Kaelira’s POV
No one moved, not immediately. The courtyard held its breath long after his words settled into it.
She’s not yours to break.
The silence that followed wasn’t empty.
It was… shifting.
I could feel it in the way they looked at me now.
Not just doubt anymore.
Not just quiet dismissal.
Something else had slipped in between.
Unease, curiosity and fear.
And that was worse.
Serenya leaned closer, her voice barely audible. “You need to say something.”
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know which part of this I was supposed to respond to.
Him?
The pack?
Darius?
Everything had changed in seconds and none of it was clean.
I stepped forward.
Slowly.
Every movement was deliberate.
“I gave an order earlier,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension. “Stand down.”
