The forest blurred outside the SUV window, each tree a green smear against the gray sky. The silence inside the vehicle was heavy—laden with unspoken thoughts, anxious energy, and the growing sense that something irreversible was about to unfold. Klaus sat beside me, still and unreadable, his jaw tight, his warm blue eyes fixed on the horizon.
We were on our way to the Council’s meeting grounds—a sacred territory known for its ancient runes that repelled dark magic and enforced neutrality. No blood could be spilled there, not even by a king. It was the one place in our world where power had to be held in check by words, not claws.
The drive took nearly two hours, and for a while, we said nothing. But the quiet between us wasn’t empty—it was alive with tension, worry, and the steady pulse
