Stormlight draped the Hollow in silver as the council chamber emptied.
The Lycan Lords withdrew to speak in whispers and heated glances, casting looks over their shoulders at Isabella like she might shatter the stone beneath their feet at any moment. The ground no longer rejected her. The roots beneath Greyfang Hollow had begun to pulse with her heartbeat, slow and steady and ancient. It was not dominion she sought.
But something far more dangerous.
Unity.
Kael lingered at her side. His knuckles were pale around the hilt of his blade, but he hadn’t spoken since Alric disappeared down the tunnel with two guards trailing him. That silence wrapped around him like armor—and it worried her more than his rage ever did.
“He’ll move against us,” she said.
Kael nodded slowly. “He’ll try. But
