When The Moon Hides Her Crown novel Chapter 204

SERAPHINA

“I don’t even know these two.”

The words slipped out steady, but the weight they carried turned the entire hall silent. Dozens of eyes swung towards me in shock. All except Ronan’s. His unyielding and piercing violet eyes, burning with his wolf, were locked on mine through the large glass window behind where Austin sat. But not questioning or doubting me once. He was just watching.

Ryker, however, stared blankly. His expression was unreadable at my statement, yet the stillness in his gaze was sharper than any blade. As if he were daring me to lie again about not knowing him.

Austin’s eyes narrowed. His aura pressed down like a blade at my throat, sharp and suffocating. I did not know why but every time he looked at me I grew aware of my disguise. The King’s Council were the most dangerous people for me. Since I had run away from an arranged marriage to the Alpha King. If I were exposed then there would be nothing but a gilded cage waiting for me.

Austin looked between Ronan and Ryker as though waiting for them to defy my claim. But neither spoke let alone looked in the direction of each other even once.

That was when Austin smiled. A slow, thin curve of lips that promised danger.

“Now,” he murmured, “This is getting interesting.”

His black eyes slid back to me. “So…you don’t know them, hm? Then, Alpha Seth Darven, perhaps you’d like to explain what is happening in that footage. Because what I see tells another story. And you should remember…” His voice cut like steel, “Lying to the King’s Council doesn’t only damn you. It damns your entire pack.”

The threat was something I had been taught as a child. The King’s Council was a poison that no one ever wanted a taste of. Especially the mysterious Head of the Council.

Of course, I had learned from life that if you were in a situation where you were so badly stuck that only doom was ahead then do anything to survive. Even if you had to play dumb or be ridiculous. I was in that exact situation. I straightened my spine and replied confidently. “Like everyone can see in the footage, I bumped into Alpha Ryker Wraithe accidentally. I offended him even if it was by mistake. And he could not let it go. Everyone knows he hates being touched.”

Whispers rippled through the Alphas, confirmation, because yes, everyone knew of Ryker’s aversion.

“He refused to forgive me and decided to teach me a lesson. I panicked and ran. I screamed for help,” I continued, my voice steady, even as Ryker’s gaze burned into me. “Alpha Ronan Volkstane happened to be passing by and intervened. That’s when the fight

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began before I even realized.”

Chapter 204 The Serpent’s Gaze

For a moment, silence reigned. Ryker’s eyes, colder than death, dragged over me. While I kept my attention only on Austin.

Austin studied me like a snake deciding how to strike. Since there was audio he could not do anything even though what I said was pure nonsense.

“An emotional tale, I see,” he murmured, “Bullied by one, rescued by another, yet knowing neither…and accidentally becoming the cause of bloodshed. How tragic,” Austin’s words were smooth, but his eyes screamed disbelief.

He turned. “Alpha Ronan, then. Care to explain why you two were fighting?”

“I loathe him,” Ronan’s voice was flat, stripped of anything but truth.

The hall froze. The audacity of speaking so to Austin, to the snake of the Council, was suicide. Whispers died mid–breath, all air sucked from the room.

Austin’s stare lingered on him, unreadable. Then, softly, “A strong reason, it seems.” He shifted his gaze. “And you, Alpha Ryker? Do you hate him as well?”

Ryker’s tone was quiet, heavy and deliberate. “When the answer is obvious, repeating it is a waste of breath.”

The weight of his words rippled through the hall. Muscles tensed. Everyone knew what it meant: yes. A yes that he’d chosen to say in the most contemptuous way possible.

Austin’s expression cooled, dark as a storm. “Then it is decided.” His gaze swept over the room. “Both of them fought, broke the Academy’s laws, and did so before the eyes of the Council itself. Therefore, Alpha Ronan Volkstane and Alpha Ryker Wraithe are hereby-”

My heart slammed against my ribs. Expulsion. He was about to expell…

“I apologize for the interruption, Alpha. Austin.”

A calm but firm voice cut through the tension. All eyes snapped to the source, Alpha Hugo stepping forward, his hand raised respectfully.

Austin’s eyes turned, the faintest flicker of irritation passing over his face. “Interrupting the Council is unwise, Alpha Hugo. You’d better have a reason worth bleeding for.”

“I do,” Hugo replied evenly. “Since the Council is invoking Academy law, let us not twist it. Regulation Act Fifty–Six, Clause Two: if a conflict arises between Alphas and no life is lost, and neither party wishes to press formal charges, then the matter cannot serve as grounds for expulsion.”

A stunned silence fell in the surrounding, my heart still beating so wild in my chest.

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Chapter 204 The Serpent’s Gaze

One of the Council members growled lowly, “Are you siding with offenders, Alpha Hugo?”

“I am on the side of law and rules, Elder Mark,” Hugo bowed slightly, though a flicker of coldness lingered in his eyes. “Since the Academy Head and Chief Instructor, Alpha Gideon, cannot attend due to… unfortunate circumstances, I, as the second head, bear

responsibility for every Alpha here. That includes ensuring they are judged fairly by law, not whim.”

A cold smile curved Austin’s lips. “How noble. Yet it is surprising to me that the Academy still clings to its laws when its halls reek of failure. A murder. Rogues incursion. Intrusion within your own walls. The Academy’s reputation, shredded.” His eyes roamed, lingering on Ryker, then Ronan, then finally…on me. His voice dripped with intent. “Then there are these three. Especially this one is trouble,”

His gaze pierced me. A storm clawed inside my chest, but I kept my expression carved from stone. He wasn’t saying this randomly. He seemed to strongly dislike me.

“The children of this generation. Nothing but trouble. I get that part,” Alpha Hugo smiled. faintly, though the warmth never touched his eyes. “But even troublemakers have laws to bind them. We cannot discard justice because it is inconvenient.”

Austin’s stare hardened into ice. His growl vibrated through the hall. “Expulsion will happen today no matter what, Alpha Hugo.”

The words struck like thunder. That was when-

The screen flickered. Another footage began to play.

My breath caught.

On the massive screen, grainy black–and–white from a hidden angle: the night Ronan killed Cassius.

No…

Chapter 205 Null Ang Vold