Once again, Aire was the last to make it to the breakfast hall. Aire stepped in quietly. Her presence did not go unnoticed.

Heads turned towards her the moment she walked in. The weight of their gazes pressed against her the moment she crossed the threshold.

She felt the expectation in their gaze. Especially from King Elijah. The quiet, instinctive pull now followed her now wherever she went.

Aire paused just slightly at the entrance before continuing forward. Her eyes moved across the long table where everyone was already seated with King Elijah sat at the head and Alpha Blackfen beside him.

Nate leaned back in his seat, relaxed in a way that suggested he did not care who was watching him.

Xanden sat further down, with his posture straight, and his attention seemingly on his meal.

Alaric was there too.

Aire’s gaze lingered on him for a second longer than necessary. Shenoticed the empty seat that belonged to Mabel.

Her brows pulled together slightly.

Aire’s steps slowed just for a fraction.She hadn’t seen her since the ball. The realization settled quietly in her chest, and urgent felt strange.

Aire moved forward again and took her seat beside Alaric.

The moment she sat down, a chair scraped neatly against the floor. Every head turned towards the sound of it, and Xanden stood abruptly.

Aire blinked. Her gaze lifted instinctively, and he was already walking across the room, towards her.

His steps were steady, deliberate, and completely unconcerned with the attention he was drawing.

A servant stood beside Aire, holding a jug of wine, preparing to pour into her empty glass.

Xanden reached him before he could.

Without a word, he took the jug from the servant’s hand.

The servant froze. Everyone did, except Nate. He somehow always expected the most unexpectedly from people.

Aire stilled.

Her fingers tightened slightly against her lap.

Xanden did not look at anyone else only her. Then, slowly, and carefully, he poured wine into her glass.

The wine filled her glass in a steady stream, catching the light as it rose.

The act itself was simple. But here, it was not.

Alpha Blackfen’s eyes darkened instantly. The shift was immediate and unmistakable.

His gaze slid, sharp, irritated, and unmasked toward Adele with a silent accusation, comparison, and condemnation.

Wordlessly asking her to see what she couldn’t secure.

Adele felt it.

Her shoulders stiffened, but she did not look at him. She turned her gaze away instead, focusing on her place setting with quiet precision.

Her expression gave nothing away.

Across the table, Alpha Rowanfall chewed slowly, almost unbothered but watching.

King Elijah, however.... His hand stilled around his glass. Then slowly, he lowered it, setting it down with his sharp gaze fixed on Xanden.

Concerns about the effectiveness of the healer spells filled his mind. He was beginning to doubt her powers.

His jaw tightened faintly.

Alaric’s posture changed. His eyes had darkened. His fingers curled slightly against the table with jealousy.

Nate didn’t react. He continued eating like none of it concerned him. All of it was beneath his attention at the moment.

Aire gaze dropped briefly to the glass now filled before her. Then lifted again to Xanden was still standing there intentionally.

Before she could speak, Alaric moved. His hand reached for hers beneath the table. His touch was warm, firm, and grounding.

Aire’s breath hitched slightly.

The contact sent a soft spark through her fingers, traveling up her arm in a quiet, and familiar warmth. She felt the spark again.

Her attention shifted immediately. Her gaze pulled away from Xanden, and back to Alaric. Alaric’s gaze held hers, steady, and possessive.

Xanden cleared his throat intentionally. Aire attention snapped back. She looked down at the glass again, then up at him.

She coudlnt u derstand why he did what he did, and she was lost of words to say to him. Her lips parted slightly before she finally mouthed. "Thank you."

Xanden nodded once. He turned, and returned to his seat like nothing had happened.

The room slowly resumed to eating breakfast. Cutlery moved again, and everyone released their breaths.

Alpha Rowanfall leaned back slightly in his chair after a while. His gaze moved lazily from one person to another.

Then, he turned to King Elijah.

"What were her inheritance, and contribution to the castle?"

The question cut through the room. They were direct, unfiltered, and unnecessary.

King Elijah paused. His eyes lifted slowly to him. There was no confusion in Alpha Rowanfall’s eyes, only interest.

"Why do you ask?" he said calmly. "She has none."

Alpha Rowanfall’s jaw clenched. "Right," he said. "She doesn’t." His gaze shifted, and landed on Aire. He stared at her like she was a bug. "She’s illegitimate."

The word dropped heavily, and Aire’s fingers stilled. Her breath caught slightly.

"Meanwhile," he continued, his tone rising just enough to carry his furiousness, "my daughter has wealth."

King Elijah raised a brow, not offended. He gave him a silent invitation to go on, encouraging it.

Alpha Rowanfall did.

"My daughter has standing, a name and a blood that matters." His voice sharpened. "Not the kind dragged in from a whoring maid and dressed up as something she is not."

The room froze completely.

Aire felt the harsh words before she processed it. The words clenched on her chest raw, leaving her breathless.

Her throat tightened instantly. Her chest followed. Her fingers curled into her palm beneath the table.

She coudknt even blink.

Nate moved first. He set his fork down deliberately, and the sound echoed louder than it should have.

"Leave."

That one word was flat and final.

Alpha Rowanfall blinked, then laughed. He let out a short, disbelieving sound. "You cannot be serious." He challenged.

"I am," Nate replied, just as calmly.

"You don’t banish me over words."

The air shifted.

King Elijah’s hand slammed against the table. The sound cracked through the room like a thunder.

Everyone flinched, even those who didn’t show it.

"You are banished." He said with a tune of finality.

Alpha Rowanfall stilled for the first time, visibly caught off guard. "You cannot—"

"I can." King Elijah’s gaze locked onto his. "And I have." he went on. "You will oversee nothing in this court. Nothing within these walls." His voice dropped further. "For two months."

The weight of his words settled instantly.

There was no arguing it, or reversing it. It was done.

Alpha Rowanfall’s jaw tightened. His eyes flickered once to Aire. Then back to King Elijah.

He said nothing more.

Aire swallowed. Her throat burned, and her chest felt tight. She stared at nothing but at everything at once.

Her ears rang faintly. Everything felt distant and muted. The words alone echoed in her mind over and over again.

’Illegitimate.’

’Whoring maid.’

Her fingers tightened further. Just then, the glasses in the table rattled at once, spilling red wine on the white table linen.

Adele gasped, and Aire immediately snapped out of it, before anyone would notice. She unckencged her fist, and picked up her cutlers like nothing had happened.