Damon’s POV
I knew something was wrong before the doors even opened. It wasn’t a message, not at first, not a report placed neatly into my hands the way it should have been, it was a feeling—sharp, immediate, cutting through everything else like instinct refusing to be ignored. The bond shifted. Not steady. Not quiet. Disturbed. My jaw tightened as I stood abruptly, the council chamber falling silent around me, every pair of eyes turning in my direction as if they expected an explanation I had no intention of giving. I didn’t offer one. I walked out.
Whatever they were discussing—alliances, territories, meaningless details that should have held my attention—ceased to matter the moment that pull twisted into something urgent, something wrong. My pace quickened without conscious thought,
