The Devil's Cursed Witch

The next day Ember was ready to go to the council meeting. Reya and Clio quietly helped her. From the previous council meeting, even these two servants were unusually quiet to worry about their master.

Ember looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her expression to appear calm and composed. Draven arrived, and together they left for the council hall. When they arrived, everyone was already present, awaiting the King and his mate.

This time, Draven walked Ember to her chair personally. Once she was seated comfortably, he took his place on the throne.

As usual, Elder Halifax began the meeting. "Your Majesty, today we council members have gathered to hear Lady Ember's decision."

Draven nodded, and Halifax turned to Ember. "Lady Ember, please let us all know the decision you have made."

Calm and composed, Ember stood from her chair. Evanthe's gaze shifted to Draven, who appeared calm, but the way his fingers gripped the handrest of his throne revealed what Ember's decision would be.

Ember walked to the center of the council hall. She bowed to Draven before turning to face the council members, who waited in anticipation.

Before she could speak, Halifax interjected, "Lady Ember, before you take your decision, let me remind you that a life depends on your one decision. Saving a life always comes first, and it is the right thing to do."

Ember turned to him, her voice polite. "Thank you for the guidance, Elder Halifax."

The old elf offered her an appreciative nod and prepared to hear her decision.

As she looked ahead, Ember spoke, "I, Ember Aramis, have decided to accept the divine eagle, Commander Morpheus, as my mate."

Entire council hall buzzed with happiness as this is what they were expecting from Ember, to save Morpheus, except for a few faces that were calm, neither sad nor happy that included Evanthe, Leeora and Erlos. They knew how difficult it was for Ember to make this decision and how hurtful it was for Draven to bear with it.

Draven, was still as a statue, had been ready to accept his mate's decision. He had anticipated her choice and had prepared himself, but the beast within him was agitated, knowing that his mate would no longer be his alone, that another male would be a part of their lives as well.

As much Draven wanted to save Morpheus as well and supported Ember's decision as his own, his beast side could not leave its primal instincts.

Through their bond, Ember could sense the turbulent emotions he was trying to suppress. She turned to look at him, his red eyes calm on the surface, yet she could feel the storm brewing behind them. Her own eyes grew moist, sharing the pain of her mate's turmoil.

"It's indeed the right decision, Lady Ember," Elder Halifax spoke once the council hall quieted. Ember, preoccupied with her concern for Draven, neither cared nor wished to know what others thought of her decision. Her focus was solely on him.

Evanthe, Leeora, and Erlos could only watch the pair silently, understanding the depth of their emotions.

Elder Halifax turned to face everyone. "As Lady Ember has given her decision and has agreed to accept Commander Morpheus as her mate, we will soon..."

Slam!

The huge door of the council hall was thrown open, capturing everyone's attention. Morpheus walked through the door, announcing, "But I, Divine Eagle Morpheus, refuse to accept Ember Aramis as my mate."

All the council members, especially Chief Agraleus, who were delighted by Ember's decision, were stunned by Morpheus's declaration.

Ember, shocked by his words, turned to face him as he approached.

Morpheus, who had barely been able to move on his own, was now walking without any discomfort as if he had never been hurt. What had happened all of a sudden? As experienced supernaturals they all could guess the reason.

Cornelia, standing by Evanthe's side, looked at her and noticed Evanthe searching for someone.

"Aureus, he is not here," Cornelia realized. Aureus was the reason Morpheus could be there. To make Morpheus this strong, Aureus must have exhausted a significant portion of his divine energy.

Evanthe turned to Erlos, who quickly walked towards her. She handed him something and instructed, "Find Aureus and give this to him. Make sure he drinks it."

"Yes, Your Eminence," Erlos replied before leaving the council hall.

"Morph, what are you saying?" Agraleus asked, his voice agitated.

Morpheus didn't bother to look at anyone else. He stood directly in front of Ember and repeated his words, staring straight into her eyes. "I said, I do not wish to accept Ember Aramis as my mate."

There was hurt in Ember's eyes, a pain from thinking he was rejecting her decision when all she wanted was to save him. Morpheus saw the hurt in her moist eyes, but his gaze remained cold and unyielding.

"Morpheus, this is all to save your life," Agraleus insisted. "Do not be impulsive."

Morpheus turned to his uncle. "Have any of you consulted me about what I want? Did any of you care to ask my opinion about my own life?"

"Commander, you were not in a condition to discuss it," Halifax spoke.

"But now I am, and my decision is that I do not want to be saved. That's the end of the discussion," he replied. His voice, cold and firm, echoed inside the hall, silencing everyone, leaving them unsure of what to say.

Ember, who had been standing quietly, broke the silence. "Morph."

Her voice tugged at his heartstrings, but Morpheus's expression remained hard as he turned to face her.

"Be my mate, alright?" she said softly, struggling to contain her emotions.

"I would rather die than accept a human as my mate," he replied, his eyes devoid of any emotion. The warmth and kindness that Ember had always known in Morpheus were gone; he appeared cold and heartless.

He refused her because she was human? Through their friendship, she had believed he had accepted her despite she was human. This refusal felt like a betrayal.

He had acted coldly with her when she went to visit him but she thought it was because he was not well, but now it felt like he deliberately wanted to hurt her.

'Was this all just because she was a human?'