Elena
*****Silverfang Territory — Courtyard, Minutes Later*****
The pressure didn’t fade.
If anything, it grew heavier.
It pressed into my chest, my spine, my bones, like the ground itself had decided I was no longer allowed to stand as just one person.
The warriors were still on their knees.
Not because Lucian told them to stay there.
Because something inside them wouldn’t let them rise.
I could feel it now. The pull. The silent demand. It wasn’t loud, wasn’t violent, it was worse. It was absolute.
My heartbeat sounded too loud in my ears. Every breath felt borrowed.
I clenched my fists. “Make them stand.”
Lucian turned his head slowly, studying me with sharp interest, like I had just entertained him for the first time. “Why?”
“They didn’t choose this,” I snapped. “I didn’t as
