“Mira, get down.”
Ryker’s voice carried up the wall with unmistakable authority.
Mira did not look away from Kael.
He stood beyond the outer barrier, his posture steady, his wolves positioned behind him in deliberate formation. He did not look surprised to see her above the wall. He looked prepared.
“This is not how you lead,” she called to him.
Her voice carried across the split barrier. Kael’s expression shifted slightly, but he did not smile. “You stand on their wall,” he replied. “That answers enough.”
Silverfang warriors tightened their grips on weapons below her. The outer barrier shuddered again under pressure from Nightshade wolves pushing against weakened wood.
Ryker climbed halfway up the platform toward her. “You are exposed,” he said sharply.
“I needed him to see me,” s
