Chapter 78: ​A Calculated Risk

Alexander tapped one finger against the armrest of his throne, the steady rhythm betraying the thoughts turning through his mind as he mused over everything that had been said. His gaze remained fixed on Sabrina, but he was no longer truly seeing her. His mind had already drifted elsewhere.

Could this be the same reason his sons had taken such an interest in the girl? Had they suspected something like this? Had they even gone as far as running some kind of test on her during the period they had refused to answer his calls on the day of the lottery? Why hadn’t he thought of that before? If they had discovered something significant, then perhaps it explained their strange behavior that day. If it had only been because of Nikolai’s mistake, they would not have been avoiding his calls so deliberately. That meant they must have been planning something, or doing something he would not approve of.

Even after he had warned them to stay away from the girl, he had seen it in Mikhail’s eyes. His son had no intention of listening. Alexander knew Mikhail well enough to recognize that look. Once his mind was made up, very little could change it.

The thought pulled another memory to the surface. He remembered Mikhail at twelve, on the first day the twins had visited the Umbra Clan for their First Shifting Ritual. The boys had been young then, barely old enough to understand the significance of the sacred traditions surrounding their first transformation. Yet Mikhail had already possessed that same quiet curiosity that had followed him into adulthood.

While everyone else had been occupied with the preparations, Mikhail had slipped away and sneaked into the sacred temple. They had found him inside, standing before the ancient altar, staring up at the enormous statue of the Moon Goddess with an expression of complete fascination. He had been so absorbed by the presence of the goddess that he had barely noticed when they entered.

Alexander remembered Sabrina appearing moments later. She had stared at Mikhail for several seconds before quietly saying something that had stayed with him ever since.

"The one who will know the key before them all."

The words had sounded like a prophecy, strange and cryptic enough to make Alexander and Irena exchange puzzled looks. But when Alexander had asked Sabrina what she meant, she had only looked at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

She genuinely had not remembered saying it.

At the time, Alexander and Irena had simply brushed the incident aside. It had been easier to believe Sabrina had spoken in a moment of trance or that they had misunderstood her. But now, sitting on his throne and listening to her speak about Starlight Dawson, Alexander could not help wondering if that moment had meant something after all.

Could Mikhail have been connected to this somehow? Was that strange fascination he had shown toward the temple all those years ago somehow tied to what was happening now?

And Mikhail was not the kind of person to become interested in someone without a reason.

Knowing Nikolai, he would follow wherever his twin brother led, whether he understood the reason behind it or not. But even if that was the case, another thought weighed heavily on Alexander. Lucius Dawson had made his position clear. They were not to interfere with his family and they had promised him they would keep their distance, and Alexander knew exactly what breaking that promise could cost them.

Lucius was not a man who made empty threats.

Yet if what Sabrina believed were even remotely possible, removing Starlight from the academy could mean taking away the very person their kind had spent centuries waiting for.

Surely Lucius would understand that.

Wouldn’t he?

"Then you are suggesting we leave her at the academy," Alexander said at last. His voice was calm, but the edge beneath it had returned. "Knowing that Lucius Dawson may not like the idea?"

Sabrina inclined her head. "I am suggesting that we do not make a decision based solely on fear of what Lucius might do. We can deal with his reaction when the time comes, after he returns."

A faint scoff came from Cassian. "That is easy to say when you are not the one who will have to deal with him if he decides to tear the empire apart because we broke our promise."

Sabrina slowly turned her gaze toward him.

The serenity that usually softened her features had not disappeared, but something colder had settled behind her pale blue eyes. She did not say a word, yet the look she gave Cassian sent a chill through the hall, even to those it was not directed at. Cassian’s scoff died before he could add anything more.

Evander finally spoke, his voice cutting through the tension. "Sabrina, please don’t kill Cassian with those eyes. I think we are making a mountain out of a molehill." He glanced around the hall before continuing. "I understand why everyone is being cautious, but if Lucius Dawson’s daughter is indeed the key to breaking the curse that has crippled our kind for centuries, then leaving her at the academy for now would not be such a bad idea." His expression hardened slightly. "And as for worrying about angering Lucius, remember that we did not force his daughter to enter the Lunar Lottery. She did that herself. We promised to stay away from his family. We never promised to turn them away when they came to us on their own."

Cyrus gave a slow nod from across the hall. "Evander has a point. We should not allow our fear of Lucius Dawson to make us act recklessly. If there is even a possibility that Sabrina is right, then removing the girl before we understand what she is could be a far greater mistake."

Alexander remained silent for a moment, his silver eyes moving slowly across the five Clan Heads. He studied each of their expressions, taking in the certainty on some faces and the cautious agreement on others. At last, he leaned back against the throne, his fingers resting against the armrest. "So, you all agree that we let her stay and go through the Lunar Ritual like the rest of the candidates?"

Alexander remained silent for a moment, his silver eyes moving slowly across the five Clan Heads. He studied each of their expressions, taking in the certainty on some faces and the cautious agreement on others. At last, he leaned back against the throne, his fingers resting against the armrest. "So, you all agree that we let her stay and go through the Lunar Ritual like the rest of the candidates?"

Augustus was the first to answer. "I don’t have a problem with that, and I’m sure nobody here does either. If we consider the way King Evander put it, it was indeed Lucius’s daughter who came to us on her own. We never broke our promise."

The others exchanged glances, and one by one, the tension that had filled the hall began to ease. Even Cassian, who had been the most vocal about Lucius’s possible reaction, seemed to reconsider his position. Cyrus gave a small nod, while Sabrina remained composed, her expression suggesting that she had already expected them to reach this conclusion. Evander simply leaned back in his chair, looking as though he had been waiting for everyone else to realize the same thing.

"Then it’s settled. We let her stay," Alexander said. For once, the matter seemed to be resolving far more easily than he had expected, without the usual arguments, accusations, and clashes of pride that followed whenever the five Clan Heads gathered in the same room. He glanced toward the doors, already eager to bring the meeting to an end. "If that’s all, I would like to return to my beloved Empress."

Cassian suddenly rose from his seat. "I would like to add one more thing."

Alexander’s silver eyes snapped toward him, the impatience in his expression unmistakable. "Go ahead."

Cassian straightened his coat before speaking. "If we have agreed to let the girl stay, then I suggest that she at least be taken to the Lunar Ritual with one of the Clan Heads’ heirs. It would be a waste to let someone like her go to just an ordinary family when there are perfectly suitable heirs and heiress among the five great clans. Besides, if she truly is as important as Queen Sabrina believes, it would be wiser to keep her within our own circles."

"I don’t have a problem with whoever she ends up with," Evander said, glancing around the room. "As long as none of our heirs forgets that she is still a person and doesn’t start fighting over her like some prize."

Alexander stared at them for a long moment. When nobody objected to what Cassian and Evander had said, he exhaled through his nose. "Fine, then. You can all tell your heirs to pursue her. Whoever she ends up with, that’s their business." His expression hardened as he waved a dismissive hand. "Now, get out of my hall. I need to get back to my Empress."

With that, he stood and marched toward the exit, his white cape sweeping behind him.

Evander immediately rose and followed his brother, leaving the others behind. For a moment, the four remaining Clan Heads simply stared at one another. Then, almost simultaneously, their hands went to their phones. Each one’s expression shifted in a different way, but the same thought had clearly crossed all their minds.

Their heirs and heiresses needed to know.