Chapter 37
Kael rounded the corner, his boots clicking sharply against the polished floor of the corridor. The sounds of chaos—shouting guards, distant alarms—had drawn him from the opulent gathering. His mind churned with conflict, each step heavier than the last. Then he saw her. Juniper stood in the middle of the corridor, disheveled but unbroken, her green eyes ablaze with fury. Calliope clung to her mother’s side, her small hands clutching Juniper’s skirt, her expression torn between terror and resolve. Kael’s breath caught. He had never seen Juniper like this—so raw, so untamed. She wasn’t pleading or afraid. She was fighting. "Kael!" she spat, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. His heart twisted. He tried to speak, but the words lodged in his throat. Guards surrounded th
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