The roar beneath the mountains faded slowly into silence.
But the fury behind it lingered.
Everyone in the shattered hall felt it.
Valdris had heard Kael’s vow through the mate bond.
And he hated it.
Cold wind swept through the broken windows while moonlight spilled across the ruined stone floor. The tension inside the hall remained suffocating.
No one spoke for several long moments.
Kael still stood close to Lyra, his forehead resting gently against hers while the mate bond pulsed warmly between them.
Safe.
Protective.
The whispers inside her mind had quieted again.
Not vanished.
Just… distant.
Like Valdris had been forced backward temporarily.
Darius noticed too.
“The bond is resisting him.”
Kael slowly lifted his head, dark eyes never leaving Lyra.
“Then we strengthen i
