CHAPTER 115: A PIECE ON THE BOARD

{Elira}

~**^**~

The Council building, tucked beside the Hall of Records, loomed taller the closer we drew. Its polished stone façade gleamed under the midday sun, the wolf crest etched into the double doors catching the light like sharp silver.

Two usher students I’d never seen before on my trip here, stood at attention in dark uniforms, their expressions flat, almost smug, as if they’d been waiting. Expectant.

We stopped just short of the steps, the murmurs of trailing students forming a half-circle at a safe distance. Their whispers hummed at my back like hornets, every word meant to sting.

Nari squared her shoulders. "We are going in with her."

One usher stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. "Only the student summoned, is expected. The rest of you may wait outside."

Juniper’s eyes narrowed, her voice laced with scorn. "Expected? You mean dragged through the mud in public, then paraded here like some criminal."

The usher didn’t flinch. "Rules are rules. Elira Shaw enters alone."

Cambria’s hand touched my elbow after releasing my arm, firm but reassuring. "We will be here when you come out," she whispered.

I swallowed hard, blocking off the pulse thundering in my ears as I forced myself to lift my chin. "It’s fine," I said, though the words trembled in my chest. "I will go in alone."

"No," Nari hissed, refusing to let it go. Her eyes blazed at the ushers. "If something happens in there—"

"Nothing will happen," Tamryn cut in smoothly, though her gaze lingered on the Council crest with icy distrust.

She turned to me, her expression unreadable but steady. "Just remember—they are trying to rattle you. Don’t give them the satisfaction."

I nodded, more to myself than to her.

With a deep breath, I gently slipped my arm free of Cambria’s light grasp and climbed the steps.

The ushers pushed the heavy doors open, and the cool air from inside washed over me, tinged faintly with parchment and polished wood.

Behind me, I heard Juniper mutter, "Ingrates," under her breath, followed by Nari’s frustrated sigh.

But I didn’t look back. Instead, I found my way straight to the Student Council office since there were other offices and conference rooms meant for the Council board in this same building.

The heavy doors shut behind me with a thud that reverberated through my chest. The air inside was cooler, faintly perfumed with lilies and polished wood.

My eyes adjusted quickly. The chamber was exactly as I remembered—too perfect, too pristine, too smug. Ivory and sapphire velvet, shelves lined with crystals and tomes, the grand chandelier glimmering above.

And them.

The six members of the Student Council lounged like predators in their den, not a care in the world. A tray of glittering sweets and golden-wrapped confections sat between them, delicate steam rising from teapots of spiced chai and rich cocoa.

Caleb was already reaching lazily for a sugar-dusted pastry, while Soraya leaned back with her arms folded, her lips curved in disdain.

My stomach tightened. My skipped lunch gnawed at me, sharp and insistent. Nari and the others were probably still waiting outside, having chosen to slip lunch with me, all because of this ridiculous spectacle.

My fists curled at my sides. And then I noticed—someone was already here.

A boy. Maybe a year older than me, shoulders tense, sitting stiffly in the center of the room. A second-year, clearly the other name called this morning.

His tray of untouched documents sat on the low table in front of him, like evidence of some invisible crime. He glanced at me, eyes wary, before dropping his gaze again.

"Well, well," Princess Kaelis said at last, clapping her hands together, her silver curls bouncing. "Our little Omega has arrived. Took you long enough, Shaw."

Regina smirked at her side, her chin tilted high.

I inhaled slowly, steadying my voice. "You summoned me again. So here I am."

"Summoned again," Thorne drawled, flipping a coin between his fingers. "You seem to think our invitations are optional."

I totally ignored him and fixed my gaze on Kaelis. "You said I was being summoned for a disciplinary action. Might I ask what might my crime is?"

"You ignored our first summon," Kaelis replied.

Something cold and sharp lanced through me. "That isn’t true," I said quickly. "I came the first time. I met with your secretary. I told her I couldn’t make it, and she wrote it down."

Kaelis leaned forward, feigning curiosity. "Is that so?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "That’s why you issued me the second invitation last Monday. Because I couldn’t attend the first one."

"Proof?" Soraya’s voice sliced across the room like a blade. Her dark eyes gleamed.

I blinked. "Proof?"

"Where is the invitation, Shaw?" Nyra asked at last, her tone quiet but cutting. Her stillness made her presence heavier somehow. "Produce the envelope."

My chest tightened. "It is in the dorm," I admitted. "I didn’t bring it with me."

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating.

Regina’s smirk widened. "How convenient."

Kaelis tilted her head, her sweetness souring into venom. "So, you expect us to take your word? An Omega, who can’t even show the simplest respect by attending our summons the first time?"

"That’s not what happened," I shot back, heat flooding my face. "I did show respect. I followed procedure. And like I said a few seconds ago, your own secretary wrote it down."

"Lies," Soraya said flatly, as if stamping a seal on my words.

"You’re confused," Caleb chimed in smoothly, brushing sugar from his fingers. His grin was lazy, practiced, and cruel. "Maybe you dreamed it. After all, people sometimes imagine things when they’re... desperate."

The others chuckled softly, the sound rolling across the chamber like mock applause.

Confusion crashed against anger inside me. ’What game are they playing?’

I knew I had come here. I knew the gum-popping secretary had written it down. Why were they twisting it against me?

And if I was wrong, they should have mentioned it when I came here last Monday, so while wait until now?

My hands trembled, but I forced myself to meet their eyes, one by one. "This isn’t discipline you’re trying to do here," I said at last, my voice low but steady. "This is just a game to you. A petty one at that."

Kaelis’s smile sharpened. "And you’re just a piece on the board."