Chapter Four, Part Two.

The once silent courtyard was now buzzing with activity. Men and women of all ages, even some children, milled about, speaking hurriedly in voices that seemed to hold just the slightest bit of panic, and there was an overall sensation of unrest. I heard snatches of conversation here and there- "Who was it?" "I heard it was a newblood" "I knew this was a bad idea", and so on and so forth. The sensation of having so many wolves nearby was new to me, and their presences buzzed in my head, the pressure making me wince.
"Rafael," I whispered.
"I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the proper forum," he replied, uncharacteristically serious.
Unsure of how to respond, I fell silent, following him through the Den's huge wooden doors. There were people here too, though nearly as densely packed as outside. Those who were in here seemed to be more collected here than outside. And they seemed to be generally older, too. Outside, no one noticed my presence, despite the fact that they cleared the way for Rafael, owing, no doubt, to his position as Beta. In here, I could feel the weight of the others glancing at me discreetly, and by no means accidentally. It was uncomfortable. I could feel that not a single person here was human, so perhaps only the higher-ups knew of me, as a Princess. Or maybe they knew that I was... a mutt. I still couldn't get over the revelation that I was not only a wolf, but royalty and an outcast. It was hard to tell what they saw in me, because their faces held no emotion. It was kind of creepy, and I unconsciously pressed closer to Rafael's back. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I just stared back wordlessly. Weaving through the passages, we arrived at the carved double doors that marked the Council chambers. He breezed through, and I followed in his wake.
They were all there: Dionysia, Tassilo, Celestria, Adellinde, and... Aubrey... Their eyes were all hard, their mouths set in identical grim lines. However, the Alpha's held some softness, concern softening his gaze just the slightest bit.
"Athaliah," Aubrey said, his voice hard.
I flinched. "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea why you're here?"
"Rafael said someone is dead."
"Not dead," Celestria cut in imperiously. "Murdered."
My response was to stare at her blankfaced, though my thoughts screamed, "You fucking witch, accuse me of being a killer already." Rafael's face shifted to a look of mixed suspicion and understanding at the same time. He subtly tapped Aubrey's wrist, and they exchanged looks.
"If you cannot hold your tongue, Celestria, it can be arranged for it to be held for you," he said calmly, smiling through the threat. She stiffened, glaring at him. He turned to me again. "You are here because we need to know that you had nothing to do with it," he said. Celestria glared at me darkly, her eyes bearing nothing but pure hatred. It was clear that she felt certain that I was to blame.
I looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "I don't know anything about what happened."
"Do you swear on your sister's life?"
It was a strange response to my answer, but I answered "yes" unwaveringly. He nodded. "Well, she's the last. We're finished here," he said, standing up. As he swept out of the room, he grasped my upper arm and led me out. "We need to talk," he said.
"What, you don't believe me?" I snapped, planting my feet.
"That isn't the issue," he replied, attempting to pull me along.
"Answer the damn question."
He sighed. "I can't trust your answer. You don't have the experience that I do, and you have nowhere near the knowledge that I have. You need to accept this."
I set my jaw and didn't reply, though I was furious that I was being suspected for doing something that I hadn't. Or had I? If even Aubrey suspected me, something was definitely wrong. He had more faith in me than anyone else; sometimes even more than I had.