordered her servants to fetch a senior Healer and guided me to a plush velvet armchair.

Before the Healer could even arrive, the heavy oak doors burst open again.

Luna Charlotte marched in. The once-elegant scent of blooming peonies rolling off her was now entirely soured by desperation. She froze when she saw me tucked safely under Evelyn's arm, her jaw tightening, but she had no other choice. She was a cornered animal.

"Mother," Charlotte began, her voice tight as she bowed her head. "I apologize for the intrusion, but the survival of the Hayes Pack is at stake. Elaina has... made a grave error."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed, her fingers gently stroking my hair. "I am aware of your daughter's scandalous flight, Charlotte. What I want to know is why my Wolfless granddaughter feels unsafe in your care."

Charlotte swallowed hard, her hands twisting the fabric of her lilac dress. "The Brewer Pack is demanding blood. Alpha Heir Kendall is devastated. If we do not provide a Substitute Mate of equal noble standing, they will declare war. Aaliyah has Hunter blood. She is the only one who can appease them and save our Pack from slaughter."

I sat perfectly still, watching the trap Charlotte had just built for herself snap shut.

Silence stretched across the hall, thick and suffocating. Then, Evelyn slammed her hand against the carved oak armrest.

*Boom.*

The Dowager's aura exploded into the room. It wasn't like Charlotte's frantic, oppressive weight; this was the crushing, undeniable dominance of an Elder who had survived decades of Pack wars. The sandalwood scent turned sharp as a blade.

Charlotte gasped, her knees buckling instantly as her Inner Wolf whimpered in pure terror. She hit the floor, bowing her head in forced submission.

"You dare?" Evelyn snarled, rising to her feet. "You let your foolish daughter run wild, and your solution is to sacrifice Corrine's only child to clean up your mess? Aaliyah is a Hunter! You have no right to offer her to anyone, let alone as a discarded consolation prize!"

"Mother, please!" Charlotte cried out, tears ruining her pristine makeup. "Luna Antonia Brewer is arriving in two days! She is bringing her guards to personally inspect our estate for a substitute. If we don't have a pureblood girl ready, she will tear our territory apart!"

Evelyn's face darkened. The sheer humiliation of having another Luna march into her territory to inspect her family like livestock was a bitter pill to swallow. But she was a pragmatist. She knew the Hayes Pack was in the wrong.

"Aaliyah is off the table," Evelyn declared, her voice leaving no room for negotiation. She withdrew her aura slightly, allowing Charlotte to gasp for air.

Evelyn turned her sharp gaze to the corner of the room. "Gladys!"

Elder Omega Gladys, Evelyn's most trusted head maid, stepped forward immediately, bowing low. "Yes, Elder Luna."

"Use the Mind-Link," Evelyn commanded, her tone pure ice. "Reach out to the training grounds and the social gatherings. Summon Beta Cloyd's daughters, Alexandria and Emmaline. And find Bradford's bastard, Brylee. Bring them to my hall immediately. If Antonia Brewer wants to inspect our girls, we will give her a lineup."

"Right away, My Lady," Gladys replied, her eyes briefly flashing silver as she accessed the Pack's mental network.

Charlotte remained on the floor, trembling and utterly defeated. Her plan to use me as a shield had spectacularly backfired.

I took a slow sip of the warm water Kaela handed me, the tension finally leaving my shoulders. I was safe under the Dowager's wing. Now, I just had to watch as my ambitious cousins were summoned to fight over a poisoned crown.