Cassian’s POV
Something felt off about the upcoming ball. It wasn’t about Raven’s recovery from her bleeding or the delay in the date. That part, I didn’t mind. What worried me was the quiet tension spreading through the mansion like smoke.
It was the elders and the purebloods especially from my father’s people.
They didn’t like that a human woman would become Queen. They thought it was beneath our kind, that it weakened the bloodline. They didn’t care that my father had made his choice, or that we had, too. They only cared about their twisted version of tradition and control.
I had made some calls and talked to the most powerful among them. Made sure they wouldn’t cause trouble. They gave me their word, but I didn’t trust them. I could hear the fake respect in their tone. The kind of
