DAMON’S POV
The moment they walked out, something inside me snapped. A part of me felt like it left with her, a part that I couldn’t get back until she came back. I didn’t move and I didn’t speak. I just stood there, my gaze fixed on the doorway like if I looked long enough, they would come back.
Like none of it had just happened, but they didn’t. And the silence they left behind felt louder than anything that had come before it. My hand curled into a fist at my side. I had let her go, no— I had given her away and I couldn’t help blaming Nyra for that.
The thought hit hard, twisting something deep in my chest. Control. I forced myself to breathe evenly. The elders were still in the room, Nyra was still watching. I could feel her satisfaction without even looking at her.
“You handled th
